Visions of God
When dangers engulfed God’s people and the powers of wickedness were too great, the Lord called His prophets to look to Him through His visions. They saw Him seated upon His throne and guiding the affairs of the Universe. This He did that they may be encouraged with hope and patience. These visions of divine glory were called theophanies.
These revelations may be considered as grand introductions by which God escorted His prophets into a new realm of knowledge and understanding. The Lord empowered His prophets with these visions that they would preach with more conviction. Isaiah, preached, “Mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (Isaiah 6:5).
Prophets in the Old Testament
Moses was first given the honor of seeing God on His throne. We read that “Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity” (Exodus 24:10).
Also, the prophet Micaiah saw the Lord seated upon His throne, with the armies of heaven standing by Him (1 Kings 22:19). In this amazing vision, he was able to see the heavenly host behind the human affairs (Job 1:6–12).
Likewise, Amos the prophet saw the Lord standing by the altar in the Temple court, during the reign of Uzziah (Amos 9:1). And he had a glimpse of the Majesty of heaven. He saw God ready to punish His rebellious people (Ezekiel 10:1).
The prophet Isaiah also saw a similar vision. He beheld the Lord sitting upon a throne of glory (Isaiah 6:1). This revelation of the divine glory happened upon the occasion of one of Isaiah’s visits to the sacred grounds of the Temple. God wanted him to know that in spite of all the might of Assyria, He was still in control of the affairs of earth.
During the Babylonian captivity, Daniel had a similar vision (Daniel 7:9). But he saw only a representation of the Deity. Likewise, the prophet Ezekiel was given the honor of seeing God (Ezekiel 1:1; 10:1–5).
Prophets in the New Testament
In the Christian church, the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, beheld a glorious “throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and on the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white robes; and they had crowns of gold on their heads” (Revelation 4:1–6).
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
