See Yourself Standing Before the Seated One

Grace Peace and Mercy to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen!

How many of you have ever been on a “blind date?” The pure concept of it is craziness to me. First off, if the person you are set up with is not attractive to you, the whole night is shot. Here you have to spend the night being cordial to a complete stranger who you have no interest in dating. But let’s take it to the next step, imagine that he or she is a nice-looking person. It’s one thing to be attracted to someone. But what are the odds that you will actually be able to carry on a conversation for a whole night? All night your mind would have to race to find things to say, in fear of the five second moment of silence. (Let’s see, I’ve talked about the weather, the food we’re eating - religion? Politics? What next?) No way. Not for me. I’d rather rub a cheese grater up and down my face and stick my head in a piranha bowl. I can only imagine how terrifying it would be to have to do this with marriage! Imagine living in the far east and having your parents say, “Lisa, here is your future husband.” Wow.

The idea of meeting God - face to face - is also a terrifying prospect. We aren’t just talking about spending one night of chit chat with someone. We’re talking about standing before the Judge for an eternal sentence of guilty or not guilty. However, this is not like a completely blind date. In today’s text, for this Last Judgment Sunday, gives you the ability to -

I. Look at the Seated One

It’s hard to imagine standing before God, isn’t it? Have you ever seen someone and thought, “I know them,” only to realize who it was a month later? Maybe it was an actor, a sports hero, or another public figure you’d seen on TV. Seeing someone in person is a completely different experience compared to seeing them on a screen.

That’s about the closest I can come to trying to describe what it will be like to be standing before God on Judgment Day. It will just be so much more vivid than anything we can imagine. Yet God tries to draw a picture of what He is going to look like on that Day - so we know Who we are meeting up with. Obviously, as we read this description, we will see that it is symbolic language. Yet we read this in a literal way- in other words - there is a literal interpretation behind it - this is describing a real thing.

Today’s text starts with Daniel describing, As I looked, 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. There are basically two pictures that God is trying to draw of Himself in this vision to Daniel. The first one can be found in the name that He gives Himself - the “Ancient of Days.” We will be standing before someone who has been around forever - as the white hair also depicts.

What does this mean for us? God tells us in Leviticus 19 to "Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD." Yet, when we walk into a nursing home, our first thought might be, "These poor people." We smile, pat them on the back, and quickly leave. When Grandma wants to talk, her granddaughter smiles and says, "Yes, Grandma," while looking for the nearest exit.

We live in a society that values youth and athleticism, often overlooking the wisdom and experience of the elderly. In God's eyes, being elderly is honorable. It shows experience and wisdom. So why do we get irritated when grandparents offer advice on raising children or making decisions? These are people who have been through life's challenges and have valuable insights to share.

Applying this to our Judge, we know that we will be standing before Someone who has been around forever. He is the Ancient of Days. Like an old veteran, He has heard every excuse in the book. He can’t be sweet talked. He can’t be fooled. He will make a very wise, experienced, and educated decision based on each individual case. He is someone whose decision will be worthy of respect.

There’s some other things about this Judge that we want to note. Daniel says that his robe was as white as snow. Whiteness is also the symbol of holiness and perfection. In the book of Revelation, John went through a very similar experience in the presence of God. He says, His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. . . When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. It is a terrifying experience to stand in front of someone who is Holy. It makes John turn into a human possum, as he lay there as still as could be.

What makes it worse is what surrounds the throne! His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. 10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. God has often presented Himself throughout the Scriptures as a flaming fire. At the burning bush with Moses, in the desert with the Israelites, on top of Mt. Sinai, at Sodom and Gomorrah, He made His presence known with a burning fire. The message was clear, “I am a powerful force to be reckoned with. If you cross my path, you will be burned!” In this vision, a river of fire flows from before God. Since fire also depicts the eternal judgment, I can’t help but think this fire represents the fact that this holy and experienced and powerful God is going to judge.

II. Look around the Seated One

Let’s take our eyes off of the throne for a minute, as hard as that may be. Notice what Daniel also describes will be there. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. Revelation interprets who these are in 5:11. “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.” What were they doing? “Attending him.” These angels - thousands of them - had one soul purpose in life - to serve Jesus. Their whole world revolves around Jesus. He is the center of their attention - the center of this picture.

The angels aren’t the only ones paying attention to Jesus either. Daniel says, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. What intrigued me about this text was the “thrones.” What were the thrones? There are several references to these thrones throughout the Scriptures.

“Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.” Rev 4

“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” Matt 19

“If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” 1 Co 6

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. Re 3:21

In Matthew, it appears that Jesus is reserving special judgment seats for the disciples. But then in Revelation God makes mention of 24 thrones, seeming to represent the whole Christian church of the Old and New Testaments. And in Revelation 3 Jesus promises everyone who overcomes the right to sit on the throne with him. The difficulty I had in this picture, is where to place the believer in Christ on the final judgment. Is he on a throne or standing in front of God to be judged? Do we see ourselves standing before the seated one, or sitting beside the seated one? Paul answers the question in 2 Corinthians 5:10 we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. 2 Co 5:10. Whether we end up next to the king on a throne or not, we all will have to stand before the seated one at some point or another.

III. See the books opened

At first it might sound disheartening that we will have to face a judgment. Yet should the idea of a final judgment be so terrifying to us? How does John describe it? The court was seated, and the books were opened. John describes the final judgment to the opening of a book, YOUR book. It seems like everyone these days is writing a book about themselves and their ideals. Sean Hannity, Chris Matthews, David Lee Roth, there are a ton of “autobiographies,” etc. out there. Sometimes they are interesting, and sometimes they really stink.

There's a saying: "Live your life by imagining your obituary and working backwards." How would your book read? What stories would you include? You might have some entertaining tales, like cow tipping or other youthful pranks.

But the thought of Judgment Day is terrifying because we don't want our life stories opened by God. Sharing funny or embarrassing stories with a friend is one thing, but standing before a holy and wise Judge is entirely different. This won't be like a funeral where everyone sugarcoats your life. Imagine sitting before God, wanting to skip certain pages. God will read your book in front of the world, and we can't revise our history. The Judge is too wise and holy for that.

It terrified John to stand before a holy God, and initially it terrifies us. But what a comfort it must have been to him when John said, he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. Who is this heavenly and Almighty figure? It is a picture of Jesus! And the first thing Jesus did was to remind John that He is ALIVE, and HE holds the keys of death and Hades. Since Jesus died for the sins of the world, and God accepted His sacrifice as proven by His resurrection from the dead, He now has the right to accept or reject anyone into heaven as Judge of the world.

Revelation 21:27 says, Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. It all comes down to who Jesus finds written in the book of life. But notice that John calls it the “Lamb’s book of life.” It’s not my book of life. It’s not yours. It’s the Lamb’s - Jesus - the Lamb of God - who takes away the sin of the world. Since it’s HIS book, he has the right to add anything or anyone to it or erase anything from it. Moses recognized this when he prayed to the Lord on behalf of the Israelites in Exodus 32 But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.” Peter also said the same when He referred to Jesus as the author of life. (Acts 3:15) Jesus - the Judge of the world - has the power to decide who will be written in the book of life and what will be written in this book.

Jesus, the Judge has set the standard for who will be written in the book of life. Thank God, it is not based on my life or your life, but on HIS life. “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jn 14:6 In John 11 He told Mary, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Based on this book of life, then Jesus opens our books. He says to us who are running from His judgment – “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.” (Isaiah 44) Imagine the awe when God opens our books and, instead of our sinful past, sees only righteous deeds. Jesus has erased our sins with His blood! On Judgment Day, through His forgiveness, He will transform our mundane lives into thrilling epics. We will be amazed at the things God acknowledges that we were unaware of. As God’s Word declares:-

“My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Ps. 139:15-16

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10

Everything that we are and do has been set up and created by God. It is His planning that prepared it. It is His Holy Spirit that works through us. He has done all the work. Yet in his mercy, He gives us credit for it! Amazing grace!

When you meet someone for the first time, it’s often awkward. You look for the right words to say, and struggle to find something in common. It may be hard to see yourself standing before the Seated One - one that is so holy, wise, and powerful - and seeing Him for the first time face to face. Yet this is not someone that we don’t know. We’ve been listening and talking to him for years. He is a part of us - and His Spirit is connected to us. The Person that we are going to stand before on Judgment Day is the same One who DIED for us and made us HOLY in his sight. He doesn’t want us to shy away from this Judgment Day. He doesn’t want us to look at it like a blind date. Jesus actually told his disciples – “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Lk 21:28) Instead of looking at it like a blind date, look at it as a reunion. Through faith look forward to the day you see yourself standing before the Seated One. Amen.