Seated on His Throne . . .

 

On the seventh day after creation, God ceased working and rested. Did He SIT down? Perhaps.

There are thrones where human rulers sit in authority and a throne where God is seated on High. There are seats where scoffers sit and a seat of the image of jealousy as described by Ezekiel, both defeated by Christ. There is a seat describing the reign of violence and seats for money-changers who sold pigeons in the temple. Jesus overthrows both. His mercy seat depicts atonement and the covering of sin.

There are the ‘best seats’ in the synagogues and at feasts for the proud and grassy hillsides where the humble were seated to listen to Jesus, as was the Ethiopian seated in his chariot hungry to understand God’s Word.

There were judgment seats where the Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel decided disputed cases, pointing ahead to the “bema” seat where God will sit to judge the works of His people and a great white throne of judgment where He judges those not written in His book of life.

When John was given a revelation of Christ, he saw the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, and one seated on a throne, and more thrones:

Revelation 4:2–11. At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind . . . And the four living creatures . . . day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

In the end, when rebellion against God reaches its maximum and when false religion is depicted as a “prostitute seated on many waters” and is judged, then Revelation 19:4 declares,“the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, ‘Amen. Hallelujah!’ ”

After this, Revelation 20:11–15 describes what God does — as He is seated:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

After this, God reveals the outcome in Revelation 21:5–7.

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He added,  “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

GAZE INTO HIS GLORY. Simply put, Jesus wins. These days, with wars, wildfires, pandemic hysteria, refugees pleading for help, and bad news everywhere, one option is a deep longing to go home, leave this place and be with Jesus. The other option is to realize He sits on the throne and rules all of it. I do not understand His plan, but I do believe in His wisdom and power and that He operates from a seated position indicating certainty that His plans will be accomplished. When He gave His life for our sin, He said, “It is finished” — He does not need to say it again.