Longing for Eternity

Session 6: The Man on the Throne

I.The Darling of Heaven:

The center point and purpose of Heaven is the man Jesus, so when we think about eternity we want to have enough information about Him that we can get lost there. This section reveals various aspects of how the Bible reveals the worth of Christ by pointing out all the glory of Heaven pointing to Him. As we look at the incredibledetails about His nature it causes our hearts to ask the question “what manner of man is this?” Jesus is the darling of Heaven and everything revolves around Him.

“For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Ro. 11:36).”

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being (Re. 4:11).”

  1. Jesus is the One Worshiped inHeaven:

There is so much that we can learn about Jesus by seeing the amount of attention that Heaven gives to Him. Jesus is the center of worship in the eternal city.

  1. All of Heaven adores Him (Re. 4:11).
  2. He is encircled by the four living creatures (Re. 5:6).
  3. The 24 elders fall down before Him (Re. 4:9).
  4. Millions of angels encircle Him (Re. 5:11).
  5. He is the center of all worship (Re. 4:10).
  6. All the nations will worship Him (Re. 7:9).
  1. Jesus is the Beautiful God:

He is seen as beautiful; the very epitome of perfection and grace. As such, everything about Him and everything that surrounds Him radiates His excellence.

  1. The living creatures can’t stop looking at Him (Re. 4:8).
  2. He is surrounded by beautiful colors (Re. 4:3).
  3. Lightning emanates from His presence (Re. 4:5).
  4. A grand crystal sea is ever before Him (Re. 4:6).
  5. He is the lamp of Heaven (Re. 21:23, 22:5).
  1. Jesus is Eternity’s Treasure:

Christ is eternity’s great treasure, the worthy one who was given on our behalf. No one in all creation compares to Him. Heaven esteems Jesus as the precious Son of God who is due all praise.

  1. He is the Lamb of God (Re. 5:6).
  2. He is Heaven’s solution (Re. 5:4-5).
  3. He is holy likened to no one (Re. 15:5).
  4. He alone is worthy (Re. 4:11, 5:12).
  1. Jesus is the One on the Throne:

With all of His splendor, He is seated upon His glorious throne surrounded by government and continual worship.

  1. He sits on the Throne of Heaven (Re. 4:2).
  2. He shares this Throne with His Father (Re. 5:13).
  3. He has 24 thrones around His throne (Re. 4:4).
  4. He is attended to day and night (Re. 7:15).
  5. He is enthroned before the seven spirits of God (Re. 4:5).

II.Introducing Jesus’ Heavenly Throne:

We want to understand what the Word of god says about Jesus on His throne so that we can feel the glory of that reality. Jesus, in fact called His throne the throne of glory, and the various descriptions the scriptures give about it make it quiet clear why (Ps. 2:4-10, 24:7-10, 46:4, 132:7-14; Is. 2, 4, 9, 11, 24-27, 60-62, 9:7, 63:15, 66:1; Je. 3:17; La. 2:1; Ez. 10:1, Chapters 40-48, 43:4-7; Da. 2:44; Zch. 6:12-13; Mt. 5:34-35, 19:27-29, 25:31-32; Re. 22:3-4; Eph. 1:9-10). To begin this session there is a short list of some of these glorious attributes to get us thinking in the right direction.

“I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne (Mt. 19:27-29)”

  1. God is at the Center of this Throne:

The most powerful and glorious being in 10,000 universes is sitting on this chair. This of course is the incomparable reality of what makes the throne so important and what attributes its majesty. This attribute alone will hold our attention for eternity.

“there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian (Re. 4:2).”

  1. Jesus Shares His Father’s Throne:

Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father on the same throne (Re. 3:21, 20:11; Da. 7:9; Is. 6:1; He. 1:3, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2); one throne with two seats. It was the Father’s goodwill to exalt Christ to sit at His side. Jesus lived the perfect life and died a sacrificial death that permitted Him to rule alongside Him; for this reason the Father has chosen Jesus to sit at His right hand.

“To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne(Re. 3:21).”

  1. Glory Emanates from the Throne.

All manner of brilliance is wrapped up in the man on this throne and this glory pours forth, radiating out in every perfect color, pitch and sense imaginable.

“A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones…From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing(Re. 4:3-5)”

  1. The Throne has Heaven’s Full Attention:

The entire host of Heaven is focused on this throne; it could rightly be seen as the center of the universe. The full throng of the angelic order gazes in its direction and attends to the one seated there.

“In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures…Each…was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holyis the Lord God Almighty…Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him…the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him(Re. 4:6-10).”

  1. The Throne’s Structure is Awesome:

The height and appearance of this throne are awe-inspiring. Its’design is very unique; even in the makeup of the materials it is constructed from are unusual.

“Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man (Ez. 1:26)."

  1. The Throne is Mounted on Four Fiery Wheels:

There are four massive wheels attached to the base of the throne. His throne is a chariot described as fiery awesome and somehowthe wheels are full of eyes just like the living creatures that seem to be in charge of the wheels.

“the Ancient of Days took his seat.His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool.His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze(Da. 7:9).”

“As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature…Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around (Ez. 1:15-18).”

III.Description of the Throne Room:

There is a definite structure and even floor plan of the throne room in Heaven. The scripture gives us a surprising amount of information about how it’s laid out. The details that we are about to look at describe a real place with real activities; Heaven is actual and God’s throne room is real. Ezekiel chapter one is a brilliant description of Christ on His throne in Heaven.

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven… there before me was a throne in heaven…A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones… From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also…what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back…Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:“‘Holy, holy, holyis the Lord God Almighty…the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne (Re. 4:1-10)”

A.24 Other Thrones:

There are 24 thrones that God has positioned around Him to encircle his throne (Re. 4:4; Da. 7:9); this is a major component of how He has His courtroom set up.

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads (Re. 4:4).”

B.The Golden Altar:

God’s throne room contains a massive golden altar in front of His throne before the Throne; it is referred to as the altar of incense (Da. 7:9-10; Re. 6:9, 8:3-5, 9:13, 14:17-18, 16:7).

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people, on the golden altar in front of the throne(Re. 8:3).”

C.Seven Blazing Lamps:

Not knowing exactly how these things overlap there are Seven Spirits of God that manifest in front of the throneas seven blazing lamps. It seems likely that these seven spirits are connected also to the seven eyes of the Lamb (Re. 5:6).

“In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God (Re. 4:5).”

D.Emerald Rainbow:

No mind can fully comprehend what is going on around the throne of God in all its splendor but there is something like an emerald rainbow that encircles the throne and radiates His glory.

“brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him (Ez. 1:27-28).”

“the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne(Re. 4:3).”

E.The Fiery River of the Water of Life:

The River of Life proceeds forth from underneath the throne (Ez. 47:1-12, Jo. 3:18; Re. 22:1); this same river of the water of life is also a river of fire as well. This is a dynamic and powerful source of water for the city that is mingled with heavenly fire.

“The Ancient of Days took his seat...His throne was flaming with fire, and…A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him (Da. 7:9-10).”

F.The Great Street of the New Jerusalem:

There is a great street made of gold that weaves through the Holy City, it seems to have its starting point at the throne (Re. 21:21, 22:1).

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city (Re. 22:1).”

G.Tree of Life:

This tree has a complex root system that allows for many different trunks above the surface that come forth from this one organism. It appears on either side of the river and bears many different types of fruit.

“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations (Re. 22:2).”

H.The Sea of Glass Gathering Area:

The sea of glass like crystal isn’t merely for visual effect, though it certainly is beautiful; this massive expanse serves as the gathering area for all the saint to come together for worship (Re. 4:6, 7:9, 15, 15:2, Ez. 1:22, Ex. 24:10).

“Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal (Re. 4:6).”

I.The Ark of the Covenant:

The Ark of the Covenant is located in the Temple of God in Heaven and while it may not clarity say exactly where it seems likely that it is within the inner circle of the throne. The Biblical temple was a shadow of the Temple in Heaven and the Ark of the Covenant was housed in the most holy place, the equivalent of which would be the throne itself.

“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant (Re. 11:19).”

IV.A Supercharged Worship Atmosphere:

Angels worshiping, elders falling down, all the sounds, smells and glory that we will experience in His presence. We are talking about complete sensory overload; it will take a resurrected body just to be able to handle all that this atmosphere will be charged with.

  1. The Incredible Sights:

Around the throne are unbelievable sights, colors and beauty. God bends a rainbow around Himself and fire proceeds forth from His throne. We have never imagined such a beautiful scene.

“there before me was a throne in heaven with…A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne…In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing...in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal (Re. 4:2-6).”

“Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome…there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire (Ez. 1:22-26)”

“His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him (Da. 7:9-10).”

  1. The Sounds of Heaven:

To compliment the visual display of God’s brilliance we see that powerful sounds also erupt from His throne. Thunder and the sounds of a mighty river pour forth over all in His presence. But harpists playing around Him (Re. 5:8) can also be heard.

“From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder (Re. 4:5).”

“And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps (Re. 14:2).”

“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm (Re. 11:9).”

  1. The Smells Around the Throne:

The reality of censors, smoke, fire and incense burning around the throne and on the altar before God is repeatedly seen. These all create unique fragrances that are part of the experience before God at the place of His eternal throne.

“the twenty-four elders…had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people (Re. 5:8).”

“Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer…on the golden altar in front of the throne. The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar (Re. 8:3-5)”

  1. The Glory of God in the Room:

When the four living creatures all cry holy, holy, holy waves of glory emanate out and cause even the elders around the throne to fall down (Re. 4:9-10). The throne room is filled with the glory of God in the most dynamic way.

“Look down from heaven and see, from your lofty throne, holy and glorious (Is. 63:15).”

“Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones (Mt. 19:28).”

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne (Mt. 25:31).”

V.Christ’ Physical Attributes:

From anywhere in the Word of God we find the clearest description of Jesus and His appearance in Heaven as the resurrected God man. The phrases from these chapters are rich with meaning, creativity and they help to illuminate the fullness of His beauty. Below are the physical features that describe the way that Jesus looks in Heaven.

  1. His Head and Hair are Brilliant White:

We are told that the Ancient of Days too has white hair described in this manner (Da. 7:9). I believe this is a picture Jesus in His eternal preexistence. Either way the brilliant white hair shows His purity, Hisperfect wisdom and commanded dignity (Le. 19:32; Pr. 16:31).

“His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow(Re. 1:14)”

  1. His Eyes are Like a Blazing Fire:

His eyes search all things; they penetrate the souls of men as fire penetrates metal. He is fully God with eyes like fire (Re. 1:14, 2:18, 19:12) to impart holy love and remove all that hinders love. He has eyes of love and zeal for His people as a Bridegroom; His eyes burn with passion for us. He demands and imparts love in perfect holiness.

“The Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire(Re. 2:18 NJKV).”

“His eyes are like blazing fire (Re. 19:12)”

  1. His Feet are Like Burnished Bronze:

His feet are pictured as fire tested and gleaming from refinement (Re. 1:15, 2:18). Bronze in the times of the Old Testament was one of the most resilient finishes and surfaces known. The altar of the tabernacle and later the Temple was made of bronze and was very durable to corrosion from all the sacrifices and fire constantly made there. Bronze speaks of a stable strength, the picture is that Christ is sure footed and His decisions are strong and unmovable. He will bring all His enemies under His feet (Ps. 110).