Sitting on God’s Throne.

I have found myself preaching a lot about Christians rebelling against God lately. I feel a strong holy discontent about what I see in our culture and how the Christian body isn’t holding to God’s truth or the doctrines clearly laid out by Paul in his letters.

I want to take a moment this Evening and outline for you the problem as I see it and hope that you not only can see the logic in this argument, but you will be able to use this description in your own ministry work.

We all know the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and their fall by disobeying God, causing sin to enter the world. But that is not where the story actually starts. To understand where I’m going with my thoughts this Evening you have to go back to Isaiah 12:14-15. Read this:

12 “How l you are fallen from heaven,
O 1 Lucifer, 2 son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart:
m ‘I will ascend into heaven,
n I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the o mount of the congregation
p On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
q I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you r shall be brought down to Sheol,
To the 3 lowest depths of the Pit.

I want to focus on verses 13-14 where Satan said he wants to basically sit on God’s throne and be in charge. Let’s set the scene a little. Lucifer is an angel. In fact, he is one of the arch angels with Michael and Gabriel. Some think he actually could have been the lead angel in heaven! God’s number one angel! And like a lot of right-hand men, Lucifer thought he could do a better job at running things than God; Satan was the first disgruntled employee! I don’t know if you’ve ever been in leadership, but there is always some joker under your supervision that believes they know how to do your job better than you! Lucifer is that guy in Heaven.

It seems apparent that Lucifer didn’t like the way God was running things. From his perspective, you can get that. God made man and crowned him with glory and honor even though man was made a “little lower than the angels.” (Psalms 8:5). Lucifer probably took this personally! Why would some creation lower than him be crowned with glory and honor and not the angels themselves?

So, like any good disgruntled employee, Lucifer starts talking to other employees around the water cooler, firing them up against the boss and His decision. Scripture indicates that one-third of all the angels in heaven agreed with Lucifer that God was wrong and took Lucifer’s side! (Revelation 12:4).

We see in the Isaiah verses above and in the Revelation verse that Satan and his mob are kicked out of heaven and are cast to earth. And thus, it begins. Satan is so ticked off that he makes it his life goal to do everything he can to destroy man and everything else God created!

Paul tells us that we are not to be unaware of Satan’s schemes. (2 Corinthians 2:11). So, let me share what I see Satan doing in our Christian body and how it is playing out.

Simply put, Satan is trying to convince us to sit on God’s throne just the same way he tried to!

Satan has been quite successful from what I see in our churches and congregations at convincing many believers that God is wrong about a number of things ranging from the existence of absolute truth to being wrong about LGBT they should have there own way , social justice issues to the definition of sin to even the validity of the Bible as God’s inspired Word and truth.

Satan is a masterful manipulator and uses all the worldly tools at his disposal to convince Christians that God is wrong about some things and that because we know better we should sit on God’s throne and make better decisions than God is making.

Here’s the problem with that thinking:

If God is wrong about anything, God is no longer perfect.

If God is no longer perfect, God is not God.

If God is not God, there is no God.

If there is no God, then all is permissible.

To quote scripture, “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25). In other words, we reject that God is God and we have no king, so we do whatever is right in our own eyes.

And that is exactly what I see in the church today. Now before you call me judgmental, self-righteous, unloving, and all the other words Christians throw around, let me remind you that we are, indeed, to judge and hold our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ accountable to the standards of Christ ( 1 Corinthians 5:9-12).

The most unloving thing you can do is turn a blind eye toward those falling away because they truly are in danger of Jesus telling them that He never knew them! (Matthew 7:21).

So, in the spirit of teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17) here is my analysis of what I see in today’s church:

Apostasy – churches deciding for themselves what is and is not sin according to their own feelings instead of following God’s commands

False Teaching – Pastors doing biblical gymnastics trying to make the Bible say what they want it to say instead of what it actually says

Lost Commitment – Churches that don’t care whether people go to hell or not and only care about their own comfort

Focus – Churches that have become clubs and social groups instead of actively working in the Kingdom of God.

Fear-Based Decisions – Not wanting to offend anyone, these churches simply preach the partial gospel of love without truth.

Fire and Brimstone – Believe it or not there are still some churches out there preaching truth without love! Again, partial gospel and wrong.

Accommodating – These churches and institutions try to have it both ways by saying they hold to biblical truths while accommodating and enabling unbiblical ideas under the guise of tolerance, non-judgmentalism, and love.

Rejection – Lastly, I see people claim to be “Christians” who think God is unreasonable, His Word is not inspired nor divine, and basically reject God’s absolute truth and doctrine in favor of their own understanding of their relationship with Jesus, which of course allows them to do whatever they would like to do!

Perhaps this is why Jesus taught that the gate to eternal life is narrow and few actually find it. (Matthew 7:13-14) In case you don’t understand what Jesus meant, He basically said many who think they’re going to heaven aren’t! (Matthew 7:21)

I have to admit I am a bit perplexed about what to do about all this. Part of me just wants to throw my hands up, go to a monastery and make chocolate and beer for the rest of my life in quiet solitude. Another part of me wants to fight against all this in an attempt to open the eyes of my brothers and sisters who are straying so badly and clearly don’t understand the consequences of their actions.

Let me make this LOUD AND CLEAR: This blog is not for non-believers. If you don’t follow Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you cannot possibly be held to His standard because you have not been born again of the Spirit; have not become a new creation in Christ; and have not been transformed by the renewing of your mind. This blog is for the church – those of us who are believers, agreed to follow Jesus and do all He commands.

Solomon tells us that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. (Proverbs 9:10) I think the church as forgotten this. God has become our buddy, someone with which we can agree to disagree and think we’re still friends. Scripture tell us that if we are friends with the world, we are an enemy of God!

(James 4:4). Jesus said plainly that you are either with Him or against Him! (Matthew 12:30). God loves us; we are a friend of God through Jesus; but never ever forget that His ways are higher than our; his thoughts are not our thoughts; and nobody has ever given God counsel! (Isaiah 55:8-9; Isaiah 40:30; Romans 11:34).

I wrestled with God for nearly 30 years before heeding His call for me to become ordained. I took very seriously James’ admonition not to be eager to become a teacher or preacher because those who do will be held to a stricter judgment because they handle God’s word. (James 3:1). I also take seriously God’s warning to Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:18:

When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I am accountable for the blood of those I do not warn – inside the church and outside the church. When my time is up and I meet Jesus face to face I don’t want Jesus to bring out a list of people I was commanded to warn and then ask me why I didn’t tell them.

My commitment in this area of exhortation doesn’t make me the most popular guy at the party. But I would rather someone be offended, think me judgmental and self-righteous and all the rest than see them meet Jesus and be told that He never knew them and be stunned when Jesus sends them packing to hell.

That all said, if you are a “Christian” who falls into the categories I mentioned above, I’m going to tell you what the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Himself have been saying for 5,000 years: Repent and return to the Lord! He is right and you are wrong – deal with it.

If you’re reading this and think that I’m wrong and that God’s Word is wrong because it doesn’t line up with what you believe, just stop calling yourself a Christian. It’s like Augustine said some 1,600 years ago, “If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe but yourself.”

Scripture tells us that God doesn’t want anyone to perish. (2 Peter 3:9). Jesus died a horrific death on a cross so that nobody has to perish! But you can’t have it both ways. You either follow God on His terms or you follow yourself on yours. I’m not saying it’s easy; we all know the Christian walk is extremely difficult at times. But Jesus never said it would be easy, He said it would be worth it. As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord and never try to sit on His throne.

According to the book of Revelation in the Bible, there is a reference to Satan’s throne. In Revelation 2:13, it says, “I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives” . However, despite various claims and interpretations, no one has ever allegedly sat on Satan’s throne .

In contrast, Jesus is depicted as being lifted up to God’s throne in heavenly light, while Satan is cast into an abyss, chained and in darkness (Revelation 20:1-3) . So, while Satan’s throne is mentioned symbolically, there is no account of anyone physically sitting on it.

Additionally, in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, it describes someone who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, taking a seat in the temple of God and displaying himself as being God . This passage is often interpreted in various ways, but it doesn’t specifically refer to Satan sitting on God’s throne.

The concept of Satan’s throne is symbolic and metaphorical, rather than a physical seat that someone has occupied.

The Throne and the Abyss
—Glory defeats corruption
The story of Satan’s opposition to Christ is portrayed in the visions of Revelation. Satan is cast out of Heaven to earth; thwarted in his battle plans; locked in the Abyss; thwarted in his battle plans again; cast into the lake of fire. What a demise for this evil fool Satan!

Is there really any point in your being on the side of this biggest loser in the universe? If you are wise, you will join those who worship at the throne of Jesus the Son of God.

Jesus On the Throne
We often think of Jesus as a man in the flesh, born a Jew descended from David —and indeed he was such (Matthew 1:1, John 1:14).

His life on earth was short —only about three decades. He died by crucifixion as though a criminal, yet his life had been perfectly sinless. God accepted his death as a sacrifice enabling the purification from sins once and for all.

That was not the end of Jesus however. He arose from the dead, rejoined his disciples, and they rejoiced that he was alive again. After some days he was seen to ascend into heaven to the glory from whence he had come.

Seated at the Throne of God
"[God appointed His Son] heir of all things, through whom He also made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB).

"But to the Son he says, 'Your throne O God is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom' " (Hebrews 1:8 NKJV).

"God had sworn with an oath to [David] that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne... exalted to the right hand of God" (Acts 2:29-33 NKJV).

A Glorious Throne. Before he died, arose, and ascended to the throne, Jesus prayed, "And now O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with you before the world was" (John 17:5 NKJV).

An Eternal Throne. That text (John 17:5). shows that Jesus’s place with God is eternal —before the world was, and forevermore. While Jesus was in the world for a short time, his entitlement to the eternal throne was reserved for him in heaven.

His Father's Throne. When his life on earth was finished, Jesus declared, "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:21)

A Throne of Ultimate Authority. Jesus also declared, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28:18-20). The giver of that authority was of course the heavenly Father. He did not give Jesus limited authority, but ALL authority, "the name which is above every name" (Philippians 2:9). That entitles him to be seated with his Father on his Father's throne.

The Throne of the Living God. The true account of the brief earthly life of Jesus is most holy and precious. So too is the story of his glorious heavenly life. That story is eternal, without beginning and without end. Jesus "ever lives" (Hebrews 7:25). As he himself said, "I died, and behold I am alive forevermore..." (Revelation 1:18).

The Throne of Everlasting Life. John writes, "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb." In the vision John saw the servants of Jesus serving him and reigning with him forever and ever (Revelation 22:1-5).

The Throne of Grace. We can "come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). We do this through Jesus who occupies the throne with his Father.

The Throne of Forgiveness. Jesus is "the radiance of [the Father’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB).

The Throne of Sacrifice. In visions he is represented on the throne as "a Lamb as though it had been slain" (Revelation 5:6-7). Jesus is both King and Priest, a Priest on his throne. He sacrificed himself so forgiveness and purification is possible for all who desire it.

Satan In the Abyss
In contrast to the glorious Jesus on God’s throne, we have Satan, the devil, pictured in the visions given to John as a dragon chained and cast into a bottomless abyss (Revelation 20:1-3). What a contrast it is: Jesus lifted up to the throne in heavenly light forever; Satan cast into an abyss that goes down forever into endless darkness.

An abyss of restraint. In this vision, Satan is bound and locked in the Abyss for 1000 years (Revelation 20:1-3). This represents the limitation and impotence of Satan compared to the mighty power of Christ. Christians are blessed with a ward against evil and, so long as they stay at the throne of Jesus Christ, Satan cannot have victory over them by his temptations (1Corinthians 10:12-13).

An abyss of failure. John sees the Beast and the kings of the earth assembled to make war against the King of kings and Lord of lords. But the war fails to happen because the Beast and the False Prophet are cast into the fiery lake whilst the Dragon (Satan) is thrown into the Abyss for 1000 years. The armies are slaughtered before they can attack.

An abyss of death. Satan makes another attempt at war against Christ, but Christ again destroys the devil’s armies before they can attack. They are punished with with eternal death (Revelation 19:19-21, 20:7-10).

An abyss of sacrifice. Satan surely knows that he is destined for doom. But he wants to sacrifice himself —not for the world's forgiveness but for its condemnation and destruction. For him there will be no resurrection, only endless punishment, but he will have taken many with him. That is his insane satisfaction.