Revelation 3:21 To
him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just
as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Daniel saw
in a vision one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven, who
approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. Prophesying about Jesus he saw the Son of
Man receiving authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and
men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
(Daniel 7:13, 14).
Daniel and
the other prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to come searched
intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and
circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when the Holy
Spirit predicted Christ's sufferings and the glories that would follow. These
prophets must have been amazed at their utterances about the coming Messiah who
would have all power and dominion on earth and in heaven.
It was
revealed to these prophets that they were not serving themselves but us here
today when they spoke about the things that the Holy Spirit teaches us today
about the gospel. These were such
profound mysteries that even angels were not allowed to know all about them and
they longed for the day that they, too, would receive this knowledge.
This
Savior that Daniel, and other prophets, spoke about, received the power and
authority to sit at the right hand of the Father, and in addition, give the
right to those who overcome to sit with Him on his throne.
What will
we do there? At the renewal of all
things, when Jesus sits on his glorious throne, those who have followed him
will also sit with Him on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel. We will eat and drink at Jesus'
table forever of which we see a reflection in this life already by our sitting
down and eating and drinking at his table at communion.
But what
does it mean that Jesus will sit at the right hand of the Father?
It is
obvious that it has to follow Jesus' ascent into heaven. But if one carefully
ponders the question, it is not at all that obvious, because Jesus, as the
Second Person of the Trinity, has been in heaven forever and will be in heaven
for eternity. So, why is it important
that we understand that Jesus first ascended into heaven and then sat at the
right hand of the Father?
Jesus took
upon himself a physical body, a glorious body that will never age or wither
away; a sinless, indestructible, incorruptible body that is the ultimate
expression of God's purpose for mankind. While the Second Person of the Trinity
was always with God the Father, He is the One who has the office of Mediator
and to fulfill and obey his office, He had to become incarnated and suffer the
shame and punishment that we were supposed to suffer as a result of our
corruption and sin.
God has,
therefore, purposed it from before creation that his second Person would bring
those, whose names have been recorded in the book of life, to glory in heaven
with Him. But since man was never meant
to be a spirit but to occupy a physical body as the crown of creation; and
since man's body was corrupted and subject to decay as a result of sin; and
since man can only be in heaven as an incorruptible being with an incorruptible
physical body, therefore, it was inescapable that his decaying body had to be
replaced with a new, incorruptible body, worthy of the right to sit with Christ
on his throne at the right hand of the father.
So, we see
that the Second Person assumed an earthly body to suffer the wrath of God for
our sins because we were not able to withstand the punishment due for our sins
and would be utterly destroyed if God had rightfully poured his wrath out on
us. God did not merely brush our sins
aside without exacting satisfaction, but because of his justice, he sent his
Son in our place to suffer his wrath, which saved us from the destruction that
all of mankind deserves.
It is a
source of comfort for us that God did not brush our sins away without any
satisfaction because God promised that death would follow sin. If death would
now not follow sin and sin may go unpunished, there could legitimately be doubt
on God's other promises too, such as our promises of salvation. For us to witness God's judgment and his
hatred for sin, is to receive comfort that He will not relent on his promises
and that they will come to pass. Just as Jesus promises that those who overcome
will receive the right to sit with him on his throne.
But before
we can sit with Jesus on his throne in heaven, He has to be in that position at
the right hand of the Father in his glorious body, as the head of the church,
the firstborn of the living. Which is
why He had to ascend as a new, glorious human being to a place in heaven at the
right hand of the Father: a place which Jesus as the Second Person of the
Trinity has never left and will never leave.
The man Jesus, however, was not there before, ascended to that position
after his work on earth was complete, and sits at the right hand of that Father
today and forever.
You may
well ask what kind of place is heaven, then, when a physical body can exist in
such a glorious environment and how are bodily functions dealt with, especially
since we know that this new body has the ability to eat and appear to resemble
some traits of our old bodies. We don't
know except what has been revealed to us. We just know that our new bodies will
be like Jesus' body, that it will be a glorified body, and that it will be
something that man has never comprehended or imagined. That's sufficient for us
to know and long for.
So, now
that we know why Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father, and that we will
have the right to sit with Him there, let's see what is the significance of
Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father.
The most
important thing to remember is that nobody else would sit at the right hand of
the Father. Angels and men will ascend
but only Jesus will sit at that place with the Father, because that position
signifies special things that cannot be bestowed on angels or men.
The right
hand of God signifies two things, namely, the supreme power and virtue of God;
and supreme dignity and majesty. God exalted Jesus to his own right hand as Prince
and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness to us. (Acts.
5:31). God's right hand signifies his
power, dignity and majesty. To sit at the right hand of God manifests the
complete authority in heaven and on earth that Jesus has received. (Matt.
28:18).
Jesus is
the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being
sustaining all things by his powerful word, becoming as much superior to the
angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (Heb 1:3, 4). He will shepherd his flock in the strength
of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of God, and they will live securely,
for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. (Micah 5:4). So, we see two things, namely, the one
sitting at the right hand of the Father, must be a personal equal with God in
power and glory; and through that One the Father works and governs all things
immediately. It means to reign in equal power and glory with the Father.
Christ
does all things in the same manner as the Father does and is endowed with equal
power with the Father, which He also exercises. But Jesus in his divinity has
always reigned in this manner, as did the Holy Spirit. With the division of the offices of the
three Persons of the Godhead, we see that only the Son sits at the right hand
of the Father, not the Holy Spirit, because it is through the Head of the
church that the Father governs all things, not the Holy Spirit. So, sitting at
the right hand of the Father has special significance for the church and every
member of Christ's body.
By the
office of the Second Person, which is the Son, the Father governs and rules
immediately, both in heaven and on earth, establishing a separation between all
things and the Father; a separation because of the sheer immensity and dignity
of the Father, that nobody can see Him and live. But this separation is overcome by the glory and merit of Christ
being the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
having seen the Son one sees the Father.
Nobody has ever seen or has access to the Father except through the Son
and He makes the Father known to us. (John 1:18). As we will see later, the Father works immediately through the
Son alone.
Christ
has, therefore, supreme dignity and glory that the Father bestowed upon him
after his ascension, giving him the highest exaltation as Mediator and High
Priest. Christ alone received these
attributes because he alone is that almighty Person and Mediator through whom
the Father immediately governs all things, especially the church, defending her
against all her enemies.
The glory
of sitting at the right hand of the Father consists in the following four
things:
a)
In
the perfection of his divine nature being equal with the Father, which He did
not receive but always had. His
divinity was unseen and unobserved during the time of his humiliation, but it
afterwards revealed itself with power and majesty.
b)
In
the perfection and exaltation of the human nature of Christ. Christ's human
nature's excellency consists, first, in the personal union of the human
nature with the Word, because in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in
bodily form and we received fullness in Christ who is head over every power and
authority, (Col 2:9, 10) and in whose hands the Father placed everything (Joh
3:35). Second, in the excellency of his gifts, such as wisdom, power,
glory, majesty, and others, which are far greater and more in number than those
that the angels or men have received. On Him rests the Spirit of the LORD, the
Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the
Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:2). Those who believe in him will have streams
of living water flow from them. (John 7:39).
c)
In
the perfection and excellence of the office of Mediator. Christ's office
consists of these three offices, namely, that of Prophet, Priest, and King,
which Christ now, as the glorified Head of his church, gloriously executes in
heaven in his human nature. He
intercedes in glory, grants the Holy Spirit, and gloriously preserves and
defends his church. This excellency of Christ's office is his exaltation in his
kingdom and priesthood. He laid aside the infirmity of his human nature that he
had during his stay on earth and manifested that glory that was due him. He accomplished this by reason of his office
as prophet, priest and king and because of his person as God.
d)
In
the perfection of honor, reverence, and worship. Angels and men give these excellencies to Christ equal with the
Father because he is acknowledged, adored, and magnified by all as the Lord and
Head of all. God commanded all to
worship him (Heb. 1:6) and exalted him to the highest place and gave him the
name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phi. 2:9-11).
This name of which Scripture speaks, consist in the excellency of
the Person and office of Christ, and is a declaration of both by his visible
majesty that all may acknowledge and be constrained to confess that He is that
King by whom God governs all things. It
was thus that Stephen saw Him standing at the right hand of God, crowned with
visible majesty and glory, and adorned Him. Before his ascension, Christ had
his exaltation at the right hand of the Father and certain parts of the
excellency of his person and office, but now, He attained the consummation of His
glory, taking his place at the right hand of the Father.
To
summarize, Christ's sitting at the right hand of the Father consists of the
following:
·
Having
the same and equal power with the Father;
·
Excelling
all angels and men in his human nature, both in nature and application and also
in visible glory and majesty;
·
Declaring
himself Lord of angels and men and so of all things created;
·
Ruling
immediately in the name of the Father His kingdom in heaven and the whole
world, and especially govern his church in the same manner by his power;
·
Be
acknowledged and praised by every one as Lord and Head of all.
The office
of Savior and Mediator provides a specific honor to Christ, which does not
belong to the Father nor the Holy Spirit and is the highest degree or consummation
of the honor which the Son obtained. As divine Being the Son is equal and
consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but as the only Person with
a human body, Christ is uniquely responsible for the ownership, management, and
glorification of the elect: his bride.
In respect
to His Human nature, it is a real communication of heavenly gifts and perfect
glory, which the humanity of Christ had not had before his ascension. In respect to His divine nature, this
sitting at the right hand of God does not include any change of his Divinity,
but is merely the laying aside of his humiliation, and the manifestation of
that glory that He had with the Father before the foundation of the world, but
which He had concealed during the time of His humiliation. It is also the manifestation of the right
and title to the free and full possession of that which His Godhead had laid
aside, as it were, in assuming our nature.
It is manifest of Christ's love for the elect having tolerated for a
while the humiliation and shame, for the sake of the elect, as it would have
destroyed anything that dared approach him without the necessary awe and
subjugation, because he had legions of angels at his disposal to remove the
threat of the Pharisees had he chosen to use them. (Matt 26:53).
As the
Godhead humbled itself for a while, so it was again placed at the right hand of
the Father, that is to say, it was gloriously manifested in the flesh,
glorifying Christ in the Father's presence with the glory he had before the
world began. (John 17:5). Knowing the
Father is the definition of eternal life, and one cannot know the Father unless
He is revealed by Christ who brought the Father glory on earth by completing
the work He gave Christ to do.
Although
the three Persons of the Godhead are all one true God, we cannot assume that
the Holy Spirit also sits at the right hand of the Father because Christ alone
sits there, because He assumed human nature, humbled himself, died, rose again,
ascended into heaven and is Mediator, even though the Holy Spirit is God, Ruler
and Comforter of the church. The Father
works immediately through the Son alone and mediately through the Holy
Spirit. The same order that exists in
relation to the Persons of the Godhead is preserved in their operation.
The Father
does not work by anybody because He is of no one. He works by and of Himself.
The Son works by himself but not of himself because He is begotten by the
Father. The Holy Spirit works by
himself but from the Father and the Son, from whom He proceeded.
It is for
this reason that the Son, who is Mediator, is correctly said to sit at the
right hand of the Father.
Christ was
always the Mediator, Head and King of the church, even before his ascension,
with this difference, he was not exalted in the office of mediator, in his
kingdom and priesthood. The consummation of his glory, which consists in the
administration of his kingdom and priesthood in heaven, commenced with his
exaltation at the right hand of the Father. The administration of his kingdom and
priesthood per se has been his office from the beginning, working
through the nation of Israel while the church was tutored by the law. The functions performed by Israel for the
sake of the church were permanently moved to the throne of Christ in heaven,
from where he rightfully rules and prepares his church in this final phase
before glory.
Does our
passage in Revelation 3:21 mean that we will be sitting at the right hand of
the Father by the right given by Christ?
No, because Christ will not give to another the supreme dignity and
glory given him of the Father. We shall
sit with Christ by a participation in his glory, even though the throne of the
Father and the Son is the same. There
will also be many at the Throne, some in higher, others in lower places, some
near the King, but the Son alone sits at His right hand.
In dealing
with this question, we must first distinguish between the natures of Christ and
then consider the timeline involved.
a)
Christ
has always sat at the right hand of the Father as it respects his Godhead, if
we understand this to mean that He reigns in equal power with the Father and
that he is endowed with equal honor and glory. His divine nature was from
everlasting equal to the Father in honor and power. The same thing is true if we understand the phrase to sit at
the right hand of the Father to signify that Christ is the Head of the
church, for the Son was always that Person by whom the Father governed all
things from the beginning, as He also created all things by Him. In this sense Christ was placed at the right
hand of the Father by his eternal generation as Second Person of the Godhead.
b)
Christ
was always at the right hand of God according to his divinity by virtue of his
appointment to the office of mediator, which was made from everlasting. This appointment had respect to his divine
nature from the beginning. Christ ruled
his church through Israel when the church was still an infant and, when the
time came, He took over the ruling offices and now rules while at the right
hand of the Father. The prophets knew
they were prophesying about the Christ, but they tried to find out the time and
circumstance to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing. (I Peter
1:10).
c)
The
same as with Christ's Divinity, as the Second Person of the Godhead he has been
since everlasting since He executed the office of mediator from the very
beginning.
No man can
see the Father and live, and when God appeared to people in the guise of a man,
it was by virtue of the mediating Christ that the appearance was
established. One may argue that it
wasn't the incarnate Jesus, which would technically be correct because Jesus
was not born yet at the time God appeared to Abraham, for instance. But it was the Second Person of the Godhead,
who already had the office of mediator and fulfilled the duties of his office
by taking on the guise of a man, speaking the mind of the Father, for He would
not speak of his own accord but the Father commanded him to say and how to say
it. (John 12:49).
It is also
the same Second Person who mediated the salvation of the Old Testament saints
based on the promise that He would come as the Christ. And being the same Person and God who made
the promise and fulfill it, the promise was secure and thus the salvation of
the Old Testament saints was also secure.
As we now
know, it was the same Second Person who would willingly obey and become the
incarnate Jesus, the Christ, in whose glory we now practice and preach the
gospel having a hope that the Old Testament saints could never have imagined.
While
Christ lived on earth His Godhead had also humbled itself, not by becoming
weaker but only by veiling and not openly manifesting itself until it was
appropriate to do so. He was exalted by
manifesting and not by adding anything to his Godhead, which it did not possess
before, nor by making it more powerful or glorious, nor by declaring it before
God, but before men, and by fully and freely claiming His own right, which his
divinity had concealed in assuming our nature.
So, when
Christ says that the Father should glorify him in the Father's presence with
the glory He had before the world began (John 17:5), Christ establishes the
fact that he did not have that glory with men and he prays that He might also
manifest it unto men. The Word has not
underwent any change as to his Divinity, but it was solely for the sake of the
church, now being matured, to see the manifesting glory of her Head and King.
In respect
to his humanity, Christ was the first human to be placed at the right hand of
the Father when he ascended into heaven.
It was at this time that he obtained his glorification as a human, when
he received that which he had not had before.
The Christ had to suffer these things and then enter his glory. (Luke
24:26).
So, in
heaven there are two natures of the Second Person sitting at the right hand of
the Father: there is God the Second Person or Christ with respect to his
Divinity, who is omnipotent and almighty, and then there is the human nature of
Christ, who is not omnipotent, who has a physical body, and is the firstborn of
all of the human race, some to join Christ in heaven and some to follow the
beast into the abyss. Christ ascended into heaven, first having come down from
heaven, in order to fill the whole universe with his gifts and graces, but not
his flesh, skin and bones. (Eph. 4:10). Only the elect would enter eternal
bliss in their indestructible bodies.
Although
Christ has been endowed with omnipotence since everlasting in his Divinity, the
personal union between his divine nature and human nature does not confer these
properties onto him as a human. There
are, though, many things conferred upon his humanity by real transfusion,
namely, other qualities than those, which he had in his humiliation and upon
the cross. There were far more and greater gifts conferred upon his human
nature after his ascension, than were conferred either upon angels or men.
In respect to the bestowment of these gifts Christ,
according to His humanity, was placed at the right hand of God. According to His Divinity, He was always at
the right hand of the Father. However,
as far as He was glorified in the highest degree, and in as far as He
manifested this glory in His flesh and has obtained the perfection of glory, He
was placed at the right hand of God.
The fruits of Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father include all the benefits of the kingdom and priesthood of Christ glorified. They are the following:
a) Intercession for us.
b) The gathering, governing and preservation of the church by His Word and Spirit.
c) The defense of the church against all her enemies.
d) The rejection and destruction of the enemies of the church.
e) The glorification of the church, and the removal of all the infirmities it is subject to.
f) These fruits of Christ's sitting at the right hand of God, naturally grow out of the office which He holds. The benefits of the kingdom of Christ glorified are:
i. that He rules us through the ministry of His word and Spirit,
ii. that He preserves His ministry,
iii. gives His church resting places,
iv. makes His word effectual in the conversion of the elect,
v. raises them up at length from the dead,
vi. delivers them from all their infirmities,
vii. glorifies them,
viii. wipes all tears from their eyes,
ix. places them upon His throne, and
x. makes them kings and priests unto His Father.
The fruit of the priesthood of Christ glorified is, that He appears and intercedes prevailingly for us in heaven, so that the Father does not refuse us anything on account of the virtue and force of His intercession. It is in view of this that we obtain this precious comfort, that since He who is our King, our Head, our flesh and brother, sits at the right hand of the Father.
Therefore:
a) He will grant unto us, his members, every good.
b) He will grant unto us the Holy Spirit, so that we shall be quickened and glorified.
c) He will bestow upon us heavenly gifts, such as a true knowledge of God, faith, repentance, and every Christian virtue, and
d) He will accomplish all for us, as from the office, which He sustains as our Head.
Because we have such a High Priest, who is set down at the right hand of the Father, there is no reason why we should doubt our salvation, for He will preserve it safely for us, and at length bestow it upon us.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.[1]
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.[2]
What do I then believe regarding his sitting at the right hand of the Father? It is this
I believe that Christ, possessed of supreme and divine majesty, intercedes for me and all the elect, as a truly glorified human, as I will be at the end of time, and that He applies to us his sacrifice; that the Father, by and for His sake, will bestow upon me eternal life; and that He will also rule and defend me in this life, against the evil and all dangers, and that He will at length glorify and grant me eternal life.