Thank you for pointing out that exousia means right/privilege/authority; NOT "power."
Exousia is correctly translated as “authority,” that is, lawful jurisdiction. Whereas dunamis means actual “force,” that is, authority put into action. After Christ receives the scroll from God’s right hand [Rev. 5:12], He will soon after begin to exercise His new authority-to-act by opening its seals, the first five of which will quickly result in the earthly trials of the Great Tribulation. (Being the same five trials, in the same order, that Jesus prophesied in Matthew 24:5-9.) There is a big difference between having authority and applying authority.
Psalm 110:1 The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
Christ is presently in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and the "until" has not yet happened yet on earth. If it had, Satan would be in the Abyss, and the Beast and the rebellious kings of the earth would be in the lake of fire. Rev. 19:19 - 20:3
But they are not, being yet very active on earth.
Psalm 110:1-7:
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.”
We see in this reading that the ruler under analysis is uniquely a king/priest, and whilst He rules in kingly power and in authority, He also exercises the office of “a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” at the same time. This Psalm clearly prophesied, in stark contrast to the unbelieving Jewish expectation, that the Messiah would come as a conquering king. A careful examination of their own Scriptures would have showed them this truth.
Christ reigns in majesty and glory at the right hand of majesty today over His enemies. He has already defeated all His enemies. He is king over the kings and kingdoms of the earth. He is Lord and reigns over all principalities and powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places. He exercises sovereign kingly power over all His enemies until He makes them His footstool. There is nothing that is not under his feet. Jesus Christ is indeed Lord!
Listen to 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.
Christ taking David’s throne does not refer to Him sitting on some long-preserved literal physical in the Middle East (as non-believing Jews and Premils apply this to in the future), but rather Him assuming heavenly authority over the people of God and fulfilling the Messianic prophecies as Israel’s true king. As we see in the New Testament, the people of God or true Israel does not relate exclusively to a physical race but to spiritual grace on God’s elect. Peter is showing that Christ now reigns over His people in fulfilment of the Old Testament predictions.
The writer of the Hebrews also outlines such, whilst also addressing Psalm 110:1 and speaking of Christ, in Hebrews 10:12-13, stating,
“this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth [
ekdechomenos]
expecting (or
tarrying)
till his enemies be made his footstool.”
The Greek word
ekdechomenos in this passage is only found 6 times in the New Testament although this is the only place where it is rendered “expecting.” Notwithstanding, it fits in beautifully with the 5 other New Testament renderings which are found in varying tenses in the Scriptures and are separately interpreted –
to wait, to look and to tarry. A fuller sense of the meaning could thus read, Christ is waiting, looking and expecting
“till his enemies be made his footstool.” Moreover, the word employed here in the original relates to the present tense and indicates the current fulfilment of Christ’s glorious heavenly reign. His current reign is overseeing the ongoing Sovereign reign over the nations.
The focus of this passage is Christ’s great triumph rise to the right hand of majesty on high to reign over His enemies, after His devil defeating, sin destroying work at Calvary. There, as man’s great eternal High Priest “after the order of Melchisedec,” Christ
currently sits making continual intercession for His people. Moreover, He also
currently sits as king upon heaven’s throne, where He reigns over His enemies till all are made His footstool. Thus, Christ presently and perfectly fulfils both the office of king and priest from the right hand of majesty in heaven. What is more, the matter of Christ’s “expecting” or “waiting” here is expressly completed in heaven, not earth, as the Pre-mils would argue, as therefore current.
The tarrying will continue as Jesus reigns over His enemies until they are all subdued at the second coming.
God promised the obedient Laodiceans of Asia Minor in Revelation 3:21,
“To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame [speaking of His victorious life, death and resurrection],
and am [present tense]
set down with my Father in his throne.”
Christ’s great atoning victory at the cross and His current heavenly reign has enabled those that die in Christ to reign with Him in glory.
From this passage, we explicitly see:
(1) The battle was Calvary
(2) The outcome was victory,
(3) His reign is current,
(4) The location is heaven.
Christ’s current heavenly reign over His enemies is inextricably linked to the decisive victory He secured through His life, death and glorious resurrection. Christ’s present reign is therefore (1) to perfectly fulfil Scripture, and (2) to enforce the complete victory that was wrought.