The Return of the Glory
of God to the Temple
Dr. John Hoole
January 12, 2014
In our last lesson on the Millennium, we were looking at what worship will be like during the Reign of Christ. We are told, in many passages, that Jews and Gentiles will worship together.
Isaiah 60:3-4 NKJV
3 The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
4 "Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you;
Zechariah 14:16 NKJV
16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
Yes, Jew and Gentiles will worship together.
The second thing we learned in our earlier lesson was the fact there will be a special priesthood serving the Lord in the Millennial Temple. That does not mean that God has abandoned the Levites as His priests. Rather, we are told that it will be narrowed to one specific family of Levites during the Millennium.
Ezekiel 43:19 NKJV
19 You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,' says the Lord God.
Only those in the priestly family of Zadok will be assigned to be priests in the millennial temple.
After Absalom’s attempted coup and rebellion failed, David didn’t stop rebellion within his family. The lust for power among David’s other sons did not end with the death of Absalom. Another son, Adonijah (the son of Haggith, one of David’s wives) attempted to usurp the throne. This time, some of those that previously had remained loyal to David turned on him. Zadok, however, remained loyal to the rightful royal line. Because of Zadok’s unwavering faithfulness to King David, his descendants will have the privilege to minister before the Lord during his reign on earth.
For his faithfulness, Zadok receives a promise from the Lord.
Ezekiel 44:15-16 NIV
15 But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
16 They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and perform my service.
Zadok had been faithful in his priestly duties, even when other desecrated the temple. During the millennium, Christ will reward him and his line. Here is a short lineage chart for Zadok.
The third thing we discussed during our previous lesson was that sacrifices will occur. The idea of sacrifices in the millennial seems unnecessary for some Christians. The argument is that Christ abolished the Old Testament sacrificial system when He, the perfect and ultimate sacrifice, was offered for the sins of the world.
We know, from Hebrews 9:26-28, that sacrifices during the millennium will not be for the purpose of forgiveness of sins.
Hebrews 9:26-28 NKJV
26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,
28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
According to this passage, Christ was sacrificed once for all to take away all sins, and will appear a second time, but not to bear our sins. He did that once for all when He was here on the earth the first time. We need to keep in mind that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament never provided forgiveness of sin.
Hebrews 10:4 NIV
4. Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Only the blood of Christ can cleanse us from our sins. Sacrifices in the Old Testament was not for the purpose of dealing completely with sin. Well, since sacrifices during the millennium are not for sins, what is their purpose. Since Jesus has fulfilled all the Old Testament sacrifices in Himself, why would God reinstate them in the future temple worship?
Today, we have two ordinance which we observe.
1. Water Baptism.
2. The Lord’s Supper (communion).
The observance of neither of these is for the remission of sins, but are a memorial, where we look back at what Christ has done for us. The observance of each of these were commanded by Christ. It seems that these future sacrifices, like the Lord’s Supper today will be memorials of what Jesus did. They will teach the mortal Jews the meaning of their ancient religion in light of the Cross.
The sacrifices of animals during the millennium also will not be for forgiveness of sins, but a memorial, looking back and remembering what Christ did in dying for us. God had originally designed sacrifices to look forward to the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. During the millennium, it will look back to the cross.
The return of the glory of the Lord in the Millennial Temple is also a significant part of worship during the reign of Christ, but I have chosen to make it a lesson on its own.
The theater presentations called Greek tragedies are considered to be the most pitiable of human dramas. But there is an even greater tragedy tucked away within the books of the Old Testament. While Greek tragedies dealt with the loss of a lover or a life, this Hebrew horror story dealt with the loss of God. And for a people whose entire existence was defined by their relationship with God, no greater tragedy could be imagines. The name of this Israelite tragedy was called, in Hebrew, ICHABOD! – “The departed glory.”
The next aspect of setting up worship in the Temple is the return of the Glory of God to the Millennial Temple. As we learned in an earlier lesson, the Temple is where Christ will have His throne (Ezek. 43:5-7).
The book of the Bible that records this drama is the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was a temple priest and prophet living at a dark time in Israel’s history. King Nebuchadnezzar had conquered Judah and taken many prominent Jews to Babylon. There were actually three waves of deportation of Jews to Babylon, 606 B.C., 597 B.C. and 586 B.C., the latter in which the Temple was destroyed. Among those taken were Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and the “three Hebrew children.” Daniel and Shadrack, Meshak and Obednego were deported in 606 B.C.. Ezekiel was taken to Babylon in the second wave, in 597 B.C..
Ezekiel 1:1-3 NKJV
1 Now it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the River Chebar, that the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.
2 On the fifth day of the month, which was in the fifth year of King Jehoiachin's captivity,
3 the word of the Lord came expressly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Chebar; and the hand of the Lord was upon him there.
The next verse (vs. 4) tells us on this day there was a thunder and lightning storm with strong wind.
Ezekiel 1:4 NIV
4 I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north — an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,
In verse 26, we are told that Ezekiel sees something above the clouds.
Ezekiel 1:26 NKJV
26 And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it.
Isaiah had a similar “throne encounter” which he mentions in Isaiah 6:1, where, he says “in the year the King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled temple.”
Daniel also describes a “throne encounter” in Daniel 7:9.
I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of days was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire.
In the next verse, Daniel of the angels: “A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.”
Ezekiel could see there was a human form, but it was just so bright that he could not really see the figure with any great clarity. Apart from God’s waist, all that Ezekiel could see was something like gleaming bronze and fire. And around the figure was a brightness like the brightness of a rainbow. We now have the setting of the vision Ezekiel writes about in this chapter.
The River Chebar has not been positively located in current geography. Some think it was a royal canal of Nebuchadnezzar, near the outskirts of the City of Babylon. Others identify it with the modern Chabour River, which flows into the Euphrates about 50 miles north of Babylon. The Chebar River is mentioned a number of times in the book of Ezekiel.
Wherever it was located, it appears according to the verses we just read that many of the Jews deported from Israel were located there. And it is here that Ezekiel has his earliest vision from the Lord.
One of the most prominent facets of Millennial life will also be one that is difficult to fully grasp. In this vision, in the next verse, Ezekiel is given a glimpse of the glory of God.
Ezekiel 1:27-28 NKJV
27 Also from the appearance of His waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around within it; and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around.
28 Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking.
I wonder if, in our present state, we can ever really grasp what is the glory of the Lord. And what will it be like when, during the Millennium, God’s glory fills the whole earth.
Isaiah 40:5 NKJV
5 The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
Psalms 72:19 NKJV
19 And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory.
WHAT IS THE GLORY OF THE LORD?
In Bible history, there have been records of times when the GLORY and the presence of Divinity was briefly exposed. When these visitations occurred, there were often a shattering of emotions of those who witnessed them. Even when a Messenger of God appeared, people fell on their faces in fear. Scripture records a similar reaction by those who had a personal encounter with the living God.
• Moses (Exodus 19:16)
• Job (Job 42:6)
• Isaiah (Isaiah 6:5)
• Daniel (Daniel 10:8)
• The Disciples (Matthew 17:6)
• Paul (Acts 9:4)
• John (Revelation 1:17)
God’s glory will blind enemy soldiers and horses during earth’s battle of climax.
Zechariah 12:4 NKJV
4 In that day," says the Lord, "I will strike every horse with confusion, and its rider with madness; I will open My eyes on the house of Judah, and will strike every horse of the peoples with blindness.
Mankind, in his present state, cannot tolerate proximity to this electricity from God’s glory. Moses once saw God’s glory as a burning bush. At other times it appeared as a “cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.” When the Ark of the Covenant was foolishly opened, thousands perished through exposure to the presence (See 1 Sam. 6). Also, when Moses came down from Mt. Sinai, after being in the presence of God, his whole being was charged with radiant glory. Just by Moses being near the glory of God, his face had to be veiled because of an unbearable incandescence, which struck fear in those who saw him.
It is necessary at this point to recall that the description of God’s glory in the form of a bright clouds has links back earlier into the Old Testament. The cloud of God’s glory is symbolic in the Old Testament of God’s presence with His people. After God manifested his glory to Moses in the burning bush, God saved his people Israel from slavery, and led them out of Egypt by a fiery cloud. This was the same fiery cloud that came down upon Mount Sinai. Something of God’s glory was visible to all the Israelites. But it was only Moses that had a closer, though still partial, view of God’s glory. Then, after the tabernacle was built, God’s glory resided in the tabernacle, and when the Tabernacle was replaced by Solomon’s Temple, God glory filled the temple.
We are told the glory of God filled the travelling tabernacle of the Jews as they wandered in the Wilderness. And when they moved from place to place, the presence of God was represented by a “pillar of cloud” by day and a “pillar of fire” at night. The Shekinah also filled the Temple of Solomon.
1 Kings 8:10-11 NKJV
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,
11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
The glory of the Lord seems to “blow fuses” in our present emotional makeup. Quite often Bible personalities ‘fainted’ from awe or fear. On the Road to Damascus, Paul was left blinded and trembling from the ‘light from heaven’ and the voice of Jesus.
In chapter 3, Ezekiel is told to go out to the plain, where God says He will speak to him. And once again Ezekiel sees the glory of the Lord that had impressed him in his initial vision (1:28).
Ezekiel 3:22-24 NKJV
22 Then the hand of the Lord was upon me there, and He said to me, "Arise, go out into the plain, and there I shall talk with you."
23 So I arose and went out into the plain, and behold, the glory of the Lord stood there, like the glory which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
24 Then the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and spoke with me and said to me: "Go, shut yourself inside your house.
Like the earlier vision, Ezekiel falls on his face. Seeing the glory of the Lord, he knew he was in the presence of the King of kings. And once again the Spirit of God entered into him and set him on his feet. As a visionary prophet, Ezekiel was not limited to his own geographical environs for firsthand observations on matters of concern to the Israelites. God had shown Himself to be sovereign over all the earth, not just Canaan. Ezekiel knew that Jehovah could put the spiritual eyes of the prophet anywhere on earth. In chapters 8 through 11, the temple at Jerusalem constitutes the locale for a great set of observations and revelations about Israel’s guilt and coming punishment.
The significance of Ezekiel’s vision in the historical context of his day is that the collective sin of God’s people had become so bad that God was at the point of abandoning his people to their enemies. The Jews wanted to live like the nations around about them. Well, God would deliver them over to the nations. He would even let his temple be destroyed by the Babylonians.
While Ezekiel was in his home for a lengthy time, he sees several visions, one of which deals with Glory of God and Ichabod. This vision begins in chapter eight and continues at least through chapter eleven. God gave Ezekiel a vision of the conditions of the Temple back in Jerusalem.
This vision of the glory of God in Ezekiel 1 is basically a wonderful beginning to a very sad story! What Ezekiel sees in Jerusalem is both infuriating and sad. Evidence of why God was provoked unto wrath was everywhere Ezekiel looks in Jerusalem. There was blatant and open sin among the people, especially so among the priests.
Ezekiel 8:1-4 NKJV
1 And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house with the elders of Judah sitting before me, that the hand of the Lord God fell upon me there.
2 Then I looked, and there was a likeness, like the appearance of fire — from the appearance of His waist and downward, fire; and from His waist and upward, like the appearance of brightness, like the color of amber.
3 He stretched out the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my hair; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the north gate of the inner court, where the seat of the image of jealousy was, which provokes to jealousy.
4 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was there, like the vision that I saw in the plain.
Precisely 13 months after the first vision in chapter one – which would now be 592 B.C., Ezekiel received a vision while at home in Tel-Abib, with leaders (“elders”) from the exiled community present. This is one of four occasions specifically mentioned on which the prophet receive revelation with a group of people sitting before him waiting for a word from the Lord.
Ezekiel 8:9-11 NKJV
9 And He said to me, "Go in, and see the wicked abominations which they are doing there."
10 So I went in and saw, and there — every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls.
11 And there stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up.
There were three gates from the outer to the inner court of the Jerusalem temple. They faced north, east, and south. The northern gate was the one used by the king and was thus perhaps the most prominent. In his vision, at that gate, Ezekiel was shown some king of idol, which he calls the “image of jealousy,” that is, a rival to Jehovah (vs. 4).
In additional to seeing idol worship of this sort, Ezekiel had also noted back in verse 1 the presence of God’s glory. Even amidst great abomination, God had still not removed His merciful presence there. God was, even then, not quick to remove Himself – so great was His patience. And Ezekiel still had more, even worse things, to see
Ezekiel 8:14-16 NKJV
14 So He brought me to the door of the north gate of the Lord's house; and to my dismay, women were sitting there weeping for Tammuz.
15 Then He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these."
16 So He brought me into the inner court of the Lord's house; and there, at the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
But eventually, God has seen enough, and judgment is forthcoming. Their activity offended God, and He began to act decisively. The glory of the Lord, God’s visible presence in the midst of His people had hovered above the Ark of the Covenant for more than 800 years. Then, the unthinkable happened. Ezekiel watched in stunned silence as the glory of the Lord lifted from above the ark and began to move from the sacred Holy of Holies. And when we get to chapter 9, we read of the initial movement of the Glory of the Lord.
Ezekiel 9:3 NKJV
3 Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer's inkhorn at his side;
Normally this glory of God would be evidenced at the ark of the covenant, in the Holy of Holies. The top of the ark was decorated with cherubim where the “mercy seat” where you would find the presence of the Lord. But now the glory shifts to the threshold at the front of the building.
Ezekiel 10:4 NKJV
4 Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory.
One cannot miss the point that as part of His judgment, God Himself is actually now abandoning the place where He was once worshiped.
Ezekiel 10:15 NKJV
15 And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar.
Ezekiel 10:18-19 NKJV
18 Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim.
19 And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.
The glory of the Lord – the Lord’s presence – was moving further and further away from the Holy of Holies. As God’s glory hovered over the city walls, there was no reason at all for any Jew to fail to see the glory of the Lord as it departed. It should have been visible to everyone, both to those standing inside or outside the city, but not one seems to have seen the glory move.
Here we have the second movement of the glory of the Lord. He moves from the door of the Temple to the eastern gate.
Ezekiel 11:1-2 NKJV
1 Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the East Gate of the Lord's house, which faces eastward; and there at the door of the gate were twenty-five men, among whom I saw Jaazaniah the son of Azzur, and Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, princes of the people.
2 And He said to me: "Son of man, these are the men who devise iniquity and give wicked counsel in this city,
Take note that the glory of the Lord leaves by way of the East Gate. This will become important later when discussing the Millennial Temple.
Ezekiel 11:23-24 NKJV
23 And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city and stood on the mountain, which is on the east side of the city.
24 Then the Spirit took me up and brought me in a vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to those in captivity. And the vision that I had seen went up from me.
Ezekiel now sees the Glory of the Lord move from the Eastern Gate to the Mount of Olives. Because of the abominations that were occurring in His Temple, God removes His manifest presence from the Temple. And it appears that none in Jerusalem were even aware that God removed his presence.
Let me insert a related thought here. Earlier, I mentioned a couple of examples of the glory of God being visible.
• The Burning Bush
• The Pillar of cloud and pillar of fire.
Now certainly the parting of the Red Sea, and the Israelites walking across on dry ground would be pretty high up on anybody’s list of miracles. But God did something else earlier that day, or the previous evening, that was uniquely spectacular. Let’s turn to the final verses of Exodus 13 to read about it.
Exodus 13:20-22 NKJV
20 So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.
21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
22 He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.
This pillar of cloud and pillar of fire was always there. Let’s go to the next chapter.
Exodus 14:19-20 NKJV
19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.
20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night.
This is very similar to what Ezekiel writes. Ezekiel saw the Shekinah glory move, from between the cherubim, to the threshold of the temple, then to the Eastern Gate, then to the Mount of Olives. But the priests worshiping foreign idols did not see it move. God can shut off his glory from being visible to those who are against Him. They won’t even recognize that He was near them.
Ezekiel is then taken, in the Spirit, back to the place of Captivity in Babylon. I have taken you through this detail about the movement of the Glory of the Lord to make a point. First, notice again how slowly the glory of the Lord is removed. It moves from the Mercy Seat to the door of the temple, then to the Eastern Gate, then to the Mount of Olives. Our God is very long suffering – He desires continued fellowship and worship.
The prophet Ezekiel does not leave the Jews forever in judgment, with their temple destroyed. After the fall of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., the prophet Ezekiel wrote of Israel’s future restoration with a conviction equal to that which he had expressed when he spoke of their destruction..
If the literal interpretation of Ezekiel 40 – 48 is rejected for an allegorical interpretation, there is no other passage which provides instruction for the construction of the future Temple. And the way is open for the spiritualization of all prophecies of the restoration of the Jews, as well as those concerning the coming of the Messiah Himself.
FROM ICHABOD TO CHABOD
As we learned earlier in this lesson, Ezekiel, while in the Spirit, sees the Glory of God, depart from the temple built by Solomon.
And we have no indication, historically or biblically, that it returned to be present in Temple #2. We do know, factually, the Ark of the Covenant was never present in the second temple. And the mercy seat atop the Ark is where the presence of God resided.
Ezekiel, in his description of the details of the Millennial Temple, and the worship there, is given the task of revealing when the Glory of His Presence will occur, and he tells us it will occur in the future Temple.
Before reading what Ezekiel says regarding the return of the Glory of God to the Temple, notice the words of Haggai, a contemporary and friend of Zechariah, about this event.
Haggai 2:9 NKJV
9 'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts."
In Ezekiel 43:1, the prophet is taken by the angel to the Eastern Gate.
Let’s read verse 1 and the verses that follow.
Ezekiel 43:1-7 NKJV
1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east.
2 And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory.
3 It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw — like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face.
Let me interject a thought before continuing this passage. So vivid was the initial image of God’s glory etched into Ezekiel’s mind that some 20 years later (572 B.C.) he says the vision in this chapter was just like the original in chapter one.
Although, as a nation, the Jews had been conquered this vision lets Ezekiel know His God was more powerful than the gods of Babylon. Though the Lord had chosen to discipline his people, He promises not to leave them in His judgment, but would restore them.
4 And the glory of the Lord came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east.
5 The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
6 Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me.
7 And He said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.
The point I want to say here is so important for each of us to understand. When the “Presence” of the Lord left the Temple in chapters 8 – 11, He went very slowly. He did not want to leave the Temple and the land. He is so longsuffering and wants to forgive.
But, notice that when He comes back, in chapter 43, He comes back from the direction He left in one rapid motion to fill the Temple. He quickly, and without hesitation, comes back to the place He has promised and wants to be. The Temple itself, as a piece of construction, was nothing without God’s presence. Likewise, our church is just a building that people occupy, unless God is among those who gather there. Additionally, the only true “temple” that God dwells in today is the believers themselves who know Him as Lord and Savior.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NASU
16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.
CLOSING
In my lifetime, I have personally seen only three thrones.
• King Ludwig I Munich, Germany. The walls of the throne room are overlaid with pure gold.
• King Tutankhamen 2003 Cairo - We went to the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. King Tut’s throne was behind a glass enclosure.
• King Minos of Crete 2005 Outside Heraklion, Crete are the ruins of Knossos Palace. He was king over the Minoan civilization.
When I saw these thrones, they were all unoccupied. The kingdoms of these rulers of the past did not last forever. In fact, none of them lasted very long. ut when John saw the throne in Heaven, it was occupied.
Psalms 47:8 NKJV
8 God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne.
Isaiah said it this way concerning God’s throne:
Isaiah 6:1 NKJV
6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.
When Isaiah saw the throne of God, he was never the same. The key to our spiritual life is to glimpse upon and reverence the throne – and He who sits on it.
Let me remind you that the throne of God will never be vacant. It cannot be stolen. Our God cannot be out-muscled or over-powered. Psalm 45:6 says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”
No! Positively NO! God’s throne is never vacant and never will be. And none but God occupies it. The throne of God stays exclusively His. So when you come “boldly to the throne of grace,” as mentioned in Hebrews 4:16, there will be someone on that throne ready to listen. In fact, anytime we experience the presence of the Lord, His throne is never far. And it is more than just a seat to sit upon. It represents authority, power, rule and dominion. It is at this throne and from this throne that official Kingdom business are made and pronounced.
You and I have a standing invitation to enter the throne room of God. The door leading into this room is always open.