(3) The throne of God and of the Lamb--22:3. The divine rule of God and of Christ together in the “ kingdom of Christ and God” (Ephesians 5:5) removed the penal judgment for sin from the inhabitants of the redeemed city--and there shall be no more curse--that is, no more of anything that was accursed, no accursed person or thing should have a place in the Holy City. The curse of sin was removed by Jesus Christ. The apostle declared that “ Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:13), being made a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” It was this death of ignominy on the cross, as declared in the following verse (14) that brought “ the blessing of Abraham . . . on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” In the Holy City Jerusalem there should be no more curse of sin to the redeemed inhabitants. There was also a dual meaning attached to this symbol of the curse. In the period of the tribulation there had been the edict for the worship of the emperor in bowing to the Caesar-image, and all who refused submission were placed under the imperial curse. Having come out of the tribulation, the persecutors cast into the brimstone lake, the victors over oppression were symbolized as delivered from the curse of the imperial edict. From this setting which remains always in the background of Revelation, and much of the time in the foreground, the progressive application was made to the spiritual state of the New Jerusalem church. In the environment of the new state the constituency of the ransomed city should not only pay homage of worship to Him who was on the throne, but should also do service--his servants shall serve him (verse 3). At the beginning of the Revelation (chapter 1:6) John said that Jesus Christ hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father in his church and kingdom here; and in chapter 5:10 the Seer said that this kingly and priestly character of the saints redeemed from persecution is further indication that the descriptions were of the church, and not of heaven. It is full harmony with the general teaching of the New Testament that Christians are priests in the church now (1 Peter 2:5; 1 Peter 2:9) and the church therefore is “ a holy priesthood.”