But wait. Is this the music of heaven? Or is God restoring on earth the old temple of Solomon, and its worship forms?
Such a restoration would seem strange. After all, the New Testament goes to great lengths to show the inadequacy and end of the old temple system (Luke 19:44; 21:5-6; John 4:21-24; Acts 7:47-49; 17:24-25; Colossians 2:14-17; Hebrews 8:1-6; 9:1-14).
John, who receives the visions of Revelation, avoids impressions of earthliness. Especially in the temple scenes, John repeatedly reminds us that he is seeing and hearing things “in heaven” (Revelation 4:1-2; 5:3; 8:1; 11:19; 14:17; 15:1-8; 19:1-11).
Also in these settings, John often makes a sharp contrast between heaven and earth (Revelation 5:3; 8:5; 14:4-9; 16:1-2, 17-18; 18:1-5; 19:11-19; 20:11). Solomon’s earthly temple serves as a background reference for understanding the new scene. But John makes sure that we view this visionary temple as heavenly.
More than that, John often uses similes or likenesses. In a typical English version, the word “like” appears over 60 times in Revelation. John views heavenly scenes and mysteries far beyond our limited experience. Therefore, John borrows well-known things that resemble the amazing sights and sounds revealed by the Spirit.
- Thus, the loud voice John hears is “like a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10; 4:1).
- Christ’s voice is “like the roar of many waters” (Revelation 1:15).
- Christ’s face is “like the sun shining in full strength” (Revelation 1:16).
- God on His heavenly throne “had the appearance of jasper and carnelian” (Revelation 4:3).
- Another voice from heaven is “like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps” (Revelation 14:2).
- The streets of the Jerusalem from heaven are “like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21).
Think about Revelation 4:3. Is God a gemstone? No, but the divine colors remind John of brilliant gemstones: God “had the appearance of jasper and carnelian.” Does God’s throne room have earthly items: a sun, thunderstorms, trumpets, waterfalls, harps and glass? No, but what John sees in heaven are like those things. Of course, such pictures are but dim likenesses—beginning ideas—of the reality. For example, Jesus is so glorious that He far outshines the sun. But the sun is the largest and brightest thing in our human experience, so John uses that to describe the face of Jesus in his vision (Revelation 1:16). John’s similes point us toward the far grander realities in heaven.