Paul the Poke

Expanding on Isaiah 6:1, what does the throne room of Heaven look like? There are other references to the physical description of the Heavenly throne in Scripture. The majority of the physical description noted is about God Himself. One of the references is in the Old Testament and one of the references is in the New Testament.

The first example is from Revelation. The apostle John who is imprisoned on Patmos is the author and he is the one in the Spirit.

Revelation 4:2-3 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance.

The two stones of jasper and sardius are of interest as they describe God. Jasper is defined as a precious stone of various colors (purple, blue, green, white, clear, and brass in color). Sardius is a precious stone that is fleshly colored.

The color of the throne room is a green, gem like emerald. The rainbow encompasses the throne.

Verse 5 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. 

Imagine the visual and acoustic environment this would create. Lightning and thunder are emanating from the throne.  Lamps representing the Spirit of God are blazing with fire in front of the throne. The number seven is symbolic of completeness, fullness, perfection.

Verse 6a and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal… 

The Old Testament description is provided by the prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 1:26-28 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking.

The throne is compared to lapis luzuli. What is that? It is translated as a sapphire stone in some cases. Sapphires can come in many colors. The most common color is blue.

The Ezekiel passage discusses the physical appearance of God. He looks like a man. God told us in the Genesis creation account that humanity was made in His image. Ezekiel confirms this with his observation. God looks like a man.

The physical description of God is consistent with fire. Fire is a symbol of judgment and purification.

Genesis 9:9-17, God establishes a covenant and a promise with man and all living creatures. Notice, man’s actions affect the living environment around him. The rainbow is a reminder and a symbol of God’s mercy. Specifically, Genesis 9:15 indicates… and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.

The Triune God is present in the throne room in Heaven. The Father is seated on the throne. The Spirit is present as lampstands. The Son is the One who will open the scrolls later in the scene in Revelation 5. 

The symbols and description of God in the throne room depict: strength, power, beauty, judgment, preciousness, and mercy.

This entry was posted on October 21, 2012 at 3:40 PM and is filed under Isaiah with tags Ezekiel, fire, Genesis, God, Heaven, Isaiah, rainbow, Revelation, throne room, Trinity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.