Revelation 4:6 Commentary and Bible Study

There are any number of attempts to explain the sea of glass. The two most helpful passages for understanding this are Exodus 24:10 and Ezekiel 1. In the first passage Moses, Nabad and Abihu and the seventy elders ascend Mount Sinai and see a vision of the God of Israel. This is certainly the same scene. Though the throne is not mentioned in Exodus 24:10, it is implied. The object under God’s feet is said to be of sapphire stone. In Revelation it is described as ‘like unto crystal’, also a precious jewel. Crystal is noted for its clarity and transparency several times in Revelation, and Exodus says ‘as it were the body of heaven in his clearness’. Ezekiel 1:22 presents another view of this scene but from a different perspective. When God says through Isaiah, ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool’ (Isaiah 66:1), he does not refer to the first heaven, the skies above our heads, but to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), his transcendent dwelling place. The earth therefore stands for the whole created universe, the earth being singled out because it is the centre of God’s purposes in the physical realm. The physical world is called the Lord’s footstool. Exodus 24:10 describes what Ezekiel calls the firmament as a paved work under God’s feet. But what then does it signify. Surely it stands for the whole created order over which God reigns. It is transparent because every purpose is known to God and nothing can be hidden from him. It is under his feet because he is master of it. It is as clear as crystal because nothing within it is hidden from his sight. It is a sea of sparkling purity, which represents the distance between God and his creatures – that is, earthly creatures, soiled by sin. That crystals sea is the separation between God and us, even believers. There is a sense in which we have to keep our distance, because he is holy and perfect and pure. It symbolises his protection of his holy nature and character. The four beasts of the Authorised Version are better translated four living ones or four living beings. We learn in Isaiah 6 and also in Ezekiel 10 that they are angels. In Isaiah they are called seraphim and in Ezekiel they are called cherubim, and there is very little difference between the two. John sees four mighty angels, living beings. They are often called the cherubim of justice. They are connected with this sea of glass, and they protect the holiness of God so that nothing unholy can draw near to him and approach him, and appropriately, they are full of eyes before and behind. They seem to stand on each of the four sides of the throne, and they can see everything. The similarities between these four living beings and Ezekiel’s cherubim are many. In both cases there are four of them; they are associated with the throne of God; they are full of eyes all around (Ezekiel 10:12); there are four faces described, the face of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10). There are also some differences but these are not so great as to cast doubt on their similarity. In Ezekiel each one has four faces, while in Revelation the four living ones each individually have a different face; in Ezekiel they have four wings while in Revelation they have six.