In our last discussion we talked about the throne that is in heaven that God the Father sits at. It is not the only throne, however. We also mentioned last time that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who came to this earth and paid the price for our sins as a sacrifice, sits at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus deserves the glory and our worship. He also has another throne in addition to His throne of glory. A throne of judgement. Let us look at each of the thrones of Christ.
Colossians 1:13-20
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is God the Son. He is fully God and fully man. He can make the waves stop with His command, heal the sick and the blind, and save the world. He was there during creation, and He sits at the right Hand of The Father now and will always be. He also came to this earth as a Man, who hungered and hurt, who cried and laughed. He can relate to each of us, yet sits on a throne, and is worthy of our worship.
Hebrews 10:12-14
But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.
Acts 7:55-56
But he [Stephan, as he was being martyred], being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Luke 22:67-70
“If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will by no means believe. And if I also ask you, you will by no means answer Me or let Me go. Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” Then they all said, “Are You then the Son of God?” So He said to them, “You rightly say that I am.”
Jesus proved over and over that He is the Son of God. He fulfilled numerous prophecies, and His actions and words showed who He was.
Thrones also represent judgement. Jesus, who is God, sits at the right hand of God the Father. He came to this earth to save the world. Those who believe will have eternal life in heaven with Him (John 3:16-17). We are saved by His grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). He died on the cross as a sacrifice and payment for our sins. But one day He will return. The Bible talks about two different thrones in which Christ will judge the world. For those who follow Him, there will be the Judgement Seat (or, “Bema”) Seat of Christ, where He will judge us for what we do, not to earn salvation, but for rewards, or crowns in heaven. For everyone else, those whose names are not written in “The Book of Life”, will be judged by their works on this earth. And without Christ, no one is worthy. We all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). This is called The Great White Throne Judgement. This is where Christ will judge the world. Those who believe and have faith in Jesus Christ are saved and will go to heaven, those who do not are condemned to hell. When Jesus returns, it will be a terrible time for many, but for those who have accepted His free gift of salvation that He offers to all, it will be a glorious day, one we eagerly await.
Matthew 24:29-31
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
One day Christ will return, and we must be ready. For those who believe, we will face Jesus Christ, our King, and He will ask us what we have done with the gifts and blessings He has given us. He will be on His throne and ready to give us each a crown (see What Crown will We Receive?).
Revelation 22:12-13
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
2 Corinthians 5:5-10
Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
There is also another judgement coming, in which Christ sits on His throne to judge the world. Those who have accepted His free gift of salvation will live in eternity with Him. Those who do not believe, will spend eternity in hell. No amount of good works will change that. Only through His sacrifice are we saved from condemnation. To me, it is an easy choice. And we all have that choice.
Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Matthew 25: 31-34, 41-43
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world
“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
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