Around the Merkavah (~1.5hrs)
Thousands of years ago, ancient Hebrews believed that their God was not tied to a specific place. They called his throne Merkavah (chariot). A throne with wheels and floating Keruvim moved to where He needed to be. The Bible depicted this reality in the visions seen by prophets of old, so today, this is not a revolutionary idea, yet most ancient people saw gods tied to specific locations.
Enoch features several Merkavah throne scenes. In 1 Enoch 14, the author is taken up, not by his own effort, but carried into a realm that feels less like a place and more like a boundary between worlds. He approaches a vast structure, a house not built by human hands. Its walls shimmer like crystal, translucent and alive, and its floor seems to ripple with light. Later, in 1 Enoch 18, the prophet is shown the outer reaches of this same order—not the throne itself, but the zones that border its influence. He sees mountains burning day and night, great masses of fire that do not diminish. Rivers of flame flow like boundaries, marking divisions in the cosmos. In 1 Enoch 60, the seer encounters the “Head of Days” seated upon the throne of glory. The scene is no longer just overwhelming—it is structured. The heavens themselves respond to this presence; they tremble, as if the order of creation is aware of its source.
This movable Merkavah throne surfaces in the Book of Revelation. In fact, Revelation offers some very interesting imagery that is linked to Jewish traditions that are much older than two millennia. In this lecture, I dig into the Jewish cultural contexts of select verses from Revelation chapters 4 and 5.
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