Few words unsettle the human heart quite like judgment. But before we can decide whether to fear it or flee from it, we have to ask a more basic question: who is sitting on the throne, and what kind of throne is it? That is where this series begins.
There are scriptures we know so well that we can almost recite them in our sleep. Revelation 14:6–7 is one of them for many believers. Yet familiar verses are worth reviewing one more time, because they open a door onto one of the most important truths in all of Scripture. The Bible says:
“And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.”
Revelation 14:6–7The title of this series is simply this: The Throne of Judgment.
The Message That Gives the Gospel Its Weight
Those who are familiar with the book of Revelation, and Revelation 14 in particular, understand that these verses contain what we call the three angels’ messages. Three separate angels fly one after the other, each proclaiming a different thing, each carrying a specific emphasis it is there to announce.
The first angel has the everlasting gospel to preach, and that gospel is going out to every place on the earth, so that every person will encounter it. But then verse 7 introduces the concept that gives the everlasting gospel its urgency: the hour of God’s judgment.
The gospel has weight on its own. But when you weigh the gospel in the context of the judgment of God—and the announcement that that judgment has already come—the gospel takes on a certain emphasis, a certain power, a certain importance. It is no longer merely good news for someday; it is good news for the hour we are living in right now.
A Judgment Jesus Preached Again and Again
As Seventh-day Adventist believers, we understand that when this angel announces the judgment, this is none other than the great judgment the Bible has spoken about time and time again. Jesus dealt with this judgment heavily throughout His ministry. Consider the parable of the sheep and the goats—what is He dealing with there? This judgment. The parable of the wheat and the tares—what is He dealing with? This judgment. The wise and foolish virgins—this judgment. The wise man who built his house upon a rock and the foolish man who built his house upon the sand—what is Jesus articulating? The selection process of judgment.
This judgment was so important to Christ that He told it over and over and over again. Each of those parables, in its own way, depicts the same reality. So it is worth asking a few honest questions about the throne from which this judgment proceeds. Let us simply let the Bible speak—a Bible study, and nothing more.
Who Is in Charge of This Judgment?
Our first question is the most fundamental one: who is in charge of the judgment? Turn with me to John 5, and three verses in particular—verse 22, verse 27, and verse 30.
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son.” (v. 22) … “And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.” (v. 27) … “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (v. 30)
John 5:22, 27, 30Put those verses together and the answer comes into view. The one in charge of the judgment is not only Jesus Himself, but the Father with Him. Notice verse 30: “as I hear, I judge.” Who was He listening to? The Father. So the ones in charge of the judgment are the One called the Father and the One called the Son. It sounds simple and elementary—and it is—but we are laying a small foundation on purpose, because we are going to build on it.
Where Is Jesus Sitting Right Now?
Here is the next question: where is Jesus sitting currently in heaven? Let’s go to the Word of God. Hebrews 12:2 tells us:
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2Jesus is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. But is He sitting by Himself? No—He is sitting with His Father. Revelation 3:21 fills in the picture:
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”
Revelation 3:21So the Scripture shows us something remarkable. It is not only the Father sitting on a throne; at His right hand, Jesus is sitting on a throne with Him. They are cohabiting the throne. They both have a place there, and that is where they are seated right now—the Father on His throne, the Son on a throne with Him, and both of them in charge of the judgment.