Introduction:
 
As we continue we need to keep in mind that we’re reading about the Heavenly Mishkan מִשׁכָּן/Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד (Sanctuary/Tent of Meeting/Temple/Tabernacle: Exodus 25, 26, 27) upon which its shadow the earthly Mishkan/Temple is based. We’re then able to compare the symbols we read about with their earthly counterparts and deduce their unveiled meaning.
 
In order to navigate this well we must focus on the Sanctuary of God in terms of its initial manifestation as the Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד, Tent of Appointed Meeting. This is important because the New Jerusalem will have no Temple (Rev. 21:22) but will metaphorically speaking represent the Tent of Appointed Meeting, where God Himself and the Lamb will reign in all existing manifest Light.
 
This is why Isaiah, prophesying approximately 200 years after the inauguration of Solomon’s Temple, nonetheless speaks of the future Sanctuary of God in terms of it being like a tent:
 
“Look upon Zion, city of our moadim (appointed times/festivals).
Your eyes will see Jerusalem as a quiet dwelling,
    an ohel (tent) that will never be taken down (will never wander),
        Nor will its stakes ever be pulled up,
        and in perpetuity its cords will never be torn.”
 
-Yeshayahu/Isaiah 33:20 [Author’s translation]
 
The Text of Revelation 5:
 
1 I saw laying upon the open right hand of Him who sat on the throne, a scroll with writing on both sides, sealed up with seven seals.
 
“I saw upon the right hand” The Greek ἐπὶ epi, rendered, “in” by most English translations is better translated in this context as, “upon.” Therefore the sense of the opening phrase is, “I saw laying upon the open right hand.” This is important because it means that the right hand of HaShem is open rather than gripping the scroll βιβλίον biblion (Book, tablet). It is being offered and not withheld.
 
Notice that the comparative vision of Ezekiel also shows the hand, “stretched out,” rather than closed:
 
“Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. Upon it was a scroll, which was unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.”
 
–Yetzkiel/Ezekiel 2:9-10
 
“A scroll with writing on both sides,” The Greek βιβλίον biblion, from which we receive the English word, “Bible,” meaning a collection of books, can depending on context and form be understood to mean, “Book, Scroll, Tablet, Writing, Bill.” Each of these meanings has some significance here.
 
The scroll in this vision is a book in the sense that it’s a volume containing a record of things to come. It’s also a scroll like the one spoken of in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 2:9-10). It’s a tablet which identifies itself with the tablets of Sinai (Which were written on both front and back: Exodus 32:15). It’s a collection of writings which contains the mysteries of God, like those of the prophets of Israel, and it’s a bill of notice which unveils the consequences of the failure to pay a debt.
 
The most efficient single English word in this context is, “scroll” because it unites all of the aforementioned meanings:
 
a.)    A collection of scrolls can be formed into a book
b.)    The Torah was transferred onto a scroll following Sinai and the Prophets and Writings are also written on scrolls (Megillot), as were the books of the New Testament
c.)     The tablets containing the Instruction of God, including the Ten Words a.k.a Ten Commandments, became part of the record of the Torah, which was written on scrolls
d.)    A Greco-Roman bill of debt was written on a small scroll among other methods
 
The most significant elements of the Scroll’s description are the fact that it’s written on both front and back and that it has seven seals. I’ll address the symbolic and literal nature of the writing itself first.
 
Writing on Front and Back:
 
Just as the eyes of the living creatures cover them front and back and represent their ability to see future and past events, so too the scroll in God’s right hand details revealed past events and concealed future events.
 
“The secret things belong to YHVH HaShem (Kurios [G]) our Elohim (Theos[G]), but the things unveiled belong to us and to our children forever, that we may observe all the words of this Torah.”
 
–Devarim/Deuteronomy 29:29
 
1.)    The Stone Tablets of Sinai
 
While the scroll of Ezekiel’s vision is written on front and back, like the scroll of Yochanan’s vision, it’s slightly different in the fact that its description focuses specifically on the mourning and affliction of the plagues of the Torah and denotes Israel’s journey out of slavery. Therefore both scrolls (which are in fact one in the same, and part of a larger volume of writing) find their foundation in the first writings imparted to humanity by the hand of God, the stone tablets (sapphire: according to the Targum of Yonatan) of Sinai which contained the Torah (Instruction) of HaShem and were inscribed on both sides, front and back.
 
“Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant Instruction in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back.”
 
–Shemot/Exodus 32:15
 
This is not to say that the scroll of Yochanan’s vision only represents the Torah. We must remember that the tablets are a representation of God’s perfect Instruction on earth, Yochanan on the other hand, is looking at the fullness of that same Word of Instruction within the framework of the heavenly Sanctuary (Mishkan/Temple).
 
If we agree that each element of the reflected earthly Sanctuary is represented in some way, then we must also agree that within the Ark of the Covenant, beneath the mercy seat, the Tablets of God’s Instruction were stored. In Yochanan’s vision God Himself sits on the mercy seat and offers forth the tablets in their full form as the writings of holiness, love and justice, compassion and judgement, which contain the plagues that will punish the earth and the message of redemption that will set His people free. The earth then is seen here represented by the metaphor of Egyptian bondage and what is about to take place is illuminated in what has gone before, through the historical pre-figuring seen in Israel’s escape from slavery to the double distress of Egyptian idolatry.
 
2.)    Ezekiel’s scroll
 
“Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll, which was unrolled before me. On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe.”
 
–Yetzkiel/Ezekiel 2:9-10
 
This scroll, like the scroll of Yochanan’s vision, is full of lament and woe because Israel has turned her back on HaShem. The same is true of the nations of the earth, therefore the scroll of Revelation will pronounce judgements upon the people of the earth. However, judgement and justice can’t commence until someone worthy is found to open the scroll. In order for that One to qualify He must have lived as those He is to judge have lived and yet He must also have remained without sin so as not to judge in hypocrisy. Additionally, due to the holiness, justice and mercy of God, the One worthy to open the scroll must also have acted to atone for the repentant among those over whom He will sit as Judge.
 
In summation, the scroll of Yochanan’s vision is a book of God’s decrees with respect to all of creation from beginning to end. It’s a scroll that exists outside of time and space in the heavenly Sanctuary, and its words invade time and space in order to reconcile all things to God.
 
וּפְרַס יָתָהּ קֳדָמַי וְהָא כְתִיבָא מֵאַפָּהָא וּמֵאֲחוֹרָהָא מַה דַהֲוָה מִן שְׁרוּיָא וּמַה דְעָתִיד לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּסוֹפָא וּכְתִיב בָּהּ דְאִם יֶעְבְּרוּן בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל אוֹרַיְתָא יִשְׁלְטוּן בְהוֹן עַמְמַיָא וְאִם יַעַבְדוּן יַת אוֹרַיְתָא יְסוּף מִנְהוֹן אִלְיָא וּדְוָנָא וְתֵינַחְתָּא:
 
 
“And he spread it before me, and behold, it was written on the front and on the back, what had been from the beginning and what would be at the end, and it was written in it that if the house of Israel transgress the Torah, the nations shall rule over them, and if they keep the Torah, the lamentation and sorrow and sighing shall cease from them.”
 
-Targum on Yetzkiel/Ezekiel 2:10
 
Notice that the Targum describes the writing front and back to be symbolic of all that has occurred from the beginning and all that is to come in the end/goal. This scroll God offers “in the palm of his right hand,” as the measure of His holiness against which all things must be proved. He is constantly fully filling the outworking of these things. The scroll being written on within and without seems to indicate a complete record, perfected and being perfected in the Father through the Son by the Spirit.
 
“Sealed up with seven seals” During this period in history it was probably standard practice to use either one or at most two seals when securing an important scroll, however the seal itself represents the witness and mark of the one who makes it, meaning that in some rare cases a council of witnesses might approve a document and seal it, each with their own seal. Here that council of witnesses consists of One sevenfold Witness, that is God Himself and will be opened by the One Who is the faithful witness, Yeshua the Messiah (Rev 1:5).
 
The fact that there are seven seals is of symbolic significance in that the number seven continues to represent the fullness of the complete work of God with regard to all things. It’s also significant that seven messengers attest to the seven events that come about after the opening of each seal. The scroll itself has been sealed by the sevenfold Spirit of God and as a result only One Who has sevenfold authority over the created order will be allowed to open it.
 
This is the scroll of which the Lord had said:
 
“But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
 
–Daniel 12:4
 
This means that many will increase their own form of worldly knowledge but will remain ignorant to the hidden knowledge of God, which is being unveiled to His servants (Deut. 29:29). Those who perpetually refuse the Gospel have blinded themselves to true knowledge.
 
2 And I saw a mighty messenger proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” 3 And no one in the heavens or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.
 
“Mighty messenger” In Hebrew the equivalent phrase easily translates as, גבריאל Gabriel whose name means “Mighty one of God.” Gabriel is one of four Arch Angels in Hebrew thought, two of which, Gabriel and Michael are featured in the Biblical text. It would be equally valid to translate the Hebrew word כרוב Cheruv meaning, Mighty, Approacher, Bringing Blessing.
 
“Proclaiming with a loud voice” Means that his voice could be heard in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth, in other words, his voice was heard throughout all creation, and both beyond and throughout time and space.
 
“Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” The messenger asks:
 
“Who is deserving? Who can, with a clear conscience, dare to break open seals put in place by God? Who has, by thought and deed, shown himself to be the One and only deserving being in all creation?”
 
This is both a question and an invitation to the whole of creation. It is a statement that defies the Accuser and longs for the Redeemer.
 
The Mishnah reminds us that the High Priest made this same call to the priesthood when summoning them to participate in Temple service. The הכהן הגדול Cohen Ha-Gadol of the Temple would call to the division of the priests under him, to attend to the several parts of service assigned them, saying unto them, מִי שֶׁזָּכָה בַמַּחְתָּה miy shezachah vamachtah ‘He who won the right to the ashes with the coal-pan,” meaning, the one who has the right to apply atonement (Bartenura on Mishnah Tamid 5:5).
 
“And no one in the heavens or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it.” Although the aforementioned phrase was used to challenge the earthly Priesthood, no one of the earthly Priesthood is considered worthy to apply atonement and open the fullness of both judgement and mercy.
 
“No one,” means no created being or thing. Not in the third heaven outside of time and space, not in or on the earth, not under the earth in Sheol (the holding place of the dead). No Power or spirit or force or thing was worthy to either open the scroll or look into it. However, there is an exception, that is the all existing “first born” from the dead.
 
4 Then I burst into tears and continued weeping greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it;
 
The sense is that Yochanan is weeping for both the dire condition of creation, being that no one is worthy and the fact that the scroll, which contains the events that will bring about the final judgement, the end of the age and the העולם הבא Olam Haba (World to Come) remains sealed.
 
5 and one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
 
One of the elders/priests (bearded ones) of the Heavenly order encourages Yochanan with the words:
 
“Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
 
This is a Messianic title gleaned from the Torah:
 
“Judah is a lion’s cub;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He kneels, he lies down as a lion (in its prime),
And as a lion (Mature), who dares rouse him up?
The sceptre shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh (Peace Personified, Tranquillity) comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the tribes.”
 
–Bereshit/Genesis 49:9-10 [Author’s translation]
 
The Targums and ancient Jewish writings agree that this passage of Genesis is speaking of the Messiah (Zohar in Gen. fol. 32. 4. & in Exod. fol. 4. 1. & in Numb. fol. 101. 2. Bereshit Rabba, fol. 98. sect. 85. 3. Yarchi & Baal Hatturim, in loc. Nachmanidis Disputat. cum Paulo, p. 53. Abarbinel. Mashmiah Yesbuah, fol. 10. 1. R. Abraham Seba, Tzeror Hammor, fol. 36. 4. & 62. 2. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 98. 2.)
 
“Of Messiah, the son of David, who comes forth from Judah, it is said, Gen 49:9, ‘Judah is a lion's whelp;’”
 
–Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Exod. fol. 49. 3, 4.
 
“Messiah, the son of David, who is אריה, ‘a lion (of YHVH),’ shall be on his right hand, and Messiah, the son of Joseph, who is an ox, on his left hand”
 
–Targum in Hos. v. 14. & xi. 10. & xiii. 7. (2nd to 4th Century C.E.)
 
“The Root of David” This is yet another Messianic title, one gleaned from Isaiah, where Messiah is called both The Root and the Branch of Jesse, that is, “The א Aleph and the ת Tav, the Beginning and the Goal.”
 
“Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse (I possess),
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.”
 
–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:1
 
Isaiah also details the rule of the root of Jesse saying:
 
“Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse (I possess),
Who will stand as a sign for the tribes;
And His resting place will be glorious.”
 
–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:10
 
Then Isaiah speaks of a second return from exile for the tribes of Israel. Notice that the two returns inferred are from the four corners of the earth, which excludes all the dispersions prior to the return that resulted in the modern state of Israel being formed in 1948. Therefore, there remains a future return for the ethnic people of Israel who are still living among the nations.
 
“Then it will happen on that day that the Lord
Will again for the second time, with His hand
Recover the remnant of His people, who will remain,
From Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the islands of the sea.
And He will lift up a standard for the nations
And assemble the banished ones of Israel,
And will gather the dispersed of Judah
From the four corners of the earth.”
 
-–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:11-12
 
By referring to the text of Isaiah 11, Yochanan affirms the fact that God has not finished with the corporate ethnic people of Israel (descendants of Jacob), to the contrary He will keep His promises and return Israel to her land to reign with her Messiah Yeshua.
 
“But as regards election, they (Israel) are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”
 
–Romans 11:28-29
 
“And again Isaiah says,
 
‘The root of Jesse will come, even He who arises to rule the nations;
in Him will the nations hope.’”
 
–Romans 15:12
 
“Has overcome so as to open the scroll and its seven seals.” What has He overcome? He has overcome death and is the One Who was dead and is now alive and holds the keys to death and Sheol (Rev 1:18). He has overcome the reign of sin in the earth through His incarnation, blameless life and sacrificial death and resurrection, and has redeemed a people for God. Who is that people? They are Jews (including the entire remnant of the Jewish people according to Romans 11:25-27), and Gentiles who have accepted Messiah Yeshua.
 
6 And I saw in the midst of the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders (Priests), a Lamb standing, and it appeared as if He had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the sevenfold Spirit of God, sent out into all the earth.
 
“I saw in the midst of the throne” The Lamb stood in the midst, just as He had stood in the midst of the Menorot (Seven branched candle stands) of the assemblies. He stands as High Priest (Hebrews 5) among the priests (24 Elders) and is witnessed by the four living creatures (Cheruvim).
 
He stood in the midst of the throne, being that He is God with us and is therefore in the midst of the manifest representation of God.
 
“A Lamb standing, and it appeared as if He had been slain” Yochanan uses a different Greek word (Ἀρνίον arnion) here to refer to the lamb than the one (Ἀμνὸς amnos) used throughout his Gospel, why is that?
 
When Yochanan records, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) He uses the word Ἀμνὸς amnos which is a general noun used to describe a lamb. However throughout the book of Revelation he uses Ἀρνίον arnion which is a more endearing term like the English colloquial terms lamby or lambkin. The reason for this is simple, the noun Ἀμνὸς amnos denotes the yet to be sacrificed lamb, whereas the term, Ἀρνίον arnion refers to the once slain now resurrected Lamb.
 
Notice that the Lamb is standing. He bears the marks of having been slain but is now alive. Yochanan is witnessing the metaphorical Lamb that Isaiah spoke of:
 
“7 He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet He did not open His mouth;
He was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away.
    Yet who of His generation protested?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people He was punished.”
 
–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 53:7-8
 
The fierce Lion of Judah is now seen as the vulnerable Lamb of God. This juxtaposition challenged the rabbis of early post Temple rabbinical Judaism (2nd to 4th century C.E.), who, not wanting to accept Yeshua as having fulfilled both roles, invented the concept of multiple Messiahs: the suffering Messiah, Mashiach ben Yosef and the victorious Messiah, Mashiach ben David. Yeshua is in fact the unity of these two, He has both suffered and conquered and will come again as the Lion of the tribe of Judah (6:16-17), to execute judgement and rule over all the earth, instituting a reign of peace from the city called, “Rain of Peace,” that is, “Jerusalem.”
 
“Having seven horns” In the TaNaKh (Old Testament) horns symbolize power and strength (Deut 33:17; 1Sa 2:10; 1Ki 22:11; Psa 112:9; Dan 7:7, Dan 7:20.), salvation (2 Sam 22:3; Psalm 18:2) and sacrifice (Lev 4; Lev 8:15; Lev 9:9). The horns of the altar also symbolized the effectiveness of godly sacrifice and its ability to reach to the four corners of the earth.
 
Seven continues to represent completeness and perfection, deity and fulfilment. Therefore Yeshua is the complete perfection of rule, power, strength, sacrifice and salvation.
 
“Seven eyes” The seven eyes denote Messiah’s ability to see all things and judge them with perfect judgement (2 Chron 16:9). The seven eyes of the Lamb also recall for the Jewish reader the promise that HaShem had made to the high priest Yehoshua (Yeshua/Jesus) in Zechariah 3:8-10. This high priest is a type for Messiah and is promised הָאֶבֶן ha-even the stone (jewel) engraved with seven eyes (Which represents the Messiah).
 
“8 Now listen, Yehoshua (Joshua) the high priest, you and your associates (fellow priests) who are sitting in front of you—indeed they are men who are a symbol, for behold, I am going to bring in My servant the Branch (Messiah). 9 For behold, the stone (הָאֶבֶן ha-even: jewel/stone) that I have set before Yehoshua (Joshua); engraved into one stone (אֶבֶן even: jewel/stone) are seven eyes. Behold, I will engrave an inscription on it,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.’ 10 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord of hosts, ‘every one of you will invite his neighbour to sit under his vine and under his fig tree.’”
 
–Zechariah 3:8-10
 
First, the high priest (a type for Yeshua) has priests (associates) sitting in front of him. These are said to be, “men who are a symbol,” why? Perhaps because there are 24 of them and they are a symbol of the elders in the future heavenly vision of Yochanan.
 
HaShem refers to the Messiah as the branch and then says that He has placed a stone/jewel (אֶבֶן even) before the high priest. This stone is a symbol of the Messiah. Here the Hebrew word אֶבֶן even can be understood to refer to a precious stone (Gen 2:12; Ezekiel 28:13). It is upon this stone which is set before the high priest that HaShem engraves seven eyes. As a result of the provision of the seven eyed stone (Messiah), all iniquity will be removed from the land in one day. This is speaking of the sacrificial death of the Messiah Yeshua.
 
It's a worthwhile exercise to read the entire portion of Zechariah 3 in order to glean the greater context of the text and observe the continuity of the Messianic story as it unfolds through the words of Zechariah.
 
“Which are the sevenfold Spirit of God, sent out into all the earth.” The horns and the eyes are אחד echad (one) with the רוח הקודש Ruach Ha-Kodesh (Holy Spirit) of God and are sent out into all the earth. The Spirit of God moves in every part of the universe because all things are created and have their being in God. The Spirit issues forth from the throne from the Father and the Son (John 15:26; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6), bringing perfect strength, vision and judgement to all of creation.
 
7 And He came and received the scroll out of the right hand of Him Who sat on the throne.
 
It’s important to note that the resurrected Messiah is trans-locational (Gen. 32:22-32; Matt. 18:20; 1 Pet. 1:19-20; Heb. 11:24-26; Rev. 13:8), and is described as positioned at the right hand of the throne of God (Psalm 110:1; Matt 22:44; Acts 2:34-35, 7:56; Hebrews 1:3), while also appearing in multiple other locations throughout the Revelation.
 
We are reminded that the hand of HaShem was open, offering the scroll to the One Who would be shown to be worthy. Therefore, the Lamb takes the scroll from the Father’s hand like a graduate receiving a degree from the hand of a tutor (Who in this case is the graduate’s father). This is not to say that the Messiah is in any way less God, He has simply come as the only One worthy to break the seven seals and release the final judgements of the scroll. The Godhead is distinct and One.
 
8 When He had received the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the set apart holy ones (ἁγίων hagion holy ones[G] Saints/ קדושים kedoshim, Righteous ones/ צדיקים Tzadikim).
 
The worship of the four creatures and the 24 elders is yet another affirmation of the deity of Messiah Yeshua (the Lamb). Israel is commanded to worship God alone, based on the present text of Scripture we can only conclude that Yeshua is God the Son.
 
“Each one holding a harp” This phrase relates to the elders (priests). We know this because of the words of the new song that follows which speak of the redemption of humanity (The living creatures are angelic beings).
 
The harp in question is a smaller instrument than the modern orchestral harp, it’s shaped more like a lute or a small guitar and is the kind of instrument used by David and his priests (Psalm 33:2) in worship of HaShem. It’s therefore fitting that it is a harp that each of the priests uses to bring praise to God and His Messiah. The imagery combines individual intimacy with corporate intimacy in worship.
 
“Golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the set apart holy ones.” These bowls represent the censors filled with incense and the incense offered on the altar of incense in the Mishkan/Temple by the priests, as detailed in Exodus chapters 30 through 40, and Leviticus 2 through 6.
 
The Psalmist says:
 
“Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.”
 
–Tehillim/Psalm 141:2
 
The Zohar says:
 
“Prayer (they say) ascends with those spices which are mentioned in Song of Songs 4:14; and at the time that prayer ascends it is perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and of this the holy blessed God asks, ‘who is this that comes up,’ ref. Song of Songs 3:6;”
 
–Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Exod. fol. 48. 3
 
The sage rights:
 
“And they say, prayer is greater than all offerings”
 
–Yalkut Simeoni, par. 2. fol. 40. 3
 
(Compare Revelation 8:3)
 
The prayers of  the set apart ones/holy ones/righteous ones (ἁγίων hagion holy ones[G] saints/ קדושים kedoshim, Righteous ones/ צדיקים Tzadikim) are the prayers of all time, from the prayers of Adam through to the prayers of the set apart ones in the final days, and every righteous prayer in between. Every prayer we utter in response to HaShem rises metaphorically speaking from the altar of incense, having been carried there in the golden bowls of the heavenly priesthood (24 elders).
 
9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain, and with Your blood have redeemed for God human beings (ἐκ ek begotten ones) from every tribe (φυλῆς phylēs, שֶׁבֶט shevet: tribes of Israel specifically) and tongue (γλώσσης glōssēs language) and people (λαοῦ laou עַם am: a collection of tribes) and nation (ἔθνους ethnous, גוֹי goy: nationality).
 
New songs are the domain of God’s victorious prophets, messengers and heroes. Throughout the TaNaKh a new song would be composed in order to celebrated an act of God’s deliverance of Israel. From Moses (Exodus 15) to Miriam the mother of Yeshua (Luke 1:46-55) and in full circle back to Moses (Revelation 15:3) new songs have celebrated God through the ages (Isa 42:10; Psa 33:3; Psa 40:3, etc.).
 
The Lamb is worthy because He was slain, and has redeemed for God with His blood, people from every tribe and tongue and ethnicity and nationality.
 
Note that the salvation begins with ethnic Israel and then spreads to every language, people and nation. The Greek word φυλῆς phylēs, literally tribe, is almost exclusively used of ethnic Israel and is intended to be understood in the same sense here. The progression then follows the revelation of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) and reaffirms the earthly lineage of the Messiah.
 
10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
 
“Made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God,” The priests who are singing are the heavenly divisions of the priesthood who unite the priesthood of Israel with the High Priesthood of Messiah and therefore sing of the wonderful reconciliation to God of both Israel and the nations.
 
This language finds its inspiration in Exodus 19:6 and Isaiah 61:6. When we compare 1 Peter 2:9 (Written firstly to Messianic Jews and offering principles of faith practice by extension to Messianic Gentiles) we understand that while this promise is in principle true of all Messiah followers, it is always and firstly contextually true of the chosen ethnic people of Israel.
 
“They will reign upon the earth.”
 
“Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people who are holy set apart to the Most High; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.”
 
–Daniel 7:27
 
This text from the prophet Daniel refers specifically to the set apart righteous chosen people of Israel (ethnic descendants of Jacob). However, once again, the d’rash can indicate a remez (hint) of the metaphorical use of these terms to refer to the righteous among the nations. This does not however cancel out the plain meaning p’shat (contextual plain meaning).
 
The text uses the future tense, “will” meaning that this will take place at a later date. Some suggest that this reign is a metaphorical reign and that in Messiah believers already reign in His now and not yet fully revealed Kingdom. From a Hebrew perspective it is nonsensical to separate the unity of physical and spiritual kingdom with respect to this verse. Therefore the most plausible interpretation seems to be that of the future reign/rule of believers which is also alluded to in Rev 20:4. As an Ecclesia (body of faith) it must be clear to anyone with eyes to see that we are not presently reigning on the earth.
 
Notice that the text says, “Reign upon the earth.” We do not lord our reign over others, the scripture does not say, “Reign over the earth’s peoples.” To the contrary, we will reign in the sense that Adam, the first man, reigned on earth prior to the fall, as caretakers of a new creation, a new heaven and a new earth.
 
We are being returned to HaShem and will become stewards of a new Eden. Let’s put aside all our Greco-Roman notions of oppressive rule and control, that have been perpetuated by a false Church hierarchy, and instead admit that there is One Who reigns and that we are His children. Let’s not adopt a false premise based on an unsubstantiated rule, rather let’s look forward to a time when in Messiah we will be made caretakers, reigning together under His Authority.
 
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many messengers around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.”
 
The number of angelic messengers is meant to be understood as conveying the presence of the entire heavenly host. We note the Hebraic poetic form of repetition denoting a firmly established thing. Here that thing is the complete ensemble of the heavenly host.
 
We now see all present unified in praise and acknowledging the power and authority that HaShem has given to the Lamb. We see that God, Who has held these attributes from time immemorial acknowledges them in His Son Yeshua. There are seven in all:
 
1.) Power
2.) Riches
3.) Wisdom
4.) Strength
5.) Honour
6.) Glory
7.) Blessing.

These seven convey the perfect nature of the Lamb and His unity with The Father and the Spirit.
 
13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
 
Just as the call for a worthy One went out to all of creation, so now all of creation responds in praise and worship to God the Father Who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, the worthy One. In this case the text infers that all creation (including the enemies of Messiah) are confessing, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
 
“9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the Name (YHVH) which is above every name, 10 so that at the Name of Yeshua (Jesus) every knee will bow (Isaiah 45:23), of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Yeshua Mashiach (Jesus Christ) is Lord (Kurios[G]/YHVH), to the glory of God the Father.”
 
–Philippians 2:9-11
 
Every creature will acknowledge Him (Philippians 2:9-20; Colossians 1:20) but the enemies of Messiah will not enjoy the benefits of His reign (Revelation 20:11-15; James 2:19).
 
We are reminded yet again that the New Testament uses the Greek Kurios almost exclusively to describe Yeshua and that the Septuagint uses Kurios to translate the Holy Name YHVH approximately 6,000 times. Yeshua and the Father are One!
 
14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen (In Yeshua [the Amen] We trust, Agree, Have faith).” And the elders fell down and worshiped.
 
Now that all creation has been represented, the four living creatures, the Cheruvim of the Holy of Holies, guardians of the ark of the covenant, these four created beings who have witnessed Messiah Yeshua as God from the foundations of the earth, now give their agreement and acknowledge His eternal nature and unity with the Father before all creation.
 
As previously stated in my commentary on Revelation 3, the Hebrew word, אמן Amen/Aman (Faith, agreement, belief, trust) shares the same Hebrew root that informs the feminine form אֱמוּנָה emunah (faith) and is also connected with the word אֶמֶת emet meaning “truth” because it is sometimes understood to bear the quality of truth and therefore in certain passages is translated into English as “truth.” The meaning it expresses is of established trust, acceptance, and agreement. Many translate it, “So be it” or, “So say we all.”
 
אמן Amen/Aman is found in a number of different contexts in the Hebrew Bible (Numbers 5: 22; Deuteronomy 27: 15; 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; I Kings I: 36; Isaiah 65: 16; Jeremiah II: 5; 28: 6; I Chronicles 16: 36; Nehemiah 5: 13; 8: 6; Psalms 41: 14; 72: 19; 89: 52; 106: 48).
 
A late second-century teacher in the Talmud takes the initial letters of amen as an acronym representing  אל מלך נאמן “El Melekh Neman”, (God, Faithful King). This reflects Yeshua’s descriptions of Himself in Revelation 1:5, 3:7.
 
A later Jewish commentator of the siddur (prayer book) interprets the initial letters homiletically as, אני מוסר נאפשי ani moser nafshi, literally: I surrender my soul (I offer up myself as a sacrifice). A clearer description of the life of Yeshua we could not find.
 
“Because he who is blessed in the earth
Will be blessed by the God of אָמֵן Amein (truth);
And he who swears in the earth
Will swear by the God of  אָמֵן Amein (truth);
Because the former troubles are forgotten,
And because they are hidden from My sight!
 
–Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:16
 
Yeshua is the faithful אֱמוּנָה (emunah) witness to the truth אֶמֶת (emet), the agreement אמן (Amein/Aman) with HaShem (Rev. 1:5-6)
 
Yeshua defines faith as the אמן Aman (Agreement, Trust, Faith).
 
The first use of the Hebrew root אמן Aman is recorded in Genesis 15:6:
 
וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽיהוָ֑ה וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה
 
“Abraham אֱמִן emin trusted God and it was accounted to him as righteousness.”
 
Therefore, Yeshua is the אמן Faith within Abraham to which Abraham responds in אמן Faith and in Whom Abraham receives an accounting of righteousness. In short, Abraham’s saving faith is in Yeshua the King Messiah, Who is the Word essence of God and the Lamb Slain before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8).
 
In conclusion to this wonderful event the elders who represent the heavenly priesthood, fall down at the feet of the One Who is on the throne and His Son, the Great High Priest, and worship.
 
Copyright 2026 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua

Introduction:

Having read the letters to the assemblies we now shift our focus from the then present issues of the wider believing community to the events that will take place in the heavens. 

Yeshua, through His messenger, had met with Yochanan on earth “in the Spirit on the Day of the LORD” (Revelation 1:10 ref. Amos 5:18); now He calls to Yochanan from the heavens and invites him to climb the heights of the heavenly Mount Zion and enter the Heavenly Mishkan מִשׁכָּן/Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד (Sanctuary/Tent of Meeting/Temple/Tabernacle: Exodus 25, 26, 27) in spirit. We’re told in the book of Hebrews that the earthly Temple/Mishkan is a shadow, a representation of its heavenly counterpart.

“1 We have such a high priest, Who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, 2 a minister in the sanctuary and in the true Mishkan (Tent of Meeting), which the Lord pitched, not man. 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. 4 Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Instruction; 5 who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the Mishkan (Tent of Meeting); for, ‘See,’ He says, ‘that you make all things according to the pattern which was shown you on the mountain.’ 6 But now He (Yeshua) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.” 

–Hebrews 8:1-6

Yochanan, like Moshe, is being called up the mountain (metaphorically speaking) to witness a vision of the heavenly Temple/Mishkan (Tent of Meeting). He is not physically going up, rather he is going up in spirit in a similar way to that in which Rav Shaul/Paul the Apostle witnessed heavenly (the heavens) vision and a vision of Paradise (in Sheol), as recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4.

The Text

Revelation 4:

1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door was standing open in the heavens, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a shofar (Ram’s horn) speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 

This is the next step in a chronology that shifts from time to time throughout the book, relative to the perspective being adopted. Here the perspective shifts from earth in the Spirit, in the Day of the LORD to the heavens in the Spirit. The chronologies of the book of Revelation are subject to the convergence of the concurrent events that find their goal in the return of the Messiah and God’s manifest dwelling with humanity.

This first, “After these things,” refers to the events that Yochanan has already witnessed and the letters that have been dictated to the messengers of the assemblies. It doesn’t mean that the letters have already been delivered, nor is there any indication in the text regarding how much time has passed. This is simply the next part of the unveiling. The first part was relative to the assemblies on earth, whereas this second part shifts perspective and addresses something taking place in the heavens.

“The door standing open,” is most likely symbolic of the door of salvation opened by Messiah. This same door is alluded to in the letter to the Philadelphia assembly (Rev 3:8), a door that no one can shut. This can only refer to the opening of salvation given by Yeshua to every believer.

The voice Yochanan had first heard was that of Yeshua (Rev 1:10), His voice is like the shofar (Ram’s horn) which is symbolic of the redemption of Isaac and the strength of the altar of sacrifice. The blessing for the Ram’s horn says:

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לִשְׁמוֹעַ קוֹל שׁוֹפָר

Barukh Atah Adonay, Eloheiynu Melekh Ha-Olam, asher kid’shanu bemitzvotayv vetzivanu lishhmoa kol shofar

“All blessing comes from You O HaShem our God, King of the universe, Who has commanded us to listen to the voice of the Ram’s horn.” 

This is the Word essence of HaShem, the Son, the Ram of God, Whose voice holds the Universe together (John 1; Colossians 1:17).

“Come up here,” is reminiscent of Mount Sinai and God’s call to Moses (Exodus 19:20, 24). Yochanan is the one New Testament writer who acts as a prophet in the TaNaKh (OT) sense. The parallel is undeniable.

The second, “After these things” affirms the fact that what Yochanan is about to see is to take place in his future after the process of the delivering of the letters to the assemblies. There is no way to know how long afterward, the text does not say, “it will soon take place,” rather it simply says that at some point afterward the things Yochanan is about to see will take place.

As the book unfolds we’ll see that there isn’t a consistent chronology, this is why Chapter 1:19 explains, “Write what you have (past) seen, what is now (present) and what will (future) take place.” Allowing for any combination of these three.

The story of the Woman and the Dragon for example, is told in Chapter 12, and clearly begins by describing events that took place prior to the writing of the book of Revelation, and yet it is placed at a central point within the book, thus establishing a convergent emphasis rather than a strictly chronology pattern of writing.

Therefore, each section of the book must be understood with reference to the wider body of historical Scripture, failing to qualify it in this manner will result in misinterpretation.

“After these things,” finds its TaNaKh parallel in the text of Daniel 2:28-29 & 45, where the Hebrew reads, “What will come to pass hereafter.”

2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. 3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a ruby in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

Yochanan was already in the Spirit on the Day of the LORD, there is nothing in the text up until this point that indicates he has ever been out of the Spirit. Therefore he is in the Spirit, in the Spirit. This means the perspective of the vision is shifting. He has been in the Spirit and viewing the present and ongoing challenges of the assemblies of faith on earth, now he is being called up in the Spirit to experience a paradigm shift which will enable him to view the heavenly Mishkan מִשׁכָּן/Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד (Sanctuary/Tent of Meeting/Temple/Tabernacle), in the Spirit (Yochanan does not physically ascend. No one has entered the heavens except He Who came down from the heavens Deut. 30:11-14; Proverbs 30:4; John 3:13). This is the very same thing that Moses did, leaving the tribes of Israel at the base of Mount Sinai, he climbed up to meet with HaShem.

Yochanan’s description of The One seated on the heavenly throne is a familiar one, it’s a reflection of a number of TaNaKh (OT) passages.

“I saw Hashem sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.” 

–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 6:1

“Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like sapphire in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from His waist and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from His waist and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him.” 

–Ezekiel 1:26-27

The Scripture describes God as invisible, immutable, dwelling in unapproachable light. This is why He is explained using metaphors such as light and colour, precious stones, rainbows and so on.

“He Who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honour and eternal dominion! Amen.” 

–1 Timothy 6:16

In this passage from 1 Timothy Paul is describing God the Father and uses the titles “King of kings and Lord of lords,” titles also used of Yeshua.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of all creation.” 

–Colossians 1:15

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” 

–Romans 1:20

The jasper (earthy red) and ruby (bright red) speak of atonement, redemption and reconciliation.

The rainbow like an emerald almost seems like a contradiction in terms, however if we look at these symbols as parts of a whole we’re able to glean their full meaning.

The rainbow is one of the most powerful covenant symbols of the TaNaKh. It is significant because it is a covenant symbol given to all humanity prior to the giving of the Torah at Sinai. The rainbow is seen by some as a symbol of the bridge between God and humanity, made possible by sacrifice, cleansing and rebirth. It appears in the clouds (A symbol of the Divine presence) and is a refraction of pure white light, which represents the immutable holiness of HaShem.

The account of Genesis 9 explains that the rainbow is a covenant sign given to Noah and his descendants and to all the living creatures of the earth. In Judaism Noah is considered a type of second Adam, one who represents all humanity. For those of us who accept Yeshua as the true second Adam, this figurative typing of Noah makes sense. Yeshua purchased the freedom of all who would sail with Him in the Ark (symbolic of a coffin) in the midst of the waters (symbolic of the membrane between life and death) unto resurrection.

The general moral obligation of all humanity is found in the story of humanity’s rebirth through the flood. The seven colours of the rainbow correspond to the seven Noachide laws incumbent upon every human being. They also reflect the attributes of the Spirit of God and the unity of the sevenfold light of God, keeping in mind that all the colours of the rainbow are the result of refracted white light.

Noachide laws:

The Jewish sages base the Noachide laws on Genesis 2:16-17; 9:4-6.

“The children of Noah were commanded with seven commandments: [to establish] laws, and [to prohibit] cursing God, idolatry, illicit sexuality, bloodshed, robbery, and eating flesh from a living animal.” (Sanhedrin 56a; cf. Tosefta Avodah Zarah 8:4 and Genesis Rabbah 34:8)

1.     Do not deny God.
2.     Do not blaspheme God.
3.     Do not murder.
4.     Do not engage in incest, adultery, pederasty or bestiality, as well as homosexual relations.
5.     Do not steal.
6.     Do not eat of a live animal.
7.     Establish courts/legal system to ensure law and obedience.

These laws were condensed by the early Jewish Church fathers in Jerusalem, who sent them via Shaul/Paul the apostle as instructions for new Gentile believers (Acts 15:29; 21:25).

Each of the colours of the rainbow are made up of the three primary colours: a. Red (Redeemer: Father) b. Yellow (Life Giver: Son) c. Blue (Heavenly Comforter: Holy Spirit), and have illuminating symbolic significance:

1.)    Red: Redemption - blood (Ex 27:16; Heb 9:13-14, 22), sacrifice (Eph 5:2), sin (Isaiah 1:18), Redemption (1 Peter 1:18)
2.)    Orange: Distinction/Broken Relationship - Isa 48:4 (Iron neck); Eze 24:6 (rust), Psalm 2:9; Rev 19:15
3.)    Yellow: Life – man (Gen 2:7), Eternal life (Jn 1:4), Glory (Gen 1:4; Num 14:10; Hebrew 1:3), Light (Job 33:30; Jn 1:9)
4.)    Green: New Life – Garden of Eden (Gen 1:11-13, 2:8, 15)
5.)    Blue: Heavens (Waters of the sky) – (Jn 6:31, 33, 38), Righteousness of God (Ex 27:16)
6.)    Indigo: Atonement/Covering – (Gen 7:19; Lev 17:13; Psalm 32:1, 147:8)
7.)    Violet: Royalty/Judgement – (Ex 27:16; Esth 8:15; Matt 21:5-11)

The Seven attributes of the Spirit:

1.       Rest
2.       Wisdom
3.       Understanding
4.       Counsel/comfort
5.       Strength/life
6.       Knowledge
7.       Awe

“And rest (1) will come on him via the Ruach (Spirit) of HaShem,

The spirit of wisdom (2) and understanding (3),
The spirit of counsel (4) and strength (5),
The spirit of knowledge (6) and the Awe (7) of HaShem.” 

–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 11:2

The “appearance as of Emerald,” (Green), signifies the creation and new life purchased by Yeshua, He is seen here as being אחד echad (one) in the God-head, reflecting the attributes of the Spirit of HaShem.

4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.

The Hebrew equivalent to the Greek πρεσβυτέρους presbyterous is זקנים zekeiniym elders, which literally means, “Bearded ones.”

The “twenty four elders” represent the divisions of the priesthood (1 Chronicles 24:7-18), and the sum of the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Talmidim (Disciples) of Yeshua. 

They are representatives of the whole of humanity (as alluded to in the symbolism of the rainbow), rulers who submit their crowns to and bow before God, denoting His rule over all things. Their white garments are the righteous actions of the kingdom of priests washed in Yeshua’s blood and made pure (White).

The Talmud speaks of the צדיקים tzadikim (righteous ones) in the World to Come (Olam Haba), saying:

“In the Olam Haba (World to Come)… the tzadikim (righteous) sit with their crowns upon their heads and feast on the Shekhinah (feminine light glory of God).” 

–Talmud Bavliy, Berakhot 17a

5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps (λαμπάδες lampades: seven single flames burning from one source) of fire burning before the throne, which are the sevenfold Spirit of God;

The “flashes of lightning and peals of thunder,” mirror the events of Sinai (Exodus 19:16-19), and reflect the symbolic poetry of God’s coming in power to deliver His people Israel (Psalm 18:12-15; 77:18).

“The seven lamps” are the individual lamp heads that make up the Menorah of the Temple/Mishkan. The Greek here is λαμπάδες lampades: seven single flames burning from one source, rather than λυχνία luchnia, meaning candlestick/Menorah. These lamps represent the Shekhinah שְׁכִינָה (manifest feminine glory)/Kavod HaShem כבוד יהוה Glory of God as seen represented in the Menorah. This is the original Menorah of the heavens whose pattern was copied in the setting up of the Mishkan/Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד (Sanctuary/Tent of Meeting) by Moses.

As mentioned previously, the Sevenfold Spirit of God is the Ruach Ha-Kodesh (The Holy Spirit).

6a and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; 

“9Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.” 

–Shemot/Exodus 24:9-11 (Ezekiel 1:22, 26)

The sages see a correlation between the giving of the Torah and the sea of glass. They refer to the Torah figuratively as “The sea of the Torah.” (Zohar in Numb. fol. 90. 3. & 92. 1. & in Lev. fol. 24. 3. & in Deut. fol. 118. 4.)

6b and in the centre and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8a And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within;

These four living creatures closely resemble the כרובים Cheruvim of Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:5-11; 10:12, 14-15). The key difference being that the four living creatures of Ezekiel’s vision each had four heads mirroring the creatures of Rev 4:7-8, whereas the four creatures in Rev 4:7-8 each have a single head according to the likeness described.

Ezekiel, like Yochanan, is unique among the prophets in that his writing begins with a first person autobiographical narrative. Both Ezekiel and Yochanan are recording their visions while in captivity and both are taken in the Spirit to gaze upon the Heavenly Temple/ Mishkan מִשׁכָּן/Ohel Moeid אוהל מועד (Sanctuary/Tent of Meeting) and throne room of God.

The four living creatures (Cheruvim) represent the four Cheruvim of Solomon’s Temple, two are fashioned into the lid of the Ark of the Covenant as guardians of the mercy seat and two are made to stand as guardians of the Inner Sanctuary (Exodus 25:18-22; 37:7-9; 1 Kings 6:23-28; 1 Chronicles 3:10-14).

The Hebrew word כרוב Cheruv has no known root, however etymologists link its meaning to an Assyrian word used to name similar creatures, and theorize that the ancient Hebrew root probably had similar meaning. The best guess at its meaning is: Mighty, Approacher, Bringing Blessing. Unlike certain other messengers of HaShem who sometimes appear in human form, the Cheruvim are always winged and often have an appearance that mirrors specific earthly creatures.

The eyes in front and behind represent their ability to see everywhere and to be able to see both the future and the past (because they dwell with God outside of time). Their wings represent protection and flight; and the eyes beneath their wings keep a loving eye on the people of God and a vengeful eye on the enemies of God.

Each of the faces represent attributes of God and aspects of His rule:

1.)    Lion (Royalty): King of beasts, fierce hunter
2.)    Calf/Ox (Strength): Domestic, provider
3.)    Man/Adam (Messiah): God’s appointed ruler on earth
4.)    Eagle (All seeing): Mightiest of birds, bird of prey, sees all from a lofty height

8b and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is HaShem God, the Shaddai (Almighty), Who was and Who is and Who is to come.”

This passage is known in Judaism as קדשה Kedushah and is part of the third paragraph of העמידה the Amidah (Standing prayer).

“1I saw HaShem, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple with glory. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is YHVH Shaddai (Lord Almighty);
    the whole earth is filled with His kavod (glory).” 

–Yeshayahu/Isaiah 6:1-3

It’s interesting to note that while the living creatures depicted mirror the Cheruvim of Ezekiel’s vision, it is in fact the Hebrew שרפים Seraphim that is used to describe the creatures who sing the קדשה Kedushah of Isaiah 6:2-3. Why is that?

שרפים Seraphim: Comes from the Hebrew root שרף Saraph meaning to burn. It is thought that the title Seraphim is a generic title for angelic winged messengers that burn like flames but are not consumed. This means that both a כרוב Cheruv and a מלאך Malakh (messenger any form) can qualify as Seraphim (Plural of Seraph).

The overall meaning derived from the root שרף Saraph is, “Burners, Destroyers.” This may be where Psalm 104:4 finds its inspiration: 

“He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.” (Ref. Hebrews 1:7)

The phrase, “Who was and is and is to come,” is an expansion of the Divine Name (Exodus 3:14-15) and connects The Father and the Son to the refrain. The Aramaic Peshitta of the New Testament directly translates the Hebrew אהיה אשר אהיה Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, meaning, “I AM that I AM” (ref. Ex. 3:14).

יהוה YHVH  & אהיה Ehyeh share the same root היה HYH meaning “To be,” or “To exist.”

אהיה Ehyeh is the first-person singular form “I Am.”

יהוה YHVH is the third-person singular form of the same verb meaning “He causes to exist.”

This makes perfect sense in conveying God’s relationship to humanity. He is all existing and we call on Him as the One Who causes our existence.

יהוה YHVH:

• Yud י represents the future tense “He will be”

• Hey ה is a linking character indicating the present tense, a state of being, breath “He is all existing”

• Vav ו is a conjunction meaning “and”

• Hey ה in this instance represents the past tense “He was”

Therefore, “He will be, He is, and He was.”

9 And when the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to Him Who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, 10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him Who sits on the throne, and will worship Him Who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 “Worthy are You, our YHVH LORD and our God, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will (Yeshua) they exist, and were created.”

Here it is The Father Who is being worshipped (though the Son is represented in the emerald and is indeed part of the God-head). The Son is worshipped using similar words in Revelation 5:9-14. Part of the reason for the distinction is to show Yeshua as God with us by using comparative terms to reveal Him as κύριος kurios Lord (master/YHVH) and θεός Theos God (The Son). 

John 1 describes Yeshua as the Thought, Substance, and Word Essence of creation (Ha-Davar - הדבר), thus linking Him to the praises offered in this refrain. Therefore the, “will” of YHVH observed in this Revelation psalm is in fact Yeshua.

We can confidently read:

“You (YHVH) created all things, and because of Yeshua they exist, and were created.”

Copyright 2026 Yaakov Ben Yehoshua