The Throne Room of God

Lesson 9 Questions
First Day: Read Lesson 8 Notes.
The notes and lecture fortify the truth of the passage for understanding and application to daily life.

1. How did the lecture help you comprehend God's sovereignty in establishing His people and kingdom?




2. How did the notes fuel your faith in the promise of God's new kingdom to come?





Second Day: Read Revelation 4:1-3.

John entered the throne room in heaven.

3. Give details of John's invitation regarding the open door.

John saw a door standing open in Heaven, and the voice John heard was the one like a trumpet, a.k.a. Jesus. “Come up here,” he said, “and I will show you what must take place after this.” John immediately was in the Spirit and stood before a throne, with one sitting on the throne.




4. How did John enter, and what did he see?

John was in the Spirit right away, and taken to Heaven. He saw a throne and someone sitting on it. He looked like jasper and ruby/carnelian and around the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.


b. Who do you think was sitting on the throne, and why?

Almighty God. He has appeared on a throne before. Ezekiel saw a throne with a human likeness on it and the brightness was like the light from a rainbow. He also looked like glowing metal. Isaiah saw the Almighty seated on a throne, high and lifted up. Daniel saw the Ancient of Days seated in a throne. The Son of Man appeared before the Ancient of Days. In Revelation, Jesus tells John to come, and another is seated on the throne.



c. What descriptive words did John use to attempt to create a picture of this scene?

God was as brilliant as gemstones, like ruby and jasper. The glow of a rainbow surrounded like an emerald surrounded/encircled the throne.



5.Describe your response to what John saw.

Awe. John was unable to describe all he saw, and had to resort to similes. The power and glory and majesty overwhelmed John. Yet John was allowed to see and hear all these things, lowly as he was.


Third Day: Read Revelation 4:4-6a.
John described the throne room of God.

6 Who surrounded the throne, and why might they have been wearing white and crowns? (There are various viewpoints.)

I think the elders surrounding the throne are the patriarchs of the O.T., and Jesus’s disciples. The crowns were given them as a reward for their faithfulness. The white robes are washed in the blood of Jesus. Also, many people in Heaven are dressed in white.


7. What sights and sounds were coming from the throne, and what does this tell you about God's character?

There were flashes of lightning and rumbling and peals of thunder. There are seven torches of fire, that are the seven spirits of God. In front of the throne is a sea of glass, like crystal.
God Is good, but He Is not safe. He Is our safety, our refuge, but also the one Who Is above all the things that frighten and endanger us. He uses things we fear as images of His power, might, and glory. Fire cleanses and purifies and destroys. The spirits of God Are pure are capable of destroying evil and sin. The glassy sea, I don’t know about.



8. Other prophets received a vision of heaven. Give similarities to John's vision from these accounts: Exodus 24:9-11

Moses, Aaron, and the seventy others saw God. Under His feet was something like sapphire that was clear.


Isaiah 6:1-7

Isaiah saw God on a throne, high and lifted up.



Ezekiel 1Ezekiel saw a sapphire throne above, and sitting on it was a human face. There was fire and the brightness of a rainbow surrounding Him. There was an e panes that glittered like crystal.




Fourth Day: Read Revelation 4:6b-8.
John saw four living creatures.

9.Describe the four living creatures surrounding God's throne.

They were covered in eyes in front and back. The first living creature looked like a lion, the second an ox, the third a man, and the fourth an eagle in flight. Each one had six wings, and they said, night and day “Holy, holy, holy Is the Lord God Almighty, Who Was and Is and Is to come”



10. Explain the following phrases in your own words: Holy, holy, holy

A singular state that only God can possess. He Is perfect in all things, full of power and the only worthy one, Who alone is worthy to be praised and adored.


Lord God Almighty The eternal ruler and author of creation, who rules over all. Over all creatures, all rulers, all nations and peoples, and every situation, the Lord God Almighty reigns.


Who was, and is, and is to come

He Is eternal, operating outside time. God has always existed and will exist in the future. In the future, His kingdom shall reign over all, and every other kingdom shall be subsumed into it.



10 a. What does it mean to praise God?

Praise is giving yourself over to Him, offering yourself and recognizing He Is the only worthy one. Praise is a sacrifice. We put aside thinking about ourselves to focus on God alone. As we praise, the things we say become embedded more deeply in us, as we are hearing these praises spoken aloud. Praise blesses us, as we acknowledge God.



b. In what current situation might you praise God, and how? (See also 1 Chronicles 29:11-13; Romans 12:1-2; and Colossians 3:16-17.)
I’d praise God for continually answering my prayers and questions, and His continuing love for me. I’d praise Him for His attributes and His greatness. I’d praise Him in my heart and with my body. And I’d b be noisy about it!

Fifth Day: Read Revelation 4:9-11.
John saw and heard the 24 elders.

What did the elders do and say in response to the worship of the living creatures, and why?

They fall down before God, which I think is lying prostrate, and worship God. They cast their crowns in front of the throne. I always envisioned that as throwing them at His feet. These crowns are their possession, given them by Gods, and possibly earned from their faithfulness. The reward they earned they are giving back to Him. They willingly surrender everything to Him, for no possession is worth keeping to themselves when they have God. They acknowledge/recognize/proclaim the Lord is their God, and worthy to receive glory and power and honor. They declare He created all things and by His will they exist and were created.


13a. What is the primary activity in John's view of heaven?

Ceaseless praise and worship.

b. In what ways does John's vision affect you personally?

I look forward to the day I can worship with them. I’m also encouraged I will someday see His glory and majesty for myself.





14 Write a personal prayer of worship to God, who sits enthroned in heaven.





Sixth Day: Review Revelation 4.
God's majestic glory inspires ceaseless worship.

15 What is the most challenging or inspiring truth about God and His throne room that you experienced as you studied Revelation 4 this week?





Passage Discovery (homiletics, word study, etc.) for Group and Administrative Leaders: Revelation 4.