One Name, One Throne Podcast
Welcome to One Name, One Throne Podcast — where we exalt Jesus as the One true God manifested in flesh, the only Name that saves, and the King who sits alone on the throne. This podcast is dedicated to teaching Oneness Apostolic doctrine, rooted in the revelation of the mighty God in Christ. Whether you're hungry for truth, wanting to go deeper in Scripture, or standing firm in Apostolic identity, this is your place to grow, learn, and be equipped.
One Name, One Throne Podcast
Understanding the Right Hand of God: Power, Authority, and Divine Oneness
Unlock a deeper understanding of a powerful biblical symbol in this enlightening episode. We explore the profound meaning behind the phrase "the right hand of God" as it appears throughout scripture. Discover that this term is not a literal description but a rich figure of speech.
Learn how the "right hand of God" represents God's ultimate power, supreme authority, infinite glory, and very divine presence. We'll examine various scriptural examples to illustrate this symbolic usage, revealing how it helps us comprehend God's actions and attributes.
This episode will clarify how understanding the figurative nature of the "right hand of God" reinforces the fundamental truth of the absolute oneness of God. By moving beyond literal interpretations, we gain a clearer vision of the divine nature and the consistent message of scripture. Equip yourself with this vital insight for a sound understanding of apostolic doctrine.
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Welcome
SPEAKER_00:to One Name, One Throne podcast. Join us as we explore a core message found throughout Scripture, the absolute oneness of God. We'll examine how biblical phrases like the right hand of God are often figures of speech revealing God's power and glory. Prepare to gain a deeper understanding of the divine nature as we uncover the consistent testimony to the singularity of God. Get ready to see scripture in a new light. Let's begin One Name, One Throne.
SPEAKER_03:Today we're tackling a phrase you've probably encountered many times, the right hand of God. Now, when you hear that, it's easy for your mind to conjure up a certain image, maybe even a specific spot up in heaven. But what if that familiar phrase holds a much deeper, more powerful meaning? Our mission today is to really dive into scripture and explore the right hand of God, looking at it not as a literal place, but as a profound representation of divine power.
SPEAKER_02:That's exactly right. It's just so natural for us humans to try and picture the divine using terms we understand, right? We relate it back to our own experience. And the Bible itself uses this kind of language. You see mentions of hands, fingers, even eyes. It helps us sort of grasp the immensity of God. But I think it's when we take these descriptions maybe too literally that we can miss the real deeper significance.
SPEAKER_03:Absolutely. Yeah. You open the scriptures and these human-like descriptions of God are everywhere. It's almost instinctive to imagine them in a physical sense. So where do we start to unpack this idea, this idea that the right hand isn't meant literally?
SPEAKER_02:Well, a great place to begin is probably by looking at passages where the right hand is mentioned right alongside clear demonstrations of God's ability and authority. Take Acts chapter 7, verse 56, for instance. Stephen, in this incredibly powerful moment, he says, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Now, the immediate picture that probably comes to mind for most people is, you know, a literal right side.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, that's the image that just jumps out for so many. But how does the whole concept of God being spirit change how we should understand that vision?
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. That's the key. Because John chapter 4, verse 24, tells us plainly, God is spirit. And spirit doesn't have a physical form, not with a left or right side in the way we understand it physically. So Stephen's vision, it wasn't really about a literal spatial arrangement like where someone is sitting. It was more like a glimpse into the realm of divine power and glory.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, so it's really about what that right hand represents rather than an actual physical hand. We see a similar idea, don't we, in Colossians 3, verse 1. It speaks of setting our minds on things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Okay. Again, it's not like a celestial address we're talking about, is it?
SPEAKER_02:No, not at all. That act of being seated at the right hand, it's deeply symbolic. It signifies the highest position of honor, of authority, and crucially for our discussion, power. And to really get this, we have to remember the fundamental nature of God that's described elsewhere in Scripture. For instance, you look at 1 Timothy 1, verse 17, it calls God immortal and invisible. And then 1 Timothy 6, verse 16, tells us that God dwells in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can see. These descriptions, they really emphasize that God isn't confined to like a physical body or even a specific location.
SPEAKER_03:That makes perfect sense. It clarifies things. And it's not just the right hand either, is it? We see this symbolic use of body parts elsewhere. Like think about Exodus chapter eight, verse 19. Pharaoh's magicians witnessing the plagues, they declare, this is the finger of God. They weren't suggesting a giant disembodied finger was actually causing all the trouble, were they?
SPEAKER_02:Precisely. No. The finger of God in that context is is a clear sign of God's direct and irresistible power at work. It's a way for even those who are opposing God to recognize the divine origin of those events. It was undeniable. And we see a similar usage in Luke 11, verse 20, where Jesus himself says, Okay, so the
SPEAKER_03:finger, just like the hand, isn't about physical anatomy, but about the active expression, the manifestation of divine power. And we see this connection again, I think, in Psalm chapter 8, verse 3. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. You've got it. God didn't physically craft the stars and galaxies with individual fingers, you know, like a sculptor. The work of your fingers speaks to the immense yet seemingly effortless power with which God created the entire cosmos. It highlights the ease and the mastery of divine creation.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, so this pattern of using human-like terms to represent divine power is becoming really clear now. Now let's look more directly at verses that's specifically mention the right hand. Exodus chapter 15 verse 6 is pretty direct. It proclaims, Your right hand, O Lord, has become glorious in power. Your right hand has struck down the enemy. I mean, the link to power there is just undeniable.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. It's explicit. This verse isn't describing a physical hand engaging in combat, not literally.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:It's emphasizing the inherent power and might that the right hand of God symbolizes. It's all about God's triumphant strength and his victory over all opposition. It's a poetic and powerful way to convey God's active involvement in the world.
SPEAKER_03:Right. And the passage continues in Exodus chapter 15, verse 12. You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them. Again, the action stretching out It sounds physical, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_02:It does sound physical, but the meaning here is really about God's decisive and, frankly, overwhelming intervention. The stretching out isn't a literal movement of a limb, but it's a depiction of God exerting his power to bring about a specific judgment or action. It really underscores the reach and the effectiveness of divine power at God's command, even the earth itself obeys.
SPEAKER_03:Then we have Psalm 63, verse 8. My soul clings to you, your right hand upholds me. This gives such a strong sense of support, of security, but it's not a physical grip, obviously.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. That support isn't coming from some tangible hand holding someone up like you'd help someone stand. It's the power, the strength, the unwavering authority of God that provides that sustaining force. It speaks to God's constant care and his preservation of those who trust in him. It's really a metaphor for divine reliance and steadfastness.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, moving into the New Testament then. Matthew 26, verse 64 records Jesus saying, But from now on, Notice how power is directly tied, explicitly linked to the right hand right there in the text.
SPEAKER_02:Yes, this is a pivotal connection. The right hand is being explicitly equated with power itself. It's not just associated with power. It is power in this context. It signifies the ultimate position of authority, of dominion and inherent strength. It's not merely a location. It's about the very attribute associated with that figurative place. It signifies Christ's divine authority and his central role in God's powerful plan of salvation.
SPEAKER_03:And this whole idea of power and glory seems to be echoed later in Matthew 24, verse 30, which describes the Son of Man coming on the clies of heaven with power and great glory. It all seems interconnected.
SPEAKER_02:Precisely. It's very interconnected. The imagery of coming with power and great glory directly reflects the significance of being seated at the right hand of power. It just reinforces this understanding that the right hand symbolizes that very divine power and majesty that Christ possesses and demonstrates. It's a consistent theme right through Scripture.
SPEAKER_03:You know, what's really striking sometimes is when you actually compare different translations of the Bible, especially on a verse like Acts 7.56, where Stephen sees Jesus at the right hand of God. Some versions actually replace right hand with terms like power or place of honor, or even rephrase it to emphasize the glory. It's like the translators themselves are highlighting the symbolic meaning.
SPEAKER_02:That's a very insightful observation. Yeah, it's true. While many translations, perhaps the most literal ones, retain the phrasing right hand, others offer interpretations that point directly to the underlying meaning. You might see place of power, place of honor, in glory, things like that. And this shows that this understanding of the right hand as a symbol of power and authority isn't some new or unusual interpretation. It's actually reflected in how scripture has been understood and translated across different traditions and times.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's like they're trying to make the symbolic meaning crystal clear for the reader to avoid that literal trap.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. It helps guide the reader. The focus should always be on what God is communicating through this kind of figurative It's really about grasping the essence of his power and authority, not getting stuck visualizing a physical hand.
SPEAKER_03:It seems like this concept is even woven into the fabric of the original language itself. I was reading about the Hebrew word for right hand, yamin. It appears in names like Benjamin, but it carries a meaning beyond just a physical hand, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. That's a great point. In that cultural and linguistic context, Benjamin, which means son of my right hand, wasn't just a literal description of which side he was on. It signified son of my strength or son of my power. It highlights the value, the significance and the strength associated with the right hand in Hebrew thought. And that cultural understanding then informs its symbolic use when describing God. It speaks to a place of honor, importance and inherent strength.
SPEAKER_03:And it's almost as if the right hand isn't just associated with God's power. In many instances, particularly in the Old Testament, it seems to act almost as a stand-in for God himself, especially when his power and authority are being emphasized like a metonymy
SPEAKER_02:that's a very astute way to put it yes like a metonymy as we see throughout the old testament particularly you mentioned proverbs and psalms that's very true there nearly everything that is attributed to god's direct actions and his core attributes is also often ascribed specifically to his right hand this makes it a really powerful figure of speech it's a way of referring to god's active power and his sovereign rule without needing to list all his attributes every single time it's a concise and impactful way to communicate divine action.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, so the symbolic meaning seems quite well established, really woven through scripture. But why is it so important then to consciously move beyond a literal understanding of God having a physical right hand? What are the potential misunderstandings or, I guess, limitations of taking that literal view?
SPEAKER_02:Well, the most fundamental reason goes right back to the very nature of God. As we have already touched on, John 4.24 tells us plainly, God is spirit. A spirit, by definition, doesn't have physical limbs or a material body in the way that humans do. So to imagine God with a literal right hand is essentially to impose human limitations onto the divine. And God is, by definition, limitless and ultimately beyond our full physical comprehension.
SPEAKER_03:Right. It's like trying to fit an infinite being into a finite human shaped box. And if God is spirit, the idea of a physical right hand just becomes inherently contradictory to his very essence, doesn't it?
SPEAKER_02:Precisely. It creates a theological tension. Furthermore, we're told repeatedly in Scripture that God is invisible. We mentioned 1 Timothy 1.7 earlier, referring to God as the immortal, invisible, the only God. And 1 Timothy 6.16 speaks of God dwelling in unapproachable light whom no one has ever seen or can see. So, if God is inherently invisible, the concept of a visible, physical hand simply doesn't align with these core descriptions of his nature.
SPEAKER_03:And that naturally brings up the question of location, doesn't it? If God has a literal right hand, does that imply a specific physical place where God is located, like a cosmic throne room with chairs?
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. It leads down that path. But scripture also emphasizes God's omnipresence, his presence everywhere at once. Think of Psalm 139, verses 7 and 8. Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there. If I make my bed and shield the grave, you are there. God is everywhere. He's not confined to a specific spatial location that would have a right or a left side. Even the heavens cannot contain him, as Solomon says in 1 Kings 8.27 and Acts 7.49 echoes Isaiah, heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. So the very idea of trying to locate a physical right hand becomes, well, nonsensical when we grasped the biblical teaching on God's omnipresence.
SPEAKER_03:Yeah, it's truly mind-boggling to think about trying to pinpoint a physical attribute of a being who is present everywhere simultaneously. And this loops us right back to Stephen's vision in Acts 7, seeing Jesus at the right hand of God. If it wasn't a literal side-by-side arrangement in some heavenly location, what was the profound significance of what Stephen saw?
SPEAKER_02:Stephen's vision was fundamentally a revelation. It was a revelation of Jesus Christ existing in the fullness of divine power and glory. It wasn't about seeing two separate beings occupying adjacent physical spaces. Not all. Instead, it was a powerful glimpse into Jesus's divine nature and his position of ultimate authority, completely unified with God. It was a recognition of Jesus as the very manifestation of God's power and glory in human form.
SPEAKER_03:Okay. So being seated at the right hand isn't about celestial geography. It's about Jesus' intrinsic divine power and authority. It's a statement about his identity.
SPEAKER_02:Precisely. It's about acknowledging his divine status, his role in God's eternal plan, and his ultimate victory in exaltation. It's a statement about who Jesus is and the power he inherently wields, not where he is physically located within some divine realm.
SPEAKER_03:And thinking about that moment in Acts 7, verse 59, immediately after Stephen has this vision, he prays directly, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
SPEAKER_01:Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_03:That action in itself, praying to Jesus in that context, seems to speak volumes about how Stephen understood Jesus' position of power and divinity right then.
SPEAKER_02:Exactly. That's a critical point. Stephen's direct prayer to Lord Jesus in that ultimate critical moment demonstrates his profound understanding of Jesus' divine authority and his unique ability, as God manifests, to receive his spirit. It underscores the modality of Jesus' power and his place of supreme honor and authority, the very things symbolized by the right hand of God.
SPEAKER_03:So, Okay, let's try to bring this all together then. If the right hand of God isn't a literal, physical hand, what is the essential message, the core meaning that this phrase consistently conveys throughout Scripture?
SPEAKER_02:The right hand of God, when you look at it across the whole Bible, is a powerful and consistent figurative term. It's an anthropomorphism, using human terms for God, and it really encapsulates the very essence of God's active power, his ultimate authority, his supreme importance, his preeminence, and his complete dominion over all things. You could say it's symbolic shorthand for God's strength, his sovereign rule in the universe, and also his active involvement in our lives.
SPEAKER_03:And grasping this figurative language, understanding it as figurative, seems absolutely crucial for a correct and, frankly, a more meaningful interpretation of the Bible. Otherwise, we risk creating a very human-centric, limited, and ultimately inaccurate view of an infinite God.
SPEAKER_02:Precisely. Couldn't agree more. A literal interpretation can easily lead to misunderstandings that diminish the true awesomeness nature of God as spirit, as omnipresent, as invisible, as utterly beyond our physical limitations. It's all about understanding the depth and the richness of the symbolic language that the Bible uses to communicate these profound spiritual truths.
SPEAKER_03:And this understanding, it also directly impacts how we see Jesus Christ as well, doesn't it? The connection seems vital.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely vital. Recognizing the right hand of God as fundamentally a symbol of power and authority is fundamental to understanding Jesus Christ as God manifested in the flesh. He possesses all that divine power and authority. It clarifies his position not as a separate, somehow lesser being sitting next to God, but as the very expression, the embodiment of God's own power and glory. He is the power of God revealed. Wow.
SPEAKER_03:So as we conclude this deep dive, it really makes you consider how understanding the right hand of God as power truly enriches our understanding of God's active involvement, not just in the grand scheme of the world, but in our own individual lives too. It's not about some distant deity with a physical appendage. It's about the constant, dynamic, powerful presence of the divine, accessible through Jesus.
SPEAKER_02:That's a really profound takeaway, yes. And it also encourages us, doesn't it, to look deeper into other instances where human-like language, anthropomorphisms are used to describe God in Scripture. You know, things like God's eyes, his ears, his face. What other symbolic meanings might we uncover when we intentionally move beyond the purely literal interpretations? It just opens up a much richer and more nuanced It certainly
SPEAKER_03:does. It really invites a continuous exploration, a deeper study of these foundational concepts. Thanks so much for joining me for this really insightful deep dive today.
SPEAKER_02:Oh, my pleasure entirely. It's always a privilege to explore these powerful truths together.
