THE FOUR LIVING CREATURES

Sir, 

At the beginning of Revelation 4 verse 6, there is a detailed description of ‘the four living creatures’. 

The Bible says, and before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto 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, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face of a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. 

And the four beasts had each 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 (Rev 4: 6-8). 

Based on this passage, many people are of the opinion that God’s throne must be a scary place since it’s surrounded by such scary beasts. But a brief look into the Old Testament clearly shows us that the throne is not a scary place. 

These texts clearly show us that the throne is not surrounded by monsters or beasts but by angels. These beings are agents of good involved in our salvation. They cooperate with God in the plan of saving humanity.

God uses every possible resource at His disposal in His quest to rescue humanity. He Himself takes part in His son and the Holy Spirit, but He also involves many other special beings created by Him to play an active role in the redemption of His earthly children. 

Love

The four living creatures, though unusual in appearance, should not be viewed as monstrous. 

They are actually symbols of God’s undying love towards humanity. This is why in this passage we have an abundance of the phrase ‘like a’ in the descriptions. 

The apostle likened these creatures to something that we would be familiar with.  It was not John’s intention to create fear through the mention of these creatures.   

The portrait of these four living creatures is unusual. Their wings and eyes and animal forms are foreign to our understanding, but their purpose is clear. As a matter of fact, what is important isn’t who they are but what they do. 

The Bible tells us that ‘day and night they do not cease saying ‘holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come’.

While John could only describe the beasts by comparison, he is very precise in telling what they do. This passage provides us with a unique opportunity to experience a bit of heaven. Heaven isn’t just a place where we will spend 1 000 years. 

Heaven is not just about golden streets and enormous mansions but it is a place of utter devotion and worship. Every heart, every sound and every movement is designed to worship the King of kings. 

Beloved friends, there is constant and perpetual praise in heaven. The four living creatures do not rest day or night; their worship is unending. 

And someday, if we remain faithful, we will join together in the never ending worship that is in heaven. We will have the immense privilege of experiencing the heaven of John’s vision for ourselves. 

But while we’re still on this earth, we should strive for that same attention to worshiping our Lord.

Bopoto Gwinyai

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