Revelation 4-5: The Covenant and the Christ

The Jesus Institute Forum

The Revelation: The Covenant and the Christ

Chapters 4-5: The (Paschal) Jubilee Day of Atonement Enthronement –
Accession-Judgment of the Lamb, Part I

Lee F Greer III
Loma Linda, California
© 2003

(Last updated October 2005)

Introduction

In the circulating epistle of Revelation, chapters 4-5 open the next major vision cycle which unfolds and extends through both the 7 seals and the 7 trumpets (4:1-11:19), and their respective recapitulatory interludes (ch. 7 and 10-11:14; see Christoffel, 2001). Chapters 4-5 portray the scene of the Accession-enthronement / Judgment of the Lamb (Part I) of which the 7 seals (Part II) and the 7 trumpets (Part III) are simply the direct judicial proceedings. In the symbolism of their many details these sections are solidly rooted in the imagery of the Levitic Covenant sanctuary. This vision cycle (chs. 4-11) begins and ends with open access in heaven to the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark of the Covenant. It begins with an open door in heaven where the Lamb alone is found worthy amidst lightnings, voices, and thunders in the Covenant judgment of the heavenly court before the cherubim-enfolded Throne (Ark – Most Holy Place) beyond 'the 7 lamps of fire' or '7 Spirits of God' (Holy Place), beyond the 'sea of glass, clear as crystal' (Laver or 'bronze sea' – Temple courtyard). This is parallel to the free and unfettered access "through the heavens" by our great High Priest-King (Heb. 4:12-16), who "has entered within the innermost [side] of the veil" (Heb. 6:19-20; see more on the epistle to the Hebrews). Likewise, the cycle ends with an open door in heaven before 'the Ark of His Covenant' from where the executive judgment of wrath and recompense amidst lightnings, voices, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail commences (11:15-19; cf. ch. 15-16). The cycle (as with other cycles in Revelation) opens with the ascension of Christ and ends just before His return in glory.

Form genre. As with the 7 letters, a number of genres have been suggested for the throne vision of chs. 4-5: (1) a heavenly 'synagogue morning ' liturgy (Prigent, 1964), (2) a parody of the Roman imperial court ceremonial (Aune, 1983), (3) a merkavah throne-chariot vision (Vogelgesang, 1985), (4) a heavenly court judgment (Davis, 1986; 1992; Treiyer, 1992; cf. Beale, 1999), and (5) a coronation-enthronement ceremony modeled on a pattern discernible with the ancient kings of Israel (Stefanovic, 1996; 2002).^[1]

However, when we allow the full background of allusions in Rev. 4-5 to the Hebrew Scriptures to have the controlling exegetical role in determining the meaning of the throne vision of Rev. 4-5, then we find that a number of the possibilities, particularly the last two, are by no means mutually exclusive. Aune (1997) has pointed out a number of functions of throne visions and cited passages (to which we have added) in the Hebrew Scriptures (and in the pseudepigraphal writings):

(1) Enthronement scenes (Dan. 7:9, 13-14; Ps. 2; 45; 110)
(2) Judgment scenes (Dan. 7:9-14; Ps. 2; 82:1-8; 110; Zech. 3:1-7; Isa. 6; 11; cf. Matt. 19:28-30 = Q = Luke 22:28-30)
(3) Commission scenes, where one is invested with authority to accomplish a mission (I Kings 22:19-22 = II Chron. 18:18-22; Job 1:6-12; Ps. 2; 110; Isa. 6)
(4) Eschatological heavenly festal gathering scenes (Job 38:7; Ps. 24; 148)

As one can readily see, several of the judgment scenes are also enthronement scenes (Ps. 2; 110; Dan. 7; cf. Rev. 12:5-12). Often the commission scenes are also judgment scenes (I Kings 22:19-22 = II Chron. 18:18-22; Ps. 2; 110). Psalm 2 and 110 both reveal an enthronement scene, a judgment scene, and a commission scene. Another enthronement scene (Isa. 6:1-6) is also a commission scene, has judicial elements, and furthermore sounds like a heavenly festal gathering. These categories evidently are not mutually exclusive. As will become evident, Revelation 4-5 is also an enthronement scene, a judgment scene, and a commission scene, as well as an eschatological heavenly festal (liturgical) gathering – it is indeed a Jubilee Day of Atonement enthronement! The rich background of Hebrew Scriptural allusions in Rev. 4-5 with their Levitic and Covenant underpinnings provide a broad paradigm, determining shape and significance without excluding any necessary elements.

Identity of the Scroll. Numerous interpretations of the sealed Scroll, an obviously legal document (Davis, 1986), have been made by various commentators in the different schools of prophetic interpretation (for a discussion of the preterist, historicist, futurist, and idealist views, see Stefanovic, 1996; 2002). It has been cogently argued that the sealed book is the Covenant or Law (Treiyer, 1992), specifically the Covenant Book (Deuteronomy, ex parte Torah) associated with the kings of Israel and Judah (house of David) of which Christ is the rightful heir (Stefanovic, 1996; 2002). The accession of the Lamb as king indicates that a Scroll of the Covenant may well be the divine Suzerainty covenant (God's law as Deuteronomistic Suzerainty treaty) involving his blood-purchased (redeemed) vassalage.

The pre-Advent Judgment and the Scroll. The Lamb takes the Scroll of the Covenant and is enthroned only after a universal judicial inquiry in the Covenant Judgment of the heavenly court finds the Lamb alone to be worthy [axios] to receive and to open it (5:1-7). The enthroned Lamb in so doing immediately begins to adjudicate. The blood-purchased redemption and vindication of the saints (Covenant believers) from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation has been secured, symbolized by the incenses (prayers of the saints, 5:8; cf. 'all the saints,' 8:2) held by their representatives, the 24 elders. Because He has been found worthy in the universal Judgment of that Covenant Law (Rev. 5:2-6; Rom. 3:3-4, 19-26) as our 'openly-displayed Mercy Seat ['ilastyrion]' (Rom. 3:25 = cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark, Rev. 4:6), every believer is justified by faith alone in Him unto eternal life (Rom. 3:19-5:1; 8:31-39; John 5:24) and is sealed by the Holy Spirit until the final day of restoration (Eph. 1:13-14; Rev. 7). That very moment when the Lamb is found worthy, all heaven explodes with joy and a renewed song (Rev. 5:8-12) which will echo until at last every creature in creation has joined in (5:13-14). A parallel burst of song among the 'heaven dwellers,' accompanies the parallel Accession-Judgment scene of the Male-Child who throws out the accuser and vindicates the saints (Rev. 12:5-12). The believers on earth are also included among the 'heaven-dwellers' through Christ their heavenly Proxy and in the Spirit (see Neall, 2001). This is the adjudicative, pre-Advent Judgment – convening at Calvary and continuing until Advent (Ps. 2; 110; Dan. 7:9-14; 8:13-14 = 9:23-27; John 12:31-33; 16:11 [cf. 3:17-18; 5:24-30, cit. Dan. 7:13-14]; Luke 10:17-21; Rom. 3-4; 8:31-39; Rev. 1-3; 4-11; 12[:5-12]-14; Heb. 4:11-16; 6:19-20; 9-10; 12:22-24; I Pet. 4:7, 17; I Tim. 5:24, etc.; see Appendix 4 below). This is also the first segment of the antitypical Jubilee Day of Atonement which extends from Christ till the new heaven and new earth (Hebrews; cf. Revelation 11:1; 12:5-12; 20-21).

The pre-Advent Judgment commenced at Calvary and Christ's accession into the highest heaven (see texts above) and will proceed until the Gospel witness is completed (Matt. 24:14; Rev. 10:7; 11:7) just before harvest time at Advent (Rev. 14:14-16; Matt. 13:37-43). In the pre-Advent Judgment, it is the adjudication of the Lamb from the cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark encompassing the ongoing justification and sealing of the saints (Rev. 7; 11:1) until the Gospel testimony has finished its witness (11:7). This judgment proceeds apace and in parallel with the unfolding of the judgments and warnings of the 7 seals and 7 trumpets (Rev. 6-11) – a pre-Advent adjudication is recapitulated in the respective recapitulatory interludes to the seals and trumpets (Rev. 7 and 10-11:14). The pre-Advent judgment begins with the triumphant adjudication of the enthroned Lamb bearing the Covenant Scroll at the cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark amid thunders and voices (Rev. 4-5), and closes with the executive judgment of wrath at the solemn exposure of the Ark of His Covenant amid thunders, earthquake, and hail (6:12-17; cf. 8:1; 11:15-19; 16:17-21). When the souls of the slaughtered saints under the altar cry out, 'How long, O Master, do you not judge and avenge our blood upon those living on the earth?' (Rev. 6:9-10; Heb. 11:32-12:1; cf. Gen. 4:10-11), their blood is not primarily calling out for the adjudicative, pre-Advent Judgment, for that has already commenced, resulting in their justification: 'you have drawn near...to an assembly...of the first-born having been enrolled in heaven, and (to) God the judge of all and to the spirits of just ones having been perfected...'(Heb. 12:22-24); '... and to each was given a white robe' (Rev. 6:11). Instead, their blood cries out for the executive-retributive Judgment which will avenge their deaths upon earth. "Congratulations to those who hunger and thirst for justice! They will have a feast." (Matt. 5:6 SV, Funk et al. 1993). Their prayers for justice are ultimately answered with the 7 last plagues, the fall of Babylon (Rev. 16:5-6; 18:20, 24; 19:17-21; cf. 20:4), the destruction of evil and death in 'the lake of fire' (19:17-21; 20:11-15; 21:8), and the saints' reception of the eternal reward on an earth renewed (20-22). However, the ongoing adjudicative justification and sealing of the saints in the pre-Advent Judgment will continue until the last person on earth has decided for or against the Gospel just before Advent (John 3:16-18; Rev. 7; 10-11; 14:6-12).

As Revelation unfolds, the Covenant Scroll associated with the enthroned Lamb (Rev. 4-6) succinctly reappears as the Lamb's Scroll of life (Rev. 13:8; 21:27)^[2] which contains the Covenant court record of the sealed and justified saints. (A 'book' or divine writing was often connected with God's judgment in the Hebrew Scriptures, notably Dan. 12:3. Also, a 'the book of life' has been long associated in Jewish thought with the judgment of the Day of Atonement). This Scroll of life, given the central Judgment context of Rev. 4-5 and indeed the whole epistle, is the most likely summary explanation of the Scroll which the slaughtered Lamb took from the One seated on the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark. That Covenant Scroll of life cannot be completely unsealed until the Gospel has accomplished its work (Rev. 10:7; 11:7; Matt. 24:14).

The Hebrew Scriptural background. Like other parts of Revelation, chs. 4-5 contain a whole tapestry of allusions to many places in the Hebrew Scriptures, especially to various heavenly enthronement epiphanies, but throughout the central "controlling pattern" is the heavenly enthronement-judgment scene of Daniel 7 (Beale, 1999). Beale has pointed out 14 parallels in structure and imagery between Daniel 7 and Rev. 4-5. Allusions to other heavenly enthronement scenes are present but are woven into the structure of the Daniel 7 vision, along with allusions to the gospels and to other NT epistles.

The structure of the judgment-enthronement scene of Daniel 7:9-14 in Revelation 4-5 (adapted from Beale, 1999)

Introductory vision phraseology (Dan. 7:9 [cf. 7:2, 6-7]; Rev. 4:1)
A throne(s) set in heaven (Dan. 7:9a; Rev. 4:2a [cf. 4:4a])
God sitting on a throne (Dan. 7:9b; Rev. 4:2b)
God's appearance on the throne (Dan. 7:9c; Rev. 4:3a)
Fire before the throne (Dan. 7:9d-10a; Rev. 4:5)
Innumerable heavenly servants surrounding the throne (Dan. 7:10b; Rev. 4:4b, 6b- 5:8, 11, 14)
Book(s) before the throne (Dan. 7:10c; Rev. 5:1-5) ~
The book(s) opened (Dan. 7:10c; Rev. 5:2-5, 9)
A messianic figure approaching God's throne to receive authority to reign forever over a kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14a; Rev. 5:5b-7, 9a, 12-13)
The universal kingdom: "all peoples, nations, and tongues" (Dan. 7:14a [MT]; Rev. 5:9b)
The seer's emotional distress on account of the vision (Dan. 7:15; Rev. 5:4)
The seer's reception of heavenly counsel concerning the vision from one of the heavenly throne servants (Dan. 7:16; Rev. 5:5a)
The saints given divine authority to reign over a kingdom (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27a; Rev. 5:10)
Concluding mention of God's eternal reign (Dan. 7:27b; Rev. 5:13-14).

Additional parallels:

Similar to the 'the Ancient of Days' (Dan. 7:9), the One enthroned (Rev. 4:2) is the Master of time: The worthy, sovereign Creator of all things (5:11) thus pointing back to the beginning in the primordial past and forward to the infinite future, i.e., the One 'living unto the ages of the ages' (4:9)
A number of sanctuary, Passover and Jubilee Day of Atonement associations and imagery (Rev. 4-5; Dan. 7; for more details see below below this following summary):

1 – Temple Courtyard: The 'sea [of] glass like crystal' / 'molten sea' laver, suggesting Passover access into the Jubilee Day of Atonement judgment-kingdom (cf. Heb. 12:22-24)!
2 – Holy Place: The 7 lamps of fire = 7 Spirits of God = 7 churches / 7-candlesticks
3 – Holy of Holies: The cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark of the Covenant – with the Eternal One seated there, the Lord God Almighty
A universal Judgment search for one worthy to open the scroll in heaven, earth, and under the earth, with no success except for...
The slaughtered (paschal) Lamb who is found worthy because of his redemption-purchase, who has prevailed in court to open the book, and who appears by his blood before the cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark (as in Yom Kippur, Lev. 16; 25-26)

Beale (1984; summarized in Aune, 1997) has also found several parallels between Daniel 7 and Revelation 1:

God enthroned (Rev. 1:4; Dan. 7:10b)
Numerous heavenly beings surround the throne (Rev. 1:4; Dan. 7:10b)
Son of man's universal kingdom (Rev. 1:4; Dan. 7:13-14)
Saints and the kingdom (Rev. 1:6, 9; Dan. 7:18, 22, 27a)
The coming of a son of man with clouds and authority (Rev. 1:7a; Dan. 7:13)
Image of a book associated with judgment (Rev. 1:11; Dan. 7:10)
Detailed description of a heavenly figure and his environment (Rev. 1:12-16; Dan. 7:9-10)
The seer has emotional distress because of the vision (Rev. 1:17a; Dan. 7:15)
The seer receives heavenly counsel to interpret the vision in part (Rev. 1:17-20; Dan. 7:16-17)

The enthronement-judgment scene of Daniel 7 itself has an even earlier background in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Levitic Covenant: The (Jubilee) Day of Atonement judgment of Leviticus 16 (ch. 25).

A few parallels between Dan. 7:9-14
and the (Jubilee) Day of Atonement of the Levitic Covenant sanctuary

Daniel 7:9-14 MT

The Levitic Covenant sanctuary cultus

⁹I was looking until the thrones were set up,
and the Ancient of Days sat,
whose robe (was) white as snow,
and the hair of His head like pure wool.
His throne (was like) flames of fire;
its wheels (were) like burning fire.
¹⁰A river of fire ran, and issued from before Him,
and a myriad myriads served Him
and a thousand thousands stood before Him.
The court sat
and the books were opened.

¹¹I was looking then, because of the sound of the great words which the horn spoke. I was looking until the beast was killed, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning of the fire.
¹²And the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, yet length of life was given to them for a time and a season
¹³I was looking in the visions of the night, and look!

With the clouds of the heavens
(One) like the Son of man was coming,
to the Ancient of Days he came,
and they brought him near Him.

¹⁴And to him was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, the nations, and the languages shall serve him!

His dominion is a dominion everlasting,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

... (cf. Son of man as representative of Covenant people, Dan. 7:18, 22; as on Day of Atonement)

YAHWEH's 'throne' associated with the Ark of the Covenant where He dwelt between the cherubim, (Lev. 16:2; Ex. 25:18-22; 37:7-9; Num. 7:89; I Sam. 4:4; II Sam. 6:2; 22:11; I Kings 6:23-29 = II Chron. 3:10-14; I Kings 8:6-7 = II Chron. 5:7-8; II Kings 19:15; I Chron. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Isa. 37:16; and even rode upon the cherubim (I Chron. 28:18; II Sam. 22:11; Ps. 18:10; Ezek. 9:3; 10:1-20 with the Chebar vision of ch. 1-3; 11:22; Dan. 7:9; Ps. 104:3).
'robe white as snow' resembles the priestly robes, particularly the ephod associated with the high priest (Lev. 16:4).
'His throne [like] flames of fire' and throne's 'wheels like burning fire' – the fiery Shekinah hovered over the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant Comparison (Lev. 16:2, 12-13), cf. the mobile 'pillar of cloud / fire' of the wilderness wandering (Exod. 13:21-22; 14:24 a Passover-Judgment context; Num. 12:5; 14:14; Deut. 31:15; Neh. 9:19).
'river of fire ran... from before Him' – executive judgment of 'fire came out and devoured the Nadab and Abihu' who were desecrating the sanctuary (Lev. 10; 16:2, 12-13) perhaps requiring YAHWEH to state that there was only one day of the year (10th day of 7th month) when the high priest alone was to enter the Holy of Holies (division in sanctuary a temporary arrangement as per Heb. 9). cf. beast and little horn desecrating the sanctuary in effect in Dan. 7, and explicitly in Dan. 8).
'court sat, books opened' – Day of Atonement was a judgment day (Lev. 16:21, 30, 34); when high priest approached the tablets of the Covenant in the Ark and the book of the laws (side of Ark); 'Scroll of life' motif associated in later Judaism with the judgment of Yom Kippur
'little horn testifying in court' as an adversary to the Covenant people; cf. Rev. 12:5-12, and 'goat for Azazel' or 'scapegoat' alotted in judgment for expulsion from the camp of Israel, cast outside the sanctuary (Lev. 16:5, 7-8, 20-26)
'until the beast was killed, and his body was destroyed and given to the burning of the fire' – Day of Atonement sacrificial animals killed and burned up with fire outside the camp (Lev. 16:27-28)
'the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, yet length of life was given to them for a time and a season' – the 'scapegoat' or 'goat for Azazel' was not violently killed but allowed to live for a time, but being freed into the wilderness where it perished 'in a season and time' (Lev. 16:5, 7-8, 20-26) – people were then clean and free from sin before YAHWEH (Lev. 16:21, 30, 34)
'With the clouds of the heavens (One) like the Son of man was coming, to the Ancient of Days He came, and they brought Him near Him.' – One 'son of man' the high priest was ushered with clouds of incense into YAHWEH's presence at the Shekinah of the Ark of the Covenant on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:2, 12-13); Covenant people judged vindicated in person of representative high priest on Day of Atonement
Son of man receives everlasting kingdom and dominion as Representative of the Covenant people (vv. cf. Dan. 12:1) – The high priest on the (49th) Jubilee Day of Atonement entered the Holiest and in essence received the restored kingdom of forgiven debts and restored patronage (Lev. 25:9-10)
Covenant people receive kingdom following Judgment – Covenant people receive their restored heritage free from debt following Jubilee Day of Atonement judgment (Lev. 25; cf. Isa. 61; 63)
Everlasting dominion forever (Covenant perpetuity) – eternal ownership of patrimony reverts to people and to YAHWEH who owned the land (Lev. 25)

For comparisons between Revelation 4-5, Daniel 7, Leviticus 16, and Romans 3, see Appendix 5 below.

The enthronement-judgment of Daniel 7 is of course also parallel with the 'Stone-Mountain' kingdom of God (Dan. 2) and 'the vindication of the sanctuary' in Daniel 8:14, the climactic symbolic text of Daniel (Ford, 1996) with its three parallel Gabrielic explanations in Dan. 8-12. We have noted more than 20 parallels in imagery and content between Daniel 8:(1-)14(-12:13) and the Jubilee Day of Atonement of the Levitic Covenant (Lev. 16; 25-26).

An aside on Daniel in the NT. It is not surprising that references to Daniel and the Levitic Covenant foundation are so central in Revelation 4-5, since they are also central to the whole NT proclamation. The eschatological 'kingdom of God' and 'kingdom of heaven' are referenced 76 times and 33 times respectively in the NT. Specifically, in Daniel (2:44 and 7:13, 14, 18, 22, 27) is the 'kingdom' of God linked with how the God of heaven will eschatologically intervene and conquer in earth's history. Jesus is called by the title 'Son of man' 81 times in the gospels (85 times in all the NT) and near the end of his life, he twice referenced the accession of the 'Son of man' in judgment as in the immediate future ('from now' nun de, Matt. 25:64 = Luke 22:69). Only in Daniel 7:7-14 is this title used to refer unambiguously to an eschatological, messianic figure receiving a kingdom in heavenly judgment. About 534 times, Jesus is confessed as Christ (the Anointed / Messiah) in the NT. The only place in the Hebrew Scriptures, where meschiach (anointed) is explicitly linked to a particular eschatological, messianic coming One is Dan. 9:23-27 with Messiah appearing in the last 'week' of the 70 'weeks' of years (OT background = Lev. 16; 25-26, not Num. 14:34, although the effect is the same, 'a week of years'). When Jesus proclaimed in the Galilee, "The time has been fulfilled and the kingdom of God has drawn near" He referred to the 70 'weeks' of Daniel 9 and to the 'kingdom' of 'the God of heaven' in Daniel 2. The vindication or "cleansing of the sanctuary" of Daniel 8:14 (LXX) is referenced in Hebrews 9:23-28 as already fulfilled with Christ and soon to be consummated. The repeated claim of the NT that the eschatological "time of the end" and "last days" have arrived with Christ are specifically Danielic in origin, and is referenced or alluded to more than 40 times in the imminent expectation of the Advent (for a summary list of NT texts, see outline of Rev. 2-3, Appendix 3).

The notion that since the prophecies of Daniel were 'sealed' until 'the time of the end' (Dan. 12:4; cf. 8:26) that therefore Daniel was not understood in NT times must be abandoned (cf. 11Q13). It was Jesus the Anointed, the Christ, who unsealed the prophecies of Daniel in the Olivet discourse, when he directed his hearers to "Daniel the prophet" saying "the one who reads let him understand" (Mark 13:14 = Matt. 24:15) and also in the unsealed Revelation of Jesus Christ (1:1-3; 22:10). After referring to the parousia of the Son of man with the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, Jesus proclaimed with a Covenant oath (in the context of Covenant conditionality): "This generation shall not pass until all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away (Mark 13:30-31 = Matt. 24:34-35 = Luke 21:32-33).

So the New Testament claim about Jesus of Nazareth as the Christ and about the imminent 'kingdom of God' was not only grounded in the Hebrew Scriptures in general – but in Daniel in particular! (A further elaboration of the extensive Danielic background of the NT proclamation is planned for a future paper).

The Revelation

chapters 4-5 (1) The text *(Allusions to the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus of Nazareth (gospels), NT epistles, apocryphal / pseudoepigraphical / extrabiblical sources, and other parts of Revelation)*	Comments (2) Oral / literary form, (3) historical situation, (4) meaning and idiom, (5) context and Scriptural background
^4:1After these things I saw [meta tauta eidon], and look [eidon kai idou]! a door having been opened in the heaven! And the voice which I first heard as a trumpet speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you what must happen hereafter [deizow/ soi a dei genesthei meta tauta].	4:1 – The full phrase 'After these things I saw and look [meta tauta eidon kai idou]' uniquely appears only here and in 7:9 in the epistle, however the shortened 'meta tauta eidon' also in 15:5, and 18:1, (cf. Dan. 8:4 LXX), whereas the other shortened 'eidon kai idou' appears in 6:2, 4, 8; 14:1, 14; and 19:11; as well as in LXX Ezek. 1:4, 15; 2:9; 8:2; 109:1, 9; 37:8; Dan. (cf. 8:4); 10:5; 12:5; Zech. 2:1, 5; 5:1, 9; 6:1 (Aune, 1997). 'The voice which I first heard as a trumpet speaking with me' refers back to 1:10 the opening of the first vision about the glorified royal-priestly Son of man. 'Show you what must happen hereafter [deizow/ soi a dei genesthei meta tauta]' (see on 1:1) – As with the epistle itself, so this vision opens with an allusion to Daniel, 'has made known...things which must happen in the last days [edylow/se...a' dei genesthai ep eschatow/n tow/n ymerow/n]' and 'things which must happen hereafter [a' dei genesthai meta tauta]' (Dan. 2:28, 45 LXX). See also Rev. 22:6-7. The atonement-enthronement of the Lamb events beginning with Christ's life, death, resurrection, and ascension have already commenced according to the NT, including Rev. 1. The unfolding events stretch till Advent-Parousia and 'the new heavens and earth.' 'After these things I saw...' in Revelation can refer to the order in which scenes were presented to the seer in vision, and not necessarily to the linear-sequential fulfillment of the events seen. Beasley-Murray (1981): "Despite the declaration in 4:1, that John is now to view 'what must take place after this,' it is evident that the victory of Christ has already taken place in his cross and resurrection, that he has ascended to the throne of God, and that his reign has begun" (see Stefanovic, 2002).
²At once I became in spirit [egenomyn en pneumati]; and, look! A throne was set in the heaven [thronos ekeito en tow/ ouranow/], and on the throne (One) sitting [kai epi ton thronon Kathymenos]. ³And the (One) sitting was in appearance like a jasper stone and a sardius; and a rainbow [was] around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. ⁴And encircling the throne (I saw) twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders sitting, having been clothed in white garments, and on their heads golden crowns. ⁵And out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders. And seven lamps of fire (are) burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God, ^6aand before the throne as [it were] a sea [of] glass like crystal [ow/s thalassa ualiny 'omoia krystallow/]. *^6bAnd in (the) midst of the throne and around the throne (were) four living creatures [zow/a; cherubim], full of eyes before and behind.* ⁷And the first living creature [zow/on; cherub] (was) like a lion ['omoion leonti], and the second living creature (was) like a calf ['omoion moschow/], and the third living creature having a face like a man [to prosow/pon ow/s anthrow/pou], and the fourth living creature (was) like an eagle flying ['omoion aetow/ petmenow/]. *⁸And (the) four living creatures [zow/a, cherubim] each one had six wings, around and within full of eyes. And they have no rest day and night, saying ['elegon],* *Holy! holy! holy! ['Agios...]* Lord God the AImighty! *[Kyrios 'o Theos 'o pantocratw/r]* the (One who) was, and the (One who) is, and the (One) coming! ⁹And when [kai otan] the living creatures [zow/a, cherubim] shall give glory and honor and thanks to the (One) sitting [Kathymenow/] on the throne, to the (One) living unto the ages of the ages, ¹⁰the twenty-four elders will fall down [pesountai] before the (One) sitting on the throne; and they will worship [proskynysousin] the (One) living unto the ages of the ages, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, *¹¹Worthy [axios] are You, our Lord and our God!* *[o' Kyrios kai o' Theos 'ymow/n]* to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because You created all things, *and through Your will they existed and were created [oti su ektisas ta panta kai dia to thelyma sou ysan kair ektisthysan].*	v2 – 'I became in spirit [egenomyn en pneumati]' 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10, a way of saying, 'I was in vision.' 'A throne was set in the heaven [thronos ekeito en tow/ ouranow/]' and thrones (plural) are introduced in v4 opens a suite of allusions to the enthronement-judgment scene of Dan. 7:9-14: Dan. 7:9 refers to 'thrones were set [thronoi etethysan] and the Ancient of days was seated.' 'On the throne (One) sitting [epi ton thronon Kathymenos]' as a reference to God enthroned echoes Isa. 6:1 LXX (ton Kyrion kathymenon epi thronou) and I Kings 22:19 LXX (Theon...kathymenon epi thronou autou), and also reappears with variations in Rev. 4:9-10; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 15; 19:4; 20:11; 21:5. The 'One sitting' is similar to the Hebrew yoseb 'One enthroned' in Ps. 22:4 (Aune, 1997). In Pss. 79:2; 98:1 LXX, 'the One seated upon/over the cherubim [o' Kathymenos epi tow/n cheroubim]' appears. v3 – 'the (One) sitting' – see on v2; a suite of allusionary or parallel echoes of other theophany visions with gems seem evident: Ezek. 1:26-28; 9:2; 10:1; 28:13; Exod. 24:10; 28:17-20; gemstones reappear in the description of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:18-21). 'A rainbow [was] around the throne' echoes Ezek. 1:28, and reminds of the promise of Covenant mercy in the context of judgment (Covenant rainbow at end of Noahic Flood; Gen. 9:13-17; Beale, 1999). v4 – 'encircling the throne...thrones' – multiple 'thrones (pl.) were set [thronoi etethysan]' for the Danielic judgment scene (Dan. 7:9-10 LXX). 'Encircling the throne (I saw) twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones twenty-four elders sitting' is a rich allusive mix (Aune, 1997). Ps. 122 (123 LXX):3-5 tells how 'the tribes of YAHWEH' ascend to Jerusalem 'to the Testimony [Covenant] of Israel, to give thanks...' where 'thrones of judgment were set.' Qumran literature makes references to courts of ~12 (1QS 8:1; 4QOrd 2 iv 3-4; 1QM 2:1) or 36 (11QTemple 57:11-13). Such a background may be reflected here and in the ending of Q (Matt. 19:28 = Luke 22:30) which foretells a time that the 12 disciples will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel 'in the regeneration when the Son of man sits on the throne of His glory' (again alluding to Dan. 7:9-14 with its plural 'thrones' and 'Son of man'). 'Clothed in white garments, and on their heads golden crowns' alludes to royal, but simple white priestly garments (cf. 1:6; 5:10; cf. Exod. 19:5-6; etc.), especially as worn by the high priest on the Day of Atonement and judgment (Lev. 16:4; Exod. 28:4), and reflected in the white garments of the Ancient of Days in Dan. 7:9-14. v5 – 'out of the throne come forth lightnings and voices and thunders' God spoke to Moses with a Voice from the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant (Num. 7:89) which was associated with the Throne of God (see references below). The 'lightnings and voices and thunders' as well as 'an earthquake and a great hail (cf. 16:18-21)' are linked with the close of this judgment-vision cycle (4:1-11:19) when the heavenly 'Ark of the Covenant ['y kiBow/tos tys diathykys]' is to be openly visible in the day of wrath and rewards (11:18-19). The 'seven lamps of fire' parallel 'seven golden lampstands' (Rev. 1:12, 20; Exod. 25:37; Zech. 4:2-3) are equated with 'the seven Spirits of God' (Rev. 1:4, cf. 'seven golden lampstands' 1:12 = 7 churches, 1:20). 'Fire' is also associated with the throne visions in Dan. 7:9 and Ezek. 1. v6a – 'a sea [of] glass like crystal' contains a rich tapestry of allusions (cf. intertextuality, Moyise, 1995) which are collectively compatible (see Aune, 1997, Beale 1999, and Sweet, 1979). The 'sea' later reappears as 'a sea [of] glass mixed with fire' (15:2), and is reminiscent of 'a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne' (22:1), which in turn are both similar to the 'river of fire' from the throne (Dan. 7:10a): *the heavenly throne scene in Ezek. 1:22 (which alludes to Gen. 1:8), where above 'a likeness was over their [living creatures'] heads a firmament like the color of awesome crystal'* a heavenly sanctuary equivalent to the massive 'sea of brass' laver (on 12 oxen, 3 each facing N, S, E, W) before Solomon's royal temple, designed for the required bathing (Exod. 30:17-21) of the priests before entrance into the sanctuary, referred to as 'the sea' (I Kings 7:24; II Kings 16:17), 'the molten sea' (I Kings 7:23; II Chron. 4:2), 'the bronze sea that was in the house of YAHWEH' (II Kings 25:13; I Chron. 18:8; Jer. 52:17); see also I Kings 7:23-25, 39, 44; II Kings 16:17; 25:13, 16; II Chron. 4:2-4, 6, 10, 15. a heavenly laver 'sea' through which a 'a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation' (Exod. 19:6) must pass links well with the paschal Red Sea deliverance through which Israel passed (15:21; I Cor. 10:4; cf. also paschal Lamb in Rev. 5:6) to become 'a kingdom of priests' overcoming (Exod. 19:6; Rev. 15:2-3), when the Red Sea 'deeps were congealed' (Exod. 15:8) and 'became like glass vessels' (McNamara, 1966; Beale, 1999). a heavenly laver 'sea' also is reminiscent of a 'heavenly ocean' (in ancient Near Eastern cosmology) associated in Hebrew Scripture with God as King (Suzerain) and Creator: 'YAHWEH sits enthroned on the flood [mabbul]; YAHWEH sits (as) King' (Ps. 29:10 [28 LXX]); '...stretching out the heavens like a curtain; Who lays beams in the waters (of) His upper chambers; Who sets thick clouds (as) His chariot...' (Ps. 104:2b-3a,b [103 LXX]); 'Praise Him, O heaven of heavens, and waters that (are) above the heavens' (Ps. 148:4); see also I En. 54:7 and other references in the pseudepigrapha (Aune, 1997). These hark back to the creation reference to 'waters above the firmament' (Gen. 1:7) from where rain was thought to come (Gen. 8:2; Ps. 104:13; cf. Amos 9:6; see Aune, 1997). *Judgment and creation are thematically linked here (4:11; cf. 14:6-7) and by implication in Dan. 7:9-14 where God is designed as 'the Ancient of Days.'* v6b – 'in (the) midst of the throne and around the throne (were) four living creatures [zow/a; cherubim]' the 4 living winged creatures [zw/a] are taken from winged creatures [zw/a] of the river Chebar vision of Ezek. 1:4-2:1(-3:14) LXX, translated from the Hebrew word for winged 'living creature' (khayyot) which is explicitly equated with the cherubim: 'This (is) the living creature [khayyot] that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar, and I knew that they (were) cherubim' (Ezek. 10:20 MT), and in the LXX 'This is the living creature [zw/on] which I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chobar; and I knew that they were cherubim [CherouBim]' cf. Ezek. 9:3. The seeming impossibility of cherubim being 'in (the) midst of the throne and around the throne' has puzzled commentators. A simple resolution is suggested by simply noting that here is a further reference to Solomon's temple: Two large olive-wood, gold-overlaid cherubim were placed within the Most Holy Place (I Kings 6:23-28) and between them was placed the Ark of the Covenant with its two gold cherubim on the Mercy Seat (I Kings 8:6-7). In this way, there were 4 cherubim, two in the midst of the Ark / Throne and two around it (for a similar resolution noting also the cherubim in the walls of Solomon's temple, see Davis, 1986; for another treatment of the Ark connection, see Hall, 1990). The word cherubim (or sing. cherub / kerub) is found 88 times in the Hebrew Scriptures. The winged creatures or cherubim were associated with the Ark of the Covenant as God's Throne and dwelling place (Ex. 25:18-22; 37:7-9; Num. 7:89; cf. cherubim on veil in Ex. 26; 36 or in Eden, Gen. 3:24; I Sam. 4:4; II Sam. 6:2; 22:11; I Kings 6:23-29 = II Chron. 3:10-14; I Kings 8:6-7 = II Chron. 5:7-8; II Kings 19:15; I Chron. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Isa. 37:16). Cherubim in connection with the Ark of the Covenant were also directly and allusively associated with God's Throne as moving chariot (I Chron. 28:18 in the Davidic pattern for Solomon's temple 28:11-19; II Sam. 22:11; Ps. 18:10; Ezek. 9:3; 10:1-20 with the Chebar vision of ch. 1-3; 11:22; Dan. 7:9; Ps. 104:3). v5-6a – Levitic Covenant-Sanctuary setting: Eschatological (Jubilee Day of Atonement) open access to heaven 3:17; 4:1; through the heavens through heavenly holies into the Holy of holies, Heb. 4; 9; 10 – all doors open, a heavenly cinematographic equivalent of starting at the center of attention, the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark and zooming out backwards through the (rent) veil and the open doors of the Temple to sequentially take in the scene: *3 – the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark of the Covenant – Holy of Holies with the Eternal One seated there, the Lord God Almighty* 2 – the 7 lamps of fire = 7 Spirits of God = 7 churches / 7-candlesticks – Holy Place *1 – the 'sea [of] glass like crystal' / 'molten sea' laver, suggesting Passover access into the Jubilee Day of Atonement judgment-kingdom (cf. Heb. 12:22-24)! – Temple Courtyard* v7 – The 4 'living creatures [zow/on; cherubim]' appear 'like a lion ['omoion leonti],' 'like a calf ['omoion moschow/],' as 'having a face like a man [to prosw/pon ow/s anthrow/pou],' and 'like an eagle flying ['omoion aetow/ petmenow/].' These are an allusion to the 'winged, living creatures' / cherubim of the Chebar vision, Ezek. 1:(4-)10(-28): 'And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man [y 'omoiow/sis... prosow/pon anthrow/pou], and the face of a lion [leontos] on the right to the four; and the face of a calf [moschou] on the left to the four; and the face of an eagle [aetou] to the four,' (winged four as cherubim, Ezek. 10:20, 'This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim'). Cf. Aune, 1997. v8 – 'six wings' for each of 4 living creatures/cherubim is an allusion to the only mention of 6-winged beings (seraphim) in Isa. 6:2, (also in a heavenly temple vision; Beale, 1999). 'Around and within full of eyes' may refer to III Enoch 25:6 which describes eye- and wing-covered 'wheels' or may be associated with the heavenly 'watchers [egrygoroi]' (Jub. 4:15; 8:3; I Enoch 1:5; 10:7; Aune, 1997). 'day and night' (cf. 'night and day' also) is used several times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in the NT including Revelation (4:8; 7:15; 12:10; 20:10). 'Saying ['elegon], Holy! holy! holy! ['Agios...]' is from the seraphim's song in Isa. 6:3, "saying ['elegon], 'Holy, holy, holy, ['Agios...] is YAHWEH of hosts [Kyrios sabaow/th, LXX]: the whole earth is full of His glory.'" The divine designation 'Lord' designation 'Kyrios 'o Theos 'o pantocratw/r' seems to replace the LXX phrase (Aune, 1997). 'The (One who) was, ...is, ...coming!' parallels Rev. 1:4, 8, and may also be reminiscent of 'the Ancient of Days' (Dan. 7:9), the eternal One sovereign over time. v9 – Adverbial 'and when [kai otan]....' suggests a unique (not repeated) event (as in 8:1; 10:7; 11:7; 12:4; 17:10; 20:7), 'When the cherubim give...[then] the 24 elders will....' The unique event foreseen is 5:8-14 (Aune, 1997) – almost as if all heaven were waiting with bated breath for the appearance of the Lamb! (On living creatures / cherubim, see on v6-7); offering of praise to God enthroned reflects many passages (Isa. 6:1; I Kings 22:19; II Chron. 18:18; Ps. 47:8 [46:9 LXX]; Dan. 7:9; see Beale, 1999). This prose account of the doxology-canticle of the cherubim contains the doxology features: (1) the deity to be praised (in dative case) 'the One enthroned', (2) specific attributes ascribed 'glory, honor, thanks,' and (3) a formula about the endless time when the deity will possess these attributes, 'One living forever' (Aune, 1999). 'To the (One) living unto the ages of the ages' may also again be reminiscent of 'the Ancient of Days' (Dan. 7:9), the eternal One sovereign over time. v10 – The first two homage-actions (falling down, worshipping) are described in a poetic couplet (climactic parallelism; Beale, 1999). The third homage-action (cast their crowns; cf. II Sam. 1:10; 12:30; I Chron. 20:2; cf. Ezek. 21:26; Aune, 1997) turns the couplet into a triplet, introducing the 24 elders' doxology-canticle in v11: v11 – The 24 elders' doxology-canticle: (1) the deity to be praised 'our Lord and our God!', (2) specific attributes ascribed 'the glory and the honor and the power,' and (3) a formula about the endless time when the deity will possess these attributes (Aune, 1999), in this case a retrospective about God as eternal pre-existent Creator of all (reminiscent of 'the Ancient of days' (Dan. 7:9). The phrase 'because You created all things, and through Your will they existed and were created [oti su ektisas ta panta kai dia to thelyma sou ysan kair ektisthysan]' also seems to be an extended echo of Dan. 4:37 (LXX)/4:35 (Theod.): 'to the One creating...all things [tow/ ktisanti...ta panta]' and 'and according to His will he acts in the power of heaven and in the habitation of earth [kai kata to' thelyma autou poiei en ty dynamei tou syranou kai en ty katoikia tys gys]' (Beale, 1999). 'Our Lord and our God! [o' Kyrios kai o' Theos 'ymow/n]' (plural 1st person possessive) is surprising similar to Thomas' epiphany of the risen Christ: 'My Lord and my God! [o' Kyrios mou kai o' Theos mou]' (John 20:28; singular 1st person possessive). Aune (1997) sees a possible counterpoint meaning for Christians against the divine titles assumed by some Roman emperors.
^5:1And I saw on the right [epi tyn dexian] of the (One) Seated on the throne a scroll having been written within and on the back, having been sealed with seven seals. ²And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a great voice: *Who is worthy [tis* axios anoixai...] to open the scroll ['anoixai to Biblion], and to loosen its seals [lysai tas sphragidas]? ³And no one was able, in the heaven, neither on the earth, nor underneath the earth, to open the scroll nor to look at it. ⁴And I wept profusely, because no one worthy was found [oti oudeis axios eurethy....] to open and to read the scroll, nor to look at it. ⁵And one of the elders said to me, Do not weep, Look! the Lion of the tribe Judah, the Root of David ['y Piza David], has overcome [enikysen], to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals!** ⁶And I saw, and look! In (the) midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures [zow/a, cherubim], and in (the) midst of the elders, a Lamb standing as having been slaughtered! having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God having been sent out into all the earth. ⁷And He came and took the scroll out of the right (hand) of (One) sitting on the throne. ⁸And when He took the scroll, the four living creatures [zow/a, cherubim] and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having harps, and golden bowls full of incenses [thymiamatw/n], which are the prayers of the holy people [saints; tow/n 'agiow/n]. *⁹And they sing a [re]new[ed] song ['ow/dyn kainyn], saying,* *Worthy [axios] are you!* to receive the scroll, and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and purchased to God by your blood *out of every tribe [phylys] and tongue [glw/ssys] and people [laou] and nation [ethnous],* ¹⁰and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign upon the earth. ¹¹And I saw and I heard a sound of many angels around the throne, and the living creatures [zow/a, cherubim], and the elders, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands [myriades myriadow/n kai chiliades chiliadow/n], ¹²saying with a great voice: *Worthy [axios] is the Lamb having been slain!* To receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing! *¹³And every creature which (is) in the heaven, and on the earth, and underneath the earth, and (i)n the sea, and all [that are] in them [kai ta en autois panta], I heard saying:* To the (One) Enthroned on the throne and to the Lamb! (Be) the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might to the ages of the ages. *¹⁴And the four living creatures [zow/a, cherubim] said,* Amen! And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshipped.	5:1 – 'on the right [epi tyn dexian]' of God is an allusion to a very wide range of references to the messianic and christological position of favor in the Hebrew Scriptures and the NT (including the gospels as well as the epistles). v2a – 'a mighty angel proclaiming with a great voice' is an echo of "the angelic spokesman" in Daniel 4: 'Look! an angel was sent in strength from heaven' (Dan. 4:13-14 LXX), 'a holy one came down from heaven and cried out in strength (Dan. 4:13-14 Theod.), and 'he saw an angel was sent in strength from the Lord' (Dan. 4:23 LXX), who was also "the spokesman for the heavenly council and proclaims a divine decree of judgment and redemption" (Beale, 1997; cf. Müller, 1963; Farrer, 1964). Whenever a 'mighty' or 'strong angel' (5:2; 10:1; 18:1, 21) appears in Revelation and makes a proclamation with 'a loud voice' (5:2; 7:2; 8:13; 14:6, 7, 9; 14:15; 19:17), it is invariably judgment-based and often proceeds or concludes judicial action. v2b-4 – Judgment: A judicial inquiry is made searching for one worthy to unfurl the Scroll, 'Who is worthy to open... [tis axios anoixai...]?....no one worthy was found [oudeis axios eurethy....] to open and to read the scroll.' Throughout heaven, earth, and under the earth, none were found worthy (cf. Heb. 12:22-24). The prophet's episode of profuse weeping suggests an interval of awful suspense as the universal search (Aune, 1997) of the Judgment finds no one worthy! Worthy [axios]: Comes from 'ag-tios, counterbalancing in weighing or 'agw/ 'to weigh' (Liddell & Scott, 1968); cf. judicial-weighing connection, Dan. 5:25-28. In classical Greek, axios (adj.) meant 'of proper weight' (Thomas, 1992; Foerster; cf. Stefanovic, 1996). Of the 57 uses in the NT gospels and epistles of axiow/ (v. to be or to account worthy; 11 times) and its derivatives, axios (adj. worthy; 41 times) and kataxiow/ (v. to account worthy; 4 times), 28 times it is used in a very explicitly judicial, judgment, and/or eschatological judgment context: Axiow/ – II Thes. 1:11; Heb. 10:29; axios – Matt. 3:8; 10:13, 37, 38; 22:8; Luke 3:8; 12:48; 23:15, 41; Acts 13:46; 23:29; 25:11, 25; 26:31; Rom. 1:32; Rev. 3:4; 5:2, 4, 9; 16:6; kataxiow/ – Luke 20:35; 21:36; Acts 5:41; II Thes. 1:5. The rest of the cases, are split between the connotation of "fit, worthy, deserving" and/or "praiseworthy" and may not necessarily be in a judicial setting, although there is some overlap of ideas. 'to open the scroll ['anoixai to Biblion]' alludes to 'the scrolls were opened [BiBloi 'yneow/chthysan]' (Dan. 7:10 LXX / Theod.); 'to loosen its seals [lysai tas sphragidas]' contains allusions to 'seal up the scroll until the time of the end [sphragison to Biblion ew/s kairou synteleias]' (Dan. 12:4 Theod.), 'for the words are closed and sealed till the time [oti empephragmenoi kai esphragismenoi oi logoi ew/s kairou peras]' (Dan. 12:8 Theod., 12:9 LXX), 'And the vision of the evening and the morning is true, and you seal the vision, for it is for many days [...kai sy sphragison tyn orasin, oti eis 'ymeras pollas]' (Dan. 8:26); cf. Rev. 22:10. May also reference Isa. 29:11 LXX, 'And all these things shall be to you as the words of a sealed book [...w/s oi logoi tou BiBliou tou esphragismenou toutou]...I cannot read it for it is sealed [esphragistai gar].' (Beale, 1997). v5 – 'the Lion of the tribe Judah' is reflection of Israel's oracle in Gen. 49:9-10 (LXX) where Judah is compared to 'a lion's whelp, from a tender plant' and granted rulership (cf. Lion as messianic symbol in 4 Ezra 11:36-46; 12:31-34; Aune, 1997); 'the Root of David ['y Piza David]' alludes to Isa. 11:1, 10 where a messianic figure from 'the root [tys pizys] of Jesse' with Spirit of God upon him shall judge and rule over a restored earth – Jesus is 'the Root and Offspring of David' (Rev. 22:16); there are references in messianic oracles to a royal, sometimes Davidic Branch (Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12; cf. Isa. 11) or stump (Isa. 11:1) or Root (Isa. 11:10 [cf. Dan. 11:7]; 53:2). The Lion of Judah, the Root of David 'has overcome [enikysen]' (Rev. 3:21 [Stefanovic, 2002]; with eschatological judgment roots through Rom. 3:4, 19-26 back to Ps. 51:4); i.e., God in Christ has prevailed (nikaow/) in a heavenly court-judgment setting to open the Scroll – He was found worthy by conquering through death (see 4:9). Nikaow/ v. 'to conquer, to prevail' has two central meanings: *(1) forensically in court (Rom. 3:4; John* 16:33; I John 2:13-14; Rev. 5:5; 12:10; Matt. 12:20 n. nikos; ) (2) actually-experientially in battle (Rom. 12:21; Rev. 11:7; 13:7; 17:14). Some passages use nikaow/ strongly in one sense over the other,** but frequently passages contain both meanings, often in the 'already-not yet' paradigm of realized eschatology, (a) already fulfilled and complete, (b) but not yet consummated: I Cor. 15:54-57 n. nikos; I John 4:4; 5:4-5; Rev. 2-3; 21:7; cf. Heb. 10:14 'for by one offering He has perfected forever [historic past tense], the (ones) who are being sanctified [continuous present tense].' v6 – 'look! In (the) midst of the throne, and of the four living creatures [zow/a, cherubim],...' associated with the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark (see on 4:6b) is 'a Lamb standing [NT resurrection link? Aune, 1997] as having been slaughtered!' which has echoes of the Passover lamb (and all sacrificial lambs) in the Hebrew Scriptures (Exod. 12:3-5; etc.; Isa. 53:7); in the gospels (John 1:29, 36); in the epistles (Acts 8:32; I Cor. 5:7; I Pet. 1:19; incl. Rev. 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 12:11; 13:8; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23; 22:1, 3; all ref. to Christ except 13:11). The Lamb's association with the cherubim-enfolded Throne / Ark also reminds that Christ's sacrifice also fulfilled the Day of Atonement sacrifices (see Hebrews; Greer, 2001). 'Seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God having been sent out into all the earth' – seven (completeness) horns are associated with both victory and (kingly) power (I Sam. 2:1, 10; Ps. 18:2; 89:17, 24; 132:17; etc.; Ezek. 29:21; Dan. 7-8; Rev. 12; 13; 17) and the 7 eyes come from the 7-eyed Stone (Zech. 3:9-10) associated with the Branch, the 'removal of the iniquity of that land in one day' and every man restored 'under the vine and figtree' (i.e., Jubilee Day of Atonement; Lev. 16; 25) as 7 eyes of YAHWEH running to and fro in the earth (Zech. 4:10; see on Rev. 4:5). v7 – 'He came....' is the approach of the Lamb figure to the Throne / Ark parallels Dan. 7:13 ('the only OT text in which a divine, Messiah-like figure is portrayed as approaching God's heavenly throne to receive authority' Beale, 1999); Compare the high priest approaching the Ark of the Covenant in Lev. 16, and also where a Ruler from the Covenant community approaches God (Jer. 30:21; C. Mack, pers. comm.; cf. Lev. 16). This passage we further note is eschatological (Jer. 30:4-7, 24), referencing redemption from bondage (v 8, cf. Lev. 25), Davidic restoration (v 9), Covenant sanctions (vv 11-16; cf. Lev. 26), return from captivity (vv 10, 18; cf. Lev. 26), restoration of Covenant inheritance (vv 10, 16-19, 22; 31:1; cf. Lev. 25), an assembly day of Judgment when One from the community approaches God (vv 20-21; 31:1; cf. Lev. 16; 25), and final retributive Judgment (vv 23-24; cf. final acts of Lev. 16 = banishing and burning). v8 – 'the four living creatures [zw/a, cherubim]' see on 4:6a; a reference to representation and prayers of 'the holy people [saints; tw/n 'agiw/n]' may be an allusion to Dan. 7:19, 25 LXX, 'the holy people of the Most High' persecuted, vindicated, and receiving a kingdom ['agioi 'ypsistou, 'agiois 'ypsistou] (cf. Beale, 1999) v9-10 – cf. on Rev. 1:5-6; a doxology-canticle: 'a [re]new[ed] song ['w/dyn kainyn]' has Covenant renewal connotations and may relate to the various Psalms of praise which invoke 'a new song'; ' Worthy [axios] are You!...scroll, and to open its seals' see on v2b-4; 'because You were slaughtered, and purchased to God by Your blood...' has echoes of the sacrificial redemption of the Jubilee Day of Atonement (Lev. 16; 25); 'a kingdom and priests to our God' (Exod. 19:6; I Pet. 2:9; cf. on Rev. 1:5-6); 'every tribe [phylys] and tongue [glw/ssys] and people [laou] and nation [ethnous], and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign upon the earth' is rather similar in thought to Dan. 7:14 LXX 'And to him [Son of man] was given the dominion, and the honor, and the kingdom [Basileia]; and all peoples [laoi], tribes [phylai], and tongues [glw/ssai] shall serve him....'; Dan. 7:22, 27 LXX v11 – 'the four living creatures [zw/a, cherubim]' see on 4:6a; 'myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands [myriades myriadw/n kai chiliades chiliadw/n]' is an allusion to the numerous court-Judgment attendees in Dan. 7:10 LXX '...a thousand thousands [chiliai chiliades] ministered to Him, and a myriad myriads [myriai myriades] attended upon Him: the Judgment was set [krityrion 'ekathise] and the scrolls were opened [BiBloi 'ynew/chthysan]' – about to unfold (ch. 6-11). It is important to remember that the chapter divisions, including between 4, 5, and 6, are post-Biblical and exegetical conclusions should not be based on them. v12 – Doxology-canticle to the Lamb v13 – 'every creature...' seems to proleptically look forward to the consummation of the great antitypical Jubilee Day of Atonement when sin and rebellion are no more and all in the universe praise God in harmony (Rev. 21): Another doxology to God and the Lamb *v14 – 'the four living creatures [zw/a, cherubim]' see on 4:6a; 'Amen!' of the cherubim* and the worshipful prostration of the 24 elders signal end of this suite of doxologies.**

Charles (1920) has been a resource in locating allusions to the Greek LXX.

The royal Solomonic and Day of Atonement connection of Rev. 4-5. This vision cycle opens with Throne-Ark of the Covenant and closes with Ark of the Covenant (4:1-11:19). References to Solomon's royal temple include the 4 cherubim associated with the Throne-Ark, and the 'sea of glass' (brazen sea-laver) before the Throne (see notes on Rev. 4:6 above). The giving of the Davidic pattern for Solomon's royal temple (I Chron. 28:11-10) was interestingly linked with YAHWEH's establishment of a 'Father-son' suzerainty covenant-treaty with Solomon after David (I Chron. 28:6-7; cf. Ps. 2). 'And Solomon sat on the throne of YAHWEH as king in the stead of David his father' (I Chron. 29:23). The dedication of Solomon’s royal temple was intimately connected with the festivals of the seventh month which included the ‘solemn assembly’ or ‘restraint’ of the Day of Atonement as well as the joyous Feast of Tabernacles or Sukhot (I Kings 8:2-11, 62-66 = II Chron. 5:5-14; 7:4-8-11). In fact, the 7 days of altar dedication and consecutive 7 days of Sukhot ending on the 23rd day of the 7th month (i.e., 14 days as per II Kings 8:65) show that the Dedication of Solomon's temple began on the 10th day of the 7th month, i.e., the Day of Atonement! (See II Kings 8:65-66 and the SDA Bible Commentary on same). For a connection between Solomon's dedication prayer and Daniel's prayer, see Mack (2001).

Summary on Revelation 4-5 as an Enthronement-Judgment scene –
The antitypical Jubilee Day of Atonement Enthronement

Revelation 4-5 is (A) a coronation-enthronement scene where the royal Lion of Judah's tribe, the Root of David, the slaughtered Lamb receives kingship and acclamation, (B) a (pre-Advent) judgment scene where after a universal judicial inquiry only the Lamb is found worthy to open the Covenant scroll, and (C) a commission scene where the Lamb is commissioned to unfurl the destiny of the world (Stefanovic, 2002) and the Covenant people, 'the scroll of life' (Rev. 13:8). To summarize, the rubric of the antitypical Jubilee Day of Atonement (Lev. 16; 25 '7 sabbaths of years' ~ II Chron. 36, 70 years = 1/7th of 490 years; ~ Daniel 8-9 '70 weeks' of years; Isa. 61; 63; Hebrews; cf. 11Q13; 70 'weeks' of years = 10 Jubilees) successfully recaptures all of these: The Day of Atonement at the end of a series of 'weeks' or 'sabbaths of years', involving entrance of a Melchizedeq High Priest-King into the Holiest before the Ark of the Covenant, a Judgment of vindication and pardon for the Covenant community, a redemption and restoration of the freedom of debt-bonded slaves, of a lost heritage (and kingdom), and cancelation of debts and sins. The evidences for a Jubilee Day of Atonement enthronement, pre-Advent judgment in Rev. 4-5 (with Passover allusions) and their proceedings are manifold:

The sanctuary imagery shows full access without partitions by the blood of one sacrifice, the slaughtered Lamb, past the laver-sea / sea of glass (temple courtyard), past the 7 lamps of fire (Holy Place), to the very center of attention, the cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark (Most Holy Place; just as in the epistle to the Hebrews).
The slaughtered Lamb (sacrificial animal) is brought all the way into the Holiest and presented before the cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark of the Covenant (in the type, only occurred on the Day of Atonement), thus combining the imagery of Passover and Day of Atonement, both of which involved Covenant judgment.
Revelation 4-5 has more than 15 parallels in imagery and structure with Daniel 7, which is an accession-judgment scene – itself grounded with more than 10 parallels in Jubilee Day of Atonement imagery (Lev. 16; 25; see above).
The cherubim-enfolded Throne-Ark is associated with "lightnings, voices, and thunders." These are directly linked with God's judgments and judicial proceeding-actions in Scripture: 'Lightning(s)' (14 times in the OT and 4 times in Revelation), 'voices' (6 times in Revelation) and 'thunder(s / ings)' (17 times in the OT / NT and 7 times in Revelation). The Ark of the Covenant with its cherubim associations is invariably equated with God's throne and Covenant, which are royal, legal, and judicial (>200 times in Scripture).
A 'loud' proclamation of a 'mighty angel': Whenever a 'mighty' or 'strong angel' (5:2; 10:1; 18:1, 21) appears in Revelation and makes a proclamation with 'a loud voice' (5:2; 7:2; 8:13; 14:6, 7, 9; 14:15; 19:17), the event is invariably judgment-based and often precedes or concludes judicial action (adjudicative or executive).
"Who is worthy [axios]?" initiates a universal Covenant judicial inquiry. "No one worthy is found" and therefore none were able to open the Scroll in heaven, earth, or under the earth. All are found wanting except the Lamb! 'Worthy' [axios] has numerous judicial and judgment usages in the NT, and in root meanings has judicial connotations in the terms of 'weighing worth.'
Revelation 4-5 cannot be separated from the ensuing Seals and Trumpets which are the specific judicial proceedings of that heavenly court. The unfolding of the first four seals (Rev. 6) is introduced by one of the four cherubim enfolding the Throne-Ark. So the seals are Covenant judgments preceeding from the cherubim-enfolded Ark of the Covenant.
Seeing the pre-Advent Judgment in Revelation 4-5 does not in any sense negate the events described as Christ's accession-enthronement also, since coronation-enthronement and judgment are integrally linked throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, the NT proclamation, and Revelation.
A pre-Advent Judgment marks the beginning of the interval from Calvary to Advent elsewhere in Revelation: Rev. 12:5-12; 11:1. Why not Rev. 4-5, which parallels these very passages? Furthermore as we have already seen Covenant (pre-Advent) judgment is a central theme in Rev. 1, 2-3.
The enthronement-judgment scene of Rev. 4-5 excellently complements the NT paradigm of pre-Advent Judgment convening at Calvary and continuing till Advent, and foretold in the type of the (Jubilee) Day of Atonement (see texts and discussion in the section above, The pre-Advent Judgment and the Scroll).
Finally, Revelation 4-5 is written from the "salvation history" perspective of the last 'week' or 70th 'week' of Dan. 9:23-27 which encompasses Messiah, Dedication-consecration, and the Jubilee Day of Atonement (cf. 11Q13).

Footnotes:
¹Stefanovic (1996; 2002) puts forward two main arguments on the Hebrew Scriptural background for Rev. 4-5: (1) that the Hebrew Scriptural background for Rev. 4-5 is a coronation-enthronement pattern which he discerns based on the enthronement ceremonies of the ancient Hebrew kings and (2) that Rev. 4-5 is not a judgment scene.
    (1) He (1996) discerns an coronation-enthronement ceremony which included within the overall Suzerain-vassal treaty framework (among other elements): (a) anointing, (b) writing / giving the 'testimony' (Covenant), (c) proclamation, (d) acclamation, (e) going home / coming to the royal palace, and (f) enthronement, although he argues that Christ's enthronement does not take place till the end of Revelation (seemingly contra 3:21; 4:6a; 12:5; and a host of NT references). There indeed seem to be allusions to at least some of these elements in Rev. 4-5, and especially to the Suzerainty covenant-treaty form. However, neither Rev. 4-5 nor a single one of the coronations of any of the Hebrew kings cited (Saul, David, Solomon, Jehu, Joash, and Jehoahaz) contains all of these elements (or even more than 1-2 of them in some cases), making the suggested pattern-formula somewhat difficult to validate. Also in concentrating on the Hebrew kings, the author seems to miss many of the much more explicit connections between Rev. 4-5 and the heavenly throne visions (cited above). However, the author is correct in seeing the kingship of Christ in Rev. 4-5, in harmony with Rev. 1:5 (and many other places in the NT).
    (2) Stefanovic (2002; pp. 164-6) argues that Rev. 4-5 is not a judgment scene for the following reasons. (a) That there is "no judgment language" in chs. 4-5. (b) Key terms such as 'at the right hand,' 'worthy,' 'the Lion of the tribe of Judah,' and 'the Root of David' "signify not judgment but royalty." (c) Shouts of acclamation do not fit a judgment scene, and are not found in any other judgment scene. (d) Rev. 4-5 cannot refer to "the investigative judgment scene of 1844" (in traditional Adventist eschatology) because the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, the testimony of the 2 witnesses of necessity "would occur after the year 1844. A careful analysis does not support such an idea."
    On these respective points, we note the following: (a) As shown above, there is indeed judgment language and judgment allusions aplenty in these chapters, not least of which are multiple allusions to Daniel 7. (b) As we noted above, the 'royal' and the 'judicial-judgment' are not mutually exclusive, but can be rather intimately linked even as Stefanovic acknowledges (Ibid. 2002; pp. 165:3-166:0), where he concludes that "The coronation of Christ in Revelation 5 thus marks the beginning of the execution of judgment." We agree and are at a loss to see why it does not also include the opening adjudication of the pre-Advent Judgment (so clearly taught elsewhere in the NT). (b) "Worthy [axios]" and its context is decidedly judicial and judgment-related (see on Rev. 5:2b-4 above), where the Lamb alone in all the universe is found "worthy [axios]" to open the Scroll after a universal judicial inquiry in the heavenly court (see also parallels in Appendix 5 below). The images of "Lion" and "Root" come from OT passages that are distinctly both royal and judicial / judgment-related. (c) Shouts and songs of praise are indeed Biblically befitting scenes of righteous judgment. After the accession-judgment of the Man-child who casts the accuser out of court, there are songs of rejoicing among the 'heaven dwellers' which include believers on earth (Rev. 12:5-12). In the executive judgment of the 7 last plagues (Rev. 16:5-7) and in the judgments upon Babylon (Rev. 18:20; 19:1-6), the praise of holy beings ascends to God for his righteous judgments. Worship and judgment are often connected integrally. God's judgments very frequently invoke the songs and praise of the psalmist and others in the Hebrew Scriptures (Ps. 35:23-28; 48:11; 67:4; 101:1; 119:7, 164, 175; 147:20; 149:9; Dan. 4:37; Exod. 14-15; cf. Rev. 15:3-4). Of course, a Jubilee Day of Atonement judgment would have also included shouts of praise as the debt-lost inheritances were restored and debt-bonded slaves were freed (Lev. 25)! (d) What about "the investigative judgment scene of 1844" as the fulfillment of Rev. 4-5? We also agree with Stephanovic (2002) that "a careful analysis does not support such an idea" but for very different reasons. Daniel solidly anchors the pre-Kingdom Judgment in Covenant time within the final 'week' of the 70 sabbatical 'weeks' not with any other time (Dan. 7-9; Rev. 11-14 by allusion follow the same; Hebrews 4:12-16; 12:22-24; etc. throughout the NT). Likewise based on Daniel, the NT repeatedly links the commencement of the pre-Advent Judgment with Christ's death and ascension to God's right hand in the 1st century CE, not with the 19th century. (See Appendix 4 below, as well as the texts and discussion in the section above, The pre-Advent Judgment and the Scroll). This is emphatically and explicitly proclaimed in the epistle to the Hebrews as the fulfillment of the antitypical Jubilee Day of Atonement which is yet-to-be-consummated (cf. 11Q13). Furthermore, this is in explicit harmony with Gabriel's explanation of the fulfillment of the 'vindication (cleansing, LXX) of the sanctuary' of Dan. 8:14 within the 70 'weeks' in 9:23-27 (parallel with the Judgment-Accession of Daniel 7:9-14) which formed in part the exact basis of Jesus' 'kingdom' declaration (Mark 1:15), and the foundation of the whole NT proclamation.
²For evidences connecting the sealed Scroll (a legal document) received by the slaughtered Lamb with the 'Scroll of life' see Davis (1986; 1992). The associations between the two can be explored further in the future.

References

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____. 1997. Revelation. (Vol. 1: Revelation 1-5). In: DA Hubbard and GW Barker (Gen. eds.), JDW Watts (OT ed.), RP Martin (NT ed.), Word Biblical Commentary (52A). Dallas, TX: Word Books, Word, Inc.

Beale GK. 1984. The use of Daniel in Jewish apocalyptic literature and in the Revelation of John. Lanham: University Press of America.

____. 1999. The book of Revelation: A commentary on the Greek text. In: H Marshall and DA Hagner (eds.), The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI / Cambridge, UK: William B Eerdmans Pub. Co. AND Carlisle, Cumbria, UK: The Paternoster Press.

Beasley-Murray GR. 1981. The book of Revelation (2nd ed.). New Century Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Charles RH (D.Litt., D.D.). 1920. A critical and exegetical commentary on the Revelation of St. John, with introduction, notes, and indices, also the Greek text and English translations. (Vol. I). In: SR Driver (D.D.), A Plummer (D.D.), and CA Briggs (D.D.) [eds.], The International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh, Scotland: T & T Clark.

Christoffel L. 2001. The sabbatical structure of Revelation. The Jesus Institute Forum: http://www.jesusinstituteforum.org/RevChart.html.

Davis RD. 1986. The heavenly court scene of Revelation 4-5. PhD dissertation, Andrews University. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press.

____. 1992. The heavenly court scene of Revelation 4-5. New York, NY: University Press of America.

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Greer LF. 2001. "Covenant foundations: Hebrews and the Jubilee Day of Atonement" The Jesus Institute Forum: http://www.jesusinstituteforum.org/LAPart3.html.

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Mack C. 2001. "Covenant intimacy: Daniel 8:14 and Solomon's prayer of dedication." The Jesus Institute Forum: http://www.jesusinstituteforum.org/Dan814nSolomon.html.

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Appendix 4: The judgment in the New Testament

In the NT, we suggest that three aspects of the judgment are presented: (i) (pre-Advent) adjudicative, (ii) (Advent) executive, and (iii) (post-Advent) retributive. (i) The pre-Advent adjudicative phase is connected with the Christ event: His life, death, resurrection, ascension and mediation from Christ's time till Advent. The followers of Christ receive the verdict of justification by faith before God, unto eternal life, with Jesus as their Advocate during this interval, and those who died in faith before Christ are likewise vindicated in court (Heb. 11:39-40; 12:22-24; cf. Rev. 6:9-11). (ii) The Advent executive phase is connected with the 7 last plagues, the fall of Babylon, and the Second Advent when the righteous and the wicked are separated unto life and death (see Rev. 14:14-20; etc.). (iii) The post-Advent retributive phase is connected with the reception of eternal rewards (see Rev. 20-22). It seems that (ii) and (iii) may not be separable or distinguishable in most of the NT.

(Krino = 'To judge'; krisis = 'Forensic determination & verdict'; krima = 'Forensic verdict of condemnation & sometimes its implementation'. Sometimes last two are used somewhat interchangeably)

Present tense (Adjudicative):
Pre-Advent since Christ and Calvary and consummated till Advent (Rev. 1-3, 4-5, 7-14, 17-18)

Future tense (Executive & Retributive):
At Advent & Hereafter
(Rev. 6, 15-16, 19-22)

Matt. 12:18, 20 Messiah "to proclaim judgment to the nations… until He bring forth judgment to victory" (cit. Isa. 42:1-4)
Luke 10:17-22 Present tense judgment scenes with arraignment, full disclosure of sin, forensic righteousness, and verdict, and ejection for contempt of court
Luke 20:35 "those counted worthy [present tense] to obtain that age and resurrection neither marry nor are given in marriage"
Luke 23:40 "same judgment [krima] as God"
John 3:16-20, 36 Christ'st 1st Advent: Judgment scene: The entrance of the Light into this world "this is the judgment" (Ps. 2; Heb. 1) Present tense judgment scene with Judge, Law, indictment, full disclosure, verdicts of condemnation and acquittal-justification ('the one doing the Truth comes to the Light [to reveal works] that in God they exist having been accomplished [oti en Thew/ eiryasmena]….')
John 3:31-36; Christ's 1st Advent: Judgment scene with Judge, Advocate, expert testimony, verdicts of acquittal-justification and life, verdicts of condemnation and retribution
John 4:19-47; Present tense Judgment scene complete with Judge, Advocate, statement of jurisdiction, multiple expert testimony, accusing prosecutor [Moses, representing the Law], verdicts of acquittal-justification, verdicts of condemnation, and yet to come - execution and implementation of verdicts
John 5:22-30 "All judgment is given to the Son of man" (Dan. 7; Rev. 12) cf. Mark 2:2-12
John 8:15, 16, 26, 50 "My judgment is true" (cf. 7: 24)
John 9:39-41 (story of healing man born blind): Present tense Judgment scene with Judge, Advocate, presentation of evidence, verdicts of acquittal-justification and condemnation"
John 12:30-31 "Now is the judgment of this world…prince of this world cast out" Present tense judgment scenes with arraignment, full disclosure of sin, forensic righteousness, and verdict, and ejection (cf. contempt of court)
John 16:8, 11 "Judgment [on] prince of this world" cf. Luke 10: 18 "I saw Satan fall as lightning…."
Acts 3:19-20 "Repent and turn again so that your sins may be blotted out in order that the times of refreshing may come...." Present tense Judgment scene with verdicts of acquittal-justification and deliverance-restoration to follow
Acts 8:33 "His judgment taken away"
Acts 10:42-43 "...solemnly to witness [martyrousin] that this Man is the One having been designated by God as Judge of living and dead [present tense]. To this Man all the prophets witness [that] through His name everyone believing in Him receives forgiveness of sins" (Granting forgiveness is unmistakably a judicial act).
Rom. 1:16-18 Judgment of God & justification by faith: "The one righteous by faith shall live"
Rom. 2:2 "Judgment of God is according to truth" (present tense)
Rom. 3-4 Judgment of God…. Justification by faith, open display of Christ our Mercy Seat; God shown to be vindicated as Just and Justifier of the one believing in Jesus; espec. 3:19-31 to 4:25; see Rom. 3:19-28 Present tense judgment scene complete with Judge, law, indictment, arraignment, Advocate, expert testimony, presentation of evidence, and verdicts of acquittal-justification
Rom. 5 Judgment on two representatives of humanity
Rom. 8:1…26-39 "Investigation….God justifying"
I Cor. 4:1-5 "...for nothing against myself I know, but not by this have I been justified, but the One judging me [present tense] is the Lord..."
II Thes. 1:5 "Token of the righteous judgment of God"
I Tim. 5:24-25 "some men's sins are open and going before to judgment" (present tense); present tense Judgment scene with full disclosure for the justified
Heb. 4:11-16 "Sabbath…Judgment….Advocate High Priest has passed through the heavens & so we draw near to the 'throne of grace' (Mercy Seat)"; 'Forerunner High Priest within the veil' (Heb. 6:19-20): Present tense judgment scene complete with full disclosure, Judge, Advocate, and verdicts of acquittal- justification
Heb. 12:1, 2, 22-25 Heavenly judgment of living and dead: "We are come to the church of the first born enrolled in heaven, to God the Judge, and to the 'spirits' of just men having been perfected and Jesus Mediator of the new Covenant…" (cf. I Pet. 4:5-6; Rev. 6:9-11): Present tense judgment scene with Judge, Mediator, Law, court records of the living and dead, witnesses, justice in spilled blood of Christ, and verdicts of acquittal-justification
I Pet. 4:7, 17 "end of all things is at hand…time for judgment to begin at the house of God"
Rev. 4-5 Judgment scene when Lamb approaches God's throne and is vindicated and found worthy before God and all in heaven, earth, and under the earth (cf. Dan. 7)
Rev. 13:5-8 "[During the time when the beast was given] 42 months to continue, to make war with the saints and overcome them, and authority over every tribe.... All of the (ones) dwelling will worship him whose names have not been written in the Scroll of Life of the Lamb [having been] slain from the foundation of the world" -- indicates a judicial proceeding in names have already been written and therefore are protected from worshipping the beast
Rev. 14:6-12 "…hour of His judgment came" (aorist): Present tense judgment scene complete with Judge and jurisdiction, Advocate, arraignment, proclamations of acquittal-justification and condemnation, with reward and retribution to follow. Immediately preceding context = Rev. 12 "Man-Child caught up to God and His throne & Satan, accuser, cast down…Now is come salvation…." (cf. Dan. 7 Son of man). All of Revelation concerns a heavenly pre-Advent judgment & the execution of its verdict upon earth at the end.
Rev. 22:11 Final close of the adjudicative pre-Advent judgment (probation) just before Advent: 'He that is just, let him be just still; he that is holy, let him be holy still...."
Revelation 1-15: All depict a heavenly pre-Advent judgment already commenced: Seven Churches (Rev. 1-3); 7 seals – Throne (Rev. 4-8: 1); 7 trumpets – golden altar (Rev. 8-11); and accession of Man-Child to God's throne and casting down of accusing dragon (Rev. 12-14).

Mark 3:29 "in danger of eternal judgment"
Matt. 5:21-22 "hating brother without cause… in danger of judgment"
Matt. 10:15; 11: 22, 24 "more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah; Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment" (cf. Luke 11:31-32)
Matt. 12:36 "give account of idle words in day of judgment…by words justified, condemned"
Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43 At harvest the farmer, the Son of man, through his helpers "separates the wheat from the tares" Status is already decided, and so is revealed
Matt. 13:47-50 Fishermen with catch hauled in "separate the good from the bad fishes" Status is manifested
Matt. 12:41-42 "men of Nineveh and queen of south rise in the judgment and condemn…"
Matt. 25:31-32 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory .... He will sit on the throne of His glory and all the nations will be assembled before Him and he will separate between the sheep and the goats" Separation because the verdict has already been rendered
John 5:27 "execute judgment also as Son of man" (cf. Dan. 7)
John 12:44-48 The one "rejecting Me and not receiving My words has the One judging him; the word which I spoke that will judge him in the last day [eschaty 'ymera]"
Acts 17:31 "He set a day in which He is about to judge the inhabited world [oikoumenyn] in righteousness by that Man…" Final Judgment and Advent at the doors
Acts 24:25 "… judgment to come, Felix trembled"
Rom. 2:5, 16 "the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God" Verdicts of the pre-Advent Judgment revealed "in the day when God judges the hidden things of men according to my Gospel"
I Cor. 3:13-15 Final Day when "every man's work will become manifest...revealed by fire... work remaining receives reward.... stubble burned up, yet the person saved himself"
I Cor. 4:1-5 "[Judged in present by the Lord] so judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes [Advent] who will both shed light on the hidden things of darkness and will manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then each one's praise will come from God" Final Day at Advent reveals the hidden things, manifests the counsel of hearts, and openly bestow's praise accordingly.
II Thes. 1:8 "fire of flame, giving full vengeance..."
Heb. 9:27-28 "given to men once to die but after this judgment … a second time without sin He shall appear to the ones expecting him for salvation"
Heb. 10:27-31 "a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation…"
Heb. 10:36-39 "...'yet a very little while, the coming One will come and not delay...."
Heb. 12:26-29 "...'yet once I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven'....'our God (is) a consuming fire.'"
James. 5:9 "the Judge stands before the door" Final Judgment and Advent at the doors
II Tim. 4:1 Paul solemnly charges Timothy "by God and Christ Jesus is about to judge [mellontos krinein] living and dead and [by] his appearing and [by] his kingdom...." Judgment and Advent at the doors
II Tim. 4:8 "crown given by the Lord, the righteous Judge at that day…"
I Pet. 4:5-7, 17 "Him who is ready to judge the quick & the dead…. [wicked] will render account to Him ready to judge living and dead, [including] the dead to whom the Gospel was preached that they might be judged according to men in the flesh but live to God in spirit [cf. Heb. 12:23] The end of all things is at hand….time for judgment to begin at house of God…"