３
The throne is not only for God to reign over us but also for God to accomplish His eternal purpose; if we have the throne in our spiritual life, God will not only rule over us but will also fulfill His purpose in us, with us, and through us—Rom. 5:17, 21; cf. Matt. 28:18-20.
４
The throne has the appearance of a sapphire stone; a sapphire stone, which is blue in color, signifies the heavenly situation, condition, and atmosphere of Christ's ruling presence—Exo. 24:10.
Ⅳ
Ezekiel 1 reveals that the One on the throne looks like a man, yet with Him there is the appearance of the glory of Jehovah, indicating that the One sitting on the throne is both God and man; this is Jesus Christ, the God-man, the mingling of God and man—vv. 26, 28:
A
Jesus Christ was the complete God, and He was incarnated to be a man; having the nature of man, He lived, died, resurrected, and ascended as a man, and now as the One on the throne, He is still the Son of Man—John 1:1, 14; 6:62; Acts 7:56, 59-60.
B
Hence, since the ascension of the Lord Jesus there has been a man on the throne; in the millennium and in the new heaven and new earth for eternity, there will still be a man on the throne—Matt. 19:28; Rev. 22:1, 3.
C
God's mysterious intention in His relationship with man is to mingle Himself with man and thereby to become the same as man and make man the same as He is in life, in nature, and in expression but not in the Godhead; man was created in the image of God to express God and to rule for God—Gen. 1:26-28; cf. Isa. 14:12-14:
１
The One on the throne and the four living creatures both have the appearance of a man, indicating that the four living creatures on earth are the expression of the One on the throne; this expression is the manifestation of God in humanity—Ezek. 1:5; 1 Tim. 3:15-16.
２
God in heaven desires to gain man on earth for His expression by working Himself into man; furthermore, God's intention is to work on man in order that man will be on the throne—Eph. 3:16-21; Rev. 3:21; 5:10; 20:4; 22:5; Matt. 19:28.
３
As the Pioneer, the Forerunner, the Lord Jesus cut the way to enter into glory and sit on the throne, and we, His many brothers, are now following Him— Heb. 2:6-12; Rev. 3:21; 22:5.
Morning Nourishment
Heb. 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, in leading many sons into glory…Rev. 3:21 He who overcomes, to him I will give to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat with My Father on His throne.
The throne is not only for God to reign over us but also for God to accomplish His eternal purpose. If we have a throne in our spiritual life, God will not only rule over us but will also fulfill His purpose in us, with us, and through us…If you want God’s purpose and plan to be carried out in you and with you, you must be a person who submits to the throne. You must be a person under the reign of God. Only then can God carry out His purpose in relation to you. (Life-study of Ezekiel, 2nd ed., p. 117)
Today’s Reading
Ezekiel 1:26 speaks of “the likeness of a throne, like the appearance of a sapphire stone.”…The sapphire stone signifies the situation or the condition of the heavens with God’s presence in it. The throne being in the likeness of a sapphire stone shows the presence of God in a heavenly situation.Verse 26b says, “Upon the likeness of the throne was One in appearance like a man, above it.” Here we are told that the One on the throne looks like a man…However, verse 28 speaks of “the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah.” The One on the throne looks like a man, yet with Him there is the appearance of the glory of the Lord. There is at least a twofold significance to the fact that the One sitting on the throne here has the appearance of a man. First, there is surely a connection between Ezekiel 1:26 and Genesis 1:26, which says that God created man in His own image and according to His likeness. Second, in the incarnation God Himself became a man. Having the nature of man, He lived, died, resurrected, and ascended as a man, and now in heaven He is still the Son of Man (John 6:62; Acts 7:56).
In the Bible there is a mysterious thought concerning the relationship between God and man. God’s desire is to become the same as man is and to make man the same as He is. This means that God’s intention is to mingle Himself with man and thereby make Himself like man and make man like Him. The Lord Jesus is the God-man; He is the complete God and the perfect man. We may also say that He is the man-God…Furthermore, to be a man of God…is to be a God-man, a man who is mingled with God. It is a delight to God that all His chosen and redeemed people would be God-men.
God’s intention is to work on man in order that man can be on the throne…We might be satisfied to go to heaven…God will not be satisfied until we are on the throne. The Lord Jesus…became a man, and as a man, He went to the throne. God’s intention is to take us to the throne [Rev. 3:21]. His desire is to make us people of the throne.
We need to consider our present condition in light of God’s intention… The Lord will bring us to the throne, but if we are still careless and loose, we are not ready to be on the throne. No one can sit on the throne in a way that is undignified or improper…If you mean business with the Lord as a Christian and as a disciple of the Lord Jesus, you cannot be loose, careless, and undisciplined. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was not careless in anything. Many believers today, on the contrary, do not seem to have the proper concept and feeling about how to be a proper human being. Such a person cannot be on the throne.
The Lord Jesus led the way to the throne. He was the Pioneer, the Forerunner (Heb. 6:20), cutting the path to the throne (2:10). This indicates that He is not the only man destined for the throne. He has cut the path and has taken the lead so that we may follow. He was the first one to the throne, and we will come after Him. Now we are marching to the throne, for God intends to bring us into glory and to set us on the throne. (Life-study of Ezekiel, 2nd ed., pp. 122-123, 125-126, 128-129, 131)
Further Reading: Life-study of Ezekiel, msg. 11