Revelation: The Throne in Heaven

My 2nd painting “The Throne in Heaven” is from Revelation chapters 4 and 5. Here we see the door is wide open to heaven and a voice like a trumpet calls out to John to come see what takes place in the future. In spirit John sees the throne in the center of the cosmos with someone sitting on it. And the one sitting there has the appearance of jasper, carnelian and ruby reveling the deeper colors of light. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne as it did when God made a covenant with Noah. Surrounding the throne are twenty-four other thrones and seated on them were twenty-four elders representing the twelve Hebrew tribes and twelve apostles. They are dressed in white with crowns of gold bathing everyone gathered in worship with the light of God. The elders are laying their crowns down in the ultimate worship to God.

In front of the throne, seven lamps are blazing representing the seven distinct expressions of the one Holy Spirit: 1) Spirit of the Lord, 2) Spirit of Wisdom, 3) Spirit of Understanding, 4) Spirit of Counsel, 5) Spirit of Strength, 6) Spirit of Knowledge and 7) the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord. Also, in front of the throne there is what looks like a sea of glass, clear as crystal pure and without flaw like nothing that John had seen.

Below the throne are four living creatures, and they are covered with eyes, in front and in back as a symbol of the intelligence or “brilliance”. The first living creature was like a noble lion, the second was like a strong ox, the third had a face like a wise man, the fourth was like a flying swift eagle all centered in God. Each of the four living creatures like seraphim angels have six wings representing reverence and humility. Day and night they never stop singing:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

The living creatures give glory honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before him who sits on the throne and worshiping the one who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and sing:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created
    and have their being.”

Then in the right hand of him who sat on the throne is a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And John sees a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. He weeps because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

Then John saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes are the same seven spirits of God, the one Holy Spirit sent out into all the earth. He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb with a harp, and a golden bowl full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
     and to open its seals,
 because you were slain,
     and with your blood you purchased for God
     persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,
     and they will reign on the earth.”

John heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were singing:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
     to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
     and honor and glory and praise!”

Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them was singing:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
     be praise and honor and glory and power,
 for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” to acknowledge the one who lives forever freely excepting His will and then the elders knelt and worshiped doing what presently takes place in heaven at the very heart of the universe.