- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
‘He Sat Down on the Right Hand of the Majesty on High.’
By J.C.Metcalfe.
Right at the beginning of his prophetic ministry Ezekiel was given a vision of “what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was the figure like that of a man” (Ezekiel l v26). Ages passed and the apostle John was allowed to record the fulfilment of this vision. Overcome by the apparently hopeless condition of the human race, he is told, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne” (Revelation 5. v5-6). He, of whom the Baptist said, “Look, the Lamb of God”, has in virtue of His sacrifice on Calvary ascended to the Throne of God and is there as our Representative, our Great High Priest, our Living Lord.
“There He lives”, wrote Andrew Murray, “opening up and keeping open the blessed access to God’s presence and fellowship for us. Lifting us up into and maintaining us in its enjoyment and in the power that prevails there, making the kingdom of heaven a reality within the heart. It is the great object of the letter to the Hebrews to bring home to us the heavenly glory of Christ as the ground of our confidence. Christ, our Leader and Forerunner, has torn open the veil and in the power of His blood has taken possession and secured access into the Holiest of All. This does not mean that we are only able to enter heaven when we die. The whole practical teaching of Hebrews is summed up in the words, “let us draw near to God . . . in full assurance of faith”. Christ seated on the throne in heaven means our being brought into God’s holy presence, in the supernatural power which the coming down of the Holy Spirit supplies and living there”.
The first four verses of Colossians 3 show the simple application of all this to our ordinary daily living, continual reckoning on our place with Him on His Cross and in His risen life. I am using J. B. Phillip’s version, “If you are then raised up with Christ, reach out for the highest gifts of Heaven, where Christ reigns in power. Be concerned with the heavenly things, not with the passing things of earth. For, as far as this world is concerned, you are already dead, and your true life is a hidden one in God, through Christ. One day, Christ, who is your life, will show himself openly, and you will share in that magnificent revelation”.
Yes! God has spoken! He has unveiled the full extent of our inability to love Him and obey His laws. His promises and judgments have never failed, but above all He has delivered His last word to man in His ‘unspeakable gift’, His beloved Son. And do not forget that all we know of Him, of His Cross and its purpose, of His present care of and intercession for us, or of that great day when His glory shall be manifested and He shall be supreme in a new heaven and a new earth, is to be learned from one source only, “the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3 v15).
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