John, especially in Revelation, has a knack for making the ordinary unfamiliar. A throne…that shoots lightning. A sea…of crystal, or glass. Seven lampstands…that are spirits, and—earlier—churches. But this is good theological practice. God, after all, is familiar yet extraordinary. He’s our friend, our father, our mother, our maker, our Creator, our redeemer, our lord…we have good earthly examples of all of these, yet God surpasses them swiftly. We know who God is…ish. Which is why we can relate to John’s vision. He sees things we ought to comprehend, but cannot—at least, not in the ways he’s put them together. In much the same way, we understand what God wants from us, but not always how. His thoughts are not our thoughts, and his ways are far beyond our ways. We yearn to know him more, yet tremble the more we know him.
Adapted from the Crux of Revelation