It is certainly possible that the Greek would admit of that interpretation, but it is not the most obvious or probable. ¶ _|Was| as it were of a trumpet._ It resembled the sound of a trumpet, ch. i. 10. ¶ _Talking with me._ As of a trumpet that seemed to speak directly to me. ¶ _Which said._ That is, the voice said. ¶ _Come up hither._ To the place whence the voice seemed to proceed――heaven. ¶ _And I will show thee things which must be hereafter._ Gr., “after these things.” The reference is to future events; and the meaning is, that there would be disclosed to him events that were to occur at some future period. There is no intimation here _when_ they would occur, or what would be embraced in the period referred to. All that the words would properly convey would be, that there would be a disclosure of things that were to occur in some future time. 2 And immediately I was [177]in the Spirit: and, behold, a [178]throne was set in heaven, and [179]_one_ sat on the throne. 2. _And immediately I was in the Spirit._ See Notes on ch. i. 10. He does not affirm that he was caught up into heaven, nor does he say what impression was on his own mind, if any, as to the place where he was; but he was at once absorbed in the contemplation of the visions before him. He was doubtless still in Patmos, and these things were made to pass before his mind as a reality; that is, they appeared as real to him as if he saw them, and they were in fact a real symbolical representation {109} of things occurring in heaven. ¶ _And, behold, a throne was set in heaven._ That is, a throne was _placed_ there. The first thing that arrested his attention was a throne. This was “in heaven”――an expression which proves that the scene of the vision was not the temple in Jerusalem, as some have supposed. There is no allusion to the temple, and no imagery drawn from the temple. Isaiah had his vision (Is. vi.) in the holy of holies of the temple; Ezekiel (ch. i. 1), by the river Chebar; but John looked directly into heaven, and saw the throne of God, and the encircling worshippers there. ¶ _And |one| sat on the throne._ It is remarkable that John gives no description of him who sat on the throne, nor does he indicate who he was by name. Neither do Isaiah or Ezekiel attempt to describe the appearance of the Deity, nor are there any intimations of that appearance given from which a picture or an image could be formed. So much do their representations accord with what is demanded by correct taste; and so sedulously have they guarded against any encouragement of idolatry. 3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and _there was_ a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.