1 Corinthians 15:24-26 and the
Reign of Christ by
Jack Kettler
Then comes the end, when he shall
have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the
Father; when he shall have put down all rule
and all authority and power. For he must reign
until he has put all enemies under his feet.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death. (1 Corinthians 15:24-26)
Is this passage dealing with a
present reality of Christ's reign or is it
foretelling a time in the future? If Christ's
reign is happening now, it has significant
implications for Christian living and Church
missionary activity. Asked another way, is the
kingdom of God a present reality or something
to break into human history in the future? In
this brief devotional study, we will see what
the Scriptures say about the inauguration of
Christ's Kingdom in history.
First, what Scriptural evidence is there
concerning the present reality of Christ's
kingdom?
“…the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew
3:2)
“But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God is come unto
you.” (Matthew 12:28)
“Verily I say unto you, there be some standing
here, who shall not taste of death, till they
see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
(Matthew 16:28)
“Who has delivered us from the power of
darkness, and has translated us into the
kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)
It is clear from the above texts that
Christ's Kingdom is a Present Reality!
“But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked
up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory
of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand
of God,” (Acts 7:55) Christ has risen from the
dead victorious and is now seated on the
heavenly throne at the right hand of the
Father.
As an aside, for those who would object and
say the “Kingdom of God” is something
different from the “Kingdom of Heaven” should
consider that:
Whenever Scripture speaks of “the Kingdom of
God,” “the Kingdom of Heaven,” or “the Kingdom
of Christ,” it is speaking of the same
Kingdom. These different uses of “Kingdom” are
synonyms for the same Kingdom.
To prove this; an examination of the Gospels
demonstrates that whether the “Kingdom of
Heaven” or “Kingdom of God,” are being
referred to, only one Kingdom, namely,
Christ's Kingdom is in view. For example, see
Matthew 4:17 and Mark 1:14-15; or Matthew 5:3
and Luke 6:20.
Consider the following passages about the
limitation of Satan's power, which are
relevant to an understanding of Christ's
present reign:
“And he said unto them, I beheld
Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” (Luke
10:18)
“Or else how can one enter into a strong man's
house, and spoil his goods, except he first
bind the strong man? And then he will spoil
his house.” (Matthew 12:29)
“And having spoiled principalities and powers,
he made a show of them openly, triumphing over
them in it.” (Colossians 2:15)
Because of the glorious fact of Christ's
victorious resurrection, we can now say that
Satan's power has been broken!
For those surprised by this assertion, how
is this binding of Satan to be understood?
That Satan has been bound does not mean that
all his activity has ceased. The New Testament
tells us explicitly that the demons have been
disarmed and bound (Colossians 2:15; 2 Pet.
2:4; Jude 6) - yet they are still active. It
is just that their activity is restricted.
Moreover, as the Gospel progresses throughout
the world, their activity will become even
more limited. Satan is unable to prevent the
victory of Christ's Kingdom. (1)
In the Old Testament, God only worked with
Israel in a special way. All nations except
Israel were in total darkness. In the New
Covenant, the gospel is going out to the whole
world. Christ's Kingdom is conquering the
nations.
In the book of Daniel we see that Christ's
kingdom will defeat all human kingdoms:
“Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great
image. This great image, whose brightness was
excellent, stood before thee, and the form
thereof was terrible. This image's head was of
fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver,
his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of
iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.
Thou sawest until that a stone was cut out
without hands, which smote the image upon his
feet that were of iron and clay, and brake
them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay
the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to
pieces together, and became like the chaff of
the summer threshing floors, and the wind
carried them away, that no place was found for
them: and the stone that smote the image
became a great mountain, and filled the whole
earth.” (Daniel 2:31-35)
Consider two parables that explain the
growth of Christ's kingdom, and support the
ongoing reality of Christ's present reign
and growth of His Kingdom:
“Another parable put he forth
unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is
like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man
took, and sowed in his field.
Which indeed is the least of all
seeds: but when it is grown, it is the
greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so
that the birds of the air come and lodge in
the branches thereof.
Another parable spake he unto
them, “The kingdom of heaven is like unto
leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three
measures of meal, till the whole was
leavened.” (Matthew 13:31-33)
These parables teach the same
things concerning the expansion of Christ's
Kingdom as the passage from Daniel.
So far,
we have seen that
1. Christ's kingdom is a present
reality, and
2. Satan's power has been broken,
and
3. The gospel of the kingdom is
growing and influencing the whole world.
Moreover, when the apostle says, “For he must
reign, till he has put all enemies under his
feet.” (1 Cor. 15:25)
In (1 Corinthians15:25), we see a
connection between the Corinthians passage and
“The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit at my right
hand, until I make your enemies your
footstool” in (Psalm 110:1). It is significant
that the apostle uses the word “reign” in
place of “sit at my right hand” and pictures
Christ as progressively active in subjugating
His enemies.
Furthermore, the apostle Paul says, “But is
now made manifest by the appearing of our
Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death,
and has brought life and immortality to light
through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:10)
Moreover, “Since then the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that
had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
(Hebrews 2:14) that Christ has officially
abolished death at His resurrection.
Therefore, Christ's reign occurs between His
resurrection and at the time that the
abolishment of death occurs, which the apostle
says is the last enemy.
In conclusion, Christ’s kingdom will grow in
history, as His parables make clear. His reign
prevails “For he must reign till he has put
all enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians
15:25). Christ will reign until all opposition
is defeated, and “Then comes the end, when he
shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,
even the Father; when he shall have put down
all rule and all authority and power” (1
Corinthians 15:24) at His second coming, which
is “the end” of history.
Then comes the Great White Throne Judgment;
“And I saw a great white throne, and him that
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the
heaven fled away; and there was found no place
for them. And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened:
and another book was opened, which is the book
of life: and the dead were judged out of those
things which were written in the books,
according to their works. And the sea gave up
the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and
they were judged every man according to their
works. And death and hell were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death. And
whosoever was not found written in the book of
life was cast into the lake of fire.”
(Revelation 20:11-15)
And, the Final Eternal State; “And I heard a
great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and he will
dwell with them, and they shall be his people,
and God himself shall be with them, and be
their God.” (Revelation 21:3)
Let it be widely proclaimed:
“And Jesus came and spake unto
them, saying, all power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the
world. Amen.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
Note:
1. David Chilton, Days of
Vengeance, (Horn Lake, MS: Dominion
Press, 2006), p. 503.
Suggested Reading:
The
Postmillennial View of the Kingdom of God by Sam Storms
Princeton &
the Millennium - A Study of American
Postmillennialism by Kim
Riddlebarger
The Puritan
Hope: A Study in Revival and the
Interpretation of Prophecy by Iain Murray
The Beast of
Revelation by Kenneth Gentry
Confessional
Postmillennialism by Andrew Sandlin
Postmillennialism by Lorraine Boettner
Notes on the
Apocalypse by David Steele, Sr.
The Beast of
Revelation Identified by Kenneth
Gentry
He Shall Have
Dominion by Kenneth Gentry
Postmillennialism:
An Eschatology of Hope by Keith
Matthison
Myths “Against”
Postmillennialism from the
Reformed Reader
The Covenantal
Kingdom: A Brief Summary of The Biblical
Argument for Postmillennialism by Rev. Ralph Allan Smith
The
Biblical Basis of Postmillennialism -
Based on Keith Matthison's Book by Ross A.
Taylor
Always
Victorious! The Earliest Church not Pre- but
Postmillennial by Dr. F.N. Lee
The Triumph of
the Church: A Biblical Defense of
Postmillennialism by William Einwechter
Are We Just
Polishing Brass Fixtures on the Titanic? By Tom Albrecht
Postmillennialism:
Wishful Thinking or Certain Hope? By Kenneth L.
Gentry, Jr., Th.D.
Apocalypse Then by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
The Prima Facie
Acceptability of Postmillennialism by Greg L.
Bahnsen
Objections to
Postmillennialism by Greg Bahnsen
*Most of these titles should
come up when doing an Internet search. In
addition, this list is far from a
comprehensive list.
“Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach
me thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:12)
“Study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
(2 Timothy 2:15)
“To God, only wise, be glory
through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (Romans
16:27) and “heirs according to the promise.”
(Galatians 3:28, 29)
Mr. Kettler has previously
published articles in the Chalcedon
Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife Marea attend the
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church. He served as an
ordained ruling elder in the Orthodox
Presbyterian Church. He worked in and retired
from a fortune five hundred company in
corporate America after forty years. He runs
two blogs sites and is the author of the book
defending the Reformed Faith against attacks,
titled: The
Religion That Started in a Hat.
Available at:
www.TheReligionThatStartedInAHat.com