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Encircling the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders,[a] dressed in white with gold crowns on their heads. Emanating from the throne were flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder. Burning in front of the throne were seven flaming lamps, the seven spirits of God, and in front of the throne there was something like a sea of glass as transparent as crystal.

In the center of the throne and around it there were four living creatures,[b] and they were covered with eyes in front and in back. Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Revelation 4:4 The elders exercise a priestly and royal role: they praise and adore God, offer him the prayers of the faithful, assist him in governing the world, and share in his power. The number twenty-four corresponds perhaps to the twenty-four classes or divisions of priests in 1 Chr 24:1-9, or to the twelve patriarchs plus the twelve apostles. They thus represent salvation history.
  2. Revelation 4:6 The four living creatures represent the created world that reveals God’s goodness and power. Their many eyes symbolize the universal knowledge and providence of God. They continue to give glory to God through their work in creation. Their forms (lion, ox, human, eagle) represent what is noblest, strongest, wisest, and most agile in the created world. Ever since St. Irenaeus, Christian tradition had seen in them symbols of the evangelists Mark, Luke, Matthew, and John, respectively.