Every nation has a center, which is its capital, the place where the central government is located. The New Jerusalem also has a center, which is the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1), the throne of our redeeming God. This throne is the administrative center of the city. Since there will be the throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem, God’s ruling will be among the saints.
Today there are kings and queens on many thrones, but the day will come when in the entire universe there will be a central city, and the center of that central city will be the throne of God. The Possessor of that throne will be the redeeming God, God and the Lamb. For eternity we will not forget that He is not only our God but also our Redeemer. He has redeemed us back to Himself, and now we are centered around His throne. As the redeeming God, Christ will administrate within the New Jerusalem in the new heaven and new earth. From the throne Christ, the redeeming God, will carry out His administration, based on His redemption, in the eternal kingdom in the new heaven and new earth. Christ’s work of administrating within the New Jerusalem is for His expression through His administration.
In the first section of Revelation (1:1—11:19) the throne of God is the center, and in the second section (12:1—22:21) the temple of God is the center. At the end of the book of Revelation, the throne of God is in the temple. Thus, the throne and temple have become one.
There is a distinction between the temple and the city. The temple emphasizes a dwelling place, a habitation, whereas the city emphasizes administration. The temple is a matter of presence, whereas the city is a matter of sovereign power, authority. When the New Jerusalem appears, these two will be combined. The New Jerusalem is a city, which is of authority, and God’s tabernacle with men, which is a dwelling. Hence, in the New Jerusalem we see both God’s presence and God’s authority. Although both aspects are combined, the emphasis in the city is on authority. Hence, the center of the New Jerusalem is the throne of God and of the Lamb, with God’s sovereign power, God’s authority (v. 3).
Our God is not only the God on the throne for His administration nor only the God in the temple for His expression. He is the God on the throne in the temple for His expression through His administration. God’s throne is for His administration, and God’s temple is for His expression. The fact that the throne is in the temple means that God’s administration is for His expression. In eternity future God’s throne will be in the center of the New Jerusalem, and His expression will extend to the circumference. Therefore, our God is both the God of administration and the God of expression.
The throne in the New Jerusalem is on top of the city, the top of the golden mountain. The one street in this city eventually leads to the throne. The Lord Jesus came down to earth from His throne that He might bring God into man. This is the Triune God coming out of Himself to reach mankind. When we received Him into us, we were baptized into Him. Baptism is the real entrance into the Triune God (Matt. 28:19), and the entrance into the Triune God is the initial entrance into the New Jerusalem. Immediately after we pass through the pearl gates, we find ourselves on the golden street that leads us upward to the throne of God.
The throne of God and of the Lamb is founded on a golden base, which is God Himself. This throne is also one with the base. The throne and the base, both of which are of gold, are one (cf. 1 Kings 10:18).
The throne signifies the administration of the New Jerusalem. This means that the administration of the holy city, an organic building, is built on the base (God the Father’s nature) as its foundation. Psalm 89:14 says that righteousness is the foundation of God’s throne. This implies that the nature of God as the foundation of God’s administration refers, in this aspect, to God’s attribute of righteousness. God has a nature, and His nature is of many attributes, which include love, light, holiness, righteousness, and kindness. All these divine virtues are the attributes of God. Among all these divine attributes, the most important is righteousness. This is why we need to be saved according to God’s righteousness (Rom. 1:16-17; 3:21-22). If we are saved only according to God’s grace or according to God’s love, our salvation is not legally justified—it is not judicial. Anything that is of righteousness is judicial, legal, according to the law.
The foundation of God’s throne is not grace or love. Such a foundation would not be sure to us. God’s throne is established on righteousness as its foundation. This righteousness is the main attribute in God’s nature. In the New Jerusalem both the street and the base are gold, signifying God’s nature in the attribute of righteousness. This is the foundation of the throne of God.