God With Us - And They Shall Reign

When I began this God With Us series earlier this month, I did so in Genesis – chapter 3, verse 8 to be exact.  With this being Kingdom week in some traditions, the last week of the Western church year, I think it meet to skip to the end of the Bible in which we see the consummation of Christ’s reign as King of Kings.

And you are surely familiar with many passages in Revelation concerning the coming Kingdom of Christ. (And that even if you are not a Bible scholar as said passages are very influential on Western culture, e. g. the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel’s Messiah.)  But there is something that is often overlooked in reading Revelation – something wonderful.

In the Apocalypse, it is hard to miss that Christ will reign forever.  But readers often miss that He will not reign alone.

…by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth. Rev. 5: 9-10

Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. Rev. 20:6

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.  Rev. 22:5

Yes, not just Christ, but they, he and his people, will reign forever and ever.

Now Jesus does not need assistance from us in ruling.  But he loves us so much that he wants his people to reign with him, even to sit with him on his throne, as he himself says in Rev. 4:21.  Christ wants us victoriously to so be with him and he with us forever.  And his will shall be done.

But how does God bring about this glorious future reign for us?  How does he make us kings, if you will, after we had fallen so far way back in Genesis 3?

Well, the church year beginning with Advent and then Christmas tells that story . . . as we shall see.