What is “the throne of God and of the Lamb”

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. . . . And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever."

“Throne" is singular in the Greek text. There is only one throne in this context, and that is "the throne of God" mentioned in the following six verses:

Matt. 23:22: "And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it."

Heb. 12:2: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Rev. 7:15: "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them."

Rev. 14:5: "And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault before the throne of God."

Rev. 22:1: "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb."

Rev. 22:3: "And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him."

The Bible nowhere speaks of "the throne of the Lamb." However, the Lamb is closely associated with "the throne of God." When the risen Lamb of God ascended into heaven, he was exalted and glorified by his Father. Christ is the most highly exalted and glorious person in the universe, next to God. He is located very near the throne, for he "has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:2; see also Ps. 110:1; Mark 16:19; Acts 2:33, 34; 5:31; 7:55, 56; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:9-11; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3; 2:9; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1 Pet. 3:22; and Rev. 3:21) Clearly Jesus Christ is not God, but he is next to God, sitting or standing beside God, near God, close to God.

The following texts also describe the Lamb's close proximity to the throne of God. In all cases we note that God – not “the Lamb” – is on the throne and the Lamb is near the throne:

Rev. 5:13: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!"

Rev. 6:16: "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!"

Rev. 7:9: "Behold, a great multitude . . . standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands."

Rev. 7:10: "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

We note that the One sitting upon the throne is "God" and that "the Lamb" is separate and distinct from the One is identified as "God" and "Him who sits on the throne." Therefore, "the Lamb" cannot be God. If the God who sits on the throne is the three Persons of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit), and the Lamb is sitting upon an additional throne, then the Lamb has to be sitting upon two thrones. Why is the Father not also sitting upon two thrones? And why is there no mention at all of a throne for the Holy Spirit?

Similarly, at Rev. 21:22 the apostle John reports: "But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple." If "the Lamb" is "the Lord God Almighty," why are they separated by the conjunction "and" as though they are separate entities? Would it have made any sense if John had said "the Lord God Almighty and the Father"? Of course not! But it does make sense to say "the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb" because "the Lamb" is not "the Lord God Almighty" as is the Father.

The Revelation of John frequently shows that God and the Lamb and the Holy Spirit are not the same:

Rev. 5:13: "Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Note that the Holy Spirit is not included in this blessing by every creature.)

Rev. 7:10: "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!" (Note that the great multitude ascribe salvation to God and the Lamb, but not to the Holy Spirit.)

Rev 11:15: "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ." (Note that the Holy Spirit is missing from the message of the seventh and last trumpet.)

Rev. 12:10: "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come." (Note that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned.)

Rev. 14:1: "Behold, a Lamb . . ., and with Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name written on their foreheads." (Note that the name of the Holy Spirit is not written on their foreheads.)

Rev. 14:4: "These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to the Lamb." (Note that they are not firstfruits to the Holy Spirit.)

Rev 14:12: "The saints . . . who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Note that the Holy Spirit is missing.)

Rev. 19:6, 7: "The Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us . . . give Him
glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come." (The Holy Spirit is not
mentioned.)

Rev. 20:4: "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, . . . And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Why do they not also reign with the Father and with the Holy Spirit if the Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit are together in the Godhead?

Rev. 20:6: "They shall be priests of God and of Christ." (Why are they not also priests of the Holy Spirit?)

Because he speaks for God as his chief representative, Jesus is described in the following two verses as being "in the midst of the throne."

Rev. 5:6: "And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth."

Rev. 7:17: "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

God is never described as being "in the midst of the throne," but creatures are:

Rev. 4:6: "Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back."

Jesus is also said to sit upon God's throne, but that does not make him God. If it does, then we must conclude that David and Solomon also were members of the Godhead:

1 Chron. 29:23: "Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him."

Jesus sits upon God's throne, not because he is God, but because God has granted him that wonderful honour, just as Jesus grants his disciples the honour of sitting upon his own throne:

Rev. 3:21: "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne."

The exaltation of Jesus to a glorious throne is described in the following way. We note that he is not God (the Ancient of Days), but he is the Son of Man who is brought before and glorified by God (the Ancient of Days):

Dan. 7:13, 14: "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed."

Jesus is like the certain nobleman who "went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return." (Luke 19:11-15) Heaven is that "far country" where he is coronated as King. (Dan. 7:13, 14) He will exercise his kingship and sit upon his own throne of glory when he returns. The Church will share in Christ's future rulership. Overcomers will be joint-heirs with Christ:

Rom. 8:17: "And if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together."

2 Tim. 2:12: "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us."

Believers will be "kings and priests" while Christ is "King of kings" and "High Priest over the house of God." (Rev. 1:6; 17:14; Heb. 10:21) The following texts also show that the Church will rule with Christ in his future kingdom:

Rev. 5:10: "And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth."

Rev. 20:4: "And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years."

In conclusion, we note that in Rev. 22:1-5, the "servants," "face," and "name" of only one Person are mentioned. That one Person is obviously "the Lord God" who sits upon “the throne of God.” (Verse 5)