commitment to God, Christ, and the Christian community, even when this generated opposition from those in authority. Revelation emphasizes that God, not Caesar, is Lord of the world. The splendor of God’s heavenly throne room shows that the pageantry of the Roman court is but a mockery of the true sovereignty of God (4:1–11). When the Lamb opens the seals on God’s scroll, a mounted bowman appears, resembling the Parthian warriors that threatened the borders of the Roman Empire, and another horseman
Page 31