Disciples Digital Library

God is the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty who sits on the throne at the center of Creation .  In  Revelation , God is the “ Almighty ,” the “ One Who sits on the throne ,” the “ Alpha and Omega .” And He is the “ One Who is and Who was and Who is coming .” This last phrase is more than a declaration about His nature, and the appellation is modified at key points to mark the consummation of the present age.

The salutations from the throne highlight key themes of the book, especially the victory and present reign of Jesus .  The next paragraph presents greetings to the “ seven churches ” from the “ throne ” - from God, Jesus, and the “ Seven Spirits of God .” It stresses Christ’s current over the earth. His sovereignty is based on his death and resurrection. The recipients of the book   are identified as the “ seven churches ” from key cities of the province.

The image of the Throne presents the reader with God reigning over all things at the center of the Cosmos  –  Revelation 4:1-11 .  The vision of the “ throne ” is the theological center of the book and sets the stage for all that follows. In chapter 4, John sees the divine “ throne ” and the “ One Who Sits on it ” reigning from the center of the Creation, and in chapter 5, he sees the “ slain Lamb ” take the “ sealed scroll ” from the “ throne ” and all creation declare him “ worthy ” to break its seals and open it.

Revelation is a message to the church, the people of God, and one concerned with its situation on the earth  – Revelation 4:1-3.  After Jesus finished dictating his letters to the “ seven churches ,” John saw an “ open door in heaven ” and heard the voice from his first vision summoning him to “ come up here .” He then found himself standing before the “ throne set in heaven .”