229. And behold, a throne set in heaven. This symbolizes the Judgment in a representative image.

It may be seen in no. 14 that a throne symbolizes heaven. That a throne also symbolizes judgment is apparent from the following passages:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. (Matthew 25:31ff.)

The subject there is the Last Judgment.

...You [Jehovah] have executed my judgment...; You sat on the throne as a righteous judge... Jehovah... will prepare His throne for judgment. (Psalms 9:4-5, 7)

I watched (when)...the Ancient of Days was seated..., His throne (like) a fiery flame... A thousand thousands ministered to Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. He sat in judgment, and the books were opened. (Daniel 7:9-10)

Jerusalem is built...; to it the tribes go up... ...thrones are set there for judgment... (Psalms 122:3-5)

I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was turned over to them. (Revelation 20:4)

The throne that Solomon made, as described in 1 Kings 10:18-20, symbolized both royal authority and judgment, since kings sat upon thrones when they pronounced judgments.

We say that the throne symbolizes the Judgment in a representative image, because the things that John saw were representative visions. He saw them as he described them, but they were images representative of future events, as can be seen from the descriptions that follow, such as his seeing living creatures, a dragon, beasts, a temple, a tabernacle, an ark, and many other things.

Similar images were seen by the prophets, as noted in no. 36 above.

14. And from the seven spirits who are before His throne. This symbolically means, from the whole of heaven, where the Lord is in His Divine truth, and where His Divine truth is received.

The seven spirits mean all who are governed by Divine truth, and in an abstract sense, Divine truth itself. The number seven in the Word means all things or all people, as may be seen in no. 10 above, and the throne means the whole of heaven, as will be seen shortly. Therefore "before His throne" means where His Divine truth is; for heaven is not heaven in consequence of the angels' own qualities, but owing to the Lord's Divinity, as we have shown many times in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Providence and Divine Love and Wisdom.

That the Lord's throne symbolizes heaven is apparent from the following passages:

Thus said Jehovah: "The heavens are My throne...." (Isaiah 66:1)

Jehovah has established His throne in the heavens... (Psalms 103:19)

He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God... (Matthew 23:22)

Above the firmament that was over the head (of the cherubim), in appearance like a sapphire stone, was the likeness of a throne, and on (it)...the appearance of a man... (Ezekiel 1:26, cf. 10:1)

The expanse over the head of the cherubim means heaven. Further, in the book of Revelation:

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit... on My throne... (Revelation 3:21)

To be on His throne means to be in heaven. Specifically it means to be where His Divine truth reigns. Consequently, where judgment is the subject, it is also said that the Lord will sit upon His throne, for judgment is effected by means of truths.