Revelation 4:2

And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.

What a phrase that is. “Immediately I was in the spirit.” I am really looking forward to that. I am looking forward to being immediately changed.

How many times today did we think a fleshly thought, react in a fleshly way, or do something in the flesh? We all know that battle. We all struggle with it constantly. We all fail repeatedly. But there is coming a day when that struggle will be over. First John 3:2 says that when we see Him, we shall be like Him. That means no more wrestling with the flesh, no more grieving over our weakness, no more constant inward battle. I am really looking forward to that day.

Then John says, “Behold, a throne was set in heaven.” The first thing that caught his eye was a throne. Not clouds. Not angels. Not colors. A throne. Set there. Planted there. Established there.

I think that had to be a vital word for John to pass on to the people under his care, especially in a time of persecution. Everything around them was shaking. Pressure was increasing. The world looked unstable. But John says, in effect, The first thing I saw was a throne set in heaven.

I like that.

Because the altars of this world are always moving. In the Old Testament, the altars of Baal and Ashtaroth were portable. They could be moved from one high place to another. And the same thing is true of the false gods people serve today.

If a man worships at the altar of materialism, he gets the house, buys the car, reaches the goal, and for a little while it seems satisfying. Then it stops working, so he has to move on to something bigger, newer, better.

If a person worships at the altar of sensuality, that works for a season too, until it does not, and then he is off looking for someone else, something else, another altar.

If a man worships at the altar of intellectualism, diving into this idea or that philosophy, after a little while even that becomes stale. He gets bored, and he goes looking again.

That is why we live in a culture that keeps saying, Been there, done that, now what?

That is the voice of a restless world.
That is the cry of a heart that keeps moving from altar to altar.
That is what happens when nothing is fixed.

But not so with the Lord.

His throne is set.

It does not move with the times.
It does not shift with the culture.
It does not lose its glory.
It does not wear out.

That is why walking with Him never becomes empty. The world always promises satisfaction and then leaves people bored. But the Lord is different. The longer you walk with Him, the richer it gets. The deeper it gets. The more challenging, more beautiful, and more satisfying it becomes. Why? Because His throne is set.

Then John says, “And one sat on the throne.” That is another glorious truth. Heaven is not empty. The throne is not vacant. The universe is not drifting. There is One seated there.

Not an idea.
Not a force.
Not a theory.

One sat on the throne.

So before John tells us anything else about heaven, he tells us what he saw first. A throne. And someone on it.

Beloved, that changes everything. The flesh may still trouble us for a little while longer. The world may still shake. People may still run from one broken altar to another. But above it all there is a throne set in heaven, and One sits on that throne.

And that is enough to steady the heart.