The thrones are the third-highest ranking angels in the world's most commonly used angelic hierarchy (put together by theologian Pseudo-Dionysius). Thrones focus on contemplating God’s will, explaining the wisdom of God’s decisions to other creatures (such as lower-ranking angels and human beings), helping to explain and enforce cosmic laws, and moving the divine energy forward by carrying God's throne.

Contemplating God's Will

What does God want to happen, and why? Throne angels constantly reflect on God's will and the wisdom of the purposes behind it.

Since God's is by nature purely good, his will always to make right whatever has gone wrong. So contemplating God's will means reflecting on the cosmic laws that God has set in place, which ties in with the thrones' work helping to explain and enforce those laws.

Explaining God's Decisions to Other Creatures

Angels who are part of the thrones choir help lower-ranking angels and human beings understand and appreciate the wisdom of God's will. They explain God's decisions in ways that make sense to others, so they can know that what God wants is best for them.

Thrones who help lead this work include some famous archangels, such as Raziel (the angel of mysteries) and Jophiel (the angel of beauty).

In Kabbalah, the thrones (led by Archangel Raziel) represent the quality called "Chokmah" (which means "wisdom") on the Tree of Life. They reveal divine mysteries, help people turn knowledge into wisdom, and help people reach their full God-given potential.

Explaining and Enforcing Cosmic Laws

Thrones also apply their ability to reveal holy mysteries to work explaining and enforcing the laws that God designed to govern the universe.

The patron saint of angels, St. Thomas Aquinas, wrote that thrones "contemplate the enactment of divine justice" and that they are called thrones because "the power of judgment is shown by the throne." Thrones join the angelic rank below them, the dominions, to carry out God's justice.

Angels in the thrones rank enforce the universal laws that God has set in place, maintaining cosmic harmony in the process. They participate (along with the seraphim and cherubim) in the heavenly law council where God presides, which the Bible and Torah describe in Psalms 82 and 89, as well as in Daniel chapter seven.

The Bible also names thrones and other types of angels (such as dominions, principalities, and authorities) in Colossians 1:16, which describes how all creatures "in heaven and on earth" were created both through, and for, Jesus Christ.

Moving the Divine Energy Forward by Carrying God's Throne

The thrones get their name from their work carrying God's throne in heaven. This responsibility ties in with how they carry out God's will, because moving God's metaphysical throne forward symbolizes carrying his divine energy forward into situations in which God has decided to intervene.

Thrones appear in the prophet Ezekiel's vision of cherubim angels in the Bible and Torah. The throne angels manifest in Ezekiel's vision as the exotic wheels of glorious light that accompany the cherubim angels. The rims of those wheels are covered in eyes, which symbolize how keenly aware thrones are of what's happening and whether or not it reflects God's will.

Even when thrones stay in heaven to carry out their responsibilities, their work affects human beings profoundly because they send God's energy from heaven to Earth, helping people find harmony with the just laws God has put in place for their well-being. Philosopher Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa wrote that "through thrones, humanity is knit together and collected into itself."