Jesus Sits on God's Throne

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ, based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the Apostle Paul said, but we did not yield in subjection to them for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel would remain with you.

In short, if you like smooth, watered-down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you. By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her King.

Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name's Mike Abendroth.

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I can't wait for that day. That's a good day. Pretty lake, wow. I'm talking these days in NoCo, NoCoRadio, and in the pulpit about Hebrews and how Hebrews doesn't denigrate the prophets, doesn't say bad things about the angels, doesn't show you Moses's inadequacies.

It says those beings and those men are great men, used of God, of course, but Jesus is better, better, better, better, better, better, better, better. That is a refrain in the book of Hebrews as Hebrews highlights Jesus the son and Jesus the high priest.

And I'm in the section on Sunday mornings in Hebrews 1, 5 and following where there are seven Old Testament passages. That's a funny kind of breathing thing going on here. Old Testament passages that highlight Jesus is better than angels.

Jesus Is Better Than Angels in Hebrews 1

And the one I'm on right now is Hebrews 1, 7. He makes angels, of the angels, he says, doesn't say to the angels, but of the angels, he says, who makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire.

But of the son, he says, now he addresses the son, your throne, oh God, is forever and ever. The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. And to use the Greek words, men and day, on one hand, he says to the angels, your servants.

On the other hand, he says of the son, now he addresses the son, your throne, oh God, is forever and ever. Angels serve, angels minister, angels run errands, angels deliver the law, angels are divinely sent, angels are great beings, but they are created.

They are servants only, and they have changeable natures. On the other hand, men and day, the son creates, the son is majestic, the son is immutable, the son is sovereign, the son purifies, the son is exalted.

And if you think angels are great, and of course, think about the book of Hebrews, the people that they're writing to, he is writing to rather, sorry, I just saw an email pop up on my screen here. I usually don't do NOCO radio from my computer, but today I am, so that when somebody emails me, it's popping up and I see that over in the side, over by the Heno corner, where I have a lot of Heno things.

God exalts the son, the father exalts the son, because the son is God. Three gods in one person, oh, no way. One God subsisting in three persons. And here in Hebrews chapter one, Psalm 104 is quoted, remember Psalm 104, talking about why you should speak well of God, bless the Lord, all my soul.

Oh Lord, my God, you are very great, you are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters, he makes the clouds his chariot, he rides on the wings of the wind.

And then here's the quote that Hebrews one uses, he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. Now Hebrews one seven quotes that verse, and like the book of Hebrews always does, it quotes the Septuagint version, the Greek version of the Old Testament, not the Hebrew version.

And it translates messengers, angels, that's the key. Jesus is superior to the angels, why? Jesus gets more honor than the angels, he gets more worship because angels don't get worship, they don't do anything but worship, they're not worshiping each other.

He makes his angel spirits and his servants flames of fire. That's the LXX, which is a little bit different than the Hebrew, just like with our old passage earlier in Hebrews with Deuteronomy 32R, if it was used in verse six, Psalm 97.

Here's the Psalm, Psalm 104, makes his messengers, his angels winds. And the point of what's going on, even if you look down in chapter one of Hebrews verses 10 and following, Jesus is immutable. Jesus therefore is superior.

Jesus, because he doesn't change is greater than angels who change. Notice down in Hebrews chapter one, verse 10, and you Lord laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning and the heavens are the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain. They will wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will have no end. Angels are not creators, they're creatures.

And some of the angels did change, didn't they? They fell, they fell into sin. And here it says in verse seven of Hebrews chapter one, angels serve the Lord, angels do his bidding. And even when Jesus was on the earth, they were servants of the Lord Jesus.

Jesus is more glorious than the angels because he's the creator and he is the sustainer. And the angels, they're just ministers. Jesus is a son and they, one commentator said, are reducible to nothing more than elemental forces of wind and fire.

Jesus is the one who will not change. Angels, they serve God. Jesus is God. And by the way, I've said it many times before, angels were great. Remember John in Revelation chapter 19, and an angel said to me, write this, blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the lamb.

And he said to me, these are the true words of God. Then I fell down at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, you must not do that. I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus, worship God.

And also in Revelation 22, sounds very similar to Revelation 19, which I just read. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me.

But he said to me, you must not do that. That interesting? You must not do that. I'm a fellow servant with you and your brothers, the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. I'm a servant.

You don't worship the servant, but Jesus is the creator. So you worship him. Angels are servants. Jesus is the one to be worshiped. The servants are ministers. They do things and they carry out destruction.

They deliver the law, but they're creatures. They're subordinates. They are servants. As great as they are, they're just servants. Remember, God sovereignly sends angels to do all kinds of his bidding as pretty intense, wonderful servants, but still servants nonetheless.

Remember, God rescuing Lot through his servants. And those angels reached their hands. They had cloaked themselves with human bodies and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out, groping for the door.

Angels are great, but they're not to be worshiped. Angels deliver messages to Joseph in a dream. Matthew 1, Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus. And he will save his people from their sins. Angels deliver not only humans from destruction, that is Lot and his family, but deliver messages to Joseph.

An angel of the Lord stood next to him and a light shone in his cell. Acts 12, talking about physical deliverance. He struck Peter on the side and woke him saying, get up quickly. And the chains fell off his hands.

And the angel said to him, dress yourself and put on your sandals. And he did so. And he said to him, wrap your cloak around you and follow me. And he went out and followed him. He did not know that which was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.

When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord. And they went out and went along one street and immediately the angel left him.

When Peter came to himself, he said, now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all the Jewish people and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.

Angels were great. You'd be tempted to worship an angel if you saw one. That angel would tell you, no, I'm a minister, I'm a servant. And that is the language of Hebrews chapter one. They're servants.

You don't worship the servant. You don't worship the minister. You don't worship the table waiter. You don't worship the waiter in a restaurant. It's just not what you do. Creators, of course, there's only one creator, but a creator, he receives worship.

Angels are great. Jesus is greater. This is lesser to the greater argument for the author of Hebrews. They are transitory. They receive their orders from God. They are therefore inferior. Created beings, they're subject to Jesus and they do what God wants them to do.

They aren't God. And again, angels aren't painted with the brush of they're bad, they're negative, something's wrong, but Jesus is greater. And that's what's going on in Hebrews chapter one, verse seven.

That's the men part of the Greek. On one hand, when you see the mende, those are Greek words, mende, on one hand, on the other hand. But now it's on the other hand, the father speaking, but of the son, he says.

Now he's talking to the son, of the son, to the son. Your throne, oh God, is forever and ever. It's contrastive parallelism. What's said about the angels over and against what's said about the son. On the one hand, on the other hand.

That's the way you should translate it. I don't know why the English translations didn't do it, but at least the message Bible got it right. No, it didn't. Where's my message Bible when I need it? Let's do this for fun.

There it is. You can write me, info at nocompromiseradio .com. Here's the message Bible. Yes, I did watch Bono over at Eugene Peterson's house. Would I like to have Bono over to my house? I guess I would.

I don't think Bono would like what I would have to say. Oh, yi, yi, yi, yi. Okay, I'm trying to find it. You know, the message Bible doesn't give you all the verses exactly. All angels must worship him.

Regarding angels, he says the messengers are winds, the servants are tongues of fire. But he says to the son, your God, I didn't know God spoke in contractions, but that's fine. Your God, and on the throne for good, your rule makes everything right.

You love it when things are right. You hate it when things are wrong. That is why God, your God, poured fragrant oil on your head, making you out as a king far above your dear companions. On one hand, angels are ministers.

On the other hand, Jesus is God. Jesus is the anointed one. Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus is the Davidic ruler. Your throne, oh God. The father says to the son, oh God, calls him God. Now, from whence does this Old Testament quote come?

From, what's he quoting? Psalm 45, this wedding psalm, this royal psalm. This ESV study Bible calls it a love song. Don't you think the world has had enough? I'm gonna start singing a Paul McCartney silly love song.

No, this is anything but a silly love song. The king is getting married, and here now the writer of Hebrews uses some of this romantic poem, talking about David's marriage. And how great David was, this royal psalm.

And now, taken from that psalm, applied to Jesus, Psalm 45, verse one. My heart overflows with a pleasing theme. I address my verses to the king. My tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. You are the most handsome of the sons of men.

Grace is poured upon your lips. Therefore, God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, and splendor in your splendor and majesty. In your majesty, ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness.

Boy, I'd love to be able to talk today. Let your right hand teach you awesome deeds. Your arrows are sharp. In the heart of the king's enemies, the people's fall under you. And now, Psalm 45, verse six, is the quote, is the passage, is the verse that the writer of Hebrews uses and applies it to Jesus.

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.

The writer of Hebrews sees Psalm 45, verses six and seven, as applying prophetically, if you will, to the eternal rule of David's greatest son, Spurgeon. To whom can this be spoken but our Lord? The psalmist cannot restrain his adoration.

His enlightening eye sees in the royal husband of the church. God, God to be adored, God reigning, God reigning everlastingly. Blessed sight, no throne can endure forever, but that on which God himself sitteth.

Your throne, O God. That's Hebrews one, right from Psalm 45. He's got the difference going on. Of the angels, he says, of the sun, he says, and then he says, to the sun. And there's an antithesis, pink, quote, how immeasurable the gulf which separates between creature and creator.

The angels are but spirits, the sun is God. They are but ministers, his is the throne. They are but a flame of fire, the executioners of judgment. He, the one who commands and commissions them. Is Jesus the Messiah?

Is Jesus the Davidic king? Is Jesus God in the flesh? The answer is yes, yes, yes. Is Jesus greater than the angels? Yes, and here the father says of the son, O God, your throne is forever and ever. God is your throne, is that how you translate it?

Well, of course, the Jehovah's Witnesses would like to translate it that way. The NWT, the New World Translation says, but about the son, he says, God is your throne forever and ever. And the scepter of your kingdom is the scepter of uprightness.

Now, if you wanna get technical, you've gotta study verse eight a little bit. God is your throne would be nominative, and that could either be subjective nominative, God is your throne, or predicate nominative, your throne is God.

Or it could be taken as evocative, your throne, O God. Now, the NAC commentary gives four reasons why it should be evocative. It says it's highly likely that the Septuagint of Psalm 44, Psalm 45 in English, from which the author of Hebrews was quoting has ha-theos as evocative.

Second, the word order likely favors evocative rather than second nominative in the third position. Third, the New Testament uses lege pros overwhelmingly to mean say to. The structural movement of Hebrews 1, 8 to 13 underscores the sense in 1, 8.

And then fourth, quote, the overall context and flow of the argument in 1, 5 to 14, supports the evocative reading. The strong antithesis drawn between the son and of the angels, including the point that the angels are potentially addressed by God, but the son is addressed as God, suggests that the author has in mind the evocative use.

Harris, that is Marie J, supported by extensive footnotes that the overwhelming majority of grammarians, commentators, translators, and general studies on the issue take theos as evocative. And you can see why the Arians, the Jehovah's Witnesses, would want this as a nominative.

They don't like your throne, oh God, because that means the messianic king is fully God. His throne endures forever. He's not a temporary king, he's a sovereign king. Your throne, oh God. Jesus has superiority over the angels.

Edwards, earthly monarchies that ever have been, those that have ruled over the bigger part of the known world, as particularly the Grecian and Roman monarchies, they have come to an end, but Christ is an everlasting kingdom.

His throne is forever and ever. No wonder Edward Peronnet wrote the song that we love to sing here. All hail the power of Jesus' name. What's the next line? Let angels prostrate fall. Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him Lord of all.

That is a great song. Or Isaac Watts. Jesus shall reign where 'er the sun does his successive journeys run. His kingdom stretch from shore to shore till moons shall wax and wane. No, your throne, oh God, is forever and ever.

I wonder if you can say that. I wonder if you agree with the Father that Jesus is God, Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the Anointed One, Jesus has made purification for sins and has sat down at the right hand of the Father.

Do you believe that? Do you take that by faith? That is the response to the gospel. Faith, you must believe. Are you believing? Are you believing on the Lord Jesus Christ for your salvation?

My name's Mike Abendroth. No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Abendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston. Bethlehem Bible Church is a Bible-teaching church firmly committed to unleashing the life-transforming power of God's Word through verse-by-verse exposition of the sacred text.

Please come and join us. Our service times are Sunday morning at 1015 and in the evening at six. We're right on Route 110 in West Boylston. You can check us out online at bbchurch .org or by phone at 508 -835 -3400.

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