". . . That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Matthew 19:28.
"Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26:64.
"Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:28-30.
"Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God." Luke 22:69.
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice." John 18:37.
"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:6-7.
"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God." Acts 7:55-6.
"And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Colossians 1:17-8.
"Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth." Revelation 1:5a.
"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. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 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. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16.
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.' " Matthew 28:18.
"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:9-12. Notice the effect of Christ's exaltation to kingship upon believers: The beloved obey.
These are not statements of Christ's reign in some future heavenly kingdom. The above are verses speaking to His present reign over heaven and earth from His position at the right hand of God right now and ever since His ascension nearly 2,000 years ago. There's room for debate as to a few of them, but all we really need is one if we're talking about the word of God, right?
Ever heard anyone say that Christ didn't come to rule when he walked the earth; that wasn't what he was about. That's like saying that the son of the King, who goes out to survey his father's domain and see which citizens are loyal or not, is not about reigning. Christ wasn't about reigning when he walked the earth; he was preparing for it. He was calling people back to the true King, and he was showing them who the true King is and what kind of rule he exercises. As reward for willingly giving his life for the redemption/salvation of mankind, Christ received ultimate honor of the highest order. Philippians 2.
Yet people continue to interpret the above scripture passages to apply only to a future one-time event at the end of history. Where is Christ seated right now? At the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Is there any other place in the universe more powerful and authoritative than that. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." Matthew 28:18. The two questions that all persons, believer and unbeliever, must ask themselves is this: If he is reigning now and I am loyal to Him, how shall I serve the government of the true King, the increase of which shall have no end? Second, will I obey the true king or remain a rebel?
And how does that affect the judicial system and the rule of society now? We know Christ brings eternal life to man, but what about the judicial system? Through His people, that's one way Christ acts judicially now. The other way is through His sovereign authority and power as second member of the Trinity. He used the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem in 70 A.D., just as He prophesied that He would. See Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21.
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