Calvin on Revelation 4

After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.

Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits[a] of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

Revelations 4:1 - 11

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Today we're highlighting Revelations 4: 1 - 11, and a prayer & reflection from John Calvin.

I think after reading this that verse 11 really captures the way that we need to view God, and ensure that our response accurately captures who God is in relation to us. The Geneva Bible Notes state that all glory must be given to God, because He is the eternal beginning of all things, from whose only will they have their being, and are governed, and finally in all respects are that which they are. Yet the wonderful truth is that we are unworthy, but because of His goodness we can also share in this glory.

We hope that these verses and Calvin's prayer helps you to recapture that rightful awe that we should have in light of God's glory :)

"Grant, Almighty God, that since we are by nature extremely prone to superstition, we may carefully consider what is the true and right way of serving you, such as you desire and approve, even that we offer ourselves spiritually to you, and seek no other altar but Christ, and relying on no other priest, hope to be acceptable and devoted to you, that he may imbue us with the Spirit which has been fully poured on him so that we may from the heart devote ourselves to you, and thus proceed patiently in our course, that with minds raised upward we may ever go on toward that glory which is as yet hid under hope until it shall at length be manifested in his own time, when your only begotten Son shall appear with the elect angels for our final redemption."