“And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.”
My Notes
What Does Revelation 4:7 Mean?
"And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle." The four living creatures around God's throne are described by their FACES: lion (wild, royal, fierce), calf/ox (domestic, serving, strong), man (rational, relational, image-of-God), and eagle (soaring, transcendent, far-seeing). The four faces represent the FULLNESS of creation — the wild kingdom, the domestic kingdom, the human kingdom, and the sky kingdom — all gathered around the throne in worship.
The phrase "the first beast was like a lion" (to zōon to prōton homoion leonti — the first living creature like a lion) represents the WILD and ROYAL dimension of creation: the lion is the king of beasts — noble, powerful, majestic. The lion-face before God's throne brings the WILDNESS and the ROYALTY of creation into the worship. The untamed creation worships.
The four faces together — lion, calf, man, eagle — have been traditionally connected to the FOUR GOSPELS (Irenaeus, 2nd century): Matthew (lion — the royal/kingly Gospel), Mark (ox — the servant Gospel), Luke (man — the human Gospel), and John (eagle — the soaring/divine Gospel). Whether or not this connection was originally intended, the four faces represent the COMPREHENSIVE nature of creation's worship: every CATEGORY of created life is represented before the throne.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Which face describes your worship — lion (wild/royal), calf (serving), man (rational), or eagle (soaring)?
- 2.What does all four categories of creation being represented teach about comprehensive worship?
- 3.How does the lion (untamed royalty) submitting to God's throne describe the worship of the wild?
- 4.What does the four faces together teach about creation's diversity unified in worship?
Devotional
Lion. Calf. Man. Eagle. Four faces. Four categories of creation. Four dimensions of life gathered around God's throne in worship. The wild kingdom (lion). The domestic kingdom (calf). The human kingdom (man). The sky kingdom (eagle). All of creation represented. All of it worshiping.
The LION brings the wild and royal: the king of beasts — powerful, noble, fierce. The lion-face represents the untamed creation, the wild dimension of the world, the aspect of life that resists domestication. The wildness worships. The royalty bows. The lion — who submits to no earthly authority — submits to the One on the throne.
The CALF/OX brings the domestic and serving: the ox — strong, patient, serving, the animal that plows the field and produces the harvest. The domestic creation, the agricultural dimension, the aspect of life that SERVES and PRODUCES. The serving worships. The laboring bows. The ox that serves human agriculture serves the throne.
The MAN brings the rational and relational: the human face — the only creature made in God's IMAGE, the only one with REASON, the only one capable of LANGUAGE and RELATIONSHIP. The human dimension of creation takes its place among the four. The image-bearer worships alongside the animals.
The EAGLE brings the transcendent and soaring: the eagle — flying higher than any other bird, seeing farther than any other creature, occupying the SKY that no land-creature reaches. The transcendent dimension. The heavenly perspective. The soaring worship that rises above the earthbound.
Which of the four faces describes YOUR worship — and are all four present around the throne?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And the first beast was like a lion,.... And this figure expresses the strength of the ministers of the word, the lion…
And the first beast was like a lion - A general description has been given, applicable to all, denoting that in whatever…
The first beast was like a lion - It is supposed that there is a reference here to the four standards or ensigns of the…
We have here an account of a second vision with which the apostle John was favoured: After this, that is, not only…
The description of these living creatures does not exactly agree with any of the O. T. parallels: in Ezekiel 1, which is…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture