Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 4
God deserves every honour in earth and heaven.
John saw 24 rulers who had received a very great honour. They had the right to sit on thrones (royal seats) round God’s throne in heaven. They wore crowns (royal hats) of gold on their heads. This would not just be an honour; these things showed that they had real authority (Matthew 19:28; Luke 19:17)
In this world, rulers care very much about their own importance. Often, they fight to gain power. They refuse to share their authority with anyone. They want everyone to show them honour; they give honour to nobody.
John saw that, in heaven, the 24 rulers had a very different attitude. They considered themselves to be the servants of God. They gladly chose to give him honour, and they did it continuously.
The 24 rulers had the right to sit on thrones. However, they chose to leave those thrones. They lowered themselves to the ground in front of God. They were expressing sincere, humble attitudes. By their actions, they showed how important God is. They are important rulers, but they rightly considered themselves unimportant in front of God.
It is a great honour to wear a gold crown even in this world. It is an even greater honour in heaven. However, all honour is due to God. The 24 rulers did not want to keep for themselves even this honour that God had given to them. Instead, they used this honour, their crowns, to give even greater honour to God. They expressed their love and thanks to God as they placed their own crowns on the ground in front of his throne.
Next part: God deserves all glory, honour and power (Revelation 4:11)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.