The Center of God’s Authority in the New Jerusalem is the Throne of God and of the Lamb

The New Jerusalem is the consummation of God’s eternal purpose and should be our experience and enjoyment today. The features and characteristics of the New Jerusalem should be our experience today in our Christian life and church life.

The first thing we see concerning the New Jerusalem is the throne of God and of the Lamb – right in the center of the city there’s the throne, and out of the throne proceeds a river of water of life (see Rev. 22:1).

Just as a nation has a capital city where the central government is located, so in the New Jerusalem there’s a “capital”, the center, which is the throne of God, where all the decisions are made and where the authority is.

In our experience today we need to know the throne of God by enthroning the Lord in the center of our being and by enjoying the dispensing of the Triune God while being under His throne. When we enthrone the Lord and give Him the preeminence, there’s a river of water of life flowing: the Father is the source, the Creator, the Son is the Lamb as the Redeemer, and the Spirit is the flowing water of life to regenerate us and fill us with the divine life.

May the Lord show us the New Jerusalem and the throne in its center. May we see a clear view of what God will eventually obtain, and may we seek the Lord to have an application of the throne of God in our Christian experience today.

May we be those who daily enthrone the Lord in our being in big things and small things, important decisions and day-by-day matters in our living, and in everything.

The Center of the New Jerusalem is the Throne of God and of the Lamb

We may read Revelation 21 and 22 and we may understand some of the main aspects of the New Jerusalem, but we need to not merely read, hear, or understand, but see a vision as John saw. We need to see the New Jerusalem, and a vision of the New Jerusalem needs to be infused into us.

In Isaiah 6:1, after King Uzziah died, God appeared to the prophet Isaiah. He was in a low condition, lamenting over the situation of the people of Israel, but God appeared to him. I was encouraged by footnote 1 in the Recovery Version,

The One who appeared to Isaiah in his disappointment over the condition of the children of Israel was Christ as the Lord, the King, Jehovah of hosts (v. 5b; John 12:41 and note). No matter what the situation might be on earth and regardless of the corruption and degradation among God’s people, Christ is still on the throne in His glory. The people had become fallen, but Christ and His throne remained the same in His glory. On this earth everything changes and fluctuates, but Christ remains the same today and forever (Heb. 13:8). Hence, we should not look down at the situation on earth but should look up to Christ on the throne (Heb. 12:2). (Isaiah 6:1 note 1)

We need the Lord to appear to us and show us a vision of the New Jerusalem. In the center of the city there is a throne – the throne of God and of the Lamb (Rev. 22:1). The central government in the New Jerusalem is the throne of the redeeming God.

Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb in the middle of its street.

It is not the throne of God and the throne of the Lamb – it is the throne of God and of the Lamb. God is the Creator and the Lamb is the Redeemer, and these two have become one. It’s not that God sits on the right and the Lamb sits on the left on the throne; rather, just as a light is within the lamp and shines through the lamp, so God Himself is the light and Christ the Redeemer is the lamp, and God in Christ is on the throne in the center of the New Jerusalem (see Rev. 22:1-3; 21:23).

And what proceeds out of the throne is a river of water of life, which symbolizes the Spirit who flows and imparts life. Here we see a picture of the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen and redeemed people who are under His throne.

God the Father is the Creator, the light, and the source; God the Son is the Redeemer, the Lamb-lamp; and God the Spirit is the Regenerator, the flowing river of water of life. God created everything, the Son came to redeem everything, and the flowing Spirit regenerates.

We today can experience the flowing of the life-giving Spirit in our being by enthroning the Lord and being under His authority. When there’s a throne in the center of our being, when the capital of our being is the throne of God and of the Lamb, we enjoy the dispensing of the Triune God to be redeemed, watered, and regenerated with the divine life.

When we enthrone the Lord in our being, the Father as the light shines through Christ as the lamp and we receive the divine light through the Spirit in our spirit to be revived, refreshed, and helped to grow in life.

Two Practical Applications of the Throne of God in the Center of the New Jerusalem

How does the throne of God and of the Lamb in the center of the New Jerusalem relate to us in our experience today? First of all, if we see this vision of the Father in the Son reigning on the throne, and if we realize that whoever enthrones the Lord in his being will receive the flow of the water of life, our daily living and our Christian experience will be revolutionized.

I was helped by a paragraph in God’s New Testament Economy (by Witness Lee) on this matter,

In our Christian experience the unique item should be the throne of the One who purposed and of the One who redeemed. Such a throne must be set up in our entire being, and this should be the center of our Christian life. This means that we would accept the God who purposed and the Christ who redeemed us as our Head, Lord, and authority. We should be willing to subject ourselves to such a headship. We adore Him as the Lord, and we take Him as our authority. We enthrone Him in our being and in our Christian life. (God’s New Testament Economy, p. 388)

We need to enthrone the Lord in our being, allowing Him to set up His throne in the center of our being and being willing to submit to His headship.

The second practical application will be in our preaching of the gospel to others. We will not threaten them with “judgement is coming: REPENT!” but we will tell them of the God who created everything, the Christ who redeemed us, and the Spirit who flows as water of life.

We will speak a high gospel, helping others to come into the enjoyment of the water of life which proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Why do sinners need to be saved? Because the Triune God wants to dispense Himself as the Father in the Son through the Spirit as life into man to fill man with the divine life and make man one with Him, bringing man under His throne and being man’s full enjoyment and satisfaction.

Lord, show us the throne of God and of the Lamb in the center of the New Jerusalem. Set up Your throne in the center of our being. May You be on the throne in the center of our Christian life and church life. We take You as our Head. Make us willing to subject ourselves to Your authority. Keep us under Your divine dispensing as the Creating God, Redeeming Christ, and Regenerating Spirit! We want to be under the throne of God and of the Lamb so that we may receive the flow of the divine life!

References and Hymns on this Topic

Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, God’s New Testament Economy (ch. 38), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Aspects of the Christian Life and Church Life Seen in the New Jerusalem, week 1 / msg 1, The Throne of God and of the Lamb, the River of Water of Life, and the Tree of Life.
Recommending: the Throne of God and of the Lamb, and, The River from the Throne (via bro. Don at the New Jerusalem blog).
Hymns on this topic:
# And He showed me a river / Of water of life, / Bright as crystal, / Proceeding out / Of the throne of God / And of the Lamb. / And Thou shalt make them to drink / Of the river of Thy pleasures. (Song on Rev. 22:1 by Howard Higashi)
# In its center, as its pow’r, / Is the throne of Christ and God, / Whence doth flow the stream of life / As the Spirit’s living flood. (Hymns #972)
# He’s the very center, / Ruling on the throne; / By His life the power, / Saints are kept in one. / By His light of glory, / They are kept in light, / Harmony enjoying / In divine delight. (Hymns #971 by W. Lee)