Scripture
1After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Revelation 4:1-3
Observation
Jesus has just finished speaking directly to the 7 Churches and now the book of Revelation takes a turning point. John is taken up into heaven at the trumpet sound (some scholars believe this is speaking to the rapture of the church. See 1 These. 4:16-17). Now, from the vantage point of heaven John sees the judgment about to take place on earth. All of the revelation about to be witnessed starts with this pivotal moment of John standing before an occupied throne. It’s not occupied by angels. It’s not occupied by man. It’s occupied by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. A rainbow shine all around the throne, a powerful reminder of God’s covenant to never flood the earth again. The rainbow has been co-opted by the LGBTQ moment, but it belongs to the Lord and is a symbol in the sky reminding all who see it that there is only one throne, only one true King, and he truly does care for us. Separated by more than 600 years notice the similarities of Ezekiel’s vision of Jesus on the throne: 26Above this surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. 27From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. 28All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. (Ez. 1:26-28).
Application
These are not the descriptions of some wimpy god carved in the image of man, nor a limp lord to be ignored. The throne of God is not occupied by some divine Santa who’s just jolly and generous and keeps his distance. Jesus is not a capricious being led by lusts and drunk with power as depicted by the Greeks and most recently in the new movie “Thor: Love and Thunder”. This is not someone you can steal anything from, whether it be the rainbow around His head or the throne upon which He reigns over all things. Yet, since the Garden of Eden, we have continued under the illusion that we are so much wiser than God, as if we are the ones who should, and do in deed, occupy the throne. In the name of authenticity to ourselves and our ever fleeting feelings we no longer bow to the true authority of Heaven and Earth and instead bow to every earthly urge and craving. Duzik writes it this way, “The bottom line of atheism or materialism is that there is no throne, there is no seat of authority or power that the entire universe must answer to. The bottom line of humanism is that there is a throne, but man sits upon it. Essentially, man cannot live without the concept of a throne, a supreme ruler. So if man de-thrones God, he will inescapably place himself or some other man upon the throne, perhaps a political leader, as was the case with the dictators Lenin, Stalin, and Mao.” The answer to the question of “Who occupies the throne in my heart?” is answered by the question “Who occupies the throne in Heaven?” We all, believers or not, need a fresh revelation of the occupied throne. We need to stare in awe as John and Ezekiel did and remember this most important truth, as my mother-in-law Pat puts it, “the throne of God is a one-seater, so we need to stop trying to crawl up in it.”
Prayer
Like John and Ezekiel I bow before You this morning in awe and wonder. You set the rainbow in the sky as a constant reminder of who is in charge and of Your covenant love for mankind. When, one day, I stand before Your throne, when I gaze into Your fiery eyes, when I soak in the colors of the rainbow around Your throne, I’m so thankful it will be a throne of grace and not of judgement. I’m also thankful I don’t have to wait until my days on earth are done to come before You now. Forgive me for forgetting sometimes how truly awe-some and powerful You are! “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
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