Verse 8 says, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings.” In appearance, the four living creatures resemble the cherubim in Ezekiel 1:5-10 and 10:14-15. According to their six wings, they are like the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2. (The cherubim in Exodus 25:20 and 1 Kings 6:27 have two wings, and the cherubim in Ezekiel 1:6 have four wings.) They must be a combination of the cherubim and the seraphim. As the seraphim, they are for God’s holiness (Isa. 6:3), referring to God’s nature, and as the cherubim, they are for God’s glory (Ezek. 10:18-19; Heb. 9:5), referring to God’s expression. Hence, they stand for God’s nature and expression.
Verse 7 says, “And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face like that of man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.” Around the throne of God, the twenty-four elders represent all the angels, whereas the four living creatures represent all other living creatures. The first living creature, like a lion, represents the beasts; the second, like a calf, represents the cattle; the third, like a man, represents mankind; and the fourth, like an eagle, represents the fowl. Of the six categories of living things created by God (Gen. 1:20-28), two are not represented here—the creeping things on earth and the living things in the water. The head of the creeping things is the serpent, a symbol of God’s enemy, Satan, who, having been cast into the lake of fire, will have no place in the new heaven and the new earth; and the living things in the water are in the water of God’s judgment which will no longer be in the new heaven and the new earth (21:1). Hence, these two categories are not represented before God for eternity.
Among the four living creatures, the calf is clean, but the lion and the eagle are unclean (Lev. 11:3-8, 13-19). Having been redeemed, they have all become clean (Acts 10:11-16). Among them, the calf and the man are meek and gentle, but the lion and the eagle are wild and fierce. Through redemption, they can dwell together (Isa. 11:6-9). Christ’s redemption is not only for man but for “all things” (Col. 1:20), because He died on behalf of “everything” (Heb. 2:9).
In 4:8-11 we see the worship of God. Here we do not yet have the worship of the Lamb, for the Lamb does not appear until the next chapter. This chapter only presents the scene into which Christ ascended. The worship of God here is by the four living creatures representing all the creatures (vv. 8-9) and by the twenty-four elders representing all the angels (vv. 10-11). In this scene, all the creatures are worshipping God. In verse 8 the living creatures say, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God the Almighty, who was, and who is, and who is coming.” The mention of “holy” three times as in Isaiah 6:3 implies the thought of God being triune. Also, the mention of God’s existence with three tenses implies the thought of His being triune. The praises of both the four living creatures (v. 9) and the twenty-four elders (v. 11) are composed of three things, implying that they are praising the Triune God. The first two things, “glory and honor,” are the same in both places, but the last one is different. In the praises of the four living creatures, the last one is “thanks,” because they are redeemed and are grateful for the redemption of God’s grace, whereas, in the praises of the twenty-four elders, the last one is “power,” because, as the rulers of the universe and not the redeemed creatures, they appreciate the power of God by which they rule.
In verse 11 the twenty-four elders say, “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were and have been created.” God is a God of purpose, having a will of His own pleasure. He created all things for His will that He might accomplish and fulfill His purpose. This book, unveiling God’s universal administration, shows us the purpose of God. Hence, in the praise of the twenty-four elders concerning His creation, His creation is related to His will.
As the ones who carry out God’s administration in the universe, the twenty-four angelic elders speak out in their praises the will of God’s creation. People can easily realize the creation of God, but they scarcely know the will, the purpose, of God’s creation. The praise of the angelic elders is an introduction to the contents of this book, which unveil the will, the purpose, of God’s creation—to have an eternal habitation for God’s satisfaction and expression. This is the holy city, New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem, God’s will in creation will be completely revealed and fulfilled. God will be fully satisfied and wholly expressed in and through the New Jerusalem. This is God’s will in His creation and it is the goal of the book of Revelation. The praise of the angelic elders points us to this, and Revelation proceeds on toward this and eventually brings us to this, the ultimate consummation of God’s will in His creation.