“Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.”
(Revelation 4:2)
Johns emphasis in this chapter is the Lord God's sovereign reign: "behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne." The language points to the throne having always been standing in heaven, so that no worldly power can alter the Lords rule. The "throne" implies governance, and in this case since its location is in heaven, sovereign rule. Think of the believers feeling the weight of Roman rule pressing upon them; this picture changes everything for them. Yes, there are earthly powers, they exist by God's will and carry out His purposes; but they cannot usurp His throne. With every attempt by mere men or devils to cast off God's rule, "He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them!" (Psa. 2:4) He sits and continues sitting on the throne (present tense) to exercise His wise and powerful rule over creation.
(Phil A. Newton)
No comments:
Post a Comment