The four living creatures in Revelation – Who are they?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The four living creatures in Revelation are angelic beings who surround God's throne and continuously worship Him. They are described as having the appearance of a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, each with six wings and full of eyes. These creatures hold golden bowls of incense, which represent the prayers of the saints, symbolizing their role in presenting believers' prayers before God. Their worship of Jesus Christ as the Lamb affirms His divinity and equality with God, echoing the eternal praise of both the Father and the Son. Their example of worship serves as a call for believers to honor Jesus in every aspect of life, reflecting His character and love in our actions and words.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• The eternal fragrance of the prayers of the saints, which the four living creatures hold, was first symbolized by the incense burning in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:6).
• The four living creatures closely resemble the four creatures described in Ezekiel 1:10 and Isaiah 6:2.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• The four living creatures are described in Revelation 4:6–9, 5:6–14, 6:1–8, 14:3, 15:7, and 19:4. They are said to be "full of eyes in front and behind," and they look to John like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle in flight. They each have six wings and are always saying, "holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come."
• In response to the worship of the four living creatures, the twenty-four elders cast their crowns before God's throne in agreement (Revelation 4:10–11).
• One of the most interesting aspects of the four living creatures is that they demonstrate that Jesus, the Lamb of God, is equal to God Himself. Their worship of the Lamb in Revelation 5:6–14 is clearly directed toward Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:5; 9–10), and they say, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:11–12), and "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" (Revelation 5:13).
• The four living creatures in Revelation are special among the angelic beings. They exist to praise God forever before His throne, and they hold "golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Revelation 5:6–14).
• The four living creatures hold the prayers of all believers throughout time, both the prayers of the past and those that will be prayed—a fragrant offering before God's throne (Revelation 8:3–4).
• It is not clear whether the passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah are describing the same four living creatures, but it is very likely they are of the same exalted order of angels, whose main job is to worship God and speak of His holiness (Revelation 19:4).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

The four living creatures fall down and worship the Lamb, along with "him who sits on the throne"—God the Father. Scripture makes it clear that "the LORD is God; there is no other besides him" (Deuteronomy 4:35; 1 Kings 8:60). God spoke through Isaiah, saying, "I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God" (Isaiah 45:5–6), and Jesus Christ also responded to the Pharisees' question about His identity by saying, "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). Based on their subsequent attempt to stone Jesus, we know that His statement "I am" was taken to mean "I am God," and the Pharisees took it as blasphemy. But the words and worship of the four living creatures make it clear that Jesus was telling the truth.

We, too, worship Jesus for who He is. As believers, we recognize Jesus’s sovereignty and divinity, acknowledging that He is worthy of all honor, glory, and praise. Just as the four living creatures and all of creation worship Him, we, too, are called to worship Him in spirit and truth, understanding that He is both our Savior and our King. We do this by praising Him, by making Him known, by seeking to honor Him in all we do, and by reflecting His character, truth, and love to the world. When we choose to forgive, when we repent of our sins, when we choose to pray for and show kindness to our enemies—or the person who frustrated us—we reflect and worship Him. In worshiping Jesus, we affirm His role in our lives as the One who has redeemed us and secured our eternal future with God the Father.

UNDERSTAND

• The four living creatures worship God and are involved with believers' prayers to God.
• The four living creatures affirm Jesus’s divinity through their praise.
• The four living creatures’ example calls believers to worship.

REFLECT

• How do you reflect the worship of Jesus, like the four living creatures do, in your everyday life?
• How can you deepen your awareness of who God is and what He has done?
• What does it look like to worship God continually in your life?

ENGAGE

• What can we learn from the continuous worship of the four living creatures about the importance of living a life of worship to Him?
• How does the portrayal of the four living creatures as symbols of God's holiness challenge the way we view the role of angels in scripture?
• How can we actively participate in presenting our prayers as fragrant offerings to God?