1 After this I looked and saw a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had previously heard speak to me like a trumpet was saying, “Come up here, and I will show you what must happen after these things.”

2 At once I was in the Spirit, and I saw a throne standing in heaven, with someone seated on it.

3 The One seated there looked like jasper and carnelian, and a rainbow that gleamed like an emerald encircled the throne.

4 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.

5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder. Before the throne burned seven torches of fire. These are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne was something like a sea of glass, as clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and back.

— Revelation 4:1-6

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, peace and joy to you from the incarnated God, the Savior Jesus Christ.

In Revelation 4, John describes the eternal God enthroned in heaven. Words cannot fully capture God’s heavenly grandeur. As Revelation unfolds, John will write of future events. But first he must gaze with wonder at Almighty God on His throne. God’s unequaled greatness decimates human pride and self-sufficiency. When we truly grasp God’s magnificent glory, our lives are changed forever. Understanding who God is allows us to function in the present and head into the future without fear. God’s majestic glory inspires ceaseless worship. We must not squander the opportunity to view life and our world through the lens of God’s greatness.

We can join John in his glimpse of God’s unmatched sovereignty. The scene signals a major shift in the book of Revelation, which records an epic struggle between two thrones: the throne of Satan and the throne of God. Joh will soon record startling visions of coming judgment, but first he stabilizes us with essential truth. God and His Son are in control. God sits on His throne as the future unfolds.