The Four Living Creatures: Part 1: A Picture of the Pastor from the Elector Bible

And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.

The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle.

The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying:

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever,

the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying:

“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:6b-11)

Verses 6b: “And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back.”

               Who are the four living creatures in Revelation 4? Many may think that they are angels. However, these four living creatures cannot be understood to be angels.

In Revelation 5:8-9, we see that the four living creatures   and the twenty-four elders fall down before Jesus the Lamb and sing a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

               The unfallen angels do not need to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus. The angels are not redeemed out of every tribe and language and people and nation. The unfallen angels are also not kings and priests to God; they are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

Christians will judge angels, just as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6:3. Angels are not kings and priests; Christians are. Therefore, the four living creatures, who are redeemed by Christ’s blood and are kings and priests, are not angels.

We also know that the four living creatures are not angels because they are distinguished from angels in Revelation 7:11, which says: “All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God.” They are distinguished from angels and from the elders, and therefore they are different.

So, what are the four living creatures? Are they the four evangelists? Christian artists have used the imagery of the four creatures in order to portray the four gospels. But the Weimar Bible also calls this association into question. The interlinear gloss says: “The holy evangelists cannot be understood by them since John, who saw these four beasts in his vision and is one of the evangelists, is distinguished from the beasts.”

To prove this using Scripture, the Weimar Bible cites Revelation 6:1: “Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, ‘Come and see.’”

Now, the Weimar Bible doesn’t completely deny the association of the four evangelists with the four beasts. But instead of limiting the imagery of the four living creatures to the gospels, the Weimar Bible expands it to the ones who preach it.

“These four beasts indicate all faithful teachers and church ministers, who are to take what they preach from the writings of the four holy evangelists concerning Christ’s person, office, and benefits.”

As a preacher, you are close to your Savior. You stand in the midst of the throne and around it. Despite your unworthiness and your sin, Christ draws you close to Himself. You stand close, not because you are worthy but because He makes you worthy by His blood and wants you to give that message of salvation to others.

Revelation is a comforting book for pastors. Here, you learn that you stand in the midst of Christ’s throne and around it. Earlier, you learn that Christ will preserve you, since you are one of the seven stars held in His right hand. This is the application of comfort in chapter 1:20: “The stars seen in Christ’s right hand (therein guarded and protected), are understood to be the teachers of the Christian churches. This serves as a powerful comfort to all faithful servants of the word.”

But what does it mean to be faithful? Listen to the end of verse 6: these creatures are “full of eyes in front and in back.” This picture of eyes tells us that preachers and church servants should diligently watch over themselves and the flock which they are commanded to lead.

Two Bible passages are cited to corroborate this view. The first is Acts 20:28: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

The second Bible passage is 1 Peter 5:2: “Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly.”

The pastor is to be an overseer. He is to shepherd God’s flock. But these eyes must not just be turned outward. No, just as Paul tells us, let us preachers look to ourselves first. These many eyes must examine our souls first. We should preach to ourselves first. We must guard ourselves against personal sin and spiritual ruin first. Let us, as Jesus tells us: “First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:5)

There is faithfulness in self-examination and in the examination of the flock. But there is also faithfulness in the goal of the ministry. This is the second reason for the many eyes both front and back. We are to “bring men to the saving knowledge of God.”

Two verses are used here. The first is Matthew 5:14: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.” The second is 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Christians are the light of the world. They are a city on a hill. They cannot be hidden from sight, but they are seen by all. What do the unbelievers see? They see our good works. The purpose of these good works is that these unbelievers might glorify our Father in heaven.

We preachers are full of eyes so that people might see. “And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.” (John 9:39)

We preach so that the spiritually blind might see. We live godly lives as examples to the flock. We teach the applications of Scripture, so that our flock might be “be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:17)

This first section deals with who the living creatures are. They are all faithful teachers and servants of the church. One characteristic has been mentioned: faithfulness in oversight and faithfulness in the goal of the ministry. In the next section, we will learn other characteristics of the preacher.