Chapters 4-7 portray 7 parallel visions that describe the church in the world in the entire span of this age from the first to the second coming of Christ. All of the parallel visions describe the hardships of the church in some way and end with the consummation and victory of Christ.
The first vision in chapters 4-7 begins with a view of the holiness and sovereignty of the Triune God. Christ initiates this vision, which now includes the Father and the Holy Spirit (v.3,5). The descriptive details serve to enforce the point that God is indescribably and unapproachably holy.
The 24 elders in v.4 are likely the 12 patriarchs and 12 apostles, who represent the entire church of the Old and New Testaments. Their purpose is to enhance the glory of God's throne and worship Him. The living creatures that John sees are the same as in Ezekiel's vision in Ezekiel 1 and 10, identified as the high order of angels known as Cherubim. Their many features represent the honorable position they hold and the able service they render to God. Their purpose is also to enhance the glory of God's throne and worship Him.
The holiness of the Triune God is the eternal song of the Seraphim and Cherubim. The elders, representing the church, worship God, acclaim His worthiness and acknowledge His sovereignty by casting their crowns before Him. This vision calls us to be humbled before the holiness of God and to worship Him in Spirit and in truth.
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