THE GLORIFIED STATE Devotion 18 of 25 – Tomorrow:
"And they shall reign forever and ever." (Verse 5b)
The magnitude of the glory set before us continues to grow. A river of water of life, trees yielding a variety of fruit, and leaves for the healing of the nations – all in abundance. There is no more curse, the throne of God and the Lamb will be in our midst, and our service will be unhindered! But there is more! We will be God's servants, but not mere servants. The saved will be REIGNING servants: "they shall reign forever and ever! "
This kind of servant has been introduced in Scripture. That introduction is shadowy, and does not exactly parallel the glory that is coming. Yet, it acquaints us with Divine appointments. Abraham's chief servant was "Eliezer," called "the steward of my house" (Gen 15:2). It is said of him that he "ruled over all that he (Abraham) had" (Gen 24:2). Another well known servant was Joseph. When serving Potiphar, he was made "overseer over his house, and all that he had was put into his hand" (Gen 39:4). Later, Pharaoh set him "over all the land of Egypt" (Gen 41:41). Another example is found in Daniel, who was the most prominent of three presidents, whom Darius placed over the realm (Dan 6:1-3). Were you to be privileged to have a meeting with these men, all of them would tell you they were essentially servants, yet were made rulers by the one they served.
In the glory, rather than being ruled, we will rule! Ours will NOT be an independent reign. Rather, we will reign with CHRIST. Ours will be a joint rule that is in strict concert with our Lord Jesus Christ's reign. We will be brought into His rule and operate within the Divine agenda. It will all be joyful and effective.
This coming reality should not be strange to us. In an exposition of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit moved Paul to write about this reign. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him" (2 Timothy 2:12). After He was glorified, Jesus issued a promise to the churches, who are urged to hear what the Spirit says to them. "To him that overcometh will I grant to SIT WITH ME IN MY THRONE, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Revelation 3:21-22). And again Jesus promises, "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give POWER OF THE NATIONS: And HE SHALL RULE them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father . . . He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Revelation 2:26-29).
Those in Christ are further told that their present condition is one in which they have been made kings. In a special message from Jesus to the churches it is written, "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath MADE US KINGS and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 1:5-6). Presently, we are kings incognito, as David was after he was anointed and the Spirit came upon him (2 Sam 16:13). However, just as surely as David eventually did occupy his rule upon the throne (2 Sam 5:3-4), so will those who are presently "kings and priests" be exalted to reign in the fullest sense of their appointment.
Herein is a marvelous thing. Earlier in Revelation it is said of Jesus, "and HE shall reign for ever and ever" (11:15). Now, it is said of the saints, "and THEY shall reign forever and ever." This will be a righteous reign for which no apology will be offered. Then the saying will be fulfilled, "The LORD will make you the head, not the tail . . . you will always be at the top, never at the bottom" (Deut 28:13, NIV). In this world, that promise was conditional: "IF you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them." There, it will be unconditional, for the saints will be delivered from every restraining and competing influence, and no jeopardy will exist.
Here and there, the Lord has revealed this reign. One of the most extensive prophecies of it came through Daniel. He thrice referred to this very reign. "But the saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come . . . and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom . . . Then the sovereignty, the dominion, and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him" (Dan 7:18,22,27, NASB).
Is this not a staggering promise? And yet it is held out to every child of God. Jesus spoke of inheriting "the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Matt 25:34). He pronounced a blessing upon "the meek," promising they would "inherit the earth" (Matt 5:5). Of those who are "poor in spirit" and are "persecuted for righteousness' sake" He said, "theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 5:3,11). Now they enjoy the privileges of that kingdom. Then, it will be given to them and they will possess it. Here we grapple with the enemy of our souls. There, we will not. What God has planned on the trestle board of eternity can scarcely be imagined even, after extensive revelation.
The thought of ALWAYS dominating is too large to be fully grasped at this present time. But we must allow our faith to stretch toward that goal, for that is where we are headed. The people of God do need to hear these things. It will strengthen the sinews of their faith, and brace up their feeble knees. We must hear about more than our weaknesses, and talk about more than our troubles. At some point the saints must move beyond mere problem-solving into the focused consideration of the glory that will be revealed in them (Rom 8:18). The most prominent among the leaders of God's people should not be people who are masters of practicality, but those who can cause the promises of God to glow with unrestricted brightness. The impact of those promises will do more to correct the ills of the saints than the most eloquent lecture, or most practical advise (2 Pet 1:4). We need a message that affirms that for which we have been apprehended (Phil 3:12)!
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, raise up laborers in Your fields who will tell your people the destiny to which You have appointed them.