the throne is not vacant. The universe is not a chaos nor is it ruled by blind fate. Someone is in charge. The words “one seated on the throne” occur twelve times in Revelation; it is John’s way of saying “God.” Like the drama as a whole, this scene is theocentric. Knowing the future is not a matter of obtaining information but of knowing God who holds the future. The ultimate future is not an item of information to be analyzed but a person to be encountered. Despite his heavy dependence on Ezekiel,