Does Jesus Sit on the Right Hand of God?
Right Hand of God
Our trinitatian friends pose a fair question. "If God is only one then how do you explain Jesus being on the right hand of the Father"?
This term the “right hand” goes back to ancient Bible times. It was and still is a figure of speech. Today the term is used as such, “John is my right hand man”. That statement today simply means that John is his good friend and someone that can be counted on. The point is that the term “right hand” is a figurative term. Another figure of speech is that “it is raining cats and dogs”. We know that cats and dogs are not coming down from the sky!
The Bible is full of such figurative terms, parables and typology that in some cases we must know a little of the Eastern customs to understand what is being implied and taught in the Bible passage.
The trinitarians look at this term and teach that it proves that two sit on the throne of God.
Let us look at some scriptures using this term “right hand”.
Ex 15:6
6 Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.
Ex 15:12
12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
In the two previous verses we can see that the right hand is not referring to position or location but the power and authority of God. When similar terms are used we find that the Bible never uses God’s left hand to describe His power and strength. Again the term has nothing to do with position or location but the very power and might of the almighty God!
Isa 63:12
12 That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
Here was another very good example of how the term “right hand” is used to describe power. This time it is used in reference to Moses and how God used him in delivering the children of Israel from Egypt. It says “That led them by the right hand of Moses”. Does this mean that Moses literally took his “right hand’ and led out 3 million Jews? Of course not! It simply means that God used Moses and demonstrated his power through him in that great deliverance. No, it is not about location or position, it is about the power of God in operation.
How many sit on the throne of almighty God?
Rev 4:2
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
According to what John saw only one sits on the throne. If one sits on the throne, who is it? Is it the Father, Son or Holy Spirit?
In the following passages let us remember what we have just learned about the “right hand”. The right hand does not refer to position or location but of power and authority.
Heb 10:12
12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
By looking at these verses in a natural sense we then see two on the throne. What did John see? He saw only one! We must know that the Bible always agrees with itself. There is no contradiction in scripture.
Should we look at one verse and make a decision on what God is saying? Should we not look at the Bible as a whole?
Now let us look at the phrase “sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” . Who is Jesus sitting next to here? How can one sit next to “Majesty on high”?
Mark 14:62
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
How can one sit next to “the right hand of power”? The fact is Jesus sat down forever as God with all power and authority. Remember, it is not about location or position.
Isa 66:1
66:1 Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?
If God is omnipresent how then can you sit down on His right side? If God is a Spirit how then can one sit down on the right side of Him? If it possible to sit on the right side of God as a position then we must say that God is not everywhere but that He is limited to space, that He is confined to a certain amount of height and depth. Is God limited to a certain amount of height and depth? I say not!
Because God is an omnipresent Spirit He does not “sit” as we do on a physical throne. The Heaven is His throne. In other words in the universe He sits and reigns, there is no place where He isn’t.
Jesus Christ sat down with all power as Almighty God on the throne by Himself.
The term “sat down” leads us to more understanding of these passages. In understanding the sacrificing of the priests they were not allowed at any time to sit in the Holy place where the sacrificing was done. There was no place to sit. The reason for this is that their sacrificing was never finished. The sins of the people were only pushed ahead another year. When Jesus became our final sacrifice, He at the same time being the high priest, forever sat down as God ending all sacrifices!
So we see the subject is not about how many are sitting on the throne of God but about Jesus sitting down as the almighty God after the final sacrifice!
The term “the almighty” is used 44 times in the Bible. The last verse referring to the almighty is Jesus claiming to be the almighty. How many almighties do we have? Only one and He Jesus, sits on the throne alone!
Rev 1:8
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Luke 11:20
20 But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
The term “ the finger of God” can be taken literally but again God wants us to understand His great power and authority. Do you think Jesus reached into people’s lives and literally pluck out demons with His finger? A more clear understanding is that God doesn’t even need a whole hand to cast out demons. In a figurative way of speaking God only needs a finger to cast out the devil! The devil is no match for God!
I recommend books you can purchase from your local Christian book store that will help you understand eastern customs. With our western way of thinking sometimes we take the Bible too physical not understanding the intent behind the eastern mind.
The simple truth is that many times when the right hand is referenced in Scripture it is done so with the understanding that it is Jesus the second person of the trinity.
God the Father Himself reveals that one can sit at His right hand by the revelation found in chapters four and five of the book of Revelation.
He, the omnipotent one is seated on a throne.
And Jesus, the Lamb slain before the foundations of the earth were laid, is standing at His side between God the seated Father and the 24 elders as it is written.
It is beyond any reasonable dispute, if one uses the text as the basis of argument and not ones imagination, that the God-head is clearly revealed here as three persons. The 7 spirits of God Representative of Holy Spirit, the Lamb, obviously Jesus the One the Lord provided, and God the Father who is clearly identified as separate and seated.
The Lamb stands, the Spirit burns and the Father sits.
Believe it!
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Let me Say God Is one in substance but three coequal persons . Let us go back to the first book of the Bible , also in the very first chapter If your reading the King James version . Genesis chaptor 1 v 26 God said let us create man . "Us" meaning the Father , Son and Holy Spirit . So yes God is three , and no angels cant create because they were created by God . And yes Jesus is at the right hand of God and is God and omni present . To see the Light one must be of the Light and not led by the flesh . God Bless
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God is not a person The holy Ghost is not a person,1Tim 3:16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
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I am southern baptist and they believe in the trinity, which is manmade. I have prayed much about Jesus being God. God says He sent His only begotten son to die for us, He did not say He sent Himself, period.
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Hi Dolly
Let me address your statement "God says He sent His only begotten son to die for us, He did not say He sent Himself".
First of all we need to look at more than John 3:16. Let us rightly divide the Word. In understanding that God is ONE and that Jesus is the Father in flesh (1 Timothy 3:16) I see that God sent His son (God came in flesh which is his son). The manifestation of God in flesh is His son. See my article on "the dual nature of Christ".
Look at the following scriptures to help us see that God himself came. God did not send another but came himself in flesh. That flesh died on the cross. The flesh died, not the Spirit of God.
Zech 13:2, 6
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts,...(The Almighty God)
6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (God came in flesh and states in advance through Zechariah that He (God) was wounded.
1 John 3:16
16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
(God laid down His life. Life is in the blood Lev. 17:11)
1 Tim 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (God himself came and not another)
Matt 1:23
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (The son of God is the Almighty God)
Acts 20:28
28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. ( When did God have blood? When it flowed through the veins of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is God revealed in the flesh)
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dolly- You can believe what you want to .or the bible,
Jesus Christ is God Incarnate
"...they shall call his name EMMANUEL, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US."
--MATTHEW 1:23
"...if ye believe not that I am he,
ye shall die in your sins."
--JESUS CHRIST, JOHN 8:24
http://www.jesus-is-lord.com/jesusgd2.htm
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Revelation 5:6-7 And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
7And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.
We have to understand the God is a spirit. God does not have a body, therefore he is invisible. Colossians 1:14-1514 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Now we know that God is invisible, therefore he does not have a body, or a right hand. It's figure of speech. A trinity guy asked me one time if Jesus is God, who is he taking the scrolls from. I told him these scriptures and that God does not have a body and it is a figure of speech. He just got upset and went stomping off. We have to open our hearts for God to reveal the truth to us.
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Psalm 110.1 is quoted in the New Testament more than any other verse there, and it is applied to Jesus' ascension. If Jesus literally ascended to heaven, then he literally sat down on God's throne at God's right hand.
Oneness Pentecostals are right that God is one individual, but they are wrong that that one individual is Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus is not God, but a virgin-born man who lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and arose from the dead. There is one God and Jesus is not it, but the Father is.
The Holy Spirit is not actually God but the presence and power of God. Thus, the Spirit of God is to God as the spirit of man is to man.
The creation of man shows us much about who God is. Since humans were created in God's image, and a human being has a spirit, thus God likewise has a Spirit.
Man being created in the image of God also shows that the doctrine of the Trinity is incorrect. Since a human does not consist of three persons but one, so God does not consist of three Persons but is one--being the Father.
Learn more about the true identity of Jesus and his God in my new book, The Restitution of Jesus Christ. It may be the most formidable book to ever biblically challenge the church dogma that Jesus is God.
Servetus the Evangelical
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You don't have much understanding of the power of God, sir!
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God does infact have a body, and when he said "Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness" he was referring to the angels who existed with Him before this world was created as we know today. Let us use common sense and think of it this way: God, and whoever he was talking to would have had to have bodies exactly like ours for us to be made in their image, after their likeness. And if I had to guess what is different about our bodies and theirs, I'd say they have spiritual bodies with immortal souls and we have flesh bodies with mortal souls. Very simple to understand.
You see, before the harmony we had with the Supreme Being in the eternal dimension was disrupted by satan, where we were first created by God as eternal beings, Jesus Christ did not exist in a body outside of God, but was in God, and was God, as there was no need for a Savior. Satan rebelled against God and somehow persuaded a third of the angles to follow him. I'm sure most of the angels were deceived and would have not willingly followed him, and I'm sure some were fully aware of what they were doing, and followed him willingly. This was a very serious offense to be loyal to and obey satan over God. God loves all of his childern more than we can comprehend So, instead of killing a third of the angels that followed satan when he rebelled against Him, God sentenced satan to death and destroyed the then known world.
God created this earth age to offer the angels that followed satan an opportunity to be redeemed through Jesus Christ. God allowed satan to exist in this earth age as a part of his plan up until just before the great white throne judgement, when at that time he will be put to death. He will not make it to judgement day, as he's already been sentenced to death. It's hard to believe that some of the angels who worshiped satan in the pervious age will not choose to accept Jesus Christ after becoming fully aware that their alternative is the second death (Death of the soul), and God will destroy their souls on judgement day. This will be heartbreaking to him, but it must be done before the souls enter into eternity again.
Here's the plan: All souls are born innocent of woman in this earth age with no memory of what happened that caused God to destroy the previous age. At the time the first humans were created, they were created with flesh bodies and eternal souls, but was given a commandment by God to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, else their souls would become mortal. Eve and Adam were deceived by satan in the garden of eden, and they ate from the forbidden tree (Much more to this story, but it takes deep spiritual knowledge to understand). After Adam and Eve disobeyed God the only way man could obtain eternal life was to live perfect under the law (The 10 commandments). No man had the power to redeem himself by living perfectly under the law, so God's plan from the beginning was to be born in the flesh, in this earth age,
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Continued: as Jesus Christ to redeem man Himself:
Heb.1
[1] God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
[2] Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
[3] Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
[4] Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
[5] For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
[6] And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
[7] And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
[8] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
[9] Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
[10] And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
[11] They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
[12] And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.
[13] But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
[14] Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
1Cor.15
[20] But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
[21] For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
[22] For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
[23] But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
[24] Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
[25] For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
[26] The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
[27] For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
[28] And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
I hope everyone understands that Paul is saying that the Savior must exist until all the children who will willing accept
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Christ have the opportunity to obtain eternal life (Again). Then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
After judgement day, and after death has been destroyed (Which was brought into existence due to satan's rebellion), all people that exist at that time will be eternal beings. All beings will be in complete harmony with God as we were before this earth was created. Jesus Christ will be back inside of God, as he was God, and always has been God, and always will be God. Also, God's spirit has never been a separate being. it has always been inside of him, and was that same spirit in Jesus Christ when he existed in the flesh, here on earth. God has infinite awareness, understanding, and insight of all things that exist, simultaneously, and is present in all places at all times. People don't understand that they limit His power by trying to justify the trinity concept. God Himself told Moses: I AM THAT I AM, which means that he can be what ever he wants to be when ever he wants to be, and where ever he wants to be. The Self existent one, Who was not created, but has always existed, and who will always exist like unto Melchisedec:
Heb.7
[1] For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;
[2] To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;
[3] Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.
Now Melchisedec came out from God before Jesus Christ was born, who Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.
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