John meets the crew of the spaceship

   Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.
   And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices. Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.
    Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. 4:4-6 

The Throne Room 

   Around the throne were twenty-four thrones.  These are the chairs of the crew of the spaceship. Those who sit there conduct the missions in which the spaceship is involved.

   I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads.  Some say that these twenty-four elders might be representatives of the twelve patriarchs of Israel and the twelve Apostles of Christ.  It has also been suggested that they are the actual patriarchs and apostles, but that theory is impossible to maintain, because, at that time, one of the twelve apostles, is still busy writing The Apocalypse.  Their number is important. The Levitical priesthood had twenty-four courses (shifts) in Israel (cf. I Chr. 24:7–19).  The KJV Bible study 

   Is it not also possible that there is no symbolism involved at all.  Perhaps the spaceship simply needed a crew of 24 (plus the captain), and that is why there were 24 elders sitting on their thrones.  Let's not use symbolism when a simple statement of fact is possible!  In Bible College we learned this always applicable phrase, If plain sense makes common sense, seek no other sense.

  They were clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads. Here we need only to think of scenes from "Star Wars" or "Star Trek" and the whole picture falls into place.   The crowns of gold may well have housed their communication devices.  After all, the "Away" team must have a way to commune with the ship when they are scouting the planet they are visiting.

And from the throne proceeded lightnings, thunderings, and voices.  This set of events, with slight variations, is recorded four times, in different arrangements, in The Apocalypse. 

And out of the throne came lightnings and thunderings and voices. 4:5; 

And voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earthquake occurred. 8:5; 

and there occurred lightnings and voices, and thunders and an earthquake, and a great hail. 11:19, 

   And voices and thunders and lightnings occurred. And there was a great earthquake, such as has not been since men were on the earth, so mighty and so great an earthquake. 16:18.

   The fact that there would be voices coming from the throne is, of course, not surprising, the crew was probably conversing with each other over the speaker system.  However, it is interesting to note that the thunders and lightnings also issued from the throne.

  Seven lamps of fire were burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.  We ran across this phrase already in 1:4 where it simply said, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne.  Even though modern Bible teachers insist that there is only one Spirit of God, yet they seem to agree that these seven refers to the Holy Spirit.  Unless you have found a way to do something weird to the rules of math, seven never equals one.  Such is the incongruity of the doctrine of the Trinity.

The Viewing Screen

   Before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal.  What he saw next was not part of the throne room, but it was, before (in front of), the throne.  John's attention has shifted from the throne room to the viewing screen of the spaceship.  This sea of glass was the electronic screen through which the captain and crew could watch the surrounding area.  At the time John was in the spaceship, the screen was filled with a view of the Mediterranean Sea.  The combination of the screen and the view, caused John to say, before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal; it was as clear as crystal, just as clear as a television screen portrays a scene.