RULE / REIGN

BILL HOFKINS ©

 

And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15

The Greek word ‘bas-il-yoo’-o’. ​is translated Reign in English and defined as: To Rule as a king or sovereign, have authority or power over a nation. To have control as the governor of a province.

In this article we will briefly cover the New Testament narrative regarding:

The rule and reign of Jesus on earth.

The reign of Christians in the millennium and beyond.

The authority believers have over sin, the flesh, and the devil.

The Big Picture

Before we begin, I need to clarify that if you don’t know who you are in Christ, or if you don’t understand that you have authority to reign in THIS life as a king, then your Christian life is limited to what you actually know.

Some Bible subjects that are widely UN-known are Heaven, the coming of Jesus, the transformation of our eternal, glorified bodies, and the Millennial reign of Christ.

Adding to this, how many believers understand their role, or duties in the Millennium? WE will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years, and then into eternity. Whom will we rule over? Do you know?

Myth Busting Heaven

Heaven as we understand it, is a temporary place! It is not our long-term residence. Because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, heaven has opened its gates to us–it is where all departed Saints now live.

Do you remember the story of Lazarus and the rich man.? Lazarus died a poor and sickly death, but afterward Father Abraham comforted him in the place we call Abraham’s Bosom.                                            (please read) Luke 16:19-31

When Jesus rose from the dead, he emptied Abrahams Bosom and escorted every righteous Saint into a very hospitable and welcoming heaven.

  Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:8

In the same way, when Jesus returns to earth, he will empty the place called heaven and bring all the departed Saints back to earth. All Saints will live right here on this planet.

  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war…
And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.                             Revelation 19:11-15

He makes war… with his enemies on earth. Earth is not a mythological place, if you haven’t noticed. He is returning to earth to rescue his people Israel from the clutches of devilish barbarians.

The armies… are saints and not angels because he clothes them in fine linen, or robes of righteousness. This can only mean that grace made them worthy through faith.

He smites the nations… Those rebels who fight against him, but they will lose. How could they ever expect to beat God? But of course, they give it a go!

He rules over them with a rod of iron.  Where does he reign? Earth.

Where are we? With him. We are the armies on white horses, he is the Commander-in-Chief.

 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
Revelation 5:10

We. Shall. Reign. On. Earth. Not in Heaven!

How Long?

  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Revelation 20:6.

The emphasis here is that we shall reign with him for one-thousand-years. We calculate a year by the earth rotating around the sun every 365.25 days. Heaven is an eternal place, there are no days, weeks, months, and years.

We will continue living right here on earth and ruling with Christ. But what about after the millennium? It gets better…

 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light:                             and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:4-5

Myth Busting Hell

Another misunderstanding is the future of hell. Hell is the temporary residence of the damned, in the same way that Abraham’s Bosom was temporary. There will be a final, permanent place yet future, for all the rebels who refuse the grace of God.

  And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 20:13-15

The new and permanent home of the damned is called the Lake of Fire! Notice the place called hell was cast into the permanent, more dreadful place.

What is the worse emotion one can feel? Fear? Dread? Depression? Guilt? How about Remorse! Those cast into the Lake of Fire will feel remorse for all eternity. I ‘woulda’, ‘coulda’, and ‘shoulda’ been in paradise, but I wanted to do things ‘My Way’ and ignore the Bible. Ohhhh the humanity!!!

Myth Busting the Saints

Throughout my writing of the covenant of ‘R’s’ I have emphasized the fact that we are redeemed and restored to our place in the presence Of God. We are fellow citizens with the Saints and of the household Of God.

Spiritually speaking we are one-in-spirit with Jesus as we take our place in his body. In heaven all the Saints are in unity, fellowship, and harmony with the Lord.

But when we return to earth with him, every saint in heaven and earth will receive a glorified body that will transform into indestructible, uncorrupted bodies. Listen to this passage from 1 Corinthians 15:

  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15:52-55

I compare our glorified bodies to Adams’ original, physical body.

It is charged with eternal glory yet made from the dust of the earth. I cannot adequately describe this glory, but I suspect it to be as living electricity if you can comprehend it.

There is electricity in your body right now. It causes your heart to beat. It runs through your nervous system. Even your brain neurons function because of electricity. So, it’s reasonable to think that our glorified bodies will have a resplendent, dazzling, glittering quality about them.

Your clothing will emanate from your spirit because our spirit is full of light. Some speculate that our clothing will be light that flows from God.

It is living vitality, energy mixed with the resurrection power of Jesus Christ and God. Think about it, you as an eternal spirit being will live in an eternal, physical body.

You will have emotional and physical euphoria and bliss forever.

There are amazing attributes associated with this body. Thinking will not be limited as it is now. Your brain will be like Einstein X 10,000. You will not only calculate his equation, E=mc², but understand it and able to explain it as well!

Sit down at a piano, (if there are pianos) and instantly play any masterpiece. Or create your own.

You won’t need physical transportation like a car. Just think where you want to be, and there you are. There will be no need for doctors, lawyers, cooks, police, firefighters, or even entertainment. No more Hollywood.

I heard someone say that when we go to heaven; we become angels. No, that’s Hollywood’s twisted imagination. They make movies like Ghost, or Heaven Can Wait and people fall for it hook, line and sinker.

Myth Busting the Millennium

The question that is usually NOT asked regarding the scriptures we read above is, Whom will we be ruling over? If Jesus destroys all the rebels fighting against him, who will be left?

Good Question!

The battle of Armageddon is the last battle and resistance to God on earth in this era. That is until the end of the Millennium. Then there will be a rebellion. Read this passage carefully:

  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Revelation 20:7-9

Don’t confuse the Body of Christ with those being devoured with fire. No person who is saved and possesses a glorified body will be in this rebellion, nor be devoured with fire.

Who are they then? Let’s take a step back to the day Jesus returns to earth. Yes, he destroys those shooting at him at the battle of Armageddon, but there will be many unsaved people on earth who do not rebel nor devoured with fire.

They are not saved, by any means, but they happen to survive the great tribulation. The population of earth is seven and a half billion people, in every corner of the globe.

These are the people who inhabit the earth and form the nations during the Millennium. It may be only a tiny percentage of the earth’s unsaved population, but God does not need much to get started.

If there is no curse to speak of, and no temptations, tests, and trials coming from the devil, why couldn’t these survivors multiply and replenish the earth the way Noah did after the flood?

If that is the case, the population of the earth would grow exponentially at a quick pace. In fifty to hundred years there would be millions and possibly billions of people.

These are the nations that we will rule over for a thousand years. Are you ready for your job assignment? In the Millennium, we won’t be standing around looking at each other, with harps and angel wings singing Cumbaya. You will be terribly busy and happy.

Myth Busting the devil

So, when Jesus returns with his saints, it will be the last day of this age. It is not the end of the world, but rather, the last day of man’s government and the age of man.

The devil will be locked away in what is called the bottomless pit:

  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Revelation 20:2-3

Don’t ask me why he is loosed to deceive the nations again, I don’t know! However, I do know the Bible is true to form, and it will be just as it says. The devil will be let loose for a while and allowed to deceive the nations.

Remember, he does not deceive the saints, he deceives the unsaved nations.

They, the nations, will fall right into the devil’s trap like the nations have done in our day.

Why are people so easily deceived? I don’t know, but that is the way it will be.

As we read earlier, the rebels get devoured with fire and brimstone that falls from the heavens. We will be there to watch it. I feel sorry for people who don’t know the Lord.

Myth Busting Religion

A loving Heavenly Father did not save you and set you free of sin, only to become a religious slave. Religion, as some say, is the process of a man attempting to get in touch with God. Christianity is God reaching out to get in touch with men.

Do you see the difference? If God wanted form and ritual, he would have kept Judaism as his standard. There was and still is plenty of form and ritual which blindly attempts to satisfy God, and attempts atonement for their sin by good works.

Jesus was crucified as the Lamb of God, right? Where was he killed? It was not in the temple, but outside the camp. When he rose from the dead, did he go and notify the High Priest that the last sacrifice ever needed was complete? No!

Does the post-resurrection narrative ever place him in the Temple? No, he never visited the temple or met with the High Priest in the temple ever again. It means that Christianity has nothing to do with Judaism regarding form and ritual.

No washing of hands, no more purifying oneself, no mandatory Sabbath day!

The only thing Jesus called for in the New Covenant was communion and water baptism. But the law of the Spirit does not even mandate those sacraments.

Please show me a warning scripture where we stand before the judgment seat of Christ, and he says, “Did you eat kosher? Did you go to church on Saturday? Did you wear your prayer shawl or blow the shofar?”

If you want to blow the shofar or eat kosher, be my guest! These things do not make or break your relationship with God. My point is, God does not require these to be saved or maintain salvation.

Know Your Place

I was Born Again in 1970. I attended church regularly and attended Bible Studies. If I had to evaluate myself, I would say I was knowledgeable of the Bible and in good standing with the Lord.

But…

It was seven years later that I learned I was the righteousness of God. Until then, I had no clue to the depth of spiritual wisdom and understanding that was available to me. I thought, like most people, that I was just a sinner saved by grace.

My prayer life was usually hit and miss. Then I learned God would always hear me by using the name of Jesus.

Also, I didn’t know, in a practical, experiential way, that the devil was a defeated foe, and had no power over me. I was always afraid of the devil and hoped that if I left him alone, he would leave me alone.

Only upon reading a little booklet entitled, The Authority of the Believer, by Kenneth Hagin, that I understood I had complete authority over the devil. I learned more in one hour from that booklet than I had learned the previous seven years.

My point is: If you don’t know something, does it still exist?

Maybe you have heard of the fellow who bought passage to come to America from Europe in the early 1900s. As the ship docked in New York, and the passengers disembarked, the captain of the ship saw this man and said, “Sir, I knew you were on board, but I never saw you in the dining hall throughout the trip.”

The man responded, “Oh, I only had enough money for my cabin, so I brought enough bread and cheese to sustain me.”

“But” the captain replied, “Didn’t you know? Every meal on this voyage was included in the price of the ticket.”

We should also be wise to what is included in the price of our salvation. I say this because most Christians don’t know who they are in Christ. Nor do many know of their inheritance within the Blood Covenant.

Reign in Life

Much can be said about our position in Jesus Christ. Volumes have been written concerning our place in the heart of God. My booklet Sit, Walk, Stand While Running gives an insight into the management of our flesh and I encourage you to read it on the website.

In Conclusion

We as Christians, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, rule, control, and manage our own little portion of the kingdom of God.

It includes being in complete control of your realm, spirit, soul, and body. Having the will to serve the Lord with all sincerity and passion. Being on fire for the Lord through devotion and loyalty.

We will reign with Christ in the Millennium, but there is no better time to reign in life than the present.

As Christians, we ought to have a good understanding of the New Covenant, including our redemption and authority over the devil, healing and divine health, Godly prosperity, and finally, morality and virtue.

Here are a few verses that prove my point and encourage us to conform to the will of God.

For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:17

  Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Romans 6:12-14

   So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:21

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
Romans 8:16-17

Death ruled and reigned over us because we are considered sinners through Adam.

He’s the one who sinned, but we also take blame for it.

The Holy Spirit and His Life rules and reigns over us now because we are considered righteous through Jesus and we take the credit for it. We are made righteous, not because we deserve it, but because he gives it to us as a gift.

Death rules this world. No one gets out alive.

But with Jesus, we leave death and live forevermore.

Only Jesus can give us Eternal life for our spirit and Eternal life for our bodies.

Conformists

How often do we hear people declare they are non-conformists? I have heard many say it with great relish, all my life, and I have even said it.

But…

When it comes to Christianity, I declare to you without hesitation, “I. AM. A. CONFORMIST!!!  I WILL conform to the written word of God, do what he tells me to do morally, and I WILL be led of the Spirit.

 I am all-in! All the time! I will not be weak-minded or luke-warm.

 

If you are not born again,

 Please pray this prayer in a simple yet sincere way:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus and that he shed His blood for me. I receive Jesus into my heart right now and take Him as my Savior. Forgive me of all my sins and make me a new creation in Christ. Amen.

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