Rev.4:3 – 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.
John was charged with an impossible task, he was commanded to describe the glory of the Lord that he saw when he was taken into heaven so that everyone from John’s time up until the very last day of this age could go taste and enjoy the goodness of the Lord for themselves. Some of the things John saw cannot be described in our natural language. He saw Jesus as the Lion and the Lamb, he saw a crystal sea, he saw millions and millions of angels, he even saw the redeemed from every tribe and tongue. One of the most unusual things John saw may have been himself. John would have to be one of the twenty four elders; I wonder if his seat was empty? John saw a rainbow, a green rainbow, encircling the throne. Here is what the NLT Study Bible says about that.
“Rather than painting a visual picture of God, John uses gemstones and the rainbow to suggest God’s qualities. The rainbow speaks of God’s grace as it recalls God’s covenant with Noah that he would never again destroy the earth with water. In Revelation, however, we see the earth destroyed by fire.”
In light of the incredible judgement that the Lord showed to John that was about to be unleashed on the earth, grace and love surrounding the throne is quite important. Without God’s grace we would all be consumed. Here is something Jonathan Edwards said about the emerald rainbow.
“The glory that is about him that reigns in heaven is so radiant and sweet that it is compared to a rainbow “in sight like unto an emerald,” and it is the rainbow that is so often used in the Old Testament as the fit token of God’s love and grace manifested in his covenant.”
I’m sure John felt the pressure of the judgement to come as he felt the spirit of this age push against the church as John was literally a prisoner on a remote island. We too can feel the impending doom in the air as the certain judgement of God draws near. The rainbow is our promise of God’s covenant love for His sons and daughters. If God is for me who can be against me. I am tucked away in His hand as the apocalyptic drama unfolds all around us.