The Throne in Heaven
One of the remarkable things about the Book of Revelation is the way it speaks about God. Hardly ever is he called “God.” Nearly always God is described has “He who sits on the throne.” In the old song book of the church, the book of Psalms, God is constantly described as the One who rules and his enthroned. God is sitting on this throne in heaven, a throne above the universe. In Revelation 3:21, Jesus promised the overcomers in Laodicea that one day they will sit with him upon his throne, ruling over the nations. This is important to God’s people since many of these Christians faced persecution and death because they refused to confess “Caesar is Lord.” Many Christians had lost their lives and livelihoods while other Christians faced slander and persecution from those Jews who sought to stop these churches from preaching the gospel. Hence, most of these churches in Asia Minor struggled with the question of how to remain faithful to Christ while living in the midst of pagan culture. Therefore, it is no accident that John’s vision of heaven in Chapter 4 immediately follows upon the letters to the seven churches. The best way to encourage suffering and persecuted churches is to give them a glimpse of “God’s Throne in Heaven.”
