"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."
Where do you see a verse that says the saints
reign in heaven?
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom [under the whole heaven], shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Of course we will reign in the future on the new perfected earth. But the elect also reign now in life and afterwards in death. This is because we are now "in Christ." After we were spiritually resurrected we enter into our eternal reign in life on earth (in its yet imperfect sense) and in glory (in its more perfect sense). We now carry supernatural authority, dominion and power.
Please read Romans 5:17,
“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.”
We are
positionally reigning now in life through Christ. Such was secured through Christ's victorious work at Calvary. There, Christ defeated every enemy of righteousness – including sin, death, the grave, hell, Satan, sickness, the demonic realm, and so on. The people of God, being “in Christ,” have therefore entered into that victory and have been given kingdom authority over the demonic realm through the blood of Jesus when moving in the Spirit and in the will of God. In fact, the word "shall" in the King James Version doesn't actually appear in the original but is added by the translators.
Revelation 5, which is evidently located before the Second Advent, describes the same kingly/priestly reign of the redeemed in heaven, saying,
“they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast (aorist active indicative)
redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And hast made (aorist active indicative) us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (v. 9).
There is little doubt this scene is current and relates to a time-period preceding the second coming of the Lord. Moreover, no reasonable Bible student would surely deny that the reading relates to anything other than the redeemed situated in heaven. Here, the disembodied spirits of the elect in heaven are seen reigning as kings and priests now. Significantly, and like Revelation 20:4, the dead in Christ in heaven are described (in relation to their kingship and priesthood) as “hast made” – proving this is speaking of the current fulfilment of the same. The aorist active indicative demonstrates that this is ongoing in this intra-Advent period.
John sees those that have been saved in heaven and explains how they continue in their kingly/priestly position. Here we see the two spiritual offices that believers (dead or alive) exercise and enjoy “in Christ.” They are kings and priests. The humble servant-hood of the true believer and his self-sacrificing walk is connected to his priestly position, whereas his reigning in spiritual power and authority is related to his kingly office.
This dual role of kingship and priesthood is not just restricted to the redeemed in heaven, or does it commence at entry into the heavenly shore, it begins upon this earth at the new birth. The family of God today are positionally reigning as kings and priest in both
heaven and on
earth. They perform such an awesome function
in and
through the person of Christ and His impeccable life, His atoning death and victorious resurrection. In fact, 1 Peter 2:9 says of the Church presently – intra-Advent
, “Ye are a chosen generation, a royal (or kingly)
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.”
We are kings and priests today. The demand of a priest was to make a sacrifice
and intercede for the people. We fulfill that spiritually, not in an Old Testament sense. The responsibility of a king was to reign and exercise authority and power within the kingdom. We fulfill that spiritually, not in an Old Testament sense.
We are presently a kingly priesthood. This is current and occurs before the second coming of the Lord.
Listen to what Paul teaches in Romans 8:16-17:
Rom 8:16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
Rom 8:17 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.
Being “joint-heirs with Christ” means that we enjoy the benefits and privileges of what He won for us through His sinless life, His atoning death, and His victorious resurrection. What is more, as "joint-heirs with Christ" we reign because He reigns.
When we put on Christ in salvation we entered into His kingdom and therefore came under His kingship, which resulted in us being placed in heavenly authority with kingly robes. The elect of God today “are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The reason being, “he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The Greek word for
“heir” is
kleronomos meaning ‘getting by apportionment’, it can be interpreted ‘an inheritor or a possessor’. This is what happens upon salvation, we were adopted into the family of God and became one with Christ, whereupon, through Christ, we assumed a heavenly inheritance.
God exercises divine power over all creation and He exercise His divine through His new creation. The people of God carry incredible authority of His children. They are on this earth to evade Satan’s territory, curtail his efforts, overcome his power and plunder his house,
Acts 17:28 tells us,
“For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.” Through Christ – and what He has secured at Calvary – we now have our standing and inheritance. We possess a spiritual power within us from above since Pentecost that will assure us victory in the many spiritual challenges we face on this earth.
The New Testament respectfully states that we are what we are and we will be what we will be “through Christ” “in Christ” or “by Christ.” Ephesians 5:30 describes the spiritual oneness found in Christ: “For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.” Our “life is hid with Christ in God” (Col 3:3). That means we “are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Col 2:11).
Revelation 20:4 is a clear vivid picture of the saints in heaven reigning NOW – that why they are called “the souls.” Revelation 20:4 says:
“Blessed and holy is he that hath part (present active particle) in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be (plural future middle indicative) priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign (plural future middle indicative) with him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4).
Obviously, one has to experience their “part” in “the first resurrection” in order to be qualified to “reign.” That is like saying that those that get “saved” (present tense) will experience spiritual authority. Now that was not difficult to work out.
Thrones
(1) Everywhere the throne or thrones are mentioned in Revelation, it is always heaven. (Rev 1:4, 3:21, 6:16, 8:3, 12:5, 14:3, 5, 16:17, 19:4, 5, 20:4, 21:5, 22:1,3, read also the full chapters of Revelation 4, 6, 7)
(2) The throne or thrones in the Bible are ALWAYS in heaven.
Isaiah 66:1 says,
“heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” It is not the other way around like you would probably wish it said!!!
This truth is consistently and explicitly revealed throughout the pages of Holy Writ – Old and New. The throne of God has always been located in heaven; it is the place of Sovereign power and supreme authority. Psalm 11:4 expressly states,
“The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.”
Psalm 103:19 declares,
“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
Our other main Old Testament passage Psalm 110:1 also confirms the heavenly location of God’s throne, when it says,
“Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” The right hand of power always refers to the heavenly domain in Scripture. Romans 8:34 refers to the King/Priest outlined in Psalm 110, saying,
“It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Hebrews 8:1 tells us that Christ
“is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens.”
Colossians 3:1-2 admonishes us to take our eyes off the earthly, temporal physical and put it upon the heavenly, eternal and spiritual, saying,
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.”
This teaching was verified by the Lord in His teaching, when He declared, whilst addressing the overall subject of oaths,
“Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool” (Matthew 5:34-35). Christ, in addressing the matter was employing Isaiah 66:1 to confirm the location of His throne – heaven, and the area of His footstool – earth.