And He Shall Reign

 

Currently, Jesus reigns in the hearts and minds of all who trust in Him.  But one day soon, the kingdoms of this earth will also be under the direct reign and rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.  We see this predicted by the prophet, Daniel.

“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. (Dan 7:13-14)

In the book of Revelations, we see a future reign of Christ over all earthly kingdoms.  His reign will be an everlasting one.

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. (Rev 11:15-17)

Jesus lived a perfect life and showed himself to be the ultimate servant by his death on the cross. God the Father raised Him to new life and seated Him in the heavenly realms.  He was exalted to the highest level.

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:8-11)

With Christ raised to sit at the right hand of God the Father, He has position, power, and authority above all others. 

—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. (1 Pet 3:21b-22)

As ultimate authority over all things, Christ has the rightful position to rule and reign over all the kingdoms of men as well as the unseen powers and authorities in the heavenly realms.  God the Father has subjected all things to Him.  And yet there is a problem.  There still exists some rebellion in the ranks.  Not all His enemies have yet been subdued, although it is only a matter of time.  We see this reality mentioned in the book of Hebrews…

For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. (Heb 2:5-8)

This is also mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 28.  Notice that the full subjection of all things to Christ is still future in both these passages.

But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Cor 15:23-28)

I certainly do not want to indicate that Christ is not over all and that all things are not subject to Him.  But it certainly looks as though there is some final rebellion that must extinguished.  Some have called this dynamic, "All ready, not yet” We see this most vividly when considering spiritual warfare. As Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the devil appears to him three times.  The third temptation is an opportunity for Christ to reign over the kingdoms of the world.  But the devil’s proposal, one which avoids the suffering of the cross, provides no way of salvation for mankind. Jesus would ultimately rule and reign over the kingdoms of this world, but not by submitting to the devil.  He won the battle by submitting to the Father.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’ ” Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Mt 4:8-11)

In the book of Ephesians, we see that believers also live in a spiritual battle.  The war has been won, but we remain behind enemy lines, so to speak.  We must put on our spiritual armor and stand strong.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. (Eph 6:10-13)

In the book of Revelations, we see vivid scenes of spiritual battle.  Chapter 12 gives one account of the defeat of Satan…

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. (Rev 12:7-11)

So, how must we live, considering these realities?

 

1. If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, now is the time.  Do not wait.  Turn over control of your life and submit to Him.  Trust Him to take away your sin and guide your life.  Accept His gift of eternal life.  Live the rest of your life for the glory of God.
2. If you know Christ and have received Him, then enshrine Him as Lord of your daily life.  Honor Him as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  Fill your life with praise and thanksgiving for the victory He has won at the cross and through the resurrection.  Live in light of these eternal realities.
3. Fight the good fight.  Fill your mind and heart with the Word of God, and resist Satan and his schemes.  Put away all known sin and walk in the Spirit.  Live a holy life that pleases Him.  Confess sin quickly.  Resolve conflict with your fellow man whenever possible.
4. Share Christ in the power of the Spirit.  Engage with those around you who do not yet know the Savior.  Tell your story.  Share the love and forgiveness of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Invite them to receive Christ.

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He 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 every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Eph 1:18-23)

All passages in this post are from New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).