The Throne Room of Heaven

What would it be like to be welcomed into the White House and given a tour of where all the crucial decisions are made? We would be astonished by all the glory and history of this famous building as we were ushered through its sacred halls to the Oval Office of the President of the United States. Afterwards, we would continue on to the Cabinet Room where his advisors meet, and then we would go down to the secure basement floor level and marvel at the technology in the Situation Room.That would be very cool, but in today’s Bible reading, we follow the Apostle John into the very throne room of heaven! Wow! What is that like? What happens there? How can we see it personally?

The entrance is by invitation

A door was opened in heaven and a loud voice like a trumpet said to John, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this. At once I [John] was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it” (Revelation 4:1-2, NIV).

Who was called up to heaven—only John? Many evangelicals believe this is the moment when the whole church is called up into heaven (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). Why do they believe this? John says it was “after this” that he was invited up to heaven. “After this” means after the messages to the churches in Revelation 2-3 (yesterday’s lesson). If the churches in these two chapters are representative of the church ages throughout the centuries (the description of each church does seem to lend itself to such possibilities) then perhaps “after this” also indicates the end of it. The apostle was from the church age, so perhaps the invitation was to John and all the true believers at the end of the church age.

This theory does, however, pose another question: If the church is raptured with John, why don’t we see multitudes of Christians from the church age standing or kneeling and giving praise in the throne room? Theologians are not sure. Here are two possibilities: Perhaps, the church age believers are not visible to John. Maybe, they are the very large, but totally silent audience, in unspeakable awe and in fear upon their knees or their faces, as the spotlight of the theatre shines on the throne room.

Perhaps, for whatever reason, they are not present but duly represented by the twenty-four elders so that there are no distractions from the center of attention, the throne.The twenty-four “elders” (a possible reference to church pastors) might represent all the church-age believers (the number twenty-four has been used previously in the Bible as a representative number, for there were twenty-four orders of the priesthood in the Law of Moses (1Chronicles 9; 15:15-26; 23).These elders in Revelation 4 have received crowns, indicating a judgment with rewards, and they hold golden bowls of incense, which we are told are the prayers of the saints. Later, we will see great multitudes of believers surrounding the throne (Revelation 7:9; 19:1).

Why was John called up into heaven?

In Revelation 1:19 Jesus told John to “Write…what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.” Jesus wanted John to see firsthand what was going to take place later from the viewpoint of heaven. He told John, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this” (Revelation 4:1, NIV).

What did John see?

John says,

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back (Revelation 4:2-6, NIV).

These four living creatures appear to be the same cherubim described in Ezekiel 1, with the exception that they have six wings instead of four. Their purpose seems to be to adorn the throne of God with praises for his holiness. They lead the twenty-four elders to worship the LORD with songs of praise.

Behold the Lamb!

In Revelation 5, the attention shifts from the throne to the Lamb of God and then to the scroll and all that is revealed inside. An angel cries out, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (5:2b, NIV). Only the Lamb of God who has been slain is worthy. This is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, NIV). This is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is now in his presence before the throne making intercession for us.

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song:“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:8-10, NIV).

Accept Your Invitation

Do we wish to be invited to heaven? Then we first need forgiveness for all wrongs because God is perfect and holy. He offers forgiveness, peace, and spiritual life, and all of it is paid for with the blood of his Son. Will we accept that most precious gift? We can know that we are right with God and have an inheritance reserved in heaven for us. (more…).

Focus Verses

1Peter 1:3-5 (NASB) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.