The One Who Sits On The Throne
I saw a heavenly throne being set in place
and Someone seated upon it.
As John went into the heavenly realm, he saw the One who was enthroned. He had no form, only radiance! John stood in the very reality of heaven as he was caught up in the highest realm of the Spirit. The One he saw was Spirit (John 4:23-24). Here seated in the splendor of the omnipresent heavenly-spiritual realm, John gazed upon the One of many colors. Even though He did not have a natural form, John could see Him in and by the Spirit. John witnessed firsthand the throne of Almighty God being set in place with Someone being enthroned. This beautiful throne is established with power, security, and governmental authority over all. There is one seated there, for the work has been completed. The One seated on the throne means the Lamb finished the work and sat down! All that was necessary to purify a last days people has been completed! we are invited to sit with him as overcomers on his throne (Revelation 3:21)! This is not the throne of God in its eternalness, but a new, fresh, and more glorious revelation of the throne in an advanced manifestation. For John sees it not as something that had long since been settled in the heavenly realm, but just as it was taking up its rest in this place. It was while John was witnessing what is taking place in the heavenly realm that the throne was being set in place! That is the sense of the Greek text. The expression is in a tense which denotes unfinished action, reaching its completion at the time of the seeing. Perhaps we can view the throne as every purpose of God unfolding in a progressive manner from age to age. Isn't the body of Christ growing and maturing, being built up as a spiritual temple? And isn't the bride of Christ being prepared and making herself ready for the marriage union? Even the kingdom of God is expanding, for of the increase of His government and authority, there will be no end.
HEAVEN-A DIMENSION OF LIFE
The Greek word for heaven, ouranos, appears in the New Testament 275 times. The meaning of the word is "elevation, height, exaltation, eminence." Therefore, we have exactly the same thought if we say, "My throne is elevation, height, exaltation, and eminence." That, my beloved, is the central idea of heaven in the New Testament! Ouranos is more than a location beyond the blue. It is the height, the very pinnacle of glory, eminence, exaltation, majesty, authority, and power over all God's limitless domain. This authority is in and by the Spirit, for God is Spirit and does not sit upon a physical throne. The heavenly realm can be seen, but not as a planet somewhere out in the vastness of infinity -it is a sphere or a realm of spiritual, divine reality. It is a dimension of life. It is the invisible realm of Spirit that transcends this material realm. It is as omnipresent as God is omnipresent. Christ has ascended to the highest heaven and therefore has been given all power and all authority in the heavens and earth! And this very Christ is now the door or gate into the throne room! The gate is open, and a mighty voice is inviting us to come into the courts of His throne! What a wonderful realm is waiting for us!
THE OMNIPRESENT THRONE
Throne Room Prayer doesn't mean you have to go anywhere to come up to the throne realm! It is closer to you than the air you breathe. It's closer to you even than the blood that courses through your veins. In the power of the kingdom of God within you, there is no limitation at all. In fact, the throne room is now found in Christ within us! Your spirit, made holy by blood and grace, is now the throne room where Christ is King and Lord of your life. Throne Room Prayer is praying in the dimension of our spirit being, discovering that the gate has been opened and we enter into the heavenly realm whenever we want. We draw near to God in faith, not by sight. We draw from the wealth and power of Christ within us. In the throne room, you can see all things as they really are! If God is omnipresent, then His throne is the omnipresent throne. And we cannot limit the God who fills the heavens to a chair-like throne that we have here on earth. You cannot make the glory of God squeeze into a chair and sit there. Heaven is His throne (Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:29). The dwelling place of God cannot be any smaller or more limited than He is! The whole vast realm of the heavens is His throne. The heavens are His throne, which means that He rules and reigns in the realm of the Spirit and by His Spirit. If we could measure the extent of the Spirit, from one end of the heavens to the other, we would then be able to estimate the extent of His throne. He doesn't live in buildings made with hands, and He doesn't sit on a chair made with hands. We must view God not as a limited physical being that can sit on a tangible throne in one restricted locality somewhere out beyond the blue. God is spirit, heaven is His throne, and He is everywhere present. This means His throne is a spiritual throne and is everywhere. This should simplify for you what Throne Room Prayer is all about coming into the higher realm of the Spirit and bringing our prayers before Him. Heaven, therefore, is not far away! God is everywhere, and His throne is everywhere, for His throne is a powerful symbol of His omnipotent power, authority, and sovereignty. There is no need to go anywhere physically to relate to God's throne. The journey is a spiritual one! The throne is all around you, within you, and present equally everywhere within the realm of spirit in which God exists and dwells. You can either experience or ascend that throne within yourself through union with Christ and the release of His power. In Revelation, the word throne is found thirty times; in chapter 4 alone, it appears twelve times. Twelve is the divine number of governmental authority. There is One who is seated on the throne, ruling and reigning over the universe. It is so important to our prayer life to know that God is in charge, and He rules from the heavenly realm. Yet He also calls us into that throne room experience to encounter His authority and to release it on earth. We are called to reign as king-priests on this planet. The Hebrew word translated "reign" is malak, and it means "to reign, to ascend the throne, to induct into royalty." Thus, when we are called to "Come up hither" to share His throne, we are called to ascend the throne and to be inducted into the royal power of that throne! Therefore, as the elect hear His voice and hasten to His call, we are ascending the very throne of Christ in a greater relationship with Him and in Him. We are being inducted into the royalty of the throne of Christ-into His reigning realm! We are enthroned, robed, and crowned! "His appearance was sparkling like crystal (jasper) and glowing like a carnelian (sardius) gemstone. Surrounding the throne was a circle of green light, like an emerald rainbow" (Revelation 4:3). He had no form, only radiance! John was not looking into the natural elements when he saw the One on the throne. John stood in the very reality of heaven as he was caught up in the highest realm of the Spirit. The One John saw is spirit (John 4:23-24). What John saw was colors and light, for God is light. The crystal, diamond-like glory of God was mingled with the red glow and the emerald rainbow. John saw the Being of God as light streaming and pulsating from the throne room. This is the God you come to when you pray with Jesus.
JASPER (CRYSTAL)
Jasper was the last of the gems (the third stone in the fourth row) in the high priest's breastplate (Exodus 28:20), and it was likely the diamond. The jasper-diamond splendor, the sparkling radiance of His being, diffuses light everywhere. A diamond is precious everyone wants one and is hard and unbreakable and so is the throne of God! This radiant diamond-like stone is what the Father looked like to John when he saw this glorious light emanating out of the Father.
SARDIUS
This a blood-red gemstone, and it was the first stone in the first row of the breastplate of Aaron, the high priest (Exodus 28:17). The sardius (carnelian, ruby) can be compared to God's throbbing heart of fiery passion, burning as a garment. What an amazing truth we discover in the throne room! Our High Priest, the One who is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending (Revelation 1:8), has the appearance of the first and last stones of the breastplate. Here is glory indescribable! The scene is one of luminous splendor!
"SURROUNDING THE THRONE WAS A CIRCLE OF GREEN LIGHT, LIKE AN EMERALD RAINBOW"
There is this emerald rainbow arching over His throne, which, of course, speaks of the mercy of God. All that God does from His throne is covered with mercy. This was not a typical rainbow, for a rainbow has seven colors. This was more like a halo of light, shining all around the throne. It was a full circle, not a half-circle. It could have been horizontally or vertically around the throne. The Greek also allows for the translation "a rainbow made of emerald." The emerald rainbow points to God's mercy and covenant love, for He gave the sign of a rainbow to Noah, signifying that He would never again destroy the world through a flood. The rainbow around the throne would be a clear symbol that everything God does (coming from His throne of majesty) is surrounded with grace and mercy. The Hebrew word for "emerald" is bareqeth, which can also be translated "flashing of light" (Exodus 28:17). God's glory is represented by these three stones: jasper, carnelian, and emerald. When you come before God in prayer, you come to the emerald-rainbow promise of mercy waiting for you! We come before the throne of grace and mercy as sons and daughters, beloved of the Father. Our prayers must always be rooted and grounded in this revelation of mercy. The green hue of this rainbow points to life, not judgment. The rainbow given as a sign to Noah is a promise of life. The rainbow in the throne room of God is that same promise of mercy and life given to the lovers of God.
Mercy is waiting for you in the throne room. Come and take your place, mighty sons and daughters of the Most High God. He is waiting to give us life abundant, mercy overflowing, and grace indescribable!
Pray this today: Father of mercy, God of all grace, We come before you in the heavenly realm. We are your loving children, in whom you delight. We find our true rest when we come before You. Take away the fear that would keep us distant from You. Wash over us again with Your life and mercy. We draw near to You to tell You how much we love You. Draw us over again into Your cloud-filled chamber room of glory, until we never want to leave. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
