1 After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet[1] talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will show thee things which must be hereafter.
2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
Once again, I want to reiterate that my perspective will be to see what we learn about the Glorified Lord as we consider these two chapters. I will not enter into any suppositions about details that serve only to distract. The verses we have before us presently would be ripe for such speculations, in that some hold that the ‘door…opened in heaven,’ at least in part, depicts the rapture of the churches prior to all that follows in the Revelation. That may, or may not be the case. It is immaterial, since it is speculative. This is an example[2] of holding a view, then seeking to make a passage fit the view.
Let us see what is clear in our passage.
John looked and heard, two common experiences for all men. We have all looked and heard during our lifetimes, to the degree that we were able. But we must remember that John ‘was in the spirit.’ This certainly means, whatever else it might suggest, that he was supernaturally[3] enabled to see and to hear what was before him.
The first thing that receives strong emphasis in these verses, and all throughout these two chapters[4] is the use of the English word, “throne.” The word occurs thirty-nine times in the Revelation. Seventeen of these are in chapters four and five. The underlying Greek word (θρόνος), transliterated into English would be “thronos.” It is clearly the root for our English word “throne.” Interestingly, the same Greek word is translated “seat” or “seats” six times here in the Revelation.[5]
Translating the Greek word as “throne” is not errant in view of the fact that the word is always associated with power and/or authority, as of someone governing. In chapter four the throne falls into the background, while our attention is called to the:
…one sat on the throne. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like…
John spends little or no time actually contemplating the throne itself. The import of the vision [including the throne] was to identify the supremacy of the One sitting upon it. Whatever else may be true about this Being, He is placed before us as Supreme in nature and authority. When Isaiah sees the LORD, high and lifted up, He is upon a throne.[6]In Ezekiel’s vision God’s throne is spoken of twice.[7] Daniel speaks of seeing God upon His throne when identifying the fall of the earthly kingdoms of man.[8] Repeatedly, in Matthew, Luke, Acts and Hebrews God is spoken of as being enthroned. One of the first realities revealed to John for the churches was that this Jesus of Nazareth, the Glorified Lord, is to be understood only in relation to God in all His supremacy.
It is one thing for us to grasp the staggering revelation of the Glorified Lord in Revelation chapter one. And, it is blessed to have already found Him addressing His churches in chapters two and three. It is quite another thing for us to fully associate Him with the eternal God in all of His supremacy and authority. He is clearly far more than a mere prophet of God. His intimate connectedness to God on His everlasting throne[9] is vital to our understanding of all of Scripture.
As to the remaining details in our three verses, they are clearly intended to convey what this throne and its Occupant “looked like,” since John used the word “like”[10] twice. He sought to give us some concept of how it appeared to him, not something to be endlessly dissected to speculate about its supposed “meaning.”
[1] The reader is reminded here of the previous discussion of trumpets in Scripture in the section discussing Revelation 1:7-11. [2] In my opinion. [3] Perhaps we should say divinely, as his enabling was of God. [4] And, remember, this writing was NOT broken into chapters as God gave it to us through the apostle John. [5] 2:13, 4:4 [2X], 11:16, 13:2, 16:10. [6] Isaiah 6:1. [7] Ezekiel 1:26. [8] Daniel 7:9. [9] And this connectedness will be thoroughly established as we give serious consideration to both chapter four and five. [10] The Greek word he used is found in the NT 47 times, translated as “like” every time it is used.