Eph. 1:19-2:7, The Glorious Son: At the Right Hand

Where is the glorious Son now?

·       He is at the right hand of God.  This is not a place of subservience of the Son to the Father, as in “he’s my right-hand man, the number two guy.”  It is rather a position of exaltation and authority.  After His death on the cross, the Father highly exalted the Son (Phil. 2:9-11).  The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps. 110:1, quoted in Heb. 1:13).  It is the place that fits what Jesus told His disciples after His resurrection: All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18). 

·       He is at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb. 1:3).  In Greek, majesty is a “mega” term: megalosune.  God is the sum total of “greatness” and thus bears the name Majesty.  Notice John 17:5: And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.  Jesus has not returned to the same “location” but He has returned to the same glory, the glory of deity.  Before the incarnation the Son was not at the right hand of the Father.  This special position is related to the exaltation of the Son who humbled Himself, leaving the glory He had and being clothed with humanity.

·       Another way to answer this question is, He is at His right hand in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:20).  The entire verse says: God raised Him from the dead and then seated Him in the heavenlies.  Is this heaven?  You could say that, but that is really not the point.  The heavenlies or heavenly places are where those the Father has given Him have their connection with the Son.  We’re talking about Christians, believers in Christ under the New Covenant.  Not only did God raise the Son and seat Him at His right hand in the heavenlies; He also raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).  Think about that, especially when you get bogged down in this earth and the daily grind and so forth.  Think about it: you are IN CHRIST, seated with Him in the heavenly places.  That is where all your spiritual blessings are (Eph. 1:6).  Do you know why you’re there?  To show off to the universe the kindness of the Son: that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:7).

·       Related to the heavenly places, we can also say that the Son (get ready to be stretched a bit) sits on His throne which is on the Father’s throne.  And He promises that those who overcome can join Him on His throne.  Hear the way Jesus said this in Rev. 3:21: To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.  The Father exalted Him.  Because we are IN CHRIST, we have been exalted to sit with Him, on His seat of authority.  Is that not a magnificent truth?!