In this episode we look at the meaning of John’s being called to heaven, the door to heaven, and the various features surrounding God the Father’s presence in throne room. Why a rainbow? Why the colors for carnelian, jasper and emerald? Why flashes of lightening and thunder? This episode explains all of these elements as understood by the original audience as informed by the broader witness of the Scriptures, namely, the book of Ezekiel and the Psalms.
Door in Heaven. This isn’t the only time in the Bible where we see a door to heaven. The door to heaven symbolizes limited access to God’s presence. The notion that people cannot freely come into the direct presence ofGod is reinforced through the various layers in the tabernacle/temple structure a the need for atonement to enter into the holy presence of God. The point? That Jesus is the only way to salvation (John 14:6). Only Jesus brings together (atonement; reconciliation) humanity and divinity. Only Jesus raised from the dead thereby defeated the power of sin and death. Jesus is the only way. He is the door (John 10:9).
Colors and Light. All the colors in heaven underline the fact that God lives in light (see 1 Tim. 6:16). Light is life-giving. In Genesis 1, the first thing that God does to bring order and life to the lifeless chaos is create light.
Flashes of Lightening and Peals of Thunder. “Storms convey the fearsome quality of divine power in Revelation (8:5; 11:19; 16:18), Jewish tradition (Pss 18:14; 77:18), and Greco-Roman sources (Homer, Il. 7.443)” (Koester, Revelation Yale, 363); See Psalm 77:18. Lightening and thunder also signal God’s presence at Sinai (Ex. 19:16).
