The One Seated upon the Throne

Then I saw a great white throne and the One sitting upon it, from whose face Earth and Heaven fled, and no place was found for them. (Revelation 20:11) 

It is obvious that the One seated upon the throne is divine, but some believe that readers are to understand the personal identity of the One seated upon throne as God the Father and others believe that readers are to understand the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne as Christ. We should understand the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne to be Christ for three reasons: Jesus said that the Father has committed "all judgment" to the Son, Jesus said that He will sit "on the throne of His glory" to render the final judgment of all people, and Paul wrote that Jesus is the One who will "judge the living and the dead."

The first reason we should understand the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne to be Christ is Jesus' statement that the Father has committed "all judgment" to the Son. This statement is recorded for us in John 5:22. This statement is in the context of words from Christ about the General Resurrection and the Final Judgment: interconnected events that are both under the authority of the Son (John 5:22-29). If we understand that the same John who wrote the Gospel of John also wrote the Book of Revelation, then we see John 5:22 as a more explicit statement regarding the personal identity of the One on the throne, helping to interpret the less clear statement (on this point) that John records in Revelation 20:11.

The second reason we should understand the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne to be Christ is Jesus' statement that He will sit "on the throne of His glory" to render the final judgment of all people. This statement is recorded for us in Matthew 25:31. This statement is also in the context of words from Christ about the Final Judgment (Matt 25:31-46).  In Matthew 25:31, Jesus not only mentions that He will be the one who renders judgment, He also explicitly includes the detail that He renders judgment while sitting "on the throne of His glory." This explicit detail helps us in determining the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne in Revelation 20:11.

The third reason we should understand the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne to be Christ is the Apostle Paul wrote that Jesus is the One who will "judge the living and the dead." Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote this in 2 Timothy 4:1, a verse that also mentions Christ's appearing and His kingdom. This is consistent with what Paul had preached on Mars Hill–that the judgment of the world will come through "a man whom [God] has appointed"(Acts 17:31)–and Peter's earlier proclamation that Jesus is "the One appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead" (Acts 10:42).

Some people argue that the personal identity of the One seated upon the throne in Revelation 20:11 must be God the Father. They point to Daniel 7, a passage that has some definite influence on the Book of Revelation, in which the Ancient of Days, who is distinguished from the Son of Man (and is thus clearly identified with God the Father rather than with Christ), is the One seated upon the throne. However, there is a redemptive-historical movement that we see depicted in Daniel 7:13-14 in which the Ancient of Days (God the Father) gives dominion to the Son of Man (God the Son).

Furthermore, "Christ was said to be seated with His Father upon His throne in Revelation 3:21." The ancient world knew of a bisellium– a throne that was a single piece of furniture with two seats. [David E. Aune, Revelation 1-5 (Dallas: Word Books, 1997), 262.] Just because the Father is depicted as seated on the throne in other passages does not mean that the Son is absent from the throne, or that He is not the focus of Revelation 20:11.

The personal identity of the One seated upon the throne in Revelation 20:11 is clearly Christ because Jesus said that the Father has committed "all judgment" to the Son, Jesus said that He will sit "on the throne of His glory" to render the final judgment of all people, and Paul wrote that Jesus is the One who will "judge the living and the dead." This matters to the church because it focuses our attention on God the Son, and it is through God the Son that we know God the Father rightly (John 14:6).

Last Things Teaching Outline

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of teaching on eschatology–the study of the end times or "last things"–in Sunday school at Kosmosdale Baptist Church. In my lesson, I did NOT focus on areas of controversy, but on doctrines that should be a source of glad agreement for all Christians. Below is the outline I used in teaching. 

From the Nicene Creed (A.D. 381): "He shall come again, with glory, to judge the living and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end... we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come."

The Baptist Faith and Message (A.D. 2000): "God, in His own time and in His own way, will bring the world to its appropriate end. According to His promise, Jesus Christ will return personally and visibly in glory to the earth; the dead will be raised; and Christ will judge all men in righteousness. The unrighteous will be consigned to Hell, the place of everlasting punishment. The righteous in their resurrected and glorified bodies will receive their reward and will dwell forever in Heaven with the Lord."

I. The Bodily Return of Christ [SEE: James P. Boyce, Abstract of Systematic Theology (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2006), 452.]

A. “It will be a personal appearance[:]… the bodily appearance of Christ to men. Mark 8:38; Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

B. His coming will be ‘apart from sin, to them that wait for him, unto salvation,’ as contrasted with that time in which ‘he hath been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself,’ and was, ‘offered to bear the sins of many.’ Hebrews 9:25-28.

C. It will be an appearance with power and glory; (1 Thessalonians 4:16; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31; Titus 2:12-13).

D. It will be instantaneous and unexpected. (Matthew 24:27; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2; Revelation 16:15)."

II. Our Bodily Resurrection

A. Rapture and Reunion

1. Rapture

a. 1 Corinthians 15:50-52

b. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

2. Reunion

a. Job 19:26-27

b. 1 Corinthians 15:40-49

B. Goal of Resurrection: Acts 24:14-15; Philippians 3:20-21

1. Dishonor for the Unjust

2. Honor for the Just

The following chart is from Sam Waldron. 

III. Final Judgment of Angels and Humans by Christ

A. By whom will we be judged? SEE TOGETHER John 5:22-29.

B. The Coming Judgment of Rebellious Angels

1. NOTE Matthew 25:41; as, apparently, Satan and his angels had rebelled and fallen from Heaven prior to the fall of Adam and Eve, apparently Hell was originally prepared for them.

2. Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4 both mention the coming judgment of rebellious angels.

3. 1 Corinthians 6:3 mentions in passing that the saints will be involved in the judgment of angels.

C. Coming Judgment of All People (Ecclesiastes 12:14; Matthew 12:36; Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Psalm 103:8-14)

1. Thoughts

2. Words

3. Deeds

D. What do the righteous receive in the judgment?

1. Joy (as Jesus had declared Matthew 25:21, "Enter into the joy of your master.")

2. Glory (as in a glorified state, morally free from sin and physically free from corruption: see below)

3. Everlasting rewards (2 Timothy 4:8)

E. The Certainty and Uncertainty of Judgment

1. What are the benefits of knowing for certain that there is a coming day of judgment?

2. What are some reasons that God does not allow us to know the exact time the Lord will come?

IV. Glorification (Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13; Jude 24-25)

A. Definition of Glorification: Our perfect, complete, or final sanctification

B. Result of Glorification: Glorification sets a believer apart from sin’s presence and possibility

Final word: Revelation 22:20-21.

The Door

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. (John 10:7-8 ESV)

The Messiah, who was the incarnate Son of God and the only way to God Father: He speaks to us. Surely, we should hang on His every word and automatically trust Him. Yet He condescends to stress the importance and veracity of His words to us, saying, "Truly, truly". Let us turn to Him, rejecting all competing voices: all the thieves and robbers, which contradict Him.

Outline for Teaching Eternal Security

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to teach Sunday school at Kosmosdale Baptist Church, focusing on the doctrine of "eternal security". Below is the outline for that lesson.

I. Scriptural Proof

A. The Teachings of Christ

1. John 3:16

a. That the life we possess when we come to Jesus in faith is everlasting–or eternal–should indicate to us that we cannot lose it.

b. If we could lose eternal life, then it would not really be eternal.

2. John 6:44-47

a. Jesus teaches that He will raise up (resurrect) all who come to faith in Him.

b. The certain connection of a person’s coming to faith to their eventual resurrection–based upon the drawing of the Father–ensures that a person who comes to true faith in Christ will never lose their salvation.

c. Jesus teaches that those who believe are given eternal life at the time of their belief.

3. John 10:28 

4.John 11:25

B. The Teachings of the Apostles

1. Romans 8:29-39

2. Philippians 1:6

3. 1 John 5:13

II. Theological Connections (https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/first-person-if-christians-can-lose-their-salvation-we-all-lose-the-gospel/)

A. Election

B. Atonement

C. Justification by Faith

D. Indwelling/Sealing of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)

E. Intercessory Work of Christ

III. Possible Objections

A. "Warning" Passages

1. Hebrews 6:4-8

a. Notice the phrase "speak to you in this way" in the next verse (Heb 6:9).

b. This is a contrary-to-fact hypothetical situation.

2. Hebrews 10:26-31

a. Notice the "if" at the beginning of this passage.

b. This is, again, a hypothetical situation, making a teaching point.

B. Personal Experiences

IV. Practical Results

Utter Confusion

This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what He was saying to them. (John 10:6 ESV) 

In Jesus' figure of speech–or parable–concerning the shepherd vs. the stranger, there are certain aspects that may be somewhat difficult to ponder. Since Jesus is both the true shepherd and the door, what does it mean that the shepherd enters by the door? What is the significance of the shepherd leading the sheep out of the sheepfold, rather than into the sheepfold? Whatever these details are meant to signify, the overall contrast between a true spiritual leader and a false leader is clear. The hypocritical Pharisees were completely mystified. In their pride, the Pharisees could not imagine themselves in the role of "the stranger".

The Voice of a Stranger

"A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." (John 10:5 ESV) 

During Jesus' earthly ministry, the majority of the Pharisees had made clear their opposition to Him. They even cast out the formerly blind man–subjecting him to serious social stigma–simply because he would not deny the truth concerning what Jesus had done for him. Yet before Jesus' crucifixion and after Pentecost, despite the disapproval of the influential religious leaders, great crowds followed Jesus. Why? Many in the crowd were sheep of the true shepherd, and His teachings resonated with them in a way the Pharisees' never had.

Leader and Followers

"When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." (John 10:4 ESV) 

A true spiritual leader goes before the people to whom he ministers. He goes before them to provide for them: leading them to where they will be nourished, and he goes before them to protect them from enemies. The ultimate spiritual leader is Christ. Do we follow Jesus? Do we know His voice? Have we trained ourselves to discern Jesus' voice through diligent, prayerful study of the Bible?

The Shepherd of the Sheep

2 "But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." (John 10:2-3 ESV)

Notice the direct contrast between the man in John 10:1 and John 10:2–

John 10:1                                                                John 10:2

- he who does not enter by the door                 - he who enters by the door

- thief and robber                                                 - shepherd

The contrast set up in the context of these verses is a contrast between a true spiritual leader and a false spiritual leader. Pharisees were seen to be spiritual leaders, but they were thieves and robbers, using the people for their own material and social advantage. A true spiritual leader cares about the spiritual needs of the people, seeking to spiritually protect and nourish the people, doing pastoral work in a self-sacrificial way.

Who allows a true spiritual leader an effective audience with God's people? It is the "gatekeeper," who must symbolize the Holy Spirit. The "sheep"–those who are elect–hear the voice of a true spiritual leader, and they follow him.

Blind Hypocrites, Thieves and Robbers

40 Some of the Pharisees near him heard these things, and said to him, “Are we also blind?” 41 Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your guilt remains. 1 Truly, truly, I say to you: he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber." (John 9:40-10:1 ESV)

Jesus implies that the Pharisees are spiritually blind, that they are hard-hearted hypocrites, who deny their own blindness and will not seek the help they desperately need, and that they are thieves and robbers. In contrast, Jesus is the one who has shown Himself able to restore sight to the blind. in following verses, He will reveal Himself as the door and as the Good Shepherd. 

"Lord, I believe."

38 He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped Him. 39 Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.” (John 9:38-39 ESV)

The man whom Jesus had healed from physical blindness is now fully healed from spiritual blindness as well. The healed and saved man worshiped Jesus, and Jesus accepted his worship as appropriate. The text would prompt each reader to acknowledge that–in ourselves–we are spiritually blind and need healing. We need to believe in Jesus and worship Jesus, staying humble before Him, growing in faith and worship each day.