The promise outlined here of a king from David’s seed to eternally reign upon his throne could not be met by anyone other than Messiah Christ. Plainly these prophecies pointed forward to Christ’s earthly ministry and coronation when He was raised to the right hand of majesty on high. He has been reigning since His ascension and will do forever. Only He could fulfil this high expectation.
Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence to the contrary, Premillennialists passionately argue that Christ is NOT currently reigning over His enemies, but is coming back at His Second Coming to do so. Such, they say, will involve Him setting up of a temporal earthly kingdom in the physical land of Israel where He will then rule over His enemies upon the physical throne of David for one thousand years. Nevertheless, there is not one single shred of evidence in the New Testament to substantiate that supposition, including Revelation 20, which makes absolutely NO reference whatsoever to an earthly reign of Christ upon the earth.
There is no biblical evidence to support the notion that Christ will have to return to this sin-cursed earth after His Coming to set up an earthly kingdom in order to finally defeat His enemies. Such a view, whilst widely taught over this past 170 years, is in clear contradiction to the explicit teaching that we have studied.
Such a glorious victory is already safely secured by His sinless life, His atoning death, His triumphant resurrection and His kingly reign in heaven. That final victory will be beautifully completed at His glorious Second Coming. Christ has perfectly fulfilled every demand of a thrice-holy God and therefore transcended every requirement and ordinance of the natural temple. Christ now stands as a living tabernacle being all the glory in Emmanuel’s land.
In Luke 1:26-27, 31-33 “the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.”
Gabriel said, “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
Here we have the prophecy that Christ would be the one to assume David’s throne. Moreover, this would not be for a mere 1,000 yrs, as some claim, but forever. But when would this begin?
The answer is found in Acts 2:25-36. Here is the start of Christ's heavenly rule from heaven. Until you get a revelation of this you will never see the heavenly fulfilment of this. Peter preaching on Psalm 110:1, when speaking about David and his throne, says, “For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance [referring to Psalms 16:8-10]. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne [referring to Psalms 132:12]; he seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption [referring to Psalms 16:10]. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool [referring to Psalm 110:1]. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:25-36).
Peter shows us that Psalm 110:1 is currently being fulfilled since Christ destroyed the power of the grave, and ascended to the right hand of majesty on high. No objective Bible student could fail to see the focus and message of this narrative. This reading is concentrated upon the victory of the resurrection of Christ nearly 2,000 years ago and the resulting current kingly Messianic reign of Christ at “the right hand of God exalted” in heaven. It confirms that Israel’s Messiah now sits enthroned upon David’s throne, and locates the timing of His assumption of the same to after “the resurrection of Christ.” As Messiah, Christ fulfilled every human demand of Him, thus rightfully assuming the kingship of Israel through His impeccable life, His atoning death and His glorious resurrection.
He personally testified after His victorious resurrection that “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).
Amils take Christ at His Word!
1 Peter 3:22 says, that Christ, “who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God (now!!!); angels and authorities and powers being (currently!!!) made subject unto him.”
Because in Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” He now is “the head of all principality and power" (Col 2:9-10).
You see, “by him all things consist” – that is “all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers” (Col 1:16-17).
Without a doubt Christ is reigning over His enemies since the resurrection, waiting for their final predetermined put down. Those who question Christ’s current reign do great assault upon the truth of God’s Word and undermine the current sovereign kingly position that He now assuredly holds. They also circumvent clear New Testament writings that teach Christ is reigning now.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, “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.”
He reigns today over the seen and the unseen world making every power and every authority “subject unto him.” I believe we are looking at a spiritual kingdom with spiritual dominion. We Christians carry that kingdom authority today.