~ Mercy, Grace, Glory, & Judgment
~
Throne of Mercy
~ “You
shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length
and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of
hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one
cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the
cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the
cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with
their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall
be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and
in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will
meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from
between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about
everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel” (Exodus
25:17-22). This is the meeting place for God and His people.
This first throne is propitiatory, where the sinner meets God in mercy.
“There is no difference; for all have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth
as a propitiation [appeasement] by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that
were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His
righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith
in Jesus” (Romans 3:22-26).
Throne of Grace
~ “Seeing
then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High
Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). This is the
place of daily resources for God’s people.
This
second throne is where the born-again child of God draws near to God.
Throne of Glory
~ “And
behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like
a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the
throne, in appearance like an emerald” (Revelation 4:2b-3). This is the place of destiny of God’s people.
This
third throne, in heaven
following our resurrection, is where the redeemed will be brought.
Throne of Judgment
~ “Then
I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and
the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the
dead, small and great, standing before God,
and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of
Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which
were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death
and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each
one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of
fire. This is the second death. And
anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation
20:11-15). This is the place of retribution for the lost—human kind who have chosen to
not accept the salvation provided by the death, burial, and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
This fourth
throne is the place of righteous judgment. Those who are dead in sin will appear
before the only righteous Judge in the universe.
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
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