The throne of God that John saw in heaven
The throne of God that John saw in heaven.
1. Revelation 4:2
At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
i. “At once I was in the Spirit”
Children of God, our God is Spirit. Therefore, the human being created in His image and likeness is also a soul. The human soul has a mind, and in order to live temporarily in this world, God gave man a body like a ‘tent’. Therefore, the human being who is a soul can establish and build relationships with God who is a soul through his soul.
Galatians 5:16-17
So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
ii. “Then there was a throne in heaven.”
Daniel 7:9
“As I looked,
“Thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
Psalm 47:8
God reigns over the nations;
God is seated on his holy throne.
Ezekiel 1:26-27
Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
Children of God, we know that our God is ‘Love’. Because of the sacrificial love He had for us, His only begotten Son was sacrificed for us.
Because of this nature of His, some Christians are used to thinking that no matter how much they disobey Him, they will always receive ‘His forgiveness’. This is a very wrong opinion, and the word of God declares that ‘He will be patient with us for a long time, not that He will be patient with us forever.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2. Revelation 4:3
And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.
i. “And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby”
All of us who study the book of Revelation should keep in mind that John, who was shown many visions by God, describes things he had never seen before by comparing them to what he had seen.
So he compares God’s sight to two kinds of gems.
ii. “A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne.”
The emerald is a green gem, and it is the third gem in the first row of the High Priest’s breastplate.
– Rainbow
Genesis 9:12-13
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.
The rainbow is a sign of God’s covenant with Noah. It is a sign of God’s covenant that He will never again destroy the earth with water, and it shows His faithfulness.
In the next section we will study “what happened around the throne of God”.