Book 4 of Musings Inner Rule
We cannot reign with Christ until Christ reigns in us.
That we are not qualified to rule until Christ rules in us probably makes a lot of sense and goes without saying. But I don't see that it is stressed very much in the churches. The believers are told we will "rule and reign with Christ" (we ought to pick either rule or reign), but I don't think they give a great deal of thought to what they are hearing.
One moment they speak of going to their mansion in Heaven. The next moment they are telling how they are going to rule with Christ. How do these ideas go together.
It is obvious they don't. We are just repeating our traditions.
When the Lord speaks of our governing the nations with Him, in the second chapter of the Book of Revelation, He mentions the "morning star." The morning star refers to the coming to maturity of Christ in us.
This is exactly it! It is not we who will rule the nations with a rod of iron, it is Jesus Christ Himself. He, and He alone, is the Ruler of the creation of God.
But He has chosen to govern through us. However, before He can govern through us He first must govern us. Does this make sense to you?
The Lord told us if we would overcome as He overcame, we would sit on the throne with Him. Just prior to this statement He said He was standing at the door and knocking. If any person would open the door He would enter and dine with that individual.
Then He said we would sit on the throne with Him.
I will tell you how I interpret this passage. The Lord is knocking at the door of the self-centered believers in Laodicea, desiring to enter and sit enthroned in their personality. I believe God sits enthroned in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because we are bound with the dimension of distance we cannot envision God's Throne being up in Heaven and in Christ at the same time. But it is. As far as I can tell, there is no such thing as distance in the Spirit realm. Things exist without reference to time or distance.
God sits on His Throne in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus sits there with Him. I think the Lord Jesus is speaking of what is true within Himself, as well as in Heaven.
To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Rev 3;21)
Now, here is where we come in. If we are faithful in serving Christ, as He was faithful in serving the Father, the Father and the Son will come and sit in the throne room that is in our personality. Of course, we have to get off the throne of our life in order for Christ and the Father to install Their inner rule in us.
After our obedience has been established beyond doubt, then, I believe, we are permitted to sit on the throne of our own life along with the Father and the Son.
So yes-we will rule the nations with a rod of iron, just as the Lord promised. But it actually will be the Son ruling in us. And it actually is the Father ruling in the Son, for the Son does nothing whatever apart from the Father.
The holy city, the new Jerusalem, is the perfected, glorified Church. It is written concerning the holy city that the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it. This means the Throne of God and of the Lamb will be located for eternity in the glorified Christian Church.
When the inhabitants of the new earth pray to God, they will pray to Him in the new Jerusalem, not to God up in Heaven but God now on the earth. Isn't that a wonderful thought?
When will God establish His Throne in us? I believe we are being prepared for this now, and the work will be done at the time Antichrist is given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nations. Since the Antichrist will be given power to block the prayers of the people in the large cities of the earth, the Throne of God will be installed in the remnant hidden away in the wilderness so there will be a refuge for anyone who calls on the Lord for help.
That is the time, I think, when the Throne of God and of the Lamb will first enter the saints.
Because this remarkable event will take place in the coming days, if I am correct, the primary challenge to us is to surrender our own will to the Lord so He may reign supreme in our personality. This is not easy to do. It requires a positive, specific step on our part, just as in initial salvation, or the baptism with the Spirit. We have to ask God to come and make His Throne in us.
Jesus said we have to overcome as He overcame.
There are three ways in which we overcome the accuser.
First, through the blood of the Lamb. The blood of the Lamb is a sovereign gift of God to us.
Second, through the word of our testimony. The word of our testimony of the true Person, will, way, and eternal purpose of God in Christ is created as we cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
Third, through loving not our life to the death. This is a sovereign act on our part.
First, God. Then, God and us. Finally, us. We have to take that definite step of declaring ourselves dead-crucified with Christ-that Christ and the Father may rule from within us.
What splendor is made available to mankind when a believer takes that final step of declaring himself or herself dead with Christ so Christ and the Father may express Their own lives!
By now means is any human being going to govern the nations until Christ and the Father are governing absolutely in that person. This why the Church is never, in the New Testament, referred to as a queen. Babylon, the institutional church, boasts that she sits as a queen. But the Wife of the Lamb is never referred to as a queen.
Do you know why this is? It is because a queen can exercise sovereignty apart from her husband, the king. But the Wife of the Lamb cannot exercise sovereignty of herself because she is not a separate person but an extension of the Lamb. The Lamb and His Wife are one. The Wife is not a queen, a separate person.
Until the inner rule is established beyond doubt, the outer rule is utterly impossible.
Yes, we are appointed to rule the nations with Christ. But this is possible only as we are willing to be crucified with Christ until He is our Life.
How does this sound to you?
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations- He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery'-just as I have received authority from my Father. I will also give him the morning star. (Rev 2:26-28)