We Will Also Reign With Him

Uplook – September 2023 — Grace & Truth Magazine

We Will Also Reign With Him

Before Messiah’s millennial kingdom is established, we believers in the present day of grace will be “caught up … to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Th. 4:17 ESV ). We will have been changed into His image (1 Cor. 15:49) and shall be like Him (1 Jn. 3:2), as we must be if we are to reign with Him.

The Judgment Of The Nations
Sometime after the rapture, the Lord will judge the nations and separate the “sheep from the goats” (Mt. 25:32). “Sheep” are those in a coming day who demonstrate they have divine life by what they do for the brethren of our Lord. The “goats,” by their lack of care for His brethren, show no divine life and therefore face judgment. Christ’s brethren are “those of Israel who … will be His authoritative witnesses in the coming time of tribulation, when the present church age is ended.” 1 The sheep and Christ’s brethren are told, “Come … inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (v.34). “The kingdom” refers to the millennial kingdom … that blessed reign of Christ.” 2

The Character Of The Millennial People
As mentioned at the start, Scripture says of us – the Church, Christ’s body, who will be raptured – that we will be changed, being like Him. However, there is no indication that such changes will occur in those who will be believers during the millennium, having accepted the “gospel of the kingdom that will be preached during the day of tribulation.”2 These can be expected to have sinful natures along with their children who will be born in those days.

Our Jobs Reigning In The Kingdom
Because of the sinful natures of the people in the days of the kingdom, there will still be a need for spiritual gifts (consider Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-11; Eph. 4:11), although modified to be suitable under Christ’s reign. There will also be a need for laws and regulations to make society run smoothly, and we who are reigning with Him will have a role in enforcement. The Lord will even approve death sentences, for it is said, “With the breath of His lips He shall kill the wicked” (Isa. 11:4). Scripture will be used – Christ’s words “will not pass away” (Mt. 24:35). Children will still need scriptural teaching to read and write, and knowledge will still need to be taught, for all truth is God’s truth!

His Truth Will Be Revealed
“The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9). “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb … and the lion shall eat straw” (vv.6-7) and “the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed” (65:20).

In contrast with those who will inhabit the earth during the millennium, won’t it be wonderful when we have perfect bodies, when we do only that which pleases God, when we love others as our Lord did, and when we are “perfect as [our] heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:43-48)?

A Perfect Government
There are many who are under the illusion that a perfect government would allow everyone to do what is “right in his own eyes” (Dt. 12:8; Jud. 17:6, 21:25). But, Israel’s history shows that man fails when guided only by his conscience. The nation wrongly concluded that the problem was they lacked a king. God had given them instructions to set up a king, “whom the Lord your God will choose” (Dt. 17:15), but because of the sinful nature of human beings, all kings so far have been imperfect.

With our Lord Jesus as King, the people of the millennium will experience a perfect administration. But they will not like the restrictions, for they do not really want good government – they want freedom to sin! Then, when the Devil, who will have been confined in the bottomless pit during the millennium, is released, the nations will rally to him and the deceptions he will offer. In judgment, God will send fire from heaven and consume them (Rev. 20:7-9).

God Wins!
Finally, at the “end when [our Lord] … after destroying every rule and authority and power … has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:24-25), there will again be perfect government, but this time over sinless subjects. “When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to [God] … that God may be all in all (v.28)!

ENDNOTES
1. Ironside, H. A., “Expository Notes On The Gospel Of Matthew,” Loizeaux Brothers, 1948, pp.337-340.
2. Savage, J. A., “The Kingdom Of God And Of Heaven,” G. Morrish, Paternoster Square, London, E. C. pp.86-87

By Alan H. Crosby