“Before the throne of God above I have a strong and perfect plea, a great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me. My name is graven on his hands. My name is written on his heart; I know that while in heav'n he stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart.” Charitie Lees Bancroft wrote these beautiful hymn lyrics in 1863, but the powerful truth behind her words is as timeless as Heaven itself. God does have a throne in Heaven, and it’s a haven for all who believe.
In The Throne of Grace, Dr. Charles Stanley explains, “We don’t deserve the Lord’s invitation to have an intimate relationship with Him. Yet in His grace, He is loving and compassionate toward us. What a privilege to be able to approach the King’s throne, knowing He listens, understands, and cares.”
A throne is a seat of power—the highest place of authority in any given realm. It’s a place from which a ruler reigns, acts on behalf of His people, and exercises justice. Unlike earthly monarchs who are bound by time and territory, God’s throne represents His transcendent reign over the whole universe for all eternity.
Because God exists in spirit form, not in bodily form, He doesn’t require rest. Therefore, God has no need to sit upon an ornate ceremonial chair for the sake of repose or pomp. But the Bible gives us detailed information about the throne of God as the literal and figurative symbol of His all-consuming glory and infinite sovereignty.
“God has a detailed plan for the universe that governs everything that happens in His creation,” says Dr. Robert Jeffress in God's Sovereignty and Your Mistakes. A tiny glimpse of God’s glory from His seat of power would drop the most pious believer to his face in awe and holy terror. Even prophets of old couldn’t stand on their feet when visions transported them into the throne room of the Almighty. But through Jesus’s shed blood, believers are not only invited into the very near presence of our King—we are encouraged to come boldly, and with confidence.
The Bible paints a vivid portrait of God’s throne through the prophets’ Old Testament visions, New Testament affirmations, and John’s end-time revelation. Here are seven things the Bible has to say about the throne of God:
The size and scope of God’s throne are so vast, it can’t be contained. Not only is God’s throne in Heaven—it is Heaven. Stop and think about that. Louie Giglio once said, “Sin has a way of shrinking God down in our minds and puffing us up in our own estimation.” But when look into the expanse of the heavens and truly consider that our God is so big that His throne—His rule, His reign—stretches far beyond the eye can see or the mind can comprehend, it helps us gain a proper perspective of His majestic splendor.
“This is what the LORD says: "Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?” (Isaiah 66:1) (Matthew 5:34, Psalm 11:4).
God’s radiant glory emanates from, through, above, and all-around His throne. Can you imagine a time when night ceases to exist, a time when all synthetic and natural light forms become obsolete because the Lord will be our light? How much energy would a being need to generate to continuously illuminate the whole world for all time? God’s glory is a term that describes the very essence of God’s beauty as it radiates His holiness, His worth, and His perfection. The full weight of His glory is so heavy and so powerful that it could never be held or beheld by mere mortals. But there will come a day when God’s glory is fully revealed from His throne, and it will overcome darkness forever.
“Above the vault over their heads was what looked like a throne of lapis lazuli, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him” (Ezekiel 1:26-28) (Isaiah 6:1, Revelation 22:3-4, Isaiah 60:1-2)
From His throne, God exercises supreme authority over all things—good and evil. Nothing ever happens to us that God has not permitted. If we’re honest with ourselves, this truth can be a hard pill to swallow during times of suffering. But God’s supreme authority gives us the assurance that our fate is not left to chance or the schemes of the evil one. We can trust that our Father, the King, is a good ruler who lovingly chooses our paths and works all things together for good.
“Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’” (2 Chronicles 18:18-19) (Job 1:6, Psalm 47:8, Psalm 103:19).
God’s righteous judgments are executed from His throne. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31) One day we will all be brought before God’s throne and required to face Him. The books will be opened and not one of us will be able to stand on our own merit. None. We all have sinned and all of us deserve eternal death and damnation. Because God’s holiness will not allow Him to execute anything other than justice, only those who are covered in the atoning blood of the Lamb will escape His judgment.
“thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10) (Psalm 89:14) (Revelation 4:1-11).
God’s throne becomes the mercy seat, through Jesus. We have no right to receive mercy. The wages of sin is death, and we all have sinned. Because of God’s great love for us, He sent His Son to pay the price for that sin. Through Jesus’s sinless life, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection He became our high priest, our intercessor, our savior, and redeemer. Jesus now stands in the midst of God’s throne as the mediator between the fallen world and the Father. No one can come to the Father except through Jesus, but to those who believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God. Through Christ, we are given an invitation to approach our Father’s throne of grace to receive His life-giving mercy.
“We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 8:2).
“Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) (Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 3:21).
Eden is restored through the fount of living water that flows from God’s throne and the Lamb. In Genesis 3:17 we see God’s punishment enacted upon mankind for Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden. Because of their unbelief and disobedience toward God, all humanity bore the curse of sin and death. But through the blood of the Lamb, the throne of God becomes the center of our new paradise—and the source from which eternal life flows like a river for all who believe.
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him” (Revelation 22:1-3).
God’s throne is a place of perpetual worship. In Why Should We Worship God Ed Jarrett explains that “In the end, everyone will bow before God and worship him as Lord. When we all stand before him, his glory and majesty will overwhelm each one. We will bow then, not because we are forced to, but simply because we will acknowledge that he is worthy of our worship.”
God’s throne is a sacred place of perpetual worship. Those who have been redeemed by the Lord will sing and declare His praises out of an all-consuming passion, undying gratitude, and a fervent desire to honor the One true God—who is worthy to receive all praise.
“Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being’” (Revelation 4:9-11) (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 14:3).
For further reading:
What Are the Seven Seals and Trumpets in Revelation?
Is Asking Jesus into Your Heart in the Bible?
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