Thrones

Robin and I were reading the Bible the other night. It was a familiar story in Matthew, 25:31-46, where Jesus speaks of the future judgment of all people, using imagery of sheep and goats to represent those who have loved and served God, and who will enter into eternal life, and those who receive the opposite sentence and go into eternal punishment.

What really caught my attention this time was the very first verse, which, it seems, I never had noticed before. Jesus speaks, saying:

"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne."

Break that down and think on it for a moment or two.

The Son of Man, that is, Jesus, returning, in his glory.

Returning and having all the angels with him. (Jesus doesn’t get specific, but I think we can safely assume that this doesn’t include the fallen angels, as in their fall they have demonstrated how little they love God.)

The Son of Man, in glory, then sitting on his glorious throne.

It is a dazzling picture. It is the dream-come-true of all Christians. The Lord Jesus, returning to the world created through him, to set all things right in the very truest sense, and to visibly rule in glory.

The first picture is not exactly a throne, but it is the coronation chair for the ruler of England. The chair dates back to the 12th century and the stone inside of it was used as the seat for the rulers of Scotland for the 700 years before then.

The second picture is of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. The picture gives us a glimpse of the pageantry of that event, as everyone present wears their finest ceremonial symbols and clothing. It is a picture that, I imagine, dazzled the people of Great Britain when it happened. And it is a picture that would look inconsequential compared to the return of the Lord Jesus in his glory.

The Son of Man is indeed coming back. May your heart long for the glory of that day.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.