What will Christians rule and reign over?

Answer 1

Opinion

The trend of world history is towards democracy, in which no one rules over others, and away from theocracy. Nevertheless millennial preachers say that God will "restore the World under us [Christians] and we're going to rule and reign over it with Him!"

The paradox of this type of Christian thinking is the contradiction between belief that Christians serve a moral role in the world and are taught to be meek, and the opposing belief that Christians are destined to rule over all others. This is self-serving on both counts.

Answer:

It must first be understood who these "Christians" are, in order to understand over whom they shall rule and reign.

Most people today tend to think of "Christians" as those who have accepted Christ as their personal savior since He ascended into heaven somewhere in the vicinity of 2000-plus years ago.

But Jesus Christ was the Almighty Creator God of the Old Testament who is quoted when God speaks, and who did all the creating of the earth and the universe:

"ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." (John 1:3)

"He was in the world, and THE WORLD WAS MADE BY HIM, and the world knew Him not." (verse 10)

Many modern professing "Christian" denominations tend to discount any of the "faithful" before Jesus came in the flesh... all those famous names in the Old Testament... as being "Christians." But, they were all dealing with "YHVH"... "I AM"... who later became the man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Abel offered the blood of "animal sacrifices" in anticipation of Christ's sacrifice, and Enoch prophesied of Christ's millennial rule on earth even before the flood:

"...Enoch... prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the LORD COMETH WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF HIS SAINTS, to execute Judgment upon all..." (Jude 1:14-15).

The Old Testament doesn't say "Christians"... but "saints"... who were merely the "called-out-ones" of God before the WORD became flesh, just like Jesus called His disciples out from among men when He walked the earth in the flesh.

Some of the denominations of modern professing Christianity also tend to discount the Old Testament altogether... believing, that God made some kind of horrible mistake early on, writing down laws and making those He called do all kinds of things they didn't want to do -- like "love and respect one another."

But the Old Testament prophecies look forward into "our day"... into the time when God would not only come in the flesh... but the time when He would "come to earth a SECOND TIME" to save the earth and all life on it from utter annihilation.

The time when the "saints of God" throughout the Bible [not just modern day Christians - Peter, James and John saw the vision of Moses and Elijah in the Kingdom with Christ in His "transfiguration"]. When they would all be given authority and rulership in the "gospel" [the 'good news' message] of the establishment of God's Kingdom on earth -- OVER ALL THE NATIONS ON EARTH.

"These great Beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall rise out of the earth. But THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH [from Abel to the last modern

'Christian'] SHALL TAKE THE KINGDOM, and POSSESS THE KINGDOM FOR EVER, EVEN FOR EVER AND EVER." (Dan.7:18)

Trouble, trials and tribulation would pursue God's saints down through the centuries until God's Kingdom would come:

"I beheld, and the same horn made war WITH THE SAINTS, and prevailed against them; UNTIL THE ANCIENT OF DAYS CAME, and JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THE SAINTS OF THE MOST HIGH; and the time came THAT THE SAINTS POSSESSED THE KINGDOM." (verses 21-22)

There is an Old Testament prophecy of the "gospel of Jesus Christ"... the anticipated coming of the KINGDOM OF GOD ON EARTH.

The called-out-ones of God have been believing it since Abel... went to their graves having "faith" in it... and "hoping" for its ultimate reality.

"THESE ALL DIED IN FAITH, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." (Heb.11:13)

They are all awaiting the coming of the "Ancient of Days"... the WORD of God... Jesus Christ -- with the Kingdom of God, and with many crowns of authority, leadership and power on His head to give to them.

And who will they rule and reign over?

"...he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, TO HIM WILL I GIVE POWER OVER THE NATIONS: and HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father." (Rev.2:26-27)

When Jesus Christ returns to earth... the world will be nearly destroyed by man's religions, governments and armies. There will only be a "remnant" of the world's population left alive -- the Bible hints that it will be a "tithe" [one-tenth] of mankind left alive of the nations out of billions.

The world's religious confusion will be instrumental in bringing this about:

"Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

"Then said I, Lord, how long? [how long will this religious confusion go on?] And He answered, UNTIL THE CITIES BE WASTED WITHOUT INHABITANT, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate, and the Lord have removed men far away, and there be a great forsaking in the midst of the land.

"But yet in it SHALL BE A TENTH [a tithe], and it shall return, and it shall be eaten; as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the Holy Seed [the Holy Spirit in them] shall be the substance thereof." (Isa.6:10-13)

And God's saints, together with Jesus Christ, the King, from within God's Kingdom headquartered in Jerusalem, will take this "tithe" of mankind [the remnant of the mortal nations on earth] and "replant" them on earth... reestablish them, teach them the ways of God [the ways that are written down in the Bible, now], heal them, nurture them and make them prosper and grow for a thousand years -- through their own obedience to the laws of God [which are already written down in the Bible for us, today].

"And it shall come to pass, that EVERY ONE THAT IS LEFT OF THE NATIONS WHICH CAME UP AGAINST JERUSALEM shall go up FROM YEAR TO YEAR [for a thousand years] TO WORSHIP THE KING, the Lord of Hosts [His name is Jesus Christ], and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

"And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH unto Jerusalem to WORSHIP THE KING, the Lord of Hosts [His name is Jesus Christ], even upon them shall be no rain.

"And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be plagues, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of ALL NATIONS that come not up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles." (Zech.14:16-19)

Generations of rebellious mankind with their inbred hatreds will not be easy to overcome with the nations, who have been taught and trained to hate the laws and sabbaths of the Lord. And prophecy even says that many nations will try to rebel against the King's decrees -- what they regard even today as "Jewish"... when the Bible clearly calls "the Lord's."

And it will be this latter day end time "remnant" generation of the mortal nations of rebellious mankind over whom Jesus Christ, the saints of God [Christians all] and the Kingdom of God will rule and reign. The generation that shall have survived the coming Great Tribulation -- starvation, death, destruction, global distress, mayhem and religious confusion... not to mention the ravages of "nature."

"Immediately after the Tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken..." (Matt.24:29).

The nations of the earth shall be quite exhausted... with little fight left in them. Yet, still existing of selfish human nature, which has always been rebellious to authority. A nature that will begin to reemerge after they get a good meal in their bellies. A meal provided by Jesus Christ and His saints... maybe from a few baskets of fish and bread.