Session at the Right Hand: Christ Enthroned in Glory

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1). This ancient oracle, spoken by King David under divine inspiration, became Christianity’s most frequently cited Old Testament text for understanding Jesus Christ’s current status and activity. After His resurrection and ascension, Christ didn’t simply enter heaven passively—He sat down at the Father’s right hand, assuming the position of supreme authority, royal power, and priestly intercession. This “session” (from Latin sessio, “sitting”) at God’s right hand is not passive retirement but active reign: Christ currently rules over all creation, intercedes for His people, subdues His enemies, and awaits the moment when He will return to consummate His kingdom.

The doctrine of Christ’s heavenly session answers the question: What is Jesus doing now? Between His first advent (birth, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension) and His second advent (return in glory), where is Christ and what is He accomplishing? The New Testament’s answer is consistent and emphatic: He sits at God’s right hand, exercising divine authority, mediating salvation, and preparing for final victory. This present reign—hidden from earthly eyes but real in the heavenly realm—is the time of the church, the age of gospel proclamation, the period during which Christ’s enemies are progressively subdued until the day when “every knee shall bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:10-11).

This article explores the multifaceted doctrine of Christ’s session at the right hand: its biblical foundations in Psalm 110 and New Testament appropriation, the theological significance of Christ’s exaltation, His ongoing priestly intercession, His present kingship and future conquest, and the practical implications for Christian life and hope.

Biblical Foundations: Psalm 110 and the Enthronement Oracle

David’s Lord

Psalm 110 opens with a remarkable statement:

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’” (Psalm 110:1).

The Hebrew distinguishes two figures: YHWH (the LORD, God) speaks to “my Lord” (Hebrew: adoni)—someone David calls “Lord” but who is distinct from YHWH. God invites this figure to sit at His right hand—the position of highest honor, greatest authority, supreme power. Sitting at the right hand implies:

• Equal status: Only an equal can sit beside a monarch
• Shared authority: The right-hand position shares in the throne’s power
• Rest after labor: Sitting follows completed work
• Awaiting vindication: The session lasts “until” enemies are defeated

The psalm continues with royal and priestly imagery:

“The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek’” (Psalm 110:4).

This figure is both king (sitting on God’s throne, ruling the nations, executing judgment) and priest (after Melchizedek’s order, not Aaron’s). The combination is unprecedented in Israel’s history—kings came from Judah’s tribe, priests from Levi’s. Only Melchizedek, the mysterious priest-king of Salem who blessed Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20), combined both offices.

Historical Interpretation

In its original historical context, Psalm 110 may have been a coronation psalm for Davidic kings, celebrating their divinely granted authority. Yet the language strains historical application—no Davidic king literally sat at God’s right hand in heaven, no Davidic king was priest after Melchizedek’s order, no Davidic king fully subdued all enemies.

Jewish interpretation recognized the psalm’s messianic implications. The Targum (Aramaic paraphrase) applies it to the Messiah. Rabbinic literature debates the psalm’s meaning, with some seeing it as David’s prophecy about the Messiah, others as God speaking to Abraham, others as God speaking to David himself.

The psalm’s difficulty is precisely what Jesus exploits in His debate with the Pharisees: “How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet”’? If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew 22:43-45). Jesus points to the logical puzzle: if the Messiah is David’s descendant (universally expected), why does David call him “Lord”? The answer requires a Messiah who is both David’s son (through human descent) and David’s Lord (through divine nature)—which Christianity identifies as Jesus Christ.

New Testament Appropriation: Christ at God’s Right Hand

Jesus’ Self-Application

During His trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus applies Psalm 110 to Himself in combination with Daniel 7’s vision:

“The high priest said to him, ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:63-64).

Jesus claims He will be seated at God’s right hand—an assertion of divine authority and vindication. The Sanhedrin understands this as blasphemous precisely because Jesus places Himself in the position Psalm 110 reserves for God’s unique vice-regent.

Post-Ascension Reality

After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the early church proclaims the session at God’s right hand as accomplished fact:

Mark: “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19).

Acts: Peter at Pentecost: “Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool”’” (Acts 2:33-35).

Romans: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34).

Ephesians: God “raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:20-21).

Hebrews: “After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3). “Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 8:1).

The consistent testimony: Jesus Christ currently occupies the place of supreme authority at the Father’s right hand. This is not future hope but present reality, established through resurrection and ascension.

Stephen’s Vision

The first Christian martyr, Stephen, is granted a vision of the heavenly throne room:

“But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, ‘Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God’” (Acts 7:55-56).

Significantly, Stephen sees Jesus standing (not sitting) at God’s right hand. Some commentators suggest Jesus stands to welcome His faithful witness, to testify on Stephen’s behalf in the heavenly court, or to prepare for action on Stephen’s behalf. The posture may vary, but the position remains: Jesus is at God’s right hand.

Theological Significance: Exaltation, Authority, Vindication

Exaltation After Humiliation

The session at God’s right hand represents Christ’s exaltation following His humiliation. Philippians describes the pattern:

“And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:8-11).

The trajectory is: incarnation → humiliation → death → resurrection → exaltation. The one who emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and died a criminal’s death is now elevated to the highest place, given the greatest name, accorded universal homage. The session at the right hand is the visible (to faith) demonstration of this exaltation.

Supreme Authority

The right-hand position signifies supreme authority over all creation:

“He is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:22).

Every spiritual power—angels, authorities, powers, dominions—is subject to Christ. No force in heaven or earth stands outside His jurisdiction. This has immediate pastoral implications: believers face no enemy stronger than their exalted Lord, no trial He cannot govern, no threat beyond His control.

Jesus Himself declared this authority before ascension: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). The Great Commission flows from this authority—because Christ rules all, His followers can make disciples of all nations, confident that no power can ultimately resist His gospel.

Vindication and Coronation

The session vindicates Jesus’ claims and crowns Him as King. During His earthly ministry, He was rejected, mocked, crucified. Pilate’s inscription “King of the Jews” was intended as mockery. The crown placed on His head was woven from thorns. His “throne” was a cross.

But God vindicates Him. The resurrection declares Him “the Son of God in power” (Romans 1:4). The ascension enthrones Him. The session crowns Him with glory and honor. What earth rejected, heaven accepts. What humans despised, God exalts. The crucified criminal is revealed as cosmic King.

Hebrews emphasizes this vindication:

“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9).

The humiliation was temporary (“for a little while”); the exaltation is permanent. He who descended now sits at the highest place.

Christ’s Present Activity: Priestly Intercession

The Heavenly High Priest

While the session emphasizes Christ’s royal authority, Hebrews particularly develops His priestly role at God’s right hand:

“We have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man” (Hebrews 8:1-2).

Christ is simultaneously enthroned king and ministering priest. His session is not inactive; He serves as high priest in the heavenly sanctuary. Unlike earthly priests who stood (their work never finished), Christ sits—His atoning sacrifice is complete. Yet He continues priestly ministry through intercession.

Intercession for Believers

A central component of Christ’s present activity is interceding for His people:

“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

Christ’s intercession is continuous (“always”), effective (able to “save to the uttermost”), and personally directed (for “those who draw near through him”). This intercession is grounded in His completed sacrifice—He doesn’t repeatedly offer Himself (Hebrews 9:25-26) but represents His once-for-all offering before the Father.

Paul echoes this truth: “Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:34). Christ’s intercession answers condemnation. When accusations arise (from Satan, conscience, or circumstances), Christ’s heavenly advocacy prevails.

The Priestly Order of Melchizedek

Christ’s priesthood is “after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 17), not Aaron’s. Hebrews elaborates the distinction:

• Melchizedek’s priesthood is superior: He blessed Abraham (Hebrews 7:7), and “the inferior is blessed by the superior”
• It’s eternal: “He remains a priest perpetually” (Hebrews 7:3), unlike Aaron’s descendants who died
• It’s royal: Melchizedek was both king of Salem and priest of God Most High—roles combined in Christ
• It’s independent of Levitical descent: Christ from Judah’s tribe couldn’t be priest under Aaron’s order; Melchizedek’s order transcends tribal boundaries

Christ’s Melchizedekian priesthood enables His perpetual intercession. He “holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever” (Hebrews 7:24). Believers have a high priest who never dies, never retires, never fails—seated at God’s right hand, always interceding.

Christ’s Present Reign: “Until” the Conquest is Complete

The “Until” of Psalm 110:1

The session at God’s right hand is temporary in one sense—it lasts “until I make your enemies your footstool.” Christ’s heavenly reign will culminate in His visible, universal, uncontested reign when He returns.

Paul describes this “until” in 1 Corinthians 15:

“For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For ‘God has put all things in subjection under his feet’… When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:25-28).

Christ reigns now. His reign will continue until all enemies—including death itself—are defeated. This conquest is progressive (happening now) and will be consummated at His return (completed then).

Present Hidden Reign

Christ’s present reign is real but largely hidden. To earthly eyes, the world appears chaotic, evil seemingly triumphant, God’s enemies prospering. Yet faith sees reality: Christ reigns from heaven’s throne, actively subduing opposition, governing history, advancing His kingdom.

This hiddenness is temporary. Colossians instructs: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). The current age is characterized by hiddenness—Christ is hidden at God’s right hand, believers’ true life is hidden with Him. When He appears publicly, the hidden reign becomes manifest.

Progressive Conquest

Between ascension and return, Christ progressively subjugates His enemies:

• Spiritual Powers: Colossians 2:15 declares He “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (the cross). Their defeat is accomplished; its full manifestation awaits consummation.

• Death: “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Christ has conquered death through resurrection, but death still operates in the fallen world. At Christ’s return, death itself will be abolished.

• Satan: Revelation depicts Satan’s final defeat: thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Though defeated at the cross, Satan still operates as “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31, already judged) until final judgment.

• Sin: Christ’s sacrifice dealt with sin definitively, yet sin remains active in this age. The complete eradication of sin awaits the new creation.

The “not yet” doesn’t negate the “already.” Christ’s victory is won; its full application is being realized and will be consummated.

Implications for Christian Life and Mission

Confidence in Prayer

If Christ sits at God’s right hand interceding for believers, prayer is never futile. When we pray, we don’t approach a distant, disinterested deity but come before a throne where our High Priest represents us.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

The throne of God is a throne of grace precisely because Christ sits there. His presence transforms it from a place of judgment to a place of mercy for believers.

Authority for Mission

Christ’s heavenly authority grounds Christian mission. The Great Commission begins: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-19). The “therefore” is crucial—because Christ has all authority, His disciples can confidently proclaim His gospel anywhere, to anyone, knowing no earthly or spiritual power can ultimately thwart His purposes.

When facing opposition, persecution, or apparent defeat, missionaries remember: the one who sends them reigns at God’s right hand. Every authority opposing the gospel is subject to Him.

Hope in Suffering

Christ’s exaltation after suffering provides pattern and promise for believers. Peter writes to persecuted Christians:

“For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1 Peter 2:20-21).

The pattern is Christ’s: suffering precedes glory, humiliation precedes exaltation, cross precedes crown. Paul assures Romans: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16-17).

Christ’s session at the right hand after crucifixion assures believers that their suffering is not meaningless. Glory follows suffering for those united to the suffering-and-exalted Christ.

Assurance Against Accusation

When Satan accuses (his name means “accuser”), when conscience condemns, when guilt overwhelms, believers look to Christ at God’s right hand:

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34).

The courtroom imagery is vivid: accusations are leveled, but Christ—the one who died, who was raised, who sits at God’s right hand—intercedes. His presence at the Father’s right hand, His ongoing intercession, secures believers against condemnation.

Awaiting the Parousia: From Hidden Reign to Manifest Glory

The Return from the Right Hand

Christ’s session at God’s right hand is not His final state. He will return—the second coming (parousia)—to consummate His kingdom visibly and universally.

Jesus prophesied: “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). The one who ascended hidden in a cloud (Acts 1:9) will return visible to all.

Revelation depicts this return:

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war… On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11, 16).

The enthroned King becomes the conquering King, the hidden Lord becomes the manifest Lord, the priestly intercessor becomes the righteous judge.

The Consummation of the Kingdom

At Christ’s return, the “until” of Psalm 110:1 reaches fulfillment. All enemies are placed under His feet, death is abolished, Satan is judged, and the kingdom of this world becomes “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Paul describes the consummation: “Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24). Christ’s mediatorial reign—reigning as God-man, subduing enemies, gathering elect—concludes when all is accomplished. Then “God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

This doesn’t mean Christ’s reign ends but that its purpose is fulfilled. The Son’s voluntary subordination to the Father in the economy of redemption completes when redemption is complete. The triune God will reign eternally in the new creation.

Believers Enthroned with Christ

Remarkably, Christ promises believers share in His throne:

“The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne” (Revelation 3:21).

Just as Christ sat down at the Father’s right hand after conquering through death and resurrection, believers who conquer (through faith in Christ, enduring to the end) will share His throne. Paul affirms: “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12).

This is not deification (becoming God) but participation in Christ’s glorification. Believers united to Christ share His exaltation: “God… raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). Though still on earth, believers are positionally already enthroned with Christ—a present spiritual reality that will become experiential in the resurrection.

Conclusion: The Enthroned and Returning King

“Sit at my right hand.” The invitation God extends to Christ is unique in Scripture, unrepeatable in history, unreplicable by any creature. Only the God-man—fully divine, fully human, the mediator between God and humanity—can occupy this position. Only the one who conquered sin through sinless life, defeated death through resurrection, and ascended victorious can sit at God’s right hand.

There He sits now. Not inactive, but interceding. Not powerless, but reigning. Not absent, but governing history, advancing His kingdom, subduing enemies. The same Jesus who walked Galilee’s shores, taught in parables, healed the sick, died on Golgotha, rose from the tomb—He now sits enthroned in heaven’s glory, crowned with honor, wielding all authority, awaiting the moment when every knee will bow and every tongue confess His lordship.

For Christians, this doctrine transforms everything. Prayer is dialogue with an enthroned King who is also sympathetic High Priest. Mission is service authorized by the Ruler of all. Suffering is participation in Christ’s pattern of humiliation-before-exaltation. Accusation is answered by Christ’s intercession. Death itself is defeated enemy, already conquered by the one who sits at God’s right hand.

“From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power,” Jesus told His accusers (Matthew 26:64). They didn’t believe Him. They crucified Him. But God vindicated Him. Stephen saw the heavens opened and beheld Jesus at God’s right hand. Paul proclaimed Him exalted far above all rule and authority. The early church confessed Him as Lord.

The confession remains: Jesus Christ is Lord—not will be, but is. He reigns now from heaven’s throne. His kingship is present reality, not merely future hope. The session at the right hand is the current state of the Savior, the ongoing activity of the High Priest, the assured position of the King who will return.

“Until I make your enemies your footstool.” The “until” means Christ’s work isn’t finished. Enemies remain—death, sin, Satan, rebellion against God. But the outcome is certain. The enthroned King will complete His conquest. Every enemy will be subdued, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess. The session at the right hand will give way to the throne in New Jerusalem, where Christ and the Father reign eternally, where the Lamb who was slain is worshiped by every creature in heaven and on earth.

Until that day, the church proclaims, believes, and trusts: Christ sits at God’s right hand, reigning, interceding, conquering, awaiting the moment when hidden rule becomes manifest glory, when the King returns for His bride, when every eye sees what faith now perceives—the crucified, risen, ascended, enthroned, and returning Lord Jesus Christ, seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high, crowned with glory and honor, worthy of all praise, now and forever. Amen.