Four Beasts Full of Eyes

Q: What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

The Bible describes the glory of God as immense and beyond human comprehension, revealing His holiness and omnipotence. The glory of God is portrayed in the Scriptures as a magnificent and awe-inspiring reality that no human can fully grasp. As seen in Revelation 4:6-11, the creatures before God's throne continuously proclaim, 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,' expressing His separateness and infinite majesty. This juxtaposition of God's holiness and His role as the creator emphasizes that everything was created for His pleasure. The vision given to John, likened to those seen by Ezekiel and Isaiah, showcases the impossibility of fully comprehending God's glory. Men cannot stand before His splendor, and when they encounter Him, they often fall to their knees in reverence, recognizing their own unworthiness.

Q: How do we know God is sovereign over all things?

Scripture asserts God's sovereignty over all creation, indicating that nothing occurs outside His divine purpose. God's sovereignty is a foundational tenet of historic Reformed theology. In Isaiah 46:10, it is stated that God declares the end from the beginning, underscoring that His purposes cannot be thwarted. The preacher highlights that nothing occurs outside God's purpose, emphasizing His role as the predestinator of all events in history. Ephesians 1:11 further affirms this truth by indicating that God works all things according to the counsel of His will. Understanding God's absolute sovereignty reassures believers of His ultimate control and the assurance that everything unfolds according to His divine plan, providing comfort and confidence in His governance of the world.

Q: Why is the holiness of God important for Christians?

The holiness of God is central to Christian belief as it establishes His uniqueness and the necessity for reverence in worship. The holiness of God is foundational to understanding who He is and how we, as His creation, should relate to Him. Holiness—being set apart and entirely different from sin—creates a gulf between God and humanity. As mentioned in Isaiah 6:3 and Revelation 4:8, God's holiness is proclaimed continuously by the heavenly beings, emphasizing its importance. This recognition of His holiness instills a proper fear and reverence in believers, reminding them of their own unworthiness and dependence on God's grace. The acknowledgment of God's holiness leads to a deeper worship experience, recognizing His perfection and purity. It encourages Christians to live a life that reflects His attributes, striving for holiness in personal conduct, which aligns with the call found in 1 Peter 1:15-16.

Q: What does Revelation teach us about worship?

Revelation teaches that worship is centered on the supremacy and holiness of God, where believers acknowledge His worthiness. The book of Revelation emphasizes that true worship is directed solely toward God, recognizing His supremacy and holiness. In Revelation 4:10-11, the twenty-four elders fall down before the Lord, casting their crowns and proclaiming His worthiness to receive glory, honor, and power. This act symbolizes the humility that comes from recognizing God's ultimate authority and the grace He has bestowed upon His people. Furthermore, worship, as depicted in Revelation, is continuous and everlasting, as the creatures before the throne do not cease to declare God's holiness night and day. This teaches Christians that worship is not merely a ritual activity but an ongoing lifestyle that reflects gratitude and reverence for God’s goodness and grace in their lives.

No sweeter place on earth than to be with the saints of God, praising the name of the Lord. We're looking in the book of Revelation, continuing it to look here in the fourth chapter. And we have read this chapter through for the last couple of weeks. I'm just gonna begin reading here in verse six today.

And before the throne there was a sea of glass like a crystal. And in the midst of the throne and round about the throne were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, the second beast like a calf, the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts each had of them six wings about him, and they were full of eyes within, and they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever, the four and 20 elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou hast created all things and for thy pleasure They are and were created. And you know, it is a delight of the children of God to be reminded of that. That the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. That he is the God of gods. That he's the creator. That he is the predestinator. of all things. Nothing occurs in the world that is outside of his purpose. No man can overturn it. And in great measure, no man can fathom it. What we're reading here is really beyond the capability of men to picture.

If you can get a clear picture of what John has recorded here, you are greatly blessed because it's hard for us to even picture this in our mind in a measure of just carnal consideration of what he saw, let alone to encompass or have any understanding of the glory of what he saw. Because that is what is at the heart of what we're talking about here. Now you can spend a lot of time trying to decipher and determine and figure out what each little part of John's vision here means, and you will come up empty in the long run because you cannot know that.

You can't begin to comprehend it. If God had intended for us to know what each one of these things is, he would have explained it, just like he did to his disciples when he told them the parables. He gave it to them, and then he told them what it was. They couldn't grasp this. And he's not seen fit to tell us what all these things are.

Now we got prophets galore running around all over the countryside writing books and telling all kinds of stuff, and they can tell you everything. Like old brother Thomas used to say, they know every hair on the horse's tail. You know, they can tell you whatever little thing is, but they don't know that. They might tell you they do, and they might be sincere in thinking they do, but more likely they read what somebody else wrote somewhere and figured it was, and that's what they figured it is.

And so, as like I told you from the beginning, I don't know what all of these things mean as far as being able to decipher the types and the shadows and all of these things, but I know this. because the book begins that way. This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him. Now you just wrap your head around that a little bit. I can't get past that. But that's what this book is. And it's a glorious book. And it shows us in just these few pages that we have read, how far we are from having any real comprehension of the magnitude of the glory that surrounds the Lord Jesus Christ. John tells us about it.

John walked with him every day and he knew him and he saw all the miracles, but yet the scripture says when he saw him here, he fell down at his feet as a dead man. And as I was reading, as I have read these beginning chapters here in the book of the Revelation, I was struck by how similar what John was given to see is what Ezekiel saw. Now Ezekiel describes these things a little bit different, but there's enough The similarities in what Ezekiel describes is what John describes is what Isaiah described. When he was in the year that King Uzziah died, he said, I saw the Lord high and lifted up in his train filled the temple. That's what Ezekiel saw, that's what John saw. So I want to read the first chapter of Ezekiel. It says, now it came to pass in the 30th year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.

Now, how can a man see a vision of God? Now, you can't make yourself have a vision of God any more than you can make yourself have a dream. You know, when you lay down at night, you don't determine what you're gonna dream. The Lord determines those things. And He gives men visions. And that doesn't have anything to do with them. Didn't have a thing in the world to do with Ezekiel. Didn't have anything to do with Isaiah. Didn't have anything to do with John.

The Lord just gave them a vision to see these things that it is. And that's the only way any man's ever gonna understand any of the things of God is if God gives him the understanding. There's not a one of us in here that can lift himself up to grasp the things of God by his own study.

You can study this, Bob, you can memorize this book. from the first to the end. There have been men that's done it or said they did. I've never seen anybody that proved it by standing up and started quoting it from the beginning to the end because it'd wear them out to do that. It'd wear anybody sitting around listening to it out too.

I don't know how long that would take. But there are men that claim they've memorized the Bible. Maybe they did. You know, I don't know. But you can memorize it. You can know everything in here. There's lots of people that can tell you a lot of stuff about the Bible. But they might not know one thing about the truth of God. Because, you know, unless the Lord opens a man's eyes, he can't see it. That's what the Lord said to the Pharisees, did he not? He said, search the scriptures. He said, in them you think ye have eternal life, but they are they which testify of me. And the Pharisees knew what the Bible said, but they didn't know Christ. See, they knew all the prophecies concerning when Christ would come, but yet when Christ came, they didn't see Him. They didn't know it. And so it is. that you can know all about the Bible. And the truth of God is here. Every word in this book is true. But you can't know a thing about it unless God shows it to you. And so it is.

As we read here about Ezekiel, he says, in the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of King Jehoiakim's captivity. The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzzi, or Buzzi maybe, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Kebar. And the hand of the Lord was there upon him.

And I looked, and behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud and a fire enfolding itself, and a brightness was about it. Out of the midst thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures."

Isn't that what John said he saw? He said they were beasts, creatures, whatever. I mean, it was something he'd never seen before. Something unlike anything he'd ever, something unlike anything you've ever seen. Something unlike anything I've ever seen. But he saw it.

And out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures, and this was their appearance. They had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. And their feet were straight feet, and the sole of their feet was like the sole of a calf's foot, and they sparkled like the color of burnished brass. And they had the hands of a man under their wings on their four sides. Now, he's the only one that mentions that particular aspect, that they had hands under their wings.

Now, does that mean because John doesn't mention that, that there's some kind of a conflict? No, the Lord showed him what he wanted him to see. And he showed John what he wanted him to see. And if he'd have wanted John to have seen hands under the wings, he'd have shown them to him. But he showed them to Ezekiel.

But let's read on. And they had hands of a man under their wings on their four sides, and the four had their faces and their wings. Their wings were joined one to another, and they turned not when they went, and they went every one straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, the face of a lion, and on the right side, and they four had the face of an ox on the left side, and they four also had the face of an eagle. That's exactly what John says. Thus were their faces, and their wings were stretched upward. Two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies. And they went, every one, straight forward, whether the spirit was to go. They went, and they turned not when they went.

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire and like the appearance of lamps. It went up and down the living creatures, and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning. Now, as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures with his four faces.

The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a barrel, and it that's a gym, and they four had one likeness. And their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went upon their four sides, and they turned not when they went. And as for their rings, they were so high that they were dreadful, and their rings were full of eyes round about them four.

And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them, and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the spirit was to go, they went. There was their spirit to go, and the wheels were lifted up over against them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went. And when those stood, these stood. And when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them. For the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.

And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the color of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above. And under the firmament were their wings straight, and one toward another. Every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side their bodies. And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings like the noise of great waters. as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech as the noise of a host. When they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads when they stood and had let down their wings.

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire stone. And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above it. And I saw, as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward. I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about, as the appearance of a bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain. Remember what John saw. Remember, he said there was a rainbow behind the throne. So was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Now listen to this. And when I saw him, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that's paying.

Men cannot stand before the glory of God. When the Lord appears, men will fall. Men, you can't make a bargain with God. Now people think they can. And people figure that they will. But I'm here to tell you that there's no bargain making with one before whom you cannot even stand. But look at the mercy of God to this one. And he said unto me, son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. See, the one who gave him the vision, he gave him the vision in order that he might be brought down, but then he spoke to him that he might stand up.

Oh, isn't that a picture of the gospel? I mean, the Spirit of God, is that not what the working of the Spirit of God is sent into the world to convince the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment? And He comes, and He does that, and a man cannot stand before the Lord. We have so much today that goes under the guise the appearance, the outward form, and it calls itself the gospel.

And it pictures God as this one who is this helpless individual just hoping somebody will listen to him, somebody will let him do something for him, and he's just waiting to do it. And men have all the power to let God do something. Men don't have any power at all. God has the power. He says, I kill and I make alive. I, the Lord, do all these things. That's the one that Ezekiel saw. That's the one Isaiah saw. That's the one John saw. That's the one Daniel saw.

And he said, all of my beauty, all of my comeliness was turned in me into corruption. See, when a man has seen the Lord, he has no more righteousness. There's not a thing in the world that he can't hold out anything. Lord, did you see me do this? Lord, you know what I've done for you. I've been faithful. A lot of people expecting that the Lord is gonna take notice of their faithfulness.

Dear brethren, we don't have any faithfulness apart from that which is given to us by the Lord. There's nothing to boast in, there's nothing we can trust in. Our trust, our hope is in Christ. It's in this one who's in this vision, this one whom we can't even describe. It's only by the mercy of God and in the revelation of Jesus Christ as that one who has come in the likeness of sinful flesh to reveal himself unto men and does reveal himself unto men. It's the only way we could ever know him is if he shows us.

And so he says here, before the throne there was a sea of glass likened to crystal. And then he spoke about these four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, the second like a calf, third beast had a face as a man, the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

Could you sit down and draw that? I mean, if somebody said, I want you to give me a illustration of what this is. I've seen things that people have, sit down and tried to draw up about this. They wanted to illustrate what this is. I've never seen two of them that was alike. Because you can't, this is a picture, as someone had said, a picture no man can paint. Only the Lord can give a man eyes to see this. I don't know what this is, but I know what it is. See, I don't know what each individual part of this, or I can't explain it to you, but I know what it is. It's the glory of God.

And he's inapproachable. The scripture says he dwells in the light to which no man can approach. He only hath immortality. And the four beasts. with six wings about him, they were full of eyes within, they rest not day and night, saying, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty. What is the holiness of God?

It's his separateness. See, if something's holy, it's set apart. Something that's holy can't be reached. It can't be used for anything but what it's for. And God is holy. I believe that the essence of the holiness of God is his eternality. He's eternal.

That's what he said to Moses. He says, I am. He said, well, who do I tell I'm sent you? Just tell him I am. When the Lord Jesus stood there in the garden and they said, we seek Jesus of Nazareth. And what'd he say to them? He says, I am. And they fell backwards. Because I'm telling you, men can't stand before the glory of God. And they cease not day and night, Isaiah said, to say what? Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come.

He's the past, he's the present, and he's the future. You know? We're creatures of time, and men have taken this book and a lot of the prophecies in the book, and they've tried to make them into a chronological event. This book is not a chronological event.

It is a description of the glory of God, as best men can have any comprehension of it, and it is a description of the unfolding of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ in the earth, and the judgment that he is bringing and has brought and will bring on this earth. That's what this book's about.

And the rejoicingcy of the saints of God, as we see throughout, is the triumphing of the saints. But the triumphing of the saints is always wrapped up in the triumphing of Christ. There's an army clothed with linen, clean and white. But they're clothed in robes that were given to them. And they go forth to conquer in the name of Christ. And that's their only conquering. And when those beasts give glory and honor and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth forever and ever.

See, a lot of times people criticize those. who speak about the predestinating work of God, the fact that all things are in accordance to his purpose, and say, oh, well, you shouldn't emphasize that. You know, you get people all confused. Well, I'm telling you this, the man's confused that does not understand that God is a predestinating God. That's the man that's confused. Because right here is where a man needs to begin, if he has any understanding of God, is that the Lord does all things according to the good pleasure of his will.

And there's none that can stay his hand or say unto him, what doest thou? Now you gotta begin right there. That's not something you learn later on. You better start there. Because you'll never have any appreciation for the grace of God until you understand that He has no obligation to do anything whatsoever for anybody. We're creatures. And can anybody say that it's wrong for God to make one creature, one vessel into honor and another into dishonor? No. Nothing we can say about it. He sits on the throne and he lives forever and ever.

You know, I was reading something the other day about now somebody's come up with a theory, well, we didn't really evolve from monkeys. You know, that's been the way they've been teaching that for 200, 300 years, how long? I don't know, a long time, that we were evolved from monkeys. Well, now they've determined, well, we didn't really evolve from monkeys. You know, the amazing thing is, we already knew that. I didn't have to listen to some scientist come up with some theory to know that. How did I know it?

Because this book right here, beginning, God made the heavens and the earth, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. He made it all according to the good pleasure of His will. Now, because He lives forever, The four and 20 elders fall down before him that sat on the throne and worship him that liveth forever and ever. See, that's the one they want to worship. The only God that men will truly worship is the one that lives forever and ever. Like old Ahaziah. I mean, he didn't... He wasn't worshiping Beelzebub. He just wanted to know something. The only reason he had any concern or consideration of Beelzebub was because he wanted to know the future.

And a lot of people, you know, they get involved in all kinds of religions and stuff because they want something for themselves. God's people. are moved by the Spirit of God to worship Him, even if He doesn't give them anything. You know, a lot of people say, oh, well, I wouldn't worship a God if He did this or if He did that. Well, then you wouldn't worship God. There's no ifs, ands, and buts about that, which God would do.

He'll do what He's gonna do. And those who, by the Spirit of God, have been brought to a place to desire to worship Him, this one who we're speaking about here, the great I Am, the eternal God, then whatever He does is right. It's good, and we'll praise Him. was Job that said, though he slay me, yet will I trust him. Now, that doesn't make sense to a carnal man, does it? Well, why would I want to serve him if he's going to slay me? No, see, the Spirit of God moves God. People say, it don't matter to me, even if he kills me, I'm going to worship because the love that he puts in the people of God by the indwelling of his spirit that draws them unto Christ.

The four and 20 elders, now we talked a little bit about them and I believe that the four and 20 elders represent In the picture here that is being shown, the four and 20 elders represent the priesthood of God, which the priesthood of God is not a select number of people among the sons of God, but it is the people of God.

We are the priests. He's made us what kings and priests before Him. See, we can offer sacrifices unto the Lord. We don't have but one. It's the one he offered. We say, that's good enough for me. We bring the sacrifice of praise to him. And he says here that these four and 20 elders cast their crowns before the throne. A lot of people want to wear a crown. There's a song I was thinking about there, and it says, and I want to wear a crown. when I get to that land. I don't want to wear a crown. I want to cast it down at his feet. And that's what the elders are doing. They're worshiping him. And they're saying, thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. Why? For thou hast created all things. And what? For thy pleasure they are and were created. It all belongs to him.

I can't change one thing that he's set in motion to do, neither can you. That doesn't mean that he don't give us good sense. Sometimes he takes good sense away, and we do dumb stuff, don't we? And the dumb stuff you do is just as much ordained according to his purpose as the smart stuff you think you do.

We belong to him. Only by his grace can we say he belongs to us. For thy pleasure they are and were created. And you know that's the glorious thing about the redemptive work of Christ is that he did it all on purpose. He didn't do it to try and accomplish something. as is so widely set forth that the Lord, you know, has done these things in hopes of accomplishing something. He went to the cross in order to do something. And he purchased the redemption of his people.

And this is the one who's worshiped in this book. There's not a God that's worshiped in this book who's waiting for men. The God of this book has men waiting for him. Oh, that the Lord might teach us that, might bring us to a place where we fall down before him, because I believe this is true, that as men, by the grace of God and the Spirit of God, opens a man's eyes to see who the Lord is, they will worship him.

That's what happened to the thief on the cross, was it not? What'd he say? Lord, when you come into your kingdom, remember me. He knew he was a king. How'd he know? I mean, here's a man dying on the cross. And he looks over here and he sees another man dying on the cross just like him. What made him think he was a king? How'd he know it?

Same reason that Ezekiel had this vision, that John had this vision, that Daniel had this vision, because the Lord showed it to him. And he humbled his heart. And he said, Lord, have mercy on me. Oh, that the Lord might teach us. that Christ is the Savior of sinners, and that we need a Savior. And that he saves, so that you call upon his name.

Now those are glorious things. They're not, none of them mutually exclusive. They're all true. And that's what we preach. When we preach the gospel, we preach the gospel knowing that God will call his people unto himself. They'll hear his voice. He said, my sheep hear my voice. I know them. See, he already knows them. He doesn't have to wait until they come in the fold and he says, well, look, I've got another sheep. No. He said, my sheep are out there on the hills, and they're scattered, and I'm calling my sheep. And I know every one of them, and I'm gonna bring them in. And when I've brought them in, I'll be satisfied.

That's what the scripture says. It says that he shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. Christ's not gonna lament. that he died for a bunch of people that didn't, wasn't saved. Now that's what a lot of folks say. Do they not? Oh, he died for everybody, but there's a bunch of people gonna perish, I'm telling you.

He died for the sheep. And every one of his sheep, he's gonna bring. Because they're his sheep. They belong to him. Now what kind of a shepherd would leave his sheep out to fend for himself. That wouldn't be any kind of shepherd at all, would it? The shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Oh, what a glorious shepherd he is.

Four Beasts Full of Eyes

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

How do we know God is sovereign over all things?

Why is the holiness of God important for Christians?

What does Revelation teach us about worship?

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Four Beasts Full of Eyes

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about the glory of God?

How do we know God is sovereign over all things?

Why is the holiness of God important for Christians?

What does Revelation teach us about worship?

Sermon Transcript

About Mike McInnis

Comments

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