Articles
The King of Me
There are many men and women today who will gladly tell you a fantastic story about how Jesus is one day going to return, and will then set up His Kingdom here on earth with His throne in the literal, earthly city of Jerusalem, and begin His earthly rule for a literal thousand years. I won’t even try to get into the Bible passages they use out of context and outright misuse and misinterpret to justify their fantastic story, but they are simply and plainly wrong when they teach Jesus has yet to begin reigning over the Kingdom He, the Christ, was prophesied to receive and over which He would rule.
The very first time the gospel message was revealed and preached to man [in Jerusalem, on the Day of Pentecost, as recorded in Acts 2], Peter referred to the promise made to David many years before that day, when God promised him “that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, he [David- — SH], foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption (cf. Psa. 16:10). This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:30-33). Let us note that the “promise of the Holy Spirit” was God’s promise made to David that he would raise up a descendant to “sit on his [David’s] throne,” and Christ was the one who “received” what was promised. In other words, Jesus sat on the throne of David — an event that was spoken of in past tense [i.e., it had already happened] almost 2000 years ago!
The apostle Paul would later speak of Christ’s ongoing reign in his first letter to the Corinthians, while addressing the false notion of some that there was no such thing as a resurrection of the dead. Paul addressed the necessary conclusions that would have to be drawn, if that were true (1 Cor. 15:12-19), and then spoke of that day when the saved would be raised up: “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:23-26). Let us note a couple of things: (1) When the end comes, Christ will deliver the kingdom to the Father; He cannot deliver what He does not have, so this concept of Christ not establishing the kingdom until He comes again must, of necessity, be false; and, (2) Paul wrote that Christ “must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet,” with the last enemy being death itself. This would necessarily mean Christ is now reigning, and will continue to reign over that kingdom until death is no more. There is no mention of Christ coming again [to take up the saved with Him and return later], and then coming yet again [for the final battle and judgment of the world]. There is only one point in time that can be properly called “the end.”
What is often not discussed in these debates about whether the kingdom now exists are the consequences if He is not now reigning. If He is, in fact, not king right now, there are some things that simply cannot be true.
He Cannot be King Over Any Man. A King may rule only if He has been given that position, and Christ is no exception. God’s word tells us it was God who “has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9); it was God who “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church” (Eph. 2:20-22). It was even prophesied by the angel that “the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32, 33). If Peter and Paul were correct [and they were] that Christ has received that promise and now sits on that throne, then let it be known that it was God who put Him there.
What man will now deny Jesus the Kingship that has already been granted to Him by God? If Christ is not reigning now as King, why would anyone call Him a King and why would anyone teach that He rules over the whole of mankind?
He Has No Authority. Ruling as King brings authority by virtue of its position, and all who are under the King are under His authority. God’s word tells us — by the mouth of Jesus Himself, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18); those words reveal to us the scope of His rule, and verified by Paul’s words in the letter to the Ephesians when he said that God gave Him to be “far above all principality and power and might and dominion” and “head over all things to the church” (Eph. 1:20-22). As a side note, the fact he is “head over all things to the church” should give us a big hint as to what the Kingdom is!
But if He is not King, then He has no claim of authority! Why would anyone argue for it, if there is no basis for claiming authority over all things? Why would God, through the words of the apostle Paul, demand of His subjects [Christians], “whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Col. 3:17)? Why would anyone do anything “in the name of the Lord” if that name bore no authoritative power with it? Yet, even some today who deny Jesus is now King want to say that they are doing what they do “in the name of the Lord.” Why?
I make these arguments for two reasons: (1) because those who teach Christ has not received His Kingdom are clearly in error and (2) the consequences of accepting these false concepts. You see, if Christ is not now King, He is not King over all and He is certainly not my King! If He is not King, then He has no claim of authority over me! And therein lies the unintended consequences of this false claim that Christ is not now reigning as King. Many people have accepted this false concept and, as a result, do not live as if Christ is their King and they do not live as if He has all authority over their lives. It seems many — even many who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ — do not acknowledge Him as their King and Lord and the sole authority for all they say and do. Many more churches and religious organizations do not appear to believe that, either, for much of what they teach and do is devoid of any authority of Christ!
I am not even going to try to address the many false teachers who are propagating the falsehood that Christ is not now King; I want to address you, the reader: Is Jesus King of you? Do you appeal to the authority of Jesus Christ for all you say and do? If we are to claim we are ones who “believe in Jesus,” then that means we must believe all there is to believe about Him — including the fact that He is now reigning as King, and that He has all authority and we have none.
If Christ is not my King, He is not my Lord; if He is not my Lord, He is not my Savior — no matter what else I may say or want to believe! — Steven Harper
