How to be a king: obtain a kingdom through either force or nepotism. Sit on a throne. Wear a crown. Have everyone do your bidding without having to lift a finger. Enjoy luxury and relative ease. Fight to maintain your power by enacting laws in the interest of self. Hold on a second. *Checks notes* Wrong kingdom.
The world has only ever known corrupt kings and kingdoms. Our kings do a lot of sitting and a lot of ordering around. There’s a lot of self and/or state-interest. In this way they all rise, but in this way they also fall.
But what is the kingdom of heaven like? Has it come and gone as empires tend to do? Is it here and now? Has it even risen yet? Revelation shows us that the kingdom of heaven exists exactly in the terms we’ve been speaking since part 1: already… and not yet.1 (See footnote for brief review of the first 5 parts of this series.)
“The Kingdom”
In part 4, we mentioned what is meant that Christ was “the ruler of kings on earth”:
“What is really being described here is his rulership over us who reign with him as co-heirs. It isn’t just a vague reference to the kings who rule the kingdoms of this world, but a very specific reference to the order of the kingdom of God.”
The very next verse repeats this concept:
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” - Rev. 1:5b-6
So if we are reigning with Christ, how do we reign? How is it that we are to be kings in this kingdom? I’ll give you a hint: it doesn’t involve much sitting.
The New Temple, Priests, and Sacrifices
It used to be that I would read God “made us a kingdom of priests” (and for the sake of brevity I’m just going to treat the concepts of “king” and “priest” interchangeably for the time being, though there is a difference) and it meant nothing to me in terms of my everyday life. It was just a flowery phrase like most of biblical prophecy appeared to be. In fact, being part of “the kingdom” was a future reality to me altogether. The kingdom would not arrive until Christ returned and set it up on earth with the New Jerusalem as its capital. In dispensationalism, especially of the fundamental vein, it’s normal to believe that we are not actually in the kingdom yet. That’s for a future dispensation. Someday I would be a part of it. And even then just a citizen of another, albeit far superior, system.
But this fundamentally misunderstands the nature of the new covenant. Dispensational theology states that we have moved out of the tabernacle and temple system of the Old Testament with its priests and sacrifices. But, as much as dispensational theology will quote scriptures that point to us being “a kingdom,” it does not seem to grasp that we still have a temple, priest and sacrificial system in the new covenant. And that that system will not be replaced by an Old Testament-style system again. At least not in my experience.
Prosperity to Poverty
Under the Mosaic covenant, God’s people were identified by their prosperity. God prospered in a very physical sense nations and individuals that were obedient to him. But this is not how the kingdom of Christ necessarily operates. Ironically, we are identified by our poverty in the name of Christ. We aren’t kings who amass greater resources, wealth, and power. Our increase is spiritual. In some ways we can see the fruit of that increase in this life, but most of our reward will not be realized until the consummation of all things.
From Physical to Spiritual
The entire book of Hebrews is dedicated to telling us about how our spiritual temple, priest and sacrificial system in Christ are superior to the old and will continue forever!
This is an important thing to factor into what John means when he writes to us about being our brother and partner in the kingdom. Writing to his contemporaries he said:
“I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus,”
- Revelation 1:9a
Again, was John part of a kingdom that ceased in the first century? The preterist might say so. Or perhaps he was writing of a kingdom that would only be realized in the distant future? The dispensationalist would say so. But this would create a division between the Jews and Gentiles, with the Jews administering a physical system not only before but also after the church’s spiritual interlude.
We have covered before that this is not an obscure view, but is actually mainstream among evangelicals. David Guzik, a popular commentator wrote:
“In context, the term latter days refers to the ‘time of the Messiah,’ when the Anointed of the Lord reigns over the earth. Broadly, this speaks of the time many refer to as the millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus on this earth… During the millennium, Israel will be the ‘superpower’ of the world. It will be the leading nation in all the earth, and the center of Israel will be the mountain of the Lord’s house—the temple mount, which will be the ‘capital’ of the government of the Messiah. All nations shall flow to the ‘capital’ of the government of Jesus… During the millennium, the citizens of earth will acknowledge and submit to the Lordship of Jesus. It will be a time of perfectly administrated enforced righteousness on this earth.”
This view creates a divide where gentiles are treated differently from the Jews. (I don’t have time to expound on that now, but it will come up later.) So which is the true kingdom? The spiritual one the church is apart of? Or will the true kingdom arrive when we revert to the Old Testament shadows in a supposed earthly millennium?
We will not be made a kingdom of priests, but we have been made a spiritual kingdom of priests. And this was done under our new high priest, Jesus. The temple is his body and, by extension of our being in him and he in us, the church is the new temple.
“But he was speaking about the temple of his body.” - John 2:21
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,” - 1 Corinthians 6:19
Christ is our high priest in the new system and we are all priests unto God alongside him.
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 2:5
And he is the sacrifice once for all and now we offer spiritual sacrifices to God through him.
“And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
- Hebrews 10:11-14
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
- Romans 12:1
We are co-heirs with Christ. What belongs to him belongs to us! He is the High Priest, and so we are priests. He is the King, and so we are kings.
“Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
- Romans 8:17
We will not go back to the former physical shadows, but this spiritual kingdom Christ established will be made manifest at his coming. Both Jews and gentiles share this inheritance. There is one church, one faith, one Lord and one kingdom. Not an intermediate kingdom the gentiles oversee until the Jews return to rule the world from Israel, but a kingdom delivered to the saints once for all; it began at Pentecost and will continue uninterrupted into eternity.
So if the kingdom is now, Christ is reigning now. If Christ is reigning now, we reign with him. If you are inclined to think it certainly doesn’t feel that way, you are exactly right. Hence the writing of Revelation. And this is where we begin to understand “how to be a king” under Christ.
“The Tribulation”
Up to this point Christians have been enduring unbelievable persecution. No doubt they were discouraged and wondering where the glory promised in Christ was to be found. The apostles told us we are kings in the kingdom! Why do we suffer? Where is the promise? Where is the glory? No doubt they prayed for relief. And Christ answered with this book. He gives us this glimpse behind the veil at how the world really operates under his dominion and it’s not something the world can understand.
It is tempting to put what some call “the tribulation” exclusively in the past as the preterist does and conclude that the first century church took the bullet for the rest of us, as if it was something entirely different from the ordinary “tribulations” we experience today. Don’t think that way.
It’s also tempting to project the supposed “tribulation” out into the future as something that only those left behind when the church is raptured will have to face. But don’t do it.
Read this here and now.
You will have trouble
“The tribulation” is not a separate event from the ordinary troubles faced by the church. Will our troubles escalate? Most likely. But we shouldn’t think of “the tribulation” as being exclusive to one group. In dispensational theology, the tribulation is said to be for the Jews (“the time of Jacob’s trouble”) and that is why the church is said to be raptured out—it’s not for the church. But this, again, divides the people of God along lines that he has clearly said no longer exist (Eph. 2:11-22).
In the same way the kingdom has been delivered once for all, the tribulation is the universal experience of all who aspire to live a godly life (2 Tim. 3:12). “The tribulation” is not an event in church history, but a characteristic of church history. It applies across time and space for all. At any given moment, the church is facing tribulation and persecution. The kingdom and the tribulation are a complete package for all of the people of God.
“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33
So we have the kingdom here and now. We have the tribulation of the saints. How do these connect in terms of our kingship in Christ?
“The Patient Endurance”
In the most comprehensive commentary ever written on the book of Revelation, G. K. Beale writes:
“John identifies himself with his readers and with Jesus as one who reigns in the initial form of the kingdom by persevering through tribulation. His self-introduction continues the theme of the kingdom from vv 5-7, especially v 6, and his self-description is also applicable to those to whom he is writing (“your brother and fellow partaker”) because both he and they are identified with Jesus…
John and his community are people who even now reign together in Jesus’ kingdom. But this is a kingdom unanticipated by the majority of Jews. The exercise of rule in this kingdom begins and continues only as one faithfully endures tribulation. This is a formula for kingship: faithful endurance through tribulation is the means by which one reigns in the present with Jesus. Believers are not mere subjects in Christ’s kingdom. “Fellow partaker” underscores the active involvement of saints not only in enduring tribulation, but also in reigning in the midst of tribulation.
Such kingship will be intensified at death and consummated at Jesus’ final parousia. This ironic exercise of rule is modeled on that of Christ, who revealed his veiled kingship on earth before his exaltation by enduring suffering and death in order to achieve his heavenly rule. Just as Christ ruled in a veiled way through suffering, so do Christians, which argues further against the proposal that saints do not exercise kingship until the final coming of Christ when they are exalted over their enemies.”-G. K. Beale “The Book of Revelation: A Commentary on the Greek Text,” pg. 200-201
In the Revelation, Christ unveiled that things looked bleak for the church, but the truth was that she reigned with Christ—not just in the midst of tribulation but by it. The persecution faced by the saints is the vehicle of our kingship, granted we persevere to the end. And John reminds us of this midway through the book:
“Here is a call for the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” - Revelation 14:12
Just like the first century church, your ability to suffer and not sin or turn away from Christ is your victory. Your suffering is your glory. Your cross is your crown. Your status as a king and priest in the kingdom of Christ is marked by your patient endurance through tribulation. And this is not a cross you bear nor a crown you wear in isolation.
Bear one another’s burdens
John was our brother and partner in the tribulation, as much as our Christian brethren in the pews in front of and behind us are our partners now. We help each other endure together. It may not be that we ever face execution for our testimony, but how are we persevering in things so much smaller than that?
Do we endure with patience, not giving into temptation to sin with our children or our spouse? Do we endure with patience when we are wronged or overlooked? Do we endure with patience when we are sick? Do we as local church bodies hold to our confession of Christ? Do we love God, preferring to please him rather than men? Do we carry one another’s burdens, preferring others above ourselves?
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” - Galatians 6:2
If we don’t find that our fight requires endurance and perseverance, we should think twice about whether we are identified as one reigning with Christ, for this is the mark of his people. And, as we will soon see, this is how Christ evaluates his church—are they enduring? Or are they folding under the temptations and tribulations of the world?
How to be a king:
Before we ever get to John’s introduction, we read an awful lot about the kingdom, about tribulation, and about patience and endurance. This isn’t a new idea John brings to us. Just flip to any of the epistles. It’s a wonderful universal truth experienced by every Christian since Peter stood in the square at Pentecost and shouted “Repent!”
The kingdom has come, but it’s not stagnant. This kingdom is a race. The starting pistol—the shot heard round the world—was fired 2,000 years ago and we’ve been on the move ever since. The kingdom multiplies every day, and it will be realized one day in all its fullness. It’s already… and not yet. Until then, we endure with patience. We share this brotherhood with all the church of God—past, present, and future—until we’ve all crossed the finish line.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” - Hebrews 12:1-2
How to be a king: to be a king, you have to run. Through rain, through fire, through pain, temptation, and persecution. Through everything the world throws at you! You can’t sit, you can’t let others do the work for you, you don’t get to amass resources and power and wealth in your own self-interest. You don’t get to enjoy luxury and ease. In fact, you’ve got to throw all those things and everything else off that might slow you down and disqualify you (1 Cor. 9:27). And endure the pain with patience, knowing your crown awaits in heaven. The good news is that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. And what does kill you completes your race.
Christ ran before us. He endured until he completed the race. He staked out the path for us and only then did he inherit the earth and sit down on the throne as the King of kings (Daniel 7:13-14). The baton has been passed to you that you might also obtain the crown. Are you prepared to run for it?
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." - Matthew. 5:10
Ready.
Set.
Go.
Part 1
In part 1 we talked about our framework for determining our eschatology and broke it down into 3 parts: our basic hermeneutic (dispensational or covenantal), how we view the timing of the fulfillment of Revelation, and how we view the nature and timing of the fulfillment of the “millennium” of Revelation 20. From there we were able to assign a preliminary label to our eschatological beliefs going into this study.
Part 2
In part 2 we clarified the meaning of the word “apocalypse” and showed how the true meaning of this word (uncover/unveil) illuminates what the book of Revelation is really about—the unveiling of Jesus Christ to his bride.
Part 3
In part 3 we discussed the will of God for his people. We already knew a lot about it from the epistles, but in the Revelation we are enlightened on his will to an extent previously unknown. We also unpacked the meaning of the often glossed-over word sémainó (signify) in Revelation 1:1 and how it indicates to us that the book is to be read as a series of symbols and not as a chronological or literal account. And we ended this part understanding that these things were not only to take place soon for the first century readers of the Revelation, but are a reality we all face as past, present and future readers.
Part 4
In part 4 we made a case for the triune God to put on display exactly who we are receiving this Revelation from. Drawing from chapter 1, verses 4 and 5, we showed that each member of the trinity is highlighted through different characteristic descriptions: the Father through the name he gave to Moses (I Am), the Holy Spirit by a symbolic seven indicating completeness and holiness, and the Son through three descriptions centering around his condescension and humanity.
Part 5
Finally, in part 5 we contemplated the idea that our redemption is not just a past occurrence, but that all three parts of our redemption (justification, sanctification and glorification) can be observed in all three tenses (past, present and future), tying into the eternality of God and the timelessness of the book of Revelation. And in light of all that God is and what results from his nature, how our only response can be to turn our praise back to him.
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