April 5: The Supremacy of God

‘After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.’ (4:1-3)

God is never described as such, because, apart from the fact that God is spirit and can’t be seen, he is infinite and so indescribable. To be sure there is someone seated on the throne ruling, but he can’t easily be captured by words. Thus he is described as having the appearance of jasper and the appearance of ruby and so on. God himself is never directly described; it is always in terms of the ‘likeness of’ and never ‘this is what he is.’