The Reign of the Great King

By Dr. Derek Carlsen

The Scriptures clearly tell us that Jesus’ authority is over the whole earth and He doesn’t limit His Kingdom rule in any way. It is only man’s rebellion against God’s absolute rule that seeks to remove His reign from some or all areas of life. Man’s sinful heart wants to define the boundaries for where God’s light and truth can and can’t shine. Scripture, without apology, however, repeatedly states that everything in this world belongs to the supreme, reigning Lord.

OT Sampling of Verses on the King’s Reign

Abram said, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,” (Genesis 14:22). 

Moses said to Pharaoh, “the earth is the Lord’s.” (Exodus 9:29). 

God said, “all the earth is Mine.” (Exodus 19:5). 

Moses said to the nation of Israel, “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it.” (Deuteronomy 10:14). 

Rahab said to the Israelite spies, “the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11). 

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, And You are exalted as head over all.” (1 Chronicles 29:11). 

God said, “Everything under heaven is Mine.” (Job 41:11). 

God said about His Son, “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, And rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, And you perish in the way, When His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.” (Psalm 2:6–12). 

David said, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.” (Psalm 24:1). 

God said, “the world is Mine, and all its fullness.” (Psalm 50:12). 

The Psalmist said, “That they may know that You, whose name alone is the Lord, Are the Most High over all the earth.” (Psalm 83:18). 

“The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.” (Psalm 89:11). 

Nebuchadnezzar’s madness remained until he acknowledged that “the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” (Daniel 4:25). 

God does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:35). 

NT Sampling of Verses on the King’s Reign

“And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” (Matthew 6:13). 

Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18–20). 

Peter said, “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:36). 

“For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:9). 

“for the earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.” (1 Corinthians 10:26). 

“which He worked in Christ when He 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,” (Ephesians 1:20–22). 

“Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9–11). 

“For by Him [Jesus] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in 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 may have the pre-eminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,” (Colossians 1:16–19). 

“who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.” (1 Peter 3:22). 

“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Revelation 11:15). 

Under a Bushel

Despite such verses, many Christians still refuse to shine the full light of God’s truth into every area of life, believing that Satan has a legitimate right to control many areas and Christians should avoid these areas. There is, however, no aspect of our existence that is exempt from glorifying the Lord, which means bringing every thought and action, into conformity to the mind of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). Jesus rules through His covenant people who serve Him on the earth (living by every word that proceeds from His mouth, Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Matthew 4:4), even as Satan tries to rule the earth through his covenanted people who live according to his standards (Revelation 13:16-17). 

Waiting for His Reign?

The King, His kingdom and His rule are present realities and not something we are still waiting for. The manifestation of Jesus’ kingdom rule was tied very closely to His birth— “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7). Luke echoed this saying, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and 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). 

The Beginning of His Preaching

When Jesus started preaching He said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15, see too Matthew 5:3; 10:7; 12:28; Mark 9:1). Jesus spoke about the kingdom in the present tense when teaching about its coming, He said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20–21). Again, He said that people, in His days, were already pressing into the kingdom (Luke 16:16). 

The Joint Reign

Christ is reigning now at the right hand of God (Acts 2:29-35; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12-13) and we are reigning with Him (Daniel 7:18,27; Colossians 2:12; 3:1; Revelation 5:10), and are called to overcome and conquer the world for Him (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 John 4:4; 5:4-5). Jesus won the victory, and all glory and honor are His, nevertheless He called us into His kingdom by grace and we share in His triumph. While Christ’s kingdom is spiritual (Luke 17:20-21; John 1:21-23; Romans 14:17), it also touches and should transform every aspect of life. Since nothing about Jesus’ kingdom has its origin in this world (see the article, Dualism), we need to find our operating principles, for every area of life, from His wisdom (Colossians 2:3), not man’s “wisdom” (Jeremiah 8:9; Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 1:20; 3:18-20).

In Our Midst

There can be no doubt that Jesus’ kingdom is in our midst (Luke 11:20) and that His rule touches every part of life, including the socio-political realm. Now, while we must not equate Christ’s kingdom with politics, neither must we separate it from the political realm. Jesus’ purpose for coming was to testify about the truth in relation to His kingdom rule which is over all things. Inseparable from the King’s revelation about His mercy, is His revelation about His judgement. The same one who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29; 1 John 3:5) comes with “His winnowing fan in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12; John 15:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:8). 

The Source and Revealer of Truth

Jesus, the Word of God, is not only the source of truth, but He came to make it known (reveal it), so that all things might glorify Him (John 1:1,14; 2 Corinthians 4:6; Colossians 1:15). His kingdom rules over all, and He will judge everything according to the truth He has revealed. There are only two ways to do anything in this life—either in submission to the King of the world or in rebellion against Him. When we don’t live in the way the King expects, it is not because we are lacking information but lacking in obedience/submission to what He has said. Everything we need to know, to be thoroughly equipped for every good work, has been revealed and preserved for us as Scripture (2 Tim.3:15-17). “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men …” (WCF 1:6).

Conquering Sin and Rebellion 

Jesus, the King, came to conquer the world of sin and rebellion and the way He did this was through His obedience to God’s one, eternal truth. No greater battle is to be fought and no greater victory is to be won, because both are in the past. Jesus confirmed this on the cross when He said, “it is finished!” (John 19:30).  Jesus, the Creator and Lord of the world, destroyed Satan and his hosts through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension (Colossians 2:15; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:8; 4:4; Daniel 7:13-14). When Jesus said that He had “overcome the world” (John 16:33), He was referring to every aspect of life in the world, including people and institutions.

What Belongs to Satan?

The church, for the most part, treats the world we live in as belonging to Satan, thinking that they are trespassing on property that is under his authority and control. They believe that all institutions, other than the church, have nothing to do with God’s kingdom and thus cannot be challenged by God’s truth, i.e., they were ordained to remain under Satan’s control and operate according to his “principles.” However, the questions that kick against such goads (Acts 9:5), are: does the earth and all that is in it belong to the devil or to Jesus? (Psalm 24:1). And, does the devil have supreme authority on the earth, or does Jesus? (Matthew 28:18). Too many Christians are negative about a cultural victory on the earth, and are convinced that no meaningful advancements in righteousness and justice are possible in such areas? The church is, in many ways, imitating Israel of old when they left the enemy unchallenged and secure in many areas of the land (Joshua 15:63; 23:5; Judges 1:28ff).

The Prince of this World

When Scripture talks about Satan as the “prince, or ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), or the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), it is not saying his power and influence are actually God-like. This earth is not in the controlling grip of Satan, and it does not belong to him (compare Psalm 24:1; 95:5; Colossians 1:16). The verses that say Satan is the prince of this world are merely telling us that he is the one who is in charge of the realm of darkness that remains in this world. Ephesians 6:12, talks about the “rulers of the darkness of this world” against whom Christ’s servants are fighting. This does not mean that Satan and his hosts are in charge of this world, but merely that they are the ones who lead the ethical rebellion in God’s world. 

Satan is Whose God?

Satan is the god of all those who are living in ethical rebellion against the Lord of heaven and earth. Satan is the god of those who share his wicked nature (John 8:44). It is this ethically rebellious kingdom that is now under the judgment of God, according to Jesus. He said, judgement has come upon them and that is because the power and authority of their prince or ruler is shattered. Jesus admitted, in His days, that Satan had held a place of significant influence over this earth, but that this had now ended as he was being cast out of that seat. Jesus was emphatic, stating that, now this ethically rebellious world was being judged, because now the ruler of the rebellious was being removed from his position of influence. The influence that Satan had previously held was being reduced and a definitive blow was being struck against the kingdom of darkness. 

Satan’s Snare

The way Satan gets people to follow him is by blinding them to the truth (2 Timothy 2:26; 1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Corinthians 4:4). One of his greatest achievements has been to get Christians to relinquish the significance of history and most institutions in this life, handing them over to his control. Whereby Christians say, “We must not be involved in the political realm or affairs of the state, etc., because these belong to Satan.” Such beliefs come from the realm of darkness; birthed by the father of lies himself.

Redeeming a Spiritual Realm?

Jesus didn’t only create a spiritual realm and He didn’t merely die on the cross to redeem a so-called spiritual realm. Jesus created the heavens and the earth for His own pleasure (Colossians 1:16) and He died to redeem the whole world, which includes everything in it—for all is meant to glorify Him. The God of righteousness expects righteousness to dominate every part of His glorious creation, including every aspect of our lives and being. 

They Have Been Judged

Jesus has judged the leaders of the wicked realm and rendered them powerless; He expects His people to go into the whole world, with His authority and power, and teach every nation how to bring every aspect of their national existence into line with His standard of righteousness. The leader of darkness (Satan), who opposes God and His righteousness, has had his back broken by the work of Jesus (see below). This is what the Scriptures so clearly and abundantly teach, yet the church, for the most part, refuses to believe that this victory can have any effect in history and so Christ’s army refuses to take possession of the land (c.f., Numbers 13:30-14:4). They refuse to go out in faith, relying upon the power and authority of Jesus; believing in His word and sharing in the glorious victory that is His. They refuse to shine His truth and righteousness into every area of life, thinking they will be defiled if they do.

The Church’s Suppression of Victory 

The modern church says that Jesus’ victory on Calvary through the power of His righteous life is incapable of impacting the dusty realm of this world (what is this if it is not blasphemy)? Is Satan the Lord of the earth? Has God granted him such authority? Never! (Job 1:9-12; 2:4-6; John 7:30; 19:10-12). Yet we find the church teaching that Satan is the Lord of things down here on earth and the best we can hope for is to rescue a few “souls” from his clutches. 

Demonic Doctrine

How can such a demonic doctrine, which renders the church impotent in the dusty realm, possess the thinking of so many who call on the name of the Lord? Have the minds of Christians been blinded by the prince of darkness? Do they not read their Bibles? Do they grant no authority to Jesus’ words when He said Satan is the god of the dung-hill (Matthew 12:27)? Satan is the prince of darkness, deception, confusion, hopelessness, tyranny, and death; he has no foundation upon which to build anything lasting, whereas Jesus is the God of truth, righteousness, justice, hope, life and the whole earth. In Him reside all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). It is Jesus who has all authority in heaven and on earth and He has told His people to go out in His name, proclaiming His righteousness and teaching every nation (not person, but people group), how to obey everything He has commanded. Jesus sends His followers, who are backed by all the power of heaven, to confront the mortally wounded forces of darkness and thus manifest His glorious victory over them.

Plundering Satan’s Kingdom

When the people marvelled at Jesus’ power when casting out demons and healing people, He said to them it was because the kingdom of God was in their midst, and thus He was plundering Satan’s kingdom (Matthew 12:28-29). Jesus clearly told these people that He was the stronger one on this earth. Satan had been bound and stripped of his power. Jesus disarmed Satan and his followers and gave a victory parade of this fact for all to see: “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15). The writer of Hebrews tells us that when Jesus burst the bonds of death, Satan was rendered powerless (Hebrews 2:14). John said that the Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the work of the devil (1 John 3:8). Jesus came to bind and disarm Satan; to render him powerless; to destroy his works and influence and to establish His own rule as supreme King. Jesus is not just the King of some spiritual realm, but of the whole world, which includes every aspect of life on the earth. Jesus actually fulfilled what He set out to do. Scripture regards Satan as a defeated enemy; one who must flee when Christians oppose him (James 4:7); one who is unable to resist the victorious onslaught of Christ’s army—the gates of Satan’s city are doomed to collapse before the relentless onslaught of the church (Matthew 16:18).

About to be Cast Out

About 2000 years ago, Jesus said that the prince of the world was about to be cast out. Whom are we going to believe? Do we believe Satan’s lie that the earth and all its institutions belong to him, or do we believe Jesus, who said that Satan’s dominance was ended and that all authority in heaven and earth was now His? The church has believed Satan’s lie and has therefore refused to resist him as he infiltrated many areas of life. Christians, instead of opposing his advances, instead withdrew Jesus’ light and authority from them, restricting His testimony to small areas of “spiritual” life, believing that they were exalting Jesus’ victory and that Satan wouldn’t conquer them if they kept out of “worldly” things like politics.

Hiding in Fox Holes

The Lord’s army has been hiding in fox holes instead of advancing against the enemy and pushing back his influence everywhere. This is much like the army of Israel quaking before Goliath (1 Samuel 17:11). Jesus said resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). However, because the modern church has refused to resist the devil in many areas of life, he has advanced and now dominates these areas. The church’s response has been to say that this proves that these areas belong to Satan and there is nothing believers can or ought to do about it, for after all, the devil is the god of this world. This position, however, denies the victory that Jesus achieved over Satan. It is interesting that before we can resist the devil, James tells us that we need to submit to God (James 4:7) and God said, listen to Jesus, who said, “Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out”. Whose ways and principles are to touch and control every area of life? Whose kingdom has the authority over all things? Choose you this day whom you are going to trust—Jesus or the devil?

The Devil’s Greatest Weapon

The devil’s greatest weapon is death, however, Jesus destroyed the power of death (Hebrews 2:14), rendering the grave impotent (1 Corinthians 15:54-56). O death where is your sting? Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord of the universe and all authority in heaven and earth belongs to Him (Matthew 28:18). No one is able to resist Jesus’ will and thus everything works for good for those who love Him—the victory is His, the power is His and He has the ability to complete the work that He has started. Rebels look at the cross and say, “Failure”, however, we know that it was the greatest victory the world will ever see.

The Eye of Faith

Jesus’ victory on the cross and the effects of this upon our lives and upon the whole world, are only visible to the eye of faith. The disciples thought their victory was in escaping from the soldiers who came to arrest Jesus; however, the real victory was Jesus drinking the cup that the Father had given Him to drink (John 18:11). When Scripture says, “the just shall live by faith,” it means we are to trust every word from God’s mouth, that is, to live in obedience to God’s wisdom no matter what the world or our own reasoning might prefer (Romans 1:17; 1 John 5:4). It is only as we abide in Christ, which means resting in and obeying His every command, that we can share in His victory and overcome the “wisdom” of the world. 

Overcomers

If we don’t know Jesus, His will or His kingdom, then we will forsake Him when His truth and kingdom are attacked; we will be offended (Mark 14:27; Luke 7:23; John 16:1). Jesus alone knows what will best serve His eternal purposes and it is only as we walk, by faith, according to His wisdom, not leaning upon our own understanding, that we will be overcomers. Testifying to the truth, no matter what, is the path to victory (Revelation 12:11). Jesus’ example and teachings are the basis for overcoming (1 John 4:4; 5:4). Tribulation in the world shouldn’t disturb or frighten us; it is to be expected, however, we will fail if we don’t realize how dependent we are upon Jesus for everything we need—both His wisdom and His enabling to live for His glory in the face of opposition. 

The Source of Peace

Our peace is found in doing what glorifies the Lord, though we have to rely upon His revelation to show us what glorifies Him. Everything that Jesus taught was so we might have peace and peace is a life of dedicated, active service of the King. We are assured of victory in Jesus. Our minds need to be renewed so that we submit to what He has said and not be overcome by the turbulence in the world around us. There is nothing that Satan and his slaves can do to reverse what Jesus has accomplished, thus we need to be of good cheer and stand in the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus, serving Him in full confidence, knowing that His victory is ours. Jesus said, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” (John 13:17).

How the Kingdom Advances

Jesus’ kingdom does not advance with the sword, but through peoples’ hearts that are submitted to the truth and are seeking, through the power of the Spirit, to live by every word that proceeds from God’s mouth (Matthew 4:4). It is light that overcomes darkness and causes the truth to triumph. Only those who are born from above can perceive the kingdom, enter into it, embrace the truth and apply it to every detail of life. The Messiah conquers with a sword that protrudes from His mouth (Revelation 1:16; 2:16; 19:15) and this sword is His word (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12)—His word is truth (John 17:17). We exist for Jesus’ glory and kingdom. Moreover, it is only those who are in Christ, that is, who have been made alive from the dead by the grace and power of the Spirit that can know and do the truth. We are saved to serve the King and the King has fully revealed the nature and workings of His kingdom to His servants so that they might glorify Him by doing all things in accordance with His revelation—Jesus came to testify about this truth.

Called to Overcome

Those who live by faith in Jesus Christ overcome the kingdom of darkness in this world by doing the truth, even as Jesus, our great example, overcame Satan (Matthew 4:4,7,10-11). We overcome Satan by Christ’s blood and by testifying to the truth (Revelation 12:11). The way we resist Satan (James 4:7) is by submitting to God, which means living by every word that proceeds from His mouth (Matthew 4:4), which means shining the light of His truth into the darkness (Matthew 5:13-16), which means applying the details of what Jesus has revealed to every aspect of life in this world (John 14:15; 2 Corinthians 10:5; James 2:18). 

The Lord is the Only Source of Truth

Only Jesus is the way the truth and the life (John 14:6), and any area that His truth is not applied to, descends into darkness. It is only Jesus’ truth that can set us free from darkness, bondage and oppression (John 8:32). His light must be applied to everything, i.e., politics, education, business, family, economics, etc., if this is not done, darkness prevails. There is one Lord who reigns over all, and His truth is meant to permeate and transform everything in His world, for His own glory. To deny that Jesus reigns over all things is to promote Satan’s reign over those things—there is no possibility of neutrality on this topic. Everyone has to choose who they are going to serve and who is the Lord over every area of life.

“And He [God] put all things under His [Jesus’] feet and gave Him [Jesus] to be head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22).