John sees a throne in heaven, and one sits on that throne. The whole picture radiates rest. What a stark contrast to the picture before this of the church in the end times. There is tension, struggle, turmoil, sin, not understanding, and not coping. But surely God is the Almighty, the Omniscient, the All-Embracing for a reason.
God Himself is not seen. Moses saw His rear parts. We may hear His voice and see His works. But seeing Him is impossible. He is too holy for that. How can a mortal human child ever see Him?
But we do see what He is like in this heavenly throne room. That is described in terms of “the appearance of precious stones” and “a rainbow like another precious stone alike.”
“And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone.” We can start falling into all kinds of speculation about these stones and what exactly they mean. It's very simple: we don't know. Gemstones have changed names quite often throughout history, and moreover, gemstones come in different colors, qualities, and sizes. So, what are they all about? Well, gemstones are precious, beautiful to look at, especially when the light falls on them, and also durable. Well, in this way, they also describe who God is. He is like a shining light, a light that breaks down into many colors. By what color would we describe Him? He is the origin of light. He is light itself. And that light is enduring. His light will never be extinguished and will always shine and sparkle. Even if our lives are still so dark and murky, even if there are so many questions and we see so little. There in the heavenly throne room is He, an inaccessible and eternal light in one and all splendor.
“And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.” Around God is a light that encompasses the far reaches of eternity. It encompasses east and west, north and south, like the rainbow that runs from horizon to horizon. The rainbow, image of God faithfulness and goodness, of His mercy and patience. He continued after the fall and continued after the flood. He continued in the flood of sin and wickedness in the end times.
Do we see now why John begins with this image before He goes on to give details of the end times? What John sees is comforting and glorious. Yes, there is even more. We can’t see God the Father, but we can see Christ. Who sees Him sees the Father.