“Standing Before The Glorious Throne”
Jude 24-25
By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© July 24, 2016
(From my very limited prose and human perspective)
© 1976/2016 D. Kennedy
Before me stood The Glorious Throne,
I pondered, queried all alone...
Should death grasp hold of life so fair?
To gently lift one through the air
And then release this soul from God
To stand alone at Judgment's bar?
Not so!
But, yes, the firm yet gentle hands
Compelled my soul to onward go
Down the gold, transparent streets,
Onward past the tree of life
Until before the very Throne of God I stood,
Cold and naked for all to see…
My life revealed --This could not be...not so!
I shivered in the burning rays from that Great Throne.
They pierced me through.
They understood. They knew.
The questions came.
They were not harsh or rude…
But given simply in compassion rare.
I could not answer.
Great weights paralyzed my being.
I could not fall down and weep,
Strong, angelic beings held me up for all to see.
Then my tongue was loosed; I spoke.
"Oh God,"
My voice echoed through the massive chambers.
"Oh God,
I sought to live a life for You,
I tried so hard.
I prayed..."
On mentioning that word, a great look of
Compassion swept across His face.
"I did!" I almost shouted.
-- He looked the same.
"Not so!" I clenched my teeth in pain,
So faithless were my prayers.
My trembling hands were wet. I tried again.
"Oh God, I worked so hard for You.
I gave up all and followed You…
Just look at the wonderful relatives I left...
The job I took...the meager salary...
The pain and turmoil that comes with caring for people...
Oh, God, don't You see...Don't You see!"
He seemed to see.
He had a far away look in His eyes.
His lips moved, compassionately forming a single word.
"Always?" He gently questioned.
"Always, Lord! But what do You expect?
You had every part of me...I gave You all,
I went where You said and spoke as You wished."
"Always?" He echoed sadly in a whisper.
Suddenly I realized the hundreds of times…
No, the myriads of times
I went where I pleased and did as I wished.
Shame flooded my soul...
I looked into His piercing eyes.
They saw too!
"Not so, Lord, not so!"
Neither spoke; there was no more to say.
My life was bare -- every move was known.
I shook! All the good I'd ever done was shown,
and what a pauper's fare!
My mind wandered, aimlessly searching for anything…
some good deed...
Something that would stand before THIS Throne.
My goodness was swallowed up in guilt;
My godliness was a crime!
Should I begin to state what value I had been to Him
Who was so pure, so genuine? Not so!
Should I...but wait…
Did I not hear resounding, jubilant voices of the innumerable redeemed?
Their joyous praise was joined by tens of millions of angels;
echoed by all creation on the earth, under the earth,
those in the sea, together with all the creatures in the heavens!
Innumerable voices with jubilant songs, calls and cries,
shouts and glorious sounds echoing throughout
the vast expanses of the universe!
Did not their voices split the air in magnificent chorus
where all creation glorified the Slain and Risen Lamb in one united,
glorious anthem of praise and adoration?
"Thou art worthy!" They sang!
The pure joy, adulation and excitement emanating so spontaneously from all creation
caused the Great Judge to lift His eyes ever so slightly.
He smiled, and then settled His eyes back on me.
"My dear, dear Child," He spoke tenderly,
"I purchased you.
I redeemed you and covered all your sins
with the blood I, Myself shed
to buy you back. To give you My Salvation!
I chose you to be Mine and you chose Me, to be yours.
All your shame and painful hurt I forgave;
I cleansed you and washed away from you, every stain."
He continued with words, which gently spoke account after account
of how He had helped me and given me strength to do
that which I could never have done on my own.
How He had raised me up from the throes of despair
and had given me hope!
How He supplied my needs time and time again
though my faith wavered and was so small.
How He nurtured me and helped me grow --
Countless stories with minute details I had long forgotten.
He remembered, yes, He remembered all.
Then with His hands He uncovered
a brilliantly golden crown from His robe…
There were deep and ugly scars on those hands…
I could see them clearly, as in amazement,
those brutally pierced hands placed
that gloriously radiant crown on my head!
"For faithfulness," He simply said.
"For believing in Me with simple, childlike faith;
for accepting My redeeming Blood to cover and cleanse your sins;
for leaving all; for following Me – and looking for My coming…
I give to you a crown of life, righteousness, and glory,
which will never, ever fade away.”
***
Friend, does it seem strange to you
that I should place my crown at His feet?
“Standing Before the Glorious Throne” - From God’s Perspective!
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
Jude 24–25
Just before this great Doxology of Praise to God, Jude encourages believers in Jesus Christ to Hold on to their Faith, especially in the desperate times to come.
Jude 17–23, A Call to Persevere for Believers in Jesus Christ
Be careful of the deception that comes especially during the End Times:
· Scoffers, following their own desires
· Those who divide you, following natural instincts, without God’s Spirit
What Believers in Christ should be doing:
· Be building themselves up in the most holy faith
· Pray in the Holy Spirit
· Keep themselves in God’s Love as they wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life
How to Respond to believers and unbelievers around them:
· Be merciful to those who doubt
· Snatch others from the fire and save them
· Show mercy to others, mixed with fear—
· Turn away from and put off that which is tainted by the corrupted flesh.
Doxology
24 To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy— 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Jude 24–25
God IS Able to Keep You:
God, The Creator of the Universe, is Powerful enough to Keep You.
Psalm 8:1-4
1 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
above the heavens.
3 When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
Psalm 19:1–4
1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.
3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.
4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
God, The Creator of the Universe, is Powerful enough to Keep You.
Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
John 1:1–4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
Hebrews 1:1–3
1 In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The Supremacy of Christ
Colossians 1:15–20
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
God made all things. He is All-Powerful and Unlimited in His Will. God can Keep You.
1. This God, our Creator, “SEES” You.
Do you believe God “sees” you…all the time?
(Hagar, Sarai’s pregnant servant given to Abram, ran away from Sarai’s harshness – because of Hagar’s contemptuous response to Sarai, once Hagar became pregnant. Hagar wandered without hope in the wilderness until she was confronted by the Angel of the Lord, near a spring in the desert, and told to return and submit to Sarai. Hagar response…”God sees me”.)
Genesis 16:13–14
13 She (Hagar) gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [meaning: “well of the LIVING ONE who sees me”]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
God, the Creator of the world, sees everyone and He knows everyone.
Psalm 33:13–15
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
who considers everything they do.
2. This God, our Life Giver, Knows You.
Before you were born, God knew who you are and who you will be.
Psalm 139:1–18
1 O Lord, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O Lord.
5 You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,
16 your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.
Matthew 10:29–31
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
God Knows You. God, the Creator of the Universe, knows you.
3. This God, our Savior, Chose You who Believe
Ephesians 1:3–5
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will….
2 Timothy 1:9
9 who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time….
2 Timothy 2:19
19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
John 15:16
16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
Romans 8:28–29
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
· God Sees You…
· God Knows You…
· God Chose You…
God IS Able!…Are we willing?
Abraham
Abram trusted God, but found himself in times of weakness…
· Calling Sarai his sister instead of his wife, when he was afraid for his life (Gen. 12:11-20; 20:1-16).
· Agreeing with Sarai to supplant and assure a God-promised child through her servant Hagar (Gen. 16:1-6).
· God delivered Abraham and made him a father of faith for many nations.
Simon Peter
Jesus warned Simon of Satan’s attack and of Peter’s coming denial, but Peter was defiant that he would not deny Christ…
Luke 22:31–34
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”
34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”
Peter repented of his denials and became a stalwart rock for the New Testament Church, which is built upon Jesus Christ, the Chief Cornerstone and Foundation.
King Saul
Saul, Israel’s first king, was rejected from having a continuing throne in Israel, because of his disobedience to God’s Word. God IS Able, but Saul was not willing.
1 Samuel 15:7–23
7 Then Saul attacked the Amalekites all the way from Havilah to Shur, to the east of Egypt. 8 He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword. 9 But Saul and the army spared Agag and the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs—everything that was good. These they were unwilling to destroy completely, but everything that was despised and weak they totally destroyed.
10 Then the word of the Lord came to Samuel: 11 “I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.” Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the Lord all that night.
12 Early in the morning Samuel got up and went to meet Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel. There he has set up a monument in his own honor and has turned and gone on down to Gilgal.”
13 When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The Lord bless you! I have carried out the Lord’s instructions.”
14 But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”
15 Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the Lord your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”
16 “Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the Lord said to me last night.”
“Tell me,” Saul replied.
17 Samuel said, “Although you were once small in your own eyes, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. 18 And he sent you on a mission, saying, ‘Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.’ 19 Why did you not obey the Lord? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the Lord?”
20 “But I did obey the Lord,” Saul said. “I went on the mission the Lord assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. 21 The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the Lord your God at Gilgal.”
22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”
King Saul did not repent of his disobedience and God rejected his linage from future leadership.
God’s Precious Promise to those who are His Children
God IS Able to keep, bless and direct us during even in the darkest of days, which will be ahead (Matt. 24:4-14; Jude 1-23).
Jude 24–25
To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (NIV)
“To Him who is able to keep you from falling”
God gives His Spiritual Armor to enable us to stand, even when the day of evil comes.
Ephesians 6:13–14
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
God gives us the enablement to be presented before His Glorious Throne, without fault.
“And to present you” - ἵστημι [histemi /his·tay·mee/]
ἵστημι [histemi /his·tay·mee/] v. A prolonged form of a primary stao (stah·o, of the same meaning, and used for it in certain tenses); 158 occurrences; AV translates as “stand” 116 times, “set” 11 times, “establish” five times, “stand still” four times, “stand by” three times, translated miscellaneously 17 times, and “vr stand” twice. 1 to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set. 1a to bid to stand by, [set up]. 1a1 in the presence of others, in the midst, before judges, before members of the Sanhedrin;. 1a2 to place. 1b to make firm, fix establish. 1b1 to cause a person or a thing to keep his or its place. 1b2 to stand, be kept intact (of family, a kingdom), to escape in safety. 1b3 to establish a thing, cause it to stand. 1b31 to uphold or sustain the authority or force of anything. 1c to set or place in a balance. 1c1 to weigh: money to one (because in very early times before the introduction of coinage, the metals used to be weighed). 2 to stand. 2a to stand by or near. 2a1 to stop, stand still, to stand immovable, stand firm. 2a1a of the foundation of a building. 2b to stand. 2b1 continue safe and sound, stand unharmed, to stand ready or prepared. 2b2 to be of a steadfast mind. 2b3 of quality, one who does not hesitate, does not waiver.[1]
“Before His Presence” - κατενώπιον [katenopion /kat·en·o·pee·on/]
κατενώπιον [katenopion /kat·en·o·pee·on/] adv. Five occurrences; AV translates as “before” twice, “in sight of” once, “in (one’s) sight” once, and “before the presence of” once. 1 over against, before the face of, before the presence of, in the sight of, before. 1a referring to places. 1b metaph. 1b1 having one as it were before the eyes, before one as witness. 1b2 before God as judge.[2]
“Before His glorious – δόξα [doxa /dox·ah/] Presence”
δόξα [doxa /dox·ah/] n f. 168 occurrences; AV translates as “glory” 145 times, “glorious” 10 times, “honour” six times, “praise” four times, “dignity” twice, and “worship” once. 1 opinion, judgment, view. 2 opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone. 2a in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory. 3 splendour, brightness. 3a of the moon, sun, stars. 3b magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace. 3c majesty. 3c1 a thing belonging to God. 3c1 the kingly majesty which belongs to Him as supreme ruler, majesty in the sense of the absolute perfection of the deity. 3c2 a thing belonging to Christ. 3c2a the kingly majesty of the Messiah. 3c2b the absolutely perfect inward or personal excellency of Christ; the majesty. 3c3 of the angels. 3c3a as apparent in their exterior brightness. 4 a most glorious condition, most exalted state. 4a of that condition with God the Father in heaven to which Christ was raised after He had achieved his work on earth. 4b the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven.[3]
“Without fault” - ἄμωμος [amomos /am·o·mos/]
ἄμωμος [amomos /am·o·mos/] adj. Seven occurrences; AV translates as “without rebuke” twice, “without blame” once, “unblameable” once, “without spot” once, “faultless” once, and “without fault” once. 1 without blemish. 1a as a sacrifice without spot or blemish. 2 morally: without blemish, faultless, unblameable.[4]
Ephesians 1:4
4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Ephesians 5:27
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
1 Peter 1:18–19
18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
2 Peter 3:12–14
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
Philippians 2:14–16
14 Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe 16 as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.
“And with great joy” — ἀγαλλίασις [agalliasis /ag·al·lee·as·is/]
ἀγαλλίασις [agalliasis /ag·al·lee·as·is/] n f. Five occurrences; AV translates as “gladness” three times, “joy” once, and “exceeding joy” once. 1 exultation, extreme joy, gladness. Additional Information: At feasts, people were anointed with the “oil of gladness”. Paul, in He. 1:9, is alluding to this inaugural ceremony of anointing, and uses it as an emblem of the divine power and majesty to which to which the Son of God has been exalted.[5]
Hebrews 12:22–23
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens
Daniel 12:1–3
12 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2 Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
Jude 25 To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…
Romans 16:25
25 Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past….
John 17:12
12 While I (Jesus) was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you (God the Father) gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.
1 John 2:28–29
28 And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
29 If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.
Romans 11:36
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things.
To him be the glory forever! Amen.
1 Timothy 1:17
17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
~~~
“Now unto Him who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power,
both now and forever. Amen.”
Jude 24–25 (KJV)
[1] Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.