An amazing promise

To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. (Revelation 3:21)

I find this verse to be marvelous and astounding. It seems almost inconceivable that Christ would allow me to sit with Him on His throne even if I overcame the world. Considering my measly state right now, I might be inclined to think that this is just an honorary reward, kind of like an honorary doctorate degree (you know, where some university thinks you’re a pretty neat person so they give you a paper saying you have an honorary doctorate degree in… whatever). So there’s a tendency to think that Christ would let me sit on His throne with Him, give me a crown and a scepter to wave around for a little while so I can pretend I’m special and then that’s it, I have to give it all back at the end of the day and no real authority or power was shared.

Or there might be a tendency to think that it is a extended throne-sitting session with Christ where I sit back in awe and watch Christ do His Thing but still I can have no part in it.

But no, to make sure that we don’t misunderstand, Christ adds that our sharing the throne with Him will be just like how He shares the throne with the Father. We don’t think of Christ as being just a figurehead ruler. We think of Him as being very involved, with great power and authority. He’s part of the Godhead, after all! If we read this scripture plainly it says to those of us “that overcometh” that Christ will make us equal with Him. This idea is so much beyond the narrow-mindedness of men that those who are honest in heart must say that it came from God.

Joseph Smith wrote:

These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. … These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical.

Here, then, is eternal life—to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, … by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power. …

… [The righteous who have died] shall rise again to dwell in everlasting burnings in immortal glory, not to sorrow, suffer, or die any more, but they shall be heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. What is it? To inherit the same power, the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the station of a god, and ascend the throne of eternal power, the same as those who have gone before. (Chapter 18: Beyond the Veil: Life in the Eternities,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, (2007), 221-222.)

That's what we're aiming for.

Image from the book “Spain – John L. Stoddard’s Lectures” by John L. Stoddard, as retrieved January 13, 2009 from http://chestofbooks.com/travel/spain/John-Stoddard-Lectures/Spain-Part-4.html.