Worship in the throne room
Worship in the throne room is the answer to the issues laid out in the letters to the churches. Why and how is this the introduction to all the plagues that follow?
The background and context
The verse at the end of the previous chapter has already mentioned the throne room of God, but there are further links to the first three chapters that address the situation of the church. Common phrases are used in both the letters and the section on the throne room.
| Topic | Letters | Throne room |
|---|---|---|
| Reception of authority | in the promise of the Morning Star given to the overcomers in Thyatira | For the Lamb to receive the scroll, as well as honor and glory |
| Overcomer | Laodicea receives a promise to sit on the throne | The Lamb overcame (death) and is worthy to open the scroll |
| The seven spirits of God | In the letter to Sardis | The description of what is before the throne and the description of the eyes of the Lamb |
| The saints white clothing | Conquerors clothes white clothing in Sardis, and Jesus’ offer to Laodicea | White clothing of the 24 elders |
| Saints seated on thrones | Promise for the overcomers in Laodicea | Situation of the 24 elders |
| Saints have crowns | As promised to Smyrna and reality in Philadelphia | as in the picture of the 24 elders |
| Image of an open door | In the reality in Philadelphia and in the wish of Laodicea | As the introduction to the throne room |
| Voice like a trumpet with rapture in the Spirit | Start of the vision regarding the churches | Start of the vision here in the throne room |
These relations provide the Church with a vision for their spiritual reality, and a vision of how to follow Christ’s example. The reality shown in this vision is part of the reality the church should act upon.
Daniel 7 has a striking parallel to chapter 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation:
| Topic | Daniel 7 | Revelation 4-5 |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction phrases | Daniel | Revelation |
| Throne in heaven | Daniel | Revelation |
| God sits on this throne | Daniel | Revelation |
| The description of God | Daniel | Revelation |
| Fire before the throne | Daniel | Revelation |
| Heavenly servants surround the throne | Daniel | Revelation (24 elders, 4 living beings and angels) |
| Books before the throne | Daniel | Revelation |
| Books are opened | Daniel | Revelation |
| Divine (messianic) figure approaches throne to receive authority | Daniel | In Revelation (as description, because Jesus bought them from all nations which all give him praise) |
| The scope: all peoples, nation and tongues | Daniel | Revelation |
| The seer’s distress when seeing the vision | Daniel | Revelation |
| The seer’s reception of heavenly council from one of the throne servants | Daniel | Revelation |
| Saints given authority to reign over a kingdom | Daniel, not only twice but three times | Revelation |
| Concluding mention of God’s eternal reign | Daniel | Revelation |
Although there are many parallels, you can easily see that the order of events are different in both passages.
This scene reminds us on the angelic council regarding
- the calling of Isaiah or
- the decision about Ahabs death
Why is worship the answer?
We can categorize the problems in the churches as follows:
- Wrong doctrine leads to wrong behavior (Pergamon, Thyatira)
- Wrong self-evaluation leads to wrong actions (Sardis, Laodicea)
- Wrong priorities lead to meaninglessness (Ephesus)
- Very difficult circumstances increase the risk of giving up (Smyrna, Philadelphia)
For all of them, worship is the answer.
- The more we know and understand the original, the less we are influenced by false teachings.
- When we know God and worship him as he is, we understand ourselves better and see where we need him.
- When we find our place in relation to God, our priorities fall into place, for “If God is not first, everything else is in the wrong place.
- When we put our trust in God and walk faithfully with him, we are not easily shaken because we have found something that is unshakable.
The throne room
John’s first impression is the glory of God: this is so potent it’s impossible to see God directly. When Moses asked to see God’s glory, he could not, but instead God showed him His mercy. Thus God’s glory can be described as His mercy. Therefore, we should read his judgments from the viewpoint of mercy.
The second point is the rainbow. This is a reminder of the covenant with Noah, where God created a rainbow as his promise never to flood the earth again and to maintain the seasons. There are no demands on Noah in this covenant. This aspect throws another light on the nature of the plagues that come out of the throne room. There are judgments, but they are limited.
The last one is the sea of glass. This has three associations:
- God's glory in heaven and on earth during the Exodus
- Israel’s crossing of the Red Sea during the Exodus
- The bronze sea Solomon's temple
The sea is the place of evil and includes evil people, thus the sea of glass is a picture of congealed evil.
The picture of the sea of glass indicates that God is close to His people and protects them. The saints will also be present during the plagues, but God will be with them and protect them.
This is also the theme here: Every series of plagues or announcement originates in the throne room. This is the central place in the book. Therefore, it is important to understand this place.
When we look at the coming events, we see that
- The seals cause tremendous trouble, but their purpose is to expose Satan’s wickedness, to save as many as possible, and to speed up the end of time.
- The trumpets expose the false things that people rely on. The fifth and sixth trumpets reveal that the cause of the trouble is people's reliance on demons.
- The bowls are where God puts everything to warn people from being deceived; showing in the sixth and seventh bowls the end of beast and its followers.
The worship
In ancient times, the temple (which is a reflection of the heavenly throne room) is a representation of the world. God is in the center, and everything around him finds its place in relation to him.
The creation is represented by the four creatures mentioned by Ezekiel:
- Lion, the ruler of the land animals
- Ox, the strongest of the domesticated animals
- Man, as the ruler of creation
- Eagle, the ruler of the air
They are joined by the 24 elders, reflecting the 24 divisions of priests, 24 Levitical gatekeepers and 24 permanent worshipers introduced by David, but also the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles as the foundation of the Church. This means that Israel and the Church should be seen as one entity despite all their conflicts. The Church is defined as a church of worship.