Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Revelation 4:2

"Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;" — Revelation 4:2 (ASV)

Chapter 4 is above all a vision of the royal throne of God. The prophet ascends “in the Spirit” to see the source of all that will happen on earth (cf. 1:10). It will all be an expression of the throne’s purpose; nothing happens in the past, present, or future apart from God’s intention. Whatever authority is given to an angel or to a horseman is given by God. The throne symbolizes God’s majesty and power. Yet his majestic transcendence is fully safeguarded—John does not attempt to describe the “someone sitting on” the throne (cf. 1 Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 18:18; Psalms 47:8; Isaiah 6:1ff.; Ezekiel 1:26–28).

The minerals “jasper” and “carnelian” portray the supernatural splendor of God while the “rainbow, resembling an emerald,” conveys the impression of God’s encircling brilliance (cf. Ezekiel 1:27–28). But we need not find symbolism in each element of the vision; it is enough to allow the imagery to create the impression of transcendent glory. Whether John intends God’s judgment to be part of the symbolism of the throne vision (cf. Psalms 9:4, 7) is not clear. What is unmistakably clear is that all—whether elders, angels, lamps, sea of glass, or living creatures—centers on the throne and the one who sits on it, “who lives for ever and ever” (v.9).