seals of God’s plan, concluding with “the wrath of the Lamb” from which the wicked vainly seek to hide (6:16–17). Chapter 7 concludes the second section with the praise of the redeemed in the glory of the age to come. Knowing what is to come, we can understand why this vision focuses on the throne in heaven. William Hendriksen writes: “The purpose of this vision is to show us, in beautiful symbolism, that all things are governed by the Lord on the throne.”2 The visions that follow involve increasingly