And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. 4:6-11
The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”
Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. 4:6-11
Four Living Creatures
Immediately, after seeing the screen with a scene of the Mediterranean Sea (noted in the previous post), John's attention turns back to the control panel. He says, in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes. The four living creatures had the appearance of
a) a lion;
b) a calf;
c) the face of a man, and
d) a flying eagle. All four creatures have wings, but only the wings of the eagle, are spread, as if in flight.
a) a lion;
b) a calf;
c) the face of a man, and
d) a flying eagle. All four creatures have wings, but only the wings of the eagle, are spread, as if in flight.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. John does not say that the wings have eyes but that the living creatures, with the wings, have eyes.
Isaiah also saw some creatures with six wings, he called them seraphim. Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isa. 6:2
Isaiah also saw some creatures with six wings, he called them seraphim. Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. Isa. 6:2
The song of these four living creatures is very similar to the songs of the seraphim. “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Rev. 4:8
And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory. Isa. 6:3
And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory. Isa. 6:3
they do not rest day or night because their function was to worship the Lord God. The KJV Bible Commentary says: They rest not day and night. Untiringly and without interruption. And yet, this worship cannot be a continual action because in 4:9-10 we read, Whenever the living creatures give glory ... the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him.
The fact that the word, Whenever, is used, makes it plain that it is not an incessant action. Furthermore, John saw the twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones, therefore they are not on their knees constantly.
The fact that the word, Whenever, is used, makes it plain that it is not an incessant action. Furthermore, John saw the twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones, therefore they are not on their knees constantly.
The words, They do not rest day or night, indicate that at the place where John is seeing the living creatures worship God night follows day. Therefore, the point is made again, John is not in some mystical, spiritual realm we call Heaven, but perhaps in a spaceship, positioned somewhere in earth’s time frame.
About this, and in contradiction to the Bible’s statement, Mr Smith** writes, they repeat it “day and night”, or continually, these terms only denoting the manner in which time is reckoned here, for there can be no night where the throne of God is.
About this, and in contradiction to the Bible’s statement, Mr Smith** writes, they repeat it “day and night”, or continually, these terms only denoting the manner in which time is reckoned here, for there can be no night where the throne of God is.
The four living creatures say: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Some Bible teachers tell us that the fact that the word holy is used three times tells us that God is a triune being. That assumption is pushing common sense way out of shape.
Here is an example that proves the absurdity of that argument. And the king was much moved, and went up to the room ... And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! 2 Sam. 18:33. Three times, in one sentence, King David calls Absalom "my son". Using the same argument here as some use it in Rev. 4:8 we would have to agree that King David's one son, Absolom, was three people.
Isaiah, a God-fearing Jew, a non-trinitarian, like all Bible writers were, also recorded that the Seraphim said Holy, holy, holy. It is unthinkable that to Isaiah, as to the writer of The Revelation, the three "holys" indicated a trinity.
The word holy is repeated three times to lay stress on Jehovah's holiness.
Here is an example that proves the absurdity of that argument. And the king was much moved, and went up to the room ... And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! 2 Sam. 18:33. Three times, in one sentence, King David calls Absalom "my son". Using the same argument here as some use it in Rev. 4:8 we would have to agree that King David's one son, Absolom, was three people.
Isaiah, a God-fearing Jew, a non-trinitarian, like all Bible writers were, also recorded that the Seraphim said Holy, holy, holy. It is unthinkable that to Isaiah, as to the writer of The Revelation, the three "holys" indicated a trinity.
The word holy is repeated three times to lay stress on Jehovah's holiness.
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created. I stated my point of view about this thought in an earlier post:
http://wwwthinkagai.blogspot.ca/2012/05/five-theosophic-viewpoints.html
The short version of those posts is this. The Akashic field is the origin of all things but Jehovah has been credited for the creation of the universe because the writers of the Bible did not know about the Akashic field. They believed and wrote, that Jehovah is the supreme creator because some of them had met Him. However, a careful look at what the Bible teaches about Jehovah does not allow for us to believe that He is infinite in any sense. Looking at theology in this light makes the Bible much more reasonable and much easier to accept.
If the church would not be so insistent that the infinite source of creation is the same God that procured redemption for us perhaps there would be far fewer atheists in the world. To combine those two forces into One Being creates unbelievable situations and so people would rather just refuse to believe in the existence of God altogether.
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* A Commentary on Daniel and the Revelation by Uriah Smith, Seventh Day Adventist.
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