There Is A Throne (Priscilla Shirer)

Summary

Podcast Summary: "There Is A Throne"

Elevation with Steven Furtick | Guest: Priscilla Shirer
Release Date: May 17, 2026
Duration of Relevant Content: [02:27] – [40:09]

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Overview of the Episode's Main Theme

This episode features a message by Priscilla Shirer at Elevation Church, where she powerfully unpacks the enduring truth of God’s sovereignty, as revealed in Revelation 4. Using personal testimony, biblical context, and vibrant narrative, Priscilla encourages listeners to anchor their lives in the reality that “There is a throne” – unmoved and sovereign – even when the world feels chaotic or hopeless. The message centers on hope, resilience in hardship, and the transformative invitation God extends to believers: to shift perspective from earthly trouble and enter into God’s presence.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Gratitude for Community & Leadership ([02:27]–[05:09])

• Priscilla opens by honoring Elevation Church and Pastors Steven and Holly Furtick for their integrity.
• Key Quote [04:42]: “God must have a thing for y’all. That he has allowed your spiritual development this side of heaven to be attached to people who actually love Jesus.”

2. Scripture Reading: Revelation 4 ([05:29]–[08:51])

• Congregation stands for the reading, emphasizing reverence for God’s word.
• The vivid throne room scene from Revelation is read aloud, setting the foundation for the message.

3. Story of Suffering and God’s Presence ([08:51]–[14:08])

• Priscilla shares the testimony of Dorie Van Stone, an abuse survivor, who encountered the tangible presence of God in her deepest suffering.
• Memorable Moment: Dorie, after enduring neglect and pain, tells a young Priscilla,
  Key Quote [13:35]: “Sweet girl, don't you cry for me. God was with me the whole time. Knowing he's with you makes all the difference in the world.”
• Priscilla uses this testimony to illustrate: God’s nearness is life-changing, even when circumstances remain unchanged.

4. John’s “Patmos” Experience: Suffering, Faithfulness, and Revelation ([14:08]–[18:33])

• Drawing parallels, Priscilla likens the island of Patmos, where John received the Revelation, to being trapped in a “dark closet” of suffering.
• John, the beloved disciple, is punished not for wrongdoing but for faithfulness.

5. Invitation to Shift Perspective (Open Door to Heaven) ([18:33]–[25:04])

• John, in exile on Patmos, is granted a vision: “a door standing open in the heavens.”
• Emphasis: Believers always have access to God’s presence and perspective—no matter how dire their earthly situation.
• Key Quote [19:00]: “There is always opportunity for you and I to lean on the throes of heaven, even while we're standing in the difficult things of earth.”
• Priscilla highlights the contrast with Revelation 3:20 (Jesus outside a closed church door) and celebrates that no matter our failings, heaven’s door remains open.

6. Living in Two Realities: Heaven on Earth ([22:07]–[24:41])

• Priscilla encourages listeners to “come up here”—to make choices, post online, respond in relationships, or make life decisions from the vantage point of God’s presence first.
• Key Quote [22:54]: “We're always coming up here…before I choose, before I walk, before I decide, before I make that…I'm accepting the invitation to come up here.”
• The call is to live with feet on earth but a mind set “on things above” (Colossians 3:1–3).

7. The Central Vision: The Throne ([25:04]–[29:49])

• John’s first sight through the “open door” is an unchangeable throne in heaven.
• Priscilla explains the deep significance: in a world where everything is “shakable,” God's throne is set, unmovable, and unthreatened by earthly powers.
• Key Quote [26:11]: “There was a throne…and it was set in the heavens. It is unmovable. It is unchangeable. It is untouched. It is unbothered.”
• 1st-century believers faced persecution from Rome and its “Antichrist” culture; the vision assured them (and us) that God is always ultimately in charge.

8. Standing in an "Antichrist" World Requires Backbone ([30:57]–[32:32])

• Priscilla directly speaks to young believers, calling for courage and resilience in a culture that no longer honors a biblical standard.
• Key Quote [31:12]: “You going to have to have some backbone…and you can and you will.”

9. Not Just a Throne, But an Occupied Throne ([32:38]–[34:47])

• Not only is there a throne, but it is not empty—Jesus is seated, signifying the finished and victorious nature of His reign.
• Key Quote [34:47]: “The only time a king sat down is once the battle had already been won...if you look through the door, there’s a king who’s sitting down on the throne to let you know that the battle has already been won.”

10. Victory, Worship, and Response ([34:47]–[37:18])

• John sees heavenly worship where all crowns (all achievements, honor) are cast before Jesus.
• Priscilla affirms: believers don’t fight for victory but from victory.
• Listeners are called to anchor their hope, identity, and peace in the reality of the enthroned Christ, not in circumstances.

11. Invitation to Know Jesus ([37:18]–[39:28])

• Priscilla transitions to an invitation for faith:
  Key Quote [37:33]: “Relationship with the one who is seated on the throne—if you do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt...I offer you Jesus today.”
• She prompts a call to decision, leading the congregation in a prayer of salvation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On God's Presence in Suffering:
  “Knowing he's with you makes all the difference in the world.”
  – Dorie Van Stone (as quoted by Priscilla Shirer) [13:35]

• On Access to Heaven in Hardship:
  “There is always opportunity for you and I to lean on the throes of heaven, even while we're standing in the difficult things of earth.”
  – Priscilla Shirer [19:00]

• On the Unshakeable Throne:
  “There was a throne…and it was set in the heavens. It is unmovable. It is unchangeable.”
  – Priscilla Shirer [26:11]

• To Young Believers on Courage:
  “You going to have to have some backbone…and you can and you will.”
  – Priscilla Shirer [31:12]

• On Christ’s Finished Victory:
  “If you look through the door, you're gonna see that...there is a king who's sitting down on the throne to let you know that the battle has already been won.”
  – Priscilla Shirer [34:47]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:27] – Steven Furtick's introduction & honoree welcome of Priscilla Shirer
• [03:53] – Priscilla’s opening greeting and honor to Elevation’s leadership
• [05:29] – Reading of Revelation 4
• [08:51] – Testimony of Dorie Van Stone
• [14:08] – Connecting John’s exile to suffering and spiritual hardship
• [18:33] – Vision of the open door to heaven and its significance
• [22:07] – Encouragement to live “in two places simultaneously” (earth and heaven)
• [25:04] – “Behold, a throne,” the vision’s climax
• [30:57] – Call for courage in an antichrist culture
• [34:47] – Jesus on the throne: The battle is won
• [37:18] – Invitation to receive Jesus and assurance of salvation
• [39:28] – Prayer of salvation (congregational response)

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Conclusion

Priscilla Shirer’s message, “There Is A Throne,” is a passionate and scripturally anchored reminder of God’s unchanging sovereignty, especially in times of personal or cultural turmoil. Using both biblical and real-life testimony, she encourages listeners to fix their eyes on the eternal reality of God’s reign—refusing to be defined or defeated by present hardship. With practical pastoral wisdom, memorable storytelling, and an unapologetically hopeful tone, Priscilla calls the Church to courage, worship, and confident faith.

Essential Takeaway:
No matter the chaos or pain of earth, there is a throne in heaven, occupied by a victorious King. This reality changes everything for those who believe.

Transcript

[Priscilla Shirer]

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[Steven Furtick]

hey this is Steven Furtick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you, hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message. First of all, I want to thank you for being the Absolute, in my correct, humble opinion, a most amazing church on the planet. And it's so good to see you today because I believe that you are the greatest church on the planet. I feel it's my job to bring you the greatest preachers on the planet. So any given Sunday, you might get to hear a word from Holly Furtick on Mother's Day. That might happen. You might come one Sunday and you might get stuck with me. But today you get to hear from Priscilla Shire. And I'm telling you this because you must have done something right, Touch your neighbor and say you must have lived right to get to hear Priscilla. She and Jerry are two of the greatest generals for the Kingdom of God. We are so thankful to have them here with us today. We are ready to preach you down. Woman of God. Thank you for your ministry, touching millions around the world. Elevation for the first time.

[Priscilla Shirer]

Help me welcome Priscilla Shire. Well, good morning, family. I don't even know what to say. Like, God is up in here. Y' all are my people. Y' all came to have church. Jesus said, where I am lifted up. I will just start drawing people to myself. I love being in this house. I'm so grateful.

I'm going to tell you before you sit down that you need to know

that the Lord must love you.

Listen to me.

That he has entrusted the state of

your spiritual growth and your soul to leaders who actually have integrity.

Listen to me. I wish I could tell you that at every church it is that way.

It is not so.

God must have a thing for y'. All. That he has allowed your spiritual development

this side of heaven to be attached to people who actually love Jesus.

Would you celebrate Stephen and Holly Furtick? Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for loving each other. Thank you for loving your kids. And thank you for loving the house of God. We're so grateful. Okay, y'.

All.

I'm so grateful to be with you. I don't want you to stand up too long, but you're gonna have to stand up while I read this scripture. You gonna want to stand up while I read this scripture because the presence of God is so thick in this room. And I believe he's gonna put an

exclamation point on his presence in these moments. We're gonna read together from Revelation, chapter 4. I go to the kind of church where sometimes we just stand up for the reading of God's word just to remind ourselves that Every single time we come to the pages of the book, God is speaking. That we should expect to feel the warm breath of God brushing across our cheeks as he speaks a present word over our lives.

Revelation, chapter four.

John says, after these things I looked, and behold, there was a door standing open in the heavens. And there was like the first voice which I had heard before the sound of a trumpet speaking. And the voice said, come up here and I'm going to show you some

things which are to take place. And verse 2. Immediately I was in the spirit.

And behold, a throne was standing in the heavens, and one sitting on the throne. And he who was sitting on the

throne was like a Jasper stone and

a sardius in appearance. And there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. And around the throne there were 24 smaller thrones. And on those thrones I saw 24 elders. And they were clothed in white garments, golden crowns on their head. Verse 5. And from the throne that proceeded flashes of lightning and sounds and peels of thunder. There were seven lamps of fire burning around the throne, which are the seven spirits of God.

Verse 6.

And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal.

And in the center and around the

throne there were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.

The first creature was like a lion, the second creature like a calf. The third creature had a face like a man. The fourth creature creature was like a flying eagle.

And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings full of eyes around and within, all day and all night long, they did not cease to say, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. And when the living creatures gave glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever, the 24 elders just started taking off their crowns and setting them at the feet of Jesus, casting them before the throne. And they said, worthy, are you God, to receive glory and honor and power and authority, for thou didst create all things, and for you they exist and were created. Lord, the church says, worthy, you alone are worthy of the praise. And Father, we will not let the rocks cry out in our place. We will voluntarily say, holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty. We are your sons and your daughters. We are in your presence to hear from you. Speak, Lord, we are listening in Jesus name. Everybody agreed and said, amen. Amen. You may take your seats. I would say it was three decades ago that I was in a little small women's retreat. Can't Even call it a conference. There were probably about 38 of us in that little room. There was a woman that stood up to give her testimony. I will never forget. I was in my 20s at the time. She probably was in her 60s. Her name was Dorie Van Stone. We called her Miss Dori. Everybody was hanging on every word that Miss Dorie shared with us because as she gave her testimony, it was so riveting and disturbing that it was hard to wrap your mind around. She and her sister were neglected and basically abused at the hands of their mother, the one who was supposed to love them and take care of them. She would leave for days on end, leaving her at five years old to take care of her two year old sister. When mom did return, most of the time she was frustrated and just angry that she had kids to begin with. She would tell them that to their face. They knew they were not loved, they knew they were not valued. And because of her anger and frustration, she would often just close the door of a closet, put them inside, and leave them there for hours that would oftentimes turn into days. Dori was recounting how she was trying to figure out how she was gonna eat, how she was gonna feed her little sister. The bumps in the night would terrify them because they didn't feel protected and covered.

She remembers one day her mom coming

home and saying, hey, we're gonna take a little drive. They got in the car thinking that finally, this is a day when Mom's doing something with us to just enjoy some time together as mother and daughters. They took a drive, a long drive that ended up at a driveway that was long and windy. And that long driveway ended up at a. Where there were stone steps that went up to two huge doors, pillars on either side.

Mom rang the doorbell.

And then Dori, at seven years old, can remember that before anybody had even answered the door, she turned around and noticed that her mother had already gone back down the stairs, had gotten in the car and was driving away. And that was the day they were dropped off at an orphanage.

Those two girls suffered more abuse in

the orphanage than they had at home. From there, they were transferred from one foster home to the next foster home, and their lives really didn't get any better along the way. She described the fact that there were some missionaries, some college students really, from a university neighboring, who came by to share Jesus with the kids in the orphanage. And she remembers giving her life to Jesus.

And as she described to us on

that day, her life from that point forward.

She said the truth Is my circumstances didn't really change any time soon after I met the Lord. And she said, still to this day,

she's in her 60s.

Still to this day, I don't know

why the Lord let those circumstances, those

difficulties go on as long as they did. But she said, now, in hindsight, looking

back, there is something I recall that

I couldn't put a finger on then,

but now I know what God was doing.

She said there were often times where I'd be in the dark corners of those closets that I had been locked in. And she said, the only way I can describe it is that there was something of a window that, said, seemed to open up a little veil that was torn down between earth and heaven. She said I couldn't describe it when I was six. But now I know that the Lord was giving me opportunity to know that his presence was with me. She said I would feel a peace that passes all understanding. I would know that I was not alone, even though physically I was somehow at 6 and at 7 and at 8 and 9 years old in devastating circumstances. The Lord let this window allow me

to know that his presence was with me. Knowing he was near changed everything. I took a break during the lunchtime at that conference. I'm 24 years old, maybe 25. I grabbed one of her books she had written. I don't even know if it's in print anymore, called the Girl Nobody Loved. I sat in the corner with my little box lunch reading through that book and I'll never forget watching a shadow come towards me and realizing as I looked up that Miss Dorie was watching me read her book, she walked over to me. She put her hand on my shoulder. Then she took the other hand and wiped a tear that she saw falling down my face. As I read the details that she hadn't been able to share with us in the spoken word, but on the page, what this woman had gone through in her childhood, I could not believe. She saw me crying, walked over to me, wiped the tear. She put her hand on my shoulder and she said, sweet girl, don't you cry for me. God was with me the whole time. Knowing he's with you makes all the difference in the world.

John

is in a dark closet. It's called the island of Patmos.

He is in the middle of devastating and difficult circumstances.

And this is John, Jesus, disciple we're talking about.

This is the one who had walked

with Jesus, who had talked with Jesus.

This is the one who had been in the presence of Jesus. This is the one who said about his own self in his gospel.

I'm the one who Jesus loves.

This is the one who had seen Jesus perform miracles. I mean, John was right there when lame folks started walking and blind people

started seeing and the deaf started hearing.

He heard Jesus preach and teach words coming out of the mouth of the Son of the living God right in his presence. They had heard preaching and teaching before from the religious leaders, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. But when Jesus opened up his mouth, something was different.

They ain't never heard nothing like this.

Think about how you'd feel if Jesus

were your Bible study teacher. John was there. He had walked with Jesus in the flesh. But by the time we meet John in the book of Revelation, his circumstance has completely changed.

He is now in what would call what some would call the dark night of the soul. He has been exiled to Patmos for his allegiance to Jesus Christ, for his refusal to bend the knee and to go in opposition of Christ and his kingdom. He has been sent to basically what was a place that had been relegated by the Roman government to be for criminals and enemies of the state. And there he sits on Patmos in the midst of difficulty, discouragement, and complete devastation. And in Revelation, chapter four, he says, something happened to me on this particular day. The Lord opened up something of a window, a door between earth and heaven. So even though I was in the midst of difficulty, hardship, devastation and darkness, I had opportunity to see what was happening in the heavenlies, to catch a glimpse of God's presence and just sense his peace and his power and his joy. And knowing that God was there.

John says, that makes all the difference. Patmos was a rock quarry. They would send people there that were a threat to the Roman government they perceived to be a rock quarry. Meaning all day all they did was hammer at those rocks to basically do work and hard toil. It would have been devastating for their physical bodies, devastating for their souls. Not being able to get off of this island, which was 10 miles off of the coast of the mainland in the Aegean Sea. There was no escape, no means of reprieve. The rock quarry would have been like think Nelson Mandela on Robben Island.

You saw or could see the deterioration to Nelson Mandela's body after he was there for those 27 years. How the sun reflecting off of the rocks that were all around caused there to be a glare in their eyes

that would deteriorate their eyesight.

How breathing in all of the dust that was gathering off of those rocks would cause there to be a deterioration

in Their lung capacity.

In other words, John was deteriorating from the inside out. His circumstances were completely devastating, and there was no escape. And he was not in that situation

for doing something wrong. He was there for doing something right. I suspect that in a room this size, with this many people in this room and on the other side of the screen, there are so many of

you who are amongst hard things on

a rock quarry, there's hard things everywhere you look, difficulties everywhere you step.

And no matter where you look, it seems like there is absolutely no means of escape.

And what makes it hard relationally or

financially, or in your health or in the raising of kids, or in the business or in the ministry. This year, on Patmos, in your life, what makes it more difficult for you to swallow is not that you have been perfect, but you have been purposeful. You've been out in these streets trying to follow God, trying to honor him as a husband or as a wife or as a single person or a parent or a teenager or a university student or a business builder or a ministry leader. You haven't been perfect, but you've been trying to follow God, and you've ended up on Patmos anyway.

John knows exactly how it feels to be out here honoring God and life. Be hard. John says, look up. He says, when I looked up. Revelation, chapter 4, verse 1. There was a door standing open in the heavens, which means there is access always to God's power, to God's presence,

to God's peace, to God's perspective in

the midst of difficult circumstances.

He says, there was a door and

the door was standing open.

It was set in the open position, which means there is always opportunity for you and I to lean on the throes of heaven, even while we're standing in the difficult things of earth.

The door was standing open. The reason why this principle, this little principle of the door standing open, y', all, is so important for believers like you and me to get a grasp on. The reason why it is so weighty right here in this verse, is because just several verses earlier, the end of chapter three, verse 20, Jesus is describing a church at Laodicea, the lukewarm, indifferent, apathetic church. And here's how he describes them. He says, I'm standing on the outside of their door knocking. I'm hoping somebody's gonna open up this door that has been closed. He is writing about the church, and

he says, the door of the church has been closed. How Jesus, standing on the outside of

the door of his own church.

Jesus says the church has closed. The door to me. Which means it is possible for us to be in here and him to be out there. It means it is possible, y', all, for us to be so consumed with personalities and with programs and with platitudes, and we don't even realize that the presence of God is not even in the room.

Because we close the door through our indifference. We close the door through our apathy. We close the door through our rebellion. We close the door through our stubbornness.

And Jesus, in His grace and in his merc and his goodness and his kindness to us, even when we close the door, he's so merciful that he stands on the outside of it, still knocking, to have relationship with us.

So the reason why chapter four, verse one is so important is because where we close the door in chapter three, he opens it back up in chapter four, verse one. Even when you've closed it, you need to know that the door of heaven is still open. It remains in the open position for you and me standing on earth with access to heaven. Then John says, I heard a voice. The voice was loud and clear like a trumpet. And the voice said, come up here. The invitation of a lifetime that if you and I can grab hold of this invitation, it changes the way we relate to all the hard stuff of earth. Because there you are, stepping on all the rocks of Patmos, all the difficult conversations and the difficult people, the difficult problems, the difficult realities, the things that jolt us and stagger us and disappoint us, the betrayals that hurt us and break our hearts, the different things that we face in life that we cannot

believe that life holds. Because I don't know if y' all noticed or not, but life is out here. Lifein'.

Me and my girlfriends get on the phone and we be like, life is ghetto.

Earth is kind of ghetto. Can I get one witness? You're gonna need to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit saying to you, come up here. Which means it is possible, it is important and necessary for believers in Jesus Christ to live in two places at the exact same time, with your feet firmly planted on the realities of earth, but your mind fixed on things eternal. It's going to be imperative, it's going to be necessary for you and I to make it to accept this invitation

that we're always coming up here like we're in the argument. We're about to say that, but first we going to come up here. We're about to comment that. We're about to post that. But first let me pause and come up here.

We're about to make a decision about our finances, about our parenting, about our

marriage, about whether to stay, about whether to go.

But first, before I choose, before I walk, before I decide, before I make that choice and decision, I'm accepting the invitation to come up here. I'm coming up through prayer, through worship, through the reading of God's word.

Lord, what is your perspective? How do I reflect your character?

How do I say what you would

say and act how you would act and respond how you would respond so

that I don't just wait to get

to heaven to experience heaven, but I

bring heaven to earth right now so that I'm experiencing it and offering it

to everybody that's around me. John says, I heard the invitation, and the invitation changed my life. Okay, access invitation. John says, just in case Life's been so hard, the rocks, the hard stuff of Patmos, have so overwhelmed you recently that you're gonna have a hard time picturing this door. You're gonna have a hard time setting your eyes fixing your ey on Jesus. You're gonna have a little bit of a hard time. You admit it, doing what Paul says in Colossians, chapter three, verse one. If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father. Set your mind on things above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died and your life is hidden in Christ with God.

He says, just in case you know

that right now, because life is out here doing the most, you're gonna have a little bit of a hard time capturing what it is that I'm doing describing.

He says, elevation.

Would you just for this Sunday morning, come grab my hand and let me take you to this door, even if you can't make it on your own. He says, just sit with me for a moment. Let me take you to the door.

Because if I can show you what's on the other side of this door, it's going to shift the way you

relate to everything happening here on Earth.

He says, grab my hand and let me show you. Verse 2 that immediately when I was

in the Spirit, he says, behold. Now can I just. I didn't even get to the thing behind the door yet. But I just gotta tell y', all, anytime you see the word behold in Scripture, it means get ready. It was the best word that the English translators could come up with for what the original writers were trying to describe. It means, sit on the edge of your seat. This is the time, with your chin in your hands, Your eyes peeled, your mind fresh.

Get ready to look and see what

is on the other side of this door.

John says, take my hand and let me take you to the door. And behold, the very first thing I

saw, verse two was a throne.

He says, if you don't see anything else on the other side of this

door, I'm gonna need you to know

that the very first thing that captured my attention when I looked through this open window into heaven that the Lord gave me access to is that I saw there was a throne, and it was set in the heavens. With everything else being so shakable and so unreasonable and so unstable. He says, I was so relieved to see there was one thing that had not changed, and that is that there was a throne and it was set in the heavens. It is unmovable. It is unchangeable. It is untouched. It is unbothered. It is unaffected by the things of earth. There is no coup that is powerful enough to overthrow it. There is no person influential enough to usurp it. There is no dictator that is forceful enough to seize it. He says, look, look, behold, there is a throne, and it is still set in the heavens.

This changes everything because what it means is Earth doesn't have the final say. This changes everything because it means that

the stuff that is happening here that

seems so unreasonable, and we wonder whether we're tethered to anybody's sovereign, whether there's oversight, whether somebody's presiding.

Does anybody know? Have they seen the tears that are falling from my eyes, the unrest that keeps me up at night, the things that give me anxiety and concern over my children or my marriage or my finances or my health? I feel like nobody's watching over me. John says, if you'll just look through this door, you will see there is a sovereign ruler who is seated unmoved and unchanged, and he's on the throne.

Revelation is a overwhelming book for all of us. John can. He don't even know what he's talking about half the time. He's trying to describe creatures he can't find the words to describe. He's doing the best he can to pull images from that which he knows folks can at least kind of try to relate to, to describe what he's. It's completely overwhelming. So there's a lot there that is intimidating to us. When we read through the Book of Revelation, we sometimes just steer clear of it. But there's one thing you can't miss. Dozens of times throughout the book, 13 times in this chapter alone, John keeps saying, there's a throne. He says, you might not get all this other stuff, but don't miss this. There's a throne. There is a throne. There is a seat of authority, a seat of ultimate sovereignty, a seat of ultimate power.

He says, don't miss the fact that the sacrifice central future of our future as the church and the central feature of our day to day life for believers, not just Christians that go to church on Sunday or you know, read

a verse a day to keep the devil away.

Not that, no, I'm talking about disciples. I'm talking about kingdom minded on mission believers for Jesus Christ. John says the central feature of all of our lives, lives has to be

there is a throne. Everything we do orbits around the fact that we are pledged allegiance to the throne, that we understand we have a king and he has a kingdom.

He is seated on a throne and he has sovereign rule. He has either orchestrated or allowed every single thing that has happened in our experiences. Nothing has escaped his notice. Nothing is beyond his grasp. Our lives are in the palm of his hand.

The reason why this would have mattered so much to the first century believers that this letter was originally going to is because the throne of the emperor in Rome was so influential, so powerful and it was Antichrist. To be a Christian in this time period was almost unthinkable. It would cost you your life. It was the whole reason why John was exiled to Patmos. Because if you were going to pledge allegiance, if you were going to start living in the way that aligned with this new king named Jesus and the church that he had set up and if you believed in the death, burial and resurrection, if you were going to reorient the way you did everything, the way you did politics, the way you did business, the way you did ministry, the way you steered your kids, the way you steered your education.

If you were going to orient your

life around the king and his kingdom,

you had to go up against the government of the day and all of its systems.

It was Antichrist. I don't know if you've noticed,

Everything around us is Antichrist. If we're going to be deciding, listen,

where are the young believers in the room? Listen to your Auntie Priscilla. Where are you?

You're 18 to 25 years old.

Listen to your Auntie Priscilla.

You going to have to have some, some backbone and you can and you will. You're going to have to have some spiritual meat on your bones. You're going to have to have some spiritual fiber to be able to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy. Because y' all. I mean, I'm not that old, but I'm saying to you, a few decades ago, it used to be that people at least respected the moral compass of the scriptures. Even if they weren't Christians, even if they wasn't coming all the way with this Jesus stuff, they knew that at

least this was the way to be a good citizen. Not anymore. If you make a decision to stand for Christ, you gonna have to stand alone, flat footed, by yourself, on your social media page, on your platform, on

your job and say there is a standard of truth that is not and has not changed. You're gonna have to have backbone for that. The first century believers know exactly how it feels to have to stand firm in an antichrist culture. And John says to them, there's a throne.

They're not in charge. He is. John says, I looked up and I saw a throne.

And not only did I see a

throne that was situated, but I saw somebody sitting on the throne. A throne that is above every earthly

throne, above all powers, above all human authorities, above all seats of influence, above all presidents, above all administrations, above all monarchs, above all kings, above all governmental systems, above all individuals, institutions, above all establishments, there is a throne. It has not been replaced, it has not been moved, it has not been diminished in power. And John says it is also not unoccupied. Because I saw the throne and somebody was sitting on it. Because what good is the throne if ain't nobody worthy sitting on the throne? John said, can we find somebody worthy? Can we find somebody righteous? Can we find somebody who should be seated in this position of influence? He said, I looked up and I saw Jesus Christ, the son of the living God who was and is and is to come.

All right.

Amen. Thank you, Jesus.

I'm so grateful that he's on the throne. I do not know how people are making it that do not know there is a king and he's on the throne. In the Middle east, the ancient near east, when there was a war or a battle raging, kings didn't sit.

When there was a battle that was

in full swing, kings stood, they paced, they watched. They wanted oversight. They did not rest. The only time a king sat down is once the battle had already been won.

To demonstrate to everybody in the sphere of influence that the victory had already been secured. John says, look through the door. If you look through the door, you're gonna see that there's not just a throne, but there is a king who's sitting down on the throne to let you know that the battle has Already been won. Amen. I'm saying you and I are not fighting for victory. We're fighting from victory. There's a throne, sis. You win, brother. You win. The enemy can try to form a weapon against you, but the weapon has no hope of promise prospering. There is no scheme of the enemy that can prosper about your life. Why? Because the king is sitting down on the throne. And in the presence of the sitting king, every single creature that can't even fully be described. John said, I can't even give language to what I saw, but I know what I heard. They said, holy, holy, holy. Is the lord God almighty. Who was and is and is to come. And then anybody in the vicinity that

had a crown on their head, they took it off as quick as they could.

They laid it at the feet of

the only one worthy and said, worthy are you God, to receive glory and honor and power and authority.

Why?

Because you're sitting on the throne. Would you bow your heads with me, please? If you are in this room and you have not seen the throne, you do not have a relationship with Jesus.

Life has been difficult.

And you, you are doing it unattached to the realities of heaven. Life's too hard for that, brother. Life's too hard for that, sister. You're gonna need an anchor.

You're gonna need relationship with this throne.

Relationship with the one who is seated on the throne.

If you do not know beyond a shadow of a doubt that, like John,

you can look through this doorway and know that Jesus is here, that he is real, that he's got your back, I offer you Jesus today. Do not leave without knowing that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He is the only thing that is unshakable in this very unstable, unshakable world. While every head is bowed and eyes are closed and believers are praying, if you have never made that decision but you want to today, would you just raise your hand and lift your eyes so that mine meet yours? And I know that's a decision you need to make today. You want to get it fixed? Anybody? Just wave at me if that's a decision you need to make. Yes, ma'. Am. I see you, sweet girl. Yes, I see you over there in the Iowa. Anybody else, just wave at me. Come on. Yes, I see y'. All. Don't be embarrassed. Don't be ashamed. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Anybody else?

Listen, Jesus is coming back soon. I see y'. All.

Time is short.

Come on, y'.

All. We can't. We gotta stop playing games. Life's too hard.

I see you. I see you, young man. Amen. Anybody else, just wave at me. Yeah, I see you up there. Dozens of hands are up all over the room. I see you, sis. Yeah, I see y'. All. Hey, I see you. Okay. See you, brother. Okay. The Bible says you confess with your mouth and you believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. You shall be saved. He already did all the hard work. All you have to do is receive the gift. So I'm gonna pray this prayer. You repeat the prayer after me, okay? Out loud. In fact, the entire church can we all pray this prayer together. That way we can build an atmosphere of faith for those who are praying it for the very first time. Okay, let's pray together.

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner in need of a savior. And I believe that you are that savior. So today I place faith alone in Christ alone to remove my sins. Take up residence in me in the person of the Holy Spirit right now. In Jesus name. In Jesus name. Come on, everybody, shout Amen.

[Steven Furtick]

Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously to this ministry. It's because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now or visit elevationchurch.orgpodcast for more information and if you enjoyed the if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe. You can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot and share it on your social stories and tag us evationchurch. Thanks again for listening. God bless you. I'm U.S. transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

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