The Throne of God
There are two major events surrounding the throne of God in the book of Revelations. Revelation 4 describes the throne of hope and chapter 20 describes the throne of judgement. I want to use this study to examine these two images of God’s throne. Lets begin by looking at Revelation 4:
1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."
2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.
3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.
4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.
5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
When we examine the book of Revelation, we must keep in mind the purpose of the book. In review, the purpose of this book is prophecy (proclaiming God’s purposes); to encourage those persecuted; to instruct the church and the believers in Christ; to point our hearts toward our eternal goal; and to warn so that we are not caught unaware. The object of these prophecies is to point to the revelation of Jesus Christ in His glory. It is an error to use prophecies that God has veiled for a reason and add to them to create a scenario that predestines God’s actions in the future. What God has revealed, we are responsible to act on. What has been hidden will be hidden until afterward. Then we can look back and see clearly what God’s intentions were.
Having said this, lets examine what God has revealed so that we will not be caught unaware. The foundation of our study of this book comes from Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.” We will be counted blessed if we hear, read and study this book because we will not be caught asleep, but will be found faithful when Jesus returns or calls us home – whichever comes first. So let’s dig in to chapter 4 of Revelations and examine the Throne of God.
God’s throne of grace
John is caught up in the Spirit and the first thing that grasps his attention is the throne of God. Many people use this as evidence for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The church is the focus of Revelation until this point and is never mentioned again throughout the book. However, saints are mentioned throughout the tribulation period. The definition of saint is one who is set apart for God through faith in Christ. There is no question that there will be believers on this earth during the tribulation period. The question in debate is when did these become believers? Are they the church, or did they believe after the church was taken? I just wanted to mention this briefly because of how this passage is often used. To look at this in-depth is for another study.
Now that John has gone into that window in heaven, he tries to describe the throne of God. As a rule of proper biblical interpretation, when something is described in the Bible, it should be taken literal unless the intent is obviously figurative. To be literal, there must be something of equality to compare to. Nothing on earth can remotely compare to the glory of God. John did not want to try to compare God to something we can envision in a literal sense. It would demean the reality of God’s glory. So to paint a picture of glory in the mind’s eye, John returns to the symbolism God used in the Old Testament. The early church studied the scriptures and they could identify with this symbolic representation of God’s glory. Remember that the early church was filled with converted Jews. They knew that the law, feasts and customs commanded in the Old Testament foreshadowed the coming Messiah. Throughout the book of Revelations, we must revisit the customs that God gave to be a preparation for the people to receive their Messiah. John obviously recognized these parallels and used them as a tool to reveal the truth of God.
Looking at Revelation 4, it is obvious that the One on the throne was not made of jasper and sardius, these are symbols to reveal the truth of God that John’s words cannot describe. The precious stones described in this book go back to the beginning of God’s covenant with Israel. Each tribe was assigned a stone that symbolized a piece of the mystery of God’s plan. These two stones go back to this picture. The tribe of Naphtili’s stone was the jasper. Naphtili’s name means ‘to obtain by wrestling’ and the jasper stone represents glory. The sardius stone is a blood red stone and represents the tribe of Judah. Jesus is called the Lion of Judah. The picture John is symbolizing a picture of Jesus Christ in His glory. Jesus veiled his glory in order to become our teacher and then our redeemer. This is the same principle taught in Philippians 2:
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus humbled Himself by putting off His glory and taking the likeness of man. He made Himself a bondservant. A bondservant is the one who willingly puts himself into submission to another for the purpose of service. It is a servant who has the right to be free, but has bound himself by an oath to serve another out of love for his previous master or his family that he refused to leave behind. Because of this love, a servant would willingly make himself a servant and give up his right to be free for the cause of another. It was Jesus Christ who wrestled and overcame the law on our behalf and being a sinless perfect sacrifice, He laid down His life for our debt. Now that He has completed this work, He is glorified. The jasper is John’s testimony of Jesus’ glory on the throne. The sardius is the blood He shed on our behalf.
“There was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.” When the Bible mentions a rainbow, it is a symbol of hope and God’s promises. This goes back to the time of the flood. Look at Genesis 9
13 "I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.
16 "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."
17 And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."
Compare this to Hebrews 10
16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,"
17 then He adds, "Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
Psalm 105 tells us that the Lord remembers Covenant and His commands forever. Those who submit to His covenant purchased for us and given through faith in Christ have the promise of seeing this first throne of hope. Those who are transformed by Jesus Christ are no longer bound by the law because “His laws have been put into their hearts”. We are no longer under the law because God has transformed us from the inside out. 1 John 2:3 tells us that this is how we know that we know Christ. If we know Christ we will have the desire to imitate Christ and walk as He walked. The law is for those who have nothing on the inside to draw their hearts to the righteousness of God. Those under the law need the law because it is their only guide and the only thing that can restrain evil. The law is in our heart and we desire to keep it out of faith alone because we love God and believe in His ways.
The rainbow is the hope of God’s promises to those who believe on Christ and the emerald is a representation of life, healing and restoration. The emerald was the stone of the tribe of Reuben. The name Reuben means, “behold and know a son”. It is the Son that gives us hope and the promise of life, healing and complete restoration. As the Bible says in 1 John 3:
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
If we are children of God, we will live like we belong with Him. When He appears, we will be like Him, completely restored, healed and pure life.
The elders are pictured in verse 4: “Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads.” Elders are those who represent the people. We can only speculate who these are. They are obviously those who were found worthy to serve in God’s very presence. Jesus promised that the twelve apostles would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. It is likely that twelve of these thrones could be to the apostles and the other twelve are for twelve others found worthy to judge the church. The white garments and golden crowns were promised to those who overcome. Everyone who overcomes is promised a place of honor in God’s kingdom. These elders are those who have overcome and fulfilled God’s plan and now represent others who also overcome in this life. To overcome is to live a completely obedient life. I have to overcome pride, lust, selfishness and all the other human tendencies to do things my way. To overcome is to put down anything that prevents God’s plan for my life from being fulfilled. The promise of God is that those who lay down their lives for His sake will be rewarded. God gives us the option of getting our reward in this life or in the life to come. It is up to us to decide which has the greater value to us. Most people will choose to sacrifice eternal benefits in exchange for what gratifies in this life alone. We each have to decide which side of eternity we value the most.
Verse 5 says, “Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God”. Lightening and thunder represents the uncompromising, righteous judgements of God. The seven lamps were identified in the book of Zechariah. Look at Zechariah 4:
1 Now the angel who talked with me came back and wakened me, as a man who is wakened out of his sleep.
2 And he said to me, "What do you see?" So I said, "I am looking, and there is a lampstand of solid gold with a bowl on top of it, and on the stand seven lamps with seven pipes to the seven lamps.
Verses 6 and 10 give the definition, “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. They are the eyes of the Lord which roam to and fro throughout the whole earth.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 also says, “the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is completely His”. So in this passage, the Holy Spirit is represented by the burning fire and the eyes of God that knows all things are the seven lamps.
This scene in the throne room of God is a throne of reward and hope. It is for those who are found watching. The Bible says that He has laid up a crown of righteousness for each person who loves His appearing. (2 Timothy 4:8)Those who love His appearing are those who are found watching. Those who are watching are those who are living in obedience and seeking His plan. 2 Timothy 2:12 tells us that if we endure, we will reign with Him. Finally, Jesus gave this promise: “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” (Luke 12:37)
The Throne of Judgement
The second vision of God’s throne is found at the end of Revelations. Lets jump ahead to Revelation 20:
11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.
This throne is quite a different picture that the throne of hope. John didn’t see anything but God as a judge to be greatly feared. One thing to notice is that the splendor of His promises are not found in the images around this throne. There are no jewels to represent healing, life, and restoration. Even more so, there is no rainbow. At this throne, there is no hope. The books have been written and there is no promise of salvation or reward that can be added. The trial of this life is over and now the Great Judge is pronouncing the verdict based on the evidence recorded in the books. The only imagery is a great white throne. Instead of shouts of joy and praise, we only see the solemn task of giving account with no hope of mercy. The face on the throne is described as the same One that exposed the entire world and removed each hiding place. Those nations who mourned at His appearing are now standing before Him exposed. Only the two books stand as their witness. The Bible says that we all will be judged by our works. However, those who do not know Christ will have their works testify against them. Someone who does not know Christ can’t receive a reward for works because only works (fruit) produced by the Spirit is acceptable to God. The Bible says that the good fruit from works can only be produced by abiding in Christ (John 15). The two measurements of judgments are: is your name written in the Book of Life and if not, what are the charges against you. A Christian will not stand before the Great White Throne judgment. Our judgment is at the Throne of hope and promise.
The Bible says that the ungodly will not be able to stand in the judgment nor be found in the congregation of the righteous (Psalm 1). At the judgment, the wicked will be judged by the law. Romans 3:19 tells us that the law causes every mouth to be stopped and the whole world to be shown guilty before God. We are all guilty before God. However, those who trust in Christ have had their debt paid. As Colossians 2:13-14 puts it:
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision (or corruption) of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Our debt has been paid at the cross and the accounts against us were erased from the book. We, who will be rewarded at the throne of hope will rejoice that our debt is not in the book of judgement. We must submit to and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ. Without repentance – a lifestyle abandoning our ways and conforming to His gospel – we can’t call Him Lord. If I am lord of my life, Jesus can’t be. It is a growing process to learn how to submit areas of selfishness to Christ, but the truth is that anyone who belongs to Him will see the need to conform to Christ. Every book of the Bible preaches that message. Yet a popular doctrine today is that we can live like the devil and claim to be a child of God. Repentance is a difficult lifestyle, but the benefits are eternal. Part of that difficulty is tribulation and persecution. Look at 2 Thessalonians 1:
6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you,
7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
The Lord puts before us the blessing and the curse. We choose which we will receive. We won’t always have to suffer, but there will be times when we do have to count the cost. When I am faced with a choice, I can confidently put my trust in Christ to replace all that has been lost. I can’t suffer in any area that God will not make up for abundantly if I live by faith.
Which throne is your destiny? Are you heading for the throne of hope or of judgment? If you are not sure, you can have absolute confidence in Christ. We are all sinners. The worse sinner we are, the less we see our own sins. The hope of eternity is that Jesus died for the ungodly. The Bible says that God is a God who forgives, but will take vengeance on our sins. Every sin will be judged and avenged by God. Because God is a God who forgives, He bore our sins on the cross so that we do not have to face the wrath of God. The Bible tells us that the divine wrath toward our sins was poured out on Jesus Christ as He paid the penalty for our sins. He exchanged the righteousness of God for the sins of the world. Isaiah 61:10 tells us the purpose of the cross. It is the exchange that God has provided to take our sins in exchange for His salvation and righteousness. Isaiah tells us that God covers us with the robe of His salvation and clothes us with the garments of His righteousness. It is God’s righteousness that makes us 100% acceptable to Him. By faith, we lay down the guilt of our sin in exchange for the salvation and righteousness of God. If this is missing in your life, you can receive it right now by praying in faith asking to receive it. It is a free gift that God takes pleasure in offering to you. If you desire forgiveness and salvation, just say this simple prayer in faith:
Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. By faith, I give you my sins, lifestyle and failures and by faith, I receive your righteousness into my life. I open the door of my heart and invite you in. Please come into my heart and be Lord and Master of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins, Amen.
*** This sermon can be downloaded as a Word document by following the link at http://www.exchangedlife.com/Sermons/sermons.htm
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