Tanner H Griffin

8–11 minutes

Speaking of the Kingdom: #8 Is This Heaven?

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:19

Heaven is that place that nearly everyone knows about, but, at the same time, we all know almost nothing about. If you asked 100 random people about what heaven is, most of them would likely give similar answers. Heaven is basically where people want to end up for eternity after they they die.

But if you were to ask those same 100 people about Heaven and what goes on there, you’ll find a whole bunch of different answers. You may have heard of streets made of gold, pearly gates, and fancy houses. Some say in Heaven, people reunite with their loved ones (and maybe even their pets!). They believe that all the pain and suffering from the past disappears there. Others say that everyone gathers before God and keeps saying “holy” forever. There might be singing. Perhaps everyone gets a white robe and a crown. The idea of Heaven nowadays is pretty unclear and can be confusing.

On the Other Hand…

Why do so many people desire to go to Heaven if they have no idea what its like or what happens there? It’s because there is an eternal destination that has a much more defined experience. Hell, on the other hand, is known as a fiery, Sulphur-filled place where folks suffer nonstop for all eternity. So, even without all the specifics, pretty much anything sounds better than that. So when asked the question, “if you were to die tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?” given these two options, a vague picture of heaven is way more inviting than a clear view of Hell.

Heaven as a Kingdom word

If you’ve checked out the previous posts in this series on the Kingdom of God, you might have an idea of what’s coming up. And if you haven’t had a chance to read them yet, I’d really appreciate it if you could, but for now, just know that the Kingdom of God is a kingdom with all the requisite components and functions . And if we remember that as we read and ponder over the scriptures, it can really push us to think deeper and gain a better understanding of God’s kingdom.

So if the Kingdom of God is indeed a kingdom and has all the parts of a kingdom, where does Heaven fit in? After all, earthly kingdoms don’t have a Heaven. It is a unique element in the Kingdom of God, Isn’t it?

Yes.

And no.

While no other kingdom, past or present, has its own Heaven, every kingdom has a place that has the same function as Heaven.

Take me to your leader

The main thing that makes a kingdom special is having a king or queen in charge. And you know what comes with a king? A big fancy palace or castle, just like in all the movies and books we’ve seen. These royal homes are huge, with so many rooms. Of course, the king can move about the palace and go wherever he wants. They can even leave the palace to go fight in battles or demonstrate their authority to the people.

But when it came to official business of the kingdom, there was one place in the whole kingdom where you would expect to find the king. If the king was going to announce a new law or listen to petitions of his people, he would do it from the seat of power; his throne. The throne was such an important element of a kingdom, both literally and symbolically, that there would be a room dedicated to the throne. It was called the throne room or the throne hall. A ruler governs from their throne. Servants sent out by the king carry the authority of the one who sat on the throne. The throne room and the throne specifically, were the source and location of the power of the kingdom.

Have a seat

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Luke 1:32-33 NIV

In Luke 1, it says that God will give Jesus the throne of David. Now, this doesn’t mean Jesus is getting some fancy chair to sit on. No, according to the scripture, it means Jesus is gonna be ruling the whole kingdom. By having the throne, he’s taking on the authority and role of a king.

So if the Kingdom of God is a kingdom, and all kingdoms have their power and authority located in a room with the throne, where is the throne room for the Kingdom of God?

Great Question! Did you know the scriptures are actually quite clear on this.?

The Lord has established his throne in heaven,
    and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 103:19


This is what the Lord says:

“Heaven is my throne,
    and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
    Where will my resting place be?

Isaiah 66:1

The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven;
His eyes see, His eyelids test the sons of mankind.

Psalm 11:4

But I say to you, take no oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

Matthew 5:34

At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.

Rev 4:2

You get the idea

I first encountered the idea of Heaven as God’s throne room while reading N.T. Wright. I’m not sure which book I was reading because he has written so many. But when I encountered that phrase, “Heaven is God’s throne room”, I was disoriented quite a bit.

On one hand, I was familiar with many passages of scripture that talked about God ruling from Heaven. I even knew the story of the Ascension of Jesus, where he goes to heaven to sit at the right hand of God.

After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

Mark 16:19

This is a royal arrangement. Sitting at the right hand is a position of power and authority. So Wright’s comment seemed true and confirmed by scripture.

However, this statement seemed to threaten the tradition and popular understanding of Heaven that was a part of my faith. It seemed too narrow and not religious enough. The Gospel, and Christianity itself, has been understood to exist with the primary mission of getting people’s souls into heaven when they die. The whole system of beliefs that I knew was built upon the idea that going to Heaven was the central point.

But if Heaven was God’s throne room from where God and the resurrected Jesus rule all of creation, it seems like life here and now, under the rule of King Jesus is really the focus point. And that’s when it hit me again. The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom. We’re not trying to escape the place that God rules (creation) but to live obediently and faithfully according to the word of the king. (A post about the Word of God will be coming in the near future.)

The conclusion

If this sound foreign and makes you uncomfortable like it did to me, I’m not saying you have to forget what you believe. But I’d ask you to remember this as you read your Bible. Especially the gospels and the New Testament letters.

Some might feel like this undermines the Gospel. To those I would refer them back to post number three in this series: https://tannerhgriffin.com/2023/09/20/speaking-of-the-kingdom-gospel/

Or if you feel like this challenges the longstanding Christian belief about going to Heaven after death, I would argue that it actually does the opposite. If Heaven is the location from which God rules all of creation, what would it say about those who find themselves in Heaven with God? This is the exact reason why scriptures talk about believers in heaven with crowns. Heaven as the throne room doesn’t mean that life with God in Heaven isn’t important. Rather it announces that those who are a part of Christ’s family join him in the throne room and rule all of creation with him.

If you think about the creation story in Genesis, what vocation did God call humankind to fulfill? To have authority and dominion over creation on God’s behalf. Because Christ followers join Jesus in the throne room of God’s kingdom, humanity has been restored to its intended status, and the effects of sin have been overcome.

Additional Scriptures and Discussion Questions

Jesus taught his disciples a prayer to pray. In this well known prayer is the phrase, ” your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Question: If you are familiar with this prayer, have you thought of the phrase “your kingdom come” as separate or connected to the phrase “your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven?”

Question: With our discussion of Kingdom and Heaven in this and other posts, has your understanding of this part of the prayer changed or been challenged in any way?

For nearly two thousand years Christians have confessed a creed or belief that Jesus ascended to Heaven.

Question: If we understand Heaven to mean God’s throne room, how does that change the significance of the Ascension as compared to the popular idea that Heaven is a general afterlife destination?

We read several scriptures above that directly stated that God’s throne is in Heaven or indicates that God rules from Heaven. Yet there is a tension created when identifying Heaven this way.

Question: Why do you think there is resistance to idea despite the it being a consistent biblical image?

I hope you are finding these posts interesting or challenging. Before Christianity had a two thousand year history as an organized world religion, it was local communities gathered together by their shared confession that Jesus was God’s chosen king. They believed that Jesus lived, died, was raised, and ascended to rule as Lord or king of all. They believed that Jesus is king of the Kingdom of God. And while he wasn’t present with them in person, he ruled from his throne in heaven.

Next week’s Topic: Worship

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