The Book of Revelation: Mystery of The Rainbow Throne | Jonathan Cahn Sermon

The Mystery of the Rainbow Throne: Revelation’s Vision of God’s Glory | Jonathan Cahn

The Book of Revelation opens a door into eternity, giving us a glimpse of the throne room of God. John writes, “After these things, I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven.” This was not just a doorway—it was a portal into another dimension, into the eternal. Just as Ezekiel and Isaiah once saw visions of heaven, John is lifted into the Spirit and beholds the glory of the Almighty.

He hears a voice like a trumpet calling, “Come up here.” The trumpet is not just sound—it is the voice of God. In the Temple, every morning began with the blast of trumpets as the gates were opened. At Mount Sinai, when God descended in fire, the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder until the mountain shook. This same voice calls John into the courts of heaven.

And what does he see? A throne. The Lord seated upon it, radiant as jasper and sardius stone—glowing like jewels, fiery red like blood and redemption, shining with emerald light, the color of life and newness. Around the throne stretches a rainbow, a sign of God’s covenant that existed before the first storm ever fell upon the earth.

Surrounding the throne are 24 elders clothed in white with golden crowns. They represent the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 apostles of the Lamb—the Old Covenant and the New, joined as one in Messiah. The church is not complete without Israel, and Israel is not complete without the church. Together, they form the Kingdom of God, sitting on thrones, reigning with Him.

From the throne come flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, and seven lamps of fire—the seven spirits of God. Before it lies a sea of glass, clear and transparent, reflecting the purity of heaven where nothing is hidden. Unlike the stormy seas of history, this sea is calm, peaceful, radiant with the glory of God. Heaven is pure, undivided, without mixture—only light, only truth, only life.

Then John sees four living beings around the throne. They are full of eyes, seeing in every direction, because God sees all. Each has six wings, like the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision. One is like a lion, one like an ox, one like a man, and one like an eagle. Together they reveal the fourfold nature of God: His majesty as King, His strength and power, His humanity reflected in us, and His transcendent Spirit soaring above all.

These beings inspire holy awe. Not the soft angels of greeting cards, but burning, radiant beings that cause Isaiah to cry, “Woe is me, for I am undone!” In their presence, Isaiah was convicted of his sin, and then cleansed and called. Peter, too, when confronted with the glory of Messiah, said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” And yet in that moment, he was given his calling: “From now on, you will be a fisher of men.”

Awe leads to conviction. Conviction leads to repentance. Repentance leads to calling. But in much of modern Christianity, we have lost the norah—the holy fear, the awe of God. We have grown comfortable, forgetting that our God is not only Savior, but also the consuming fire who reigns from the rainbow throne.

If we truly saw His glory, even for a moment, we would drop every sin, every distraction, and give Him everything. To live in His awe is to live undivided, purified, and filled with His Spirit. This is the mystery of the rainbow throne—the vision that calls us not just to wonder, but to surrender.