God's Throne in Revelation
(avg. read time: 10–19 mins.)
As I noted in my last post on Revelation, another crucial motif to track throughout Revelation is God’s throne. This is something I have already done to some extent in my series on the Trinity in Revelation, but the motif should have its own focused entry, particularly for how crucial it is to the theological presentation of Revelation. Indeed, it is the primary distinct reference point for God (beyond the simple use of “God”) and the description thereof in John’s visions (1:4; 3:21; 4:2–3, 5, 9–10; 5:1, 6–7, 11, 13; 6:16; 7:9–11, 15; 8:3–4; 12:5; 14:3; 16:17; 19:4; 20:11; 21:5; 22:1, 3). It is even used several times as a way of referring to God as the one who sits on the throne (4:2–3, 9–10; 5:1, 7, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 15; 19:4; 20:11; 21:5). But even so, as far as I can tell, it never just becomes a fill-in, so that it is simply a roundabout way of referring to God. Rather, even as the image is widespread way of referring to God, it has significance each time it is used.
While the first visual reference to God’s throne is in ch. 4, the first reference to it is in 1:4 when John refers to “the seven spirits who are before his throne.” A similar description appears in 4:5. Unlike the Lamb and God the Father, the one most often described as “sitting on the throne,” the Spirit is never directly said to occupy the throne in the heavenly vision (at best, one could suggest this by virtue of his imagistic link to Christ as his seven horns and seven eyes in 5:6; since he is on the throne, the Spirit is on the throne as well). This appears to be because, even as the Son is the executor of God’s will, the Spirit is the primary immanent expression of divine agency in the world, for when the Spirit is acting, God is acting (as it was from creation in Gen 1:2 and as it will be in the resurrection, according to Rom 8 and others). Later, the Spirit is also described as having been sent out into all the world (5:6). He is before the throne rather than sitting upon it because he is the dynamic, active one in whom God reaches out to implement his purposes in the world, particularly in the time between Jesus’s ascension and his Second Coming.
It is also noteworthy that from this opening text the throne or ruling language is at the center of the presentation of God, as it is the most condensed symbol for the Creator/creature distinction in Revelation, and it conveys how God is ultimately in charge of the course of history. Most immediately, the throne connotes his reign and identification as the King. It is thus also invoked in descriptions like this to signify that God’s will is sent out from his throne to be executed in his dominion. As I have said here and in the series on the Trinity, that is at least part of the significance of the Spirit being before the throne, and it is also signified in that he is sent out to implement what God has done in Christ in the world in 5:6. Christ’s work is itself described here in terms of being “the one who loves us and released us from our sins by his blood—and who made us a kingdom, priests to God and to his Father” (1:5–6). In this, he was executing God’s will for creation, salvation, and new creation, which is also signified by the fact that the gospel story is described as him being “the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth” (1:5). The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit share the same divine rule and Lordship, as well as worshipfulness, all of which is signified by the throne (the latter of which we will see more often later). Additionally, they have the same will and purpose, they participate in the same activity (though not with the same roles, as, for example, the Father did not become flesh), and they work by the same power in being the Almighty (1:8). There is one power as there is one throne; there is one dominion of God and one God who is worshipful within it.
Our next reference to the throne is in the promise in the letter to Laodicea in 3:21. As with the opening chapter, Jesus describes himself in ways that are both reminiscent of God and evocative of the gospel story in 3:14. The gospel story was all about his execution of God’s will, and his self-descriptions convey this in terms of his faithfulness to God’s will (the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness) and his achievement of the same (the First/Ruler of God’s creation). Furthermore, the result of this story was his victory that he allows the faithful to participate in, a victory which includes (implicitly) his resurrection and (explicitly) his exaltation to sit with the Father on his throne (3:21). This once again points to how God the Father is the “source” of the throne, which is connected here both with creation (since Christ is said to be First/Ruler over “God’s creation) and, primarily, new creation with the view to the consummation of God’s kingdom and the redemption of creation (especially through the redemption of humans), and so it signifies God’s authority and reign, as well as his worshipfulness and his power and will to save. Although it can be linked to God the Father as the “source” in that he is the “fount” of the Godhead, this does not undermine that the Son shares in his throne because he is the same God. They are on the same side of the Creator/creature divide, so that the Son is simply said to sit on his Father’s throne after his execution of God’s will while he must give to the others the authorization to sit on his throne with him (3:21). Finally, as with all the seven letters, the letter to Laodicea closes with the exhortation to hear “what the Spirit is saying to the churches” (3:22). The Spirit has not had any distinct dialogue, but the words of Christ are what the Spirit is saying because they are fundamentally linked as one God with one nature having one will/purpose, one revelation, one message, and one authority, as well as one power and one faithful love to ensure the fulfillment of promises made in these letters.
The reference to the throne in this context of the gospel narrative and of it being tied with God’s own throne also evokes the aspect of the gospel narrative that concerns the fulfillment of Scripture, as Revelation as a whole does. These references to the rule of the saints as participating in the rule of God are likely meant to fulfill Dan 7:18 and 27, which present the promise that believers will participate in the reign of God in the kingdom of God. If this imagery is a deliberate allusion to Dan 7, it would be unsurprising given the frequent allusions to Dan 7 throughout Revelation (1:6–7, 13–15; 5:11; 12:14; 13:1–7; 17:3, 7, 12; 20:10; 22:5). It could also be that this promise is reminiscent of Ps 110, the most common text used to refer to Christ’s triumphant enthronement because of its reference to the one sitting at the Lord’s right hand (Matt 22:43–45 // Mark 12:35–37 // Luke 20:41–44; Matt 26:64 // Mark 14:62 // Luke 22:69; Acts 2:33–36; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20–23; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3, 13; 8:1; 10:12–13; 12:2; 1 Pet 3:21b–22).1 The rule Christ shares in is thus made possible for the faithful to share in.
The first time we visually encounter the throne and the one who sits on it is in ch. 4 with the scene of the heavenly throne room and heavenly worship. The one sitting on the throne is described in terms similar to Ezek 1, and just as the descriptions of Jesus drawing from divine descriptions in the OT reinforced, the impression given here is that this is the same God who revealed himself in the Scriptures of Israel as Creator, Judge, Savior, King, and so on. And this same one is seeing to it that his will and promises are fulfilled. The Holy Spirit/seven spirits also appears again as lamps burning before the throne (4:5) as the one who exercises God’s power and agency in the world. If any set of scenes best exemplifies how the one sitting on the throne is worshipful, it is these chapters, although they are certainly not the only ones. Even those who sit on their own thrones, as well as the multitudes of angels, fall before the one on this throne to worship him. Notably, the Spirit is never said to turn in worship, and this further implies how his position relative to the throne places him on the Creator side of the Creator/creature divide. He is before the throne and goes out from it, while others who are said to be before the throne are ones who ultimately face and bow down before the throne in worship.
It is notable that others have their own thrones, and we have seen that the faithful are promised to participate in the reign of God, but in the end, there is only one throne above all occupied by the one who alone is to be worshiped. As we have seen already, the fact is that one God occupies this throne, but it is not only the Father in distinction from the Son and the Spirit. The fact that they also occupy this unique throne indicates that worshiping them is inextricably interwoven in the activity of worshiping one God. John imagistically conveys this point not by announcing that there is another throne or multiple other thrones in heaven given the same reverence as the one who sits on this throne. Rather, he conveys they all occupy this throne that is the unique marker of God.
The declaration that God is holy here also reinforces these points and hints at other theological aspects of the throne that will be presented in the course of Revelation. The declaration that God is holy is one of his fundamental identifiers, one of the foundations of worship, which the heavenly witnesses are engaging in during this scene. His holiness—both in terms of his being “set apart” from creation and in his being whole so as to make his creation whole—expresses his transcendence. Indeed, his immanence, that he is accessible to all, that he is omnipresent, and that all things hold together in him is because of his transcendence in that he is beyond what he has created. That he is the one who can make whole is foundational to the fact that he alone is Savior. It also encapsulates the fact that he gives life, including to the dead, thereby making whole what death disintegrates. After all, he is “the one who lives forever and ever” (4:9; cf. 10:6; 15:7), for he transcends death and is able to give such life to others. Referring to God as “holy” brings with it all of these associations and more, hence why it is a fundamental expression of worship. As will be shown more clearly later, the throne of the Holy One is also a throne of judgment and salvation by the one God who has promised and is powerful and faithful to do what he has promised, the one who issues such decrees from his throne and sees them through.
When we next encounter the throne in ch. 5, the focus is on the Lamb’s relation to the one who sits on the throne. He is presented here as the executor of God’s will, the one who implements the reign signified by that throne, and as one who is worthy of receiving worship, as also signified by the throne. That is why he has conquered, since he has fulfilled God’s will, and why he is worthy to open the scroll that proclaims his will. The referent for his “conquering” (5:5) is the gospel story. The reference in 3:21 indicates that his victory was similar to what he calls upon others to do in being faithful and true witnesses, which means faithfulness unto death, and in his case further meant resurrection, which is still in the future for his followers. That resurrection encapsulates his victory, which is what precedes him sitting with the Father on his throne, as his resurrection preceded his exaltation in the gospel narrative. It is signified in this text by the fact that the Lamb standing in the midst of the throne (signifying his exaltation) is as one who was slain (rather obviously invoking his death), and yet the fact that he is standing is indicative of his resurrection (5:6). This is why he is present to take the scroll and continue executing the will of God (5:1, 7).
It also noteworthy what the portrayal of 5:6 says about the Lamb’s relationship with the Father and the Spirit. On the one hand, we are told that he stands on the throne, occupying the space reserved for God. As the one who sits on the throne is the only one worthy of worship, the fact that the Lamb occupies it shows that he is also worthy of worship, which is exactly what he receives in vv. 8–14. What is also significant is how the angels express their worship in saying that the Lamb who was slain is worthy to receive (i.e., be ascribed in worship) “power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise” (5:12). Most of these have already been ascribed to the one who sits on the throne. Likewise, in 5:13, the worship of the one God means worshiping the one who sits on the throne and the Lamb. They are distinguished but not separated, and both receive/are ascribed praise, honor, glory, and power forever and ever. Worshiping the Lamb is clearly part of worshiping the one God who permits no competition for worship (this is all the more distinctly confirmed when angels refuse worship in 19:10 and 22:9, telling John to “worship God”). On the other hand, the Lamb is described as having seven horns and seven eyes, “which are the seven spirits of God who were being sent into all the earth” (5:6). This is one way in which it is conveyed that Christ “has” the seven spirits/Holy Spirit and that they are inextricably identified, even as they can be distinguished. Where the Spirit is, there Christ is, for the Spirit is communicating his salvific work across the earth and conforming people to Christ.
To this point, we have seen how the throne has been an especially appropriate metonym for signifying God’s reign/authority and his worshipfulness. By implication, though this will be more apparent later, it has also signified that he is mighty to save (especially in giving everlasting life that shares his own eternal life), and that he can and will act decisively as Deliverer/Redeemer to establish his everlasting kingdom. The next reference in 6:16–17 also makes prominent what has been assumed and will be reasserted elsewhere: the throne is also a throne of judgment. Salvation is an outcome of judgment, after all, as it is part of God’s work of setting the world aright. But with that work also comes wrath against sin and sinners who deny (implicitly and/or explicitly by their participation in sin) that he is God and that they are the bearers of his image and likeness with all the responsibilities pertaining thereto.
We noted in the last part how 7:15 links God’s throne and his heavenly sanctuary, as is also the case with what we are told in 8:2–4, but that is not all there is to observe about this vision and what it conveys about the throne. As we see in 7:9–11, God’s throne again signifies his reign over this uncountable multitude constituted as his from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue. Of course, the fact that the people are constituted salvifically also indicates that his throne is linked with his work as Redeemer/Deliverer of this people. That is indeed why the multitude declares “Salvation [belongs] to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (7:10). (The word “belongs” has to be inferred, but it fits with these other declarations calling for God to be ascribed all these qualities they recognize from his work.) The one who sits on the throne is Creator, Redeemer, Judge, and Savior, and these identifications are clearly intertwined, as revealed by the history of his work and self-revelation. And his throne also signifies his worshipfulness, hence why the response of the faithful multitude and the heavenly attendants already identified in ch. 4 is to fall before the throne and worship God (7:11). The express their worship through reprising what has been ascribed to God and the Lamb already in terms of “praise, glory, wisdom, thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever” (7:12).
The next three references are brief and can be treated together for how they reiterate what has been shown already. First, we see God act as Savior/Deliverer in rescuing the woman and her son from the devil (12:5–6). God’s throne is referenced in this context to connote his reigning authority and his power to deliver. Second, ch. 14 opens with a scene featuring the 144,000 singing a new song before the throne. This scene signifies the worshipfulness of the one who sits on the throne. Third, as we highlighted in the last post on Revelation, 16:17 links God’s throne and God’s sanctuary in describing the voice that says, “It is accomplished,” as coming out of the sanctuary from the throne. The linkage of the throne and the sanctuary illustrates again the worshipfulness of the one who sits on the throne, and the declaration in context also signifies his royal authority and will for executing judgment.
Chapter 19 is not yet the crescendo of the story of Revelation, but it is a rather decisive turning point, and thus it is saturated with praise for God (“Hallelujah” is shouted four times in vv. 1, 3, 4, and 6). The victory that is coming is described as “the salvation, glory, and power of our God” (19:1), which is to be effected through his just judgments, destroying evil on the one hand and vindicating the faithful on the other (19:2). In this context, God is again worshiped and described as the God “who sits on the throne” (19:4). This identification is invoked to signify his worshipfulness (cf. 19:7, 10; 22:9), his reign/Lordship (cf. 19:6), his judgment, and his power to save. At various points in Revelation, one or more of these has been signified in reference to God sitting on his throne, but this case crystallizes the various uses.
Chapter 20 features the climactic judgment scene in 20:11–15, which is introduced appropriately by reference to the one who sits on the great white throne (20:11). The dead all stand before this throne and the one who sits on it to receive their final judgment. Most obviously, this signifies that the throne that belongs to God alone is a throne of judgment, as he is the only Judge who issues the final verdict. At the same time, this is inherently linked with the fact that he is the Creator of all in the first place, and his creation is accountable to him. And the fact that all are brought before his throne further signifies how the fact that he is the Creator is linked to him being the King who makes such final decisions in the establishment of his kingdom and to him being the Savior, as salvation is part and parcel of judgment. This all fits with the theological links I have explored elsewhere in this series.
God is once again referred to as “the one who sits on the throne” in 21:5, and it is probably primarily a reference to the Father at this stage in the vision, as distinctions usually hold in the case of speech. His throne is connected with the establishment of his kingdom and his worshipfulness in making all things new (him being the Creator of the new creation) and thus complete (him being the Holy One who makes whole). He also confirms that the words he says are “trustworthy and true,” which derive from OT words and phrases meant to convey God’s fidelity and integrity in staying true to his word (Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Deut 32:4; Pss 19:7–9; 86:15; 145:13; Isa 65:16; Dan 2:45). This is the middle term that connects him being the source and Creator with him being the Completer, Savior, and King, for his faithful love connects the beginning of history to its completion, it connects protology and eschatology. This is why he describes himself as the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (with the latter term having the sense of “goal”).
The final two references to the throne in ch. 22 both refer to “the throne of God and the Lamb” (22:1, 3). They share one throne because they are one God. And the throne is naturally referenced here to declare who is the King because the state that has been described since the beginning of ch. 21 is the consummation of the kingdom of God in the new creation. The second reference in v. 3 is particularly emphatically linked to the worshipfulness of God that has been a recurrent emphasis since chs. 4 and 5. But what is also being highlighted in these references is how the throne is a source. On the one hand, the throne is a metonym for the source of divine life that comes from God to the faithful, as v. 1 highlights in how it says the water of life comes from the throne. On the other hand, in reiteration of the promise articulated in 3:21 (and more indirectly in 1;6; 5:10; and 20:4–6), the throne of God is the source of the thrones/rule of the saints in the new creation in 22:5. As noted previously, a similar connection between God’s everlasting reign, the coming kingdom of God, and the reign of the saints appears in Daniel (7:14, 18, 27: 12:2–3). The saints are those who fulfill the fundamental human vocation God designated in Gen 1:26–30, that humans should be priestly kings who rule over the earth as representative stewards of God’s own rule over creation and their eternal fate is thus reflective of that image-bearingness. As this promise of 22:5 is the supreme fulfillment of God’s creative purpose for humanity, it is fitting that it should be the last promise of this vision of the new creation as its counterpart in the old creation was the last part of the Gen 1 creation narrative.
One could perhaps add this to the list of texts that draw the allusions of Dan 7 and Ps 110 together in the NT, but it would just be the most indirect of them all.