Ruling In God’s Kingdom

We are not talking about a political ruling here as the political systems of this world are going to fail. We are to rule and reign in the spirit which brings about the second coming of the Lord and the establishment of His kingdom. The tribulation period on the earth is the rooting out of those things which offend, the falling of this world’s systems to make ready for the establishment of God’s kingdom in the earth, and the ushering in of the millennium at Christ’s return.

The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah was commissioned by God to do the same thing. Jeremiah 1:10 says, "See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."

The Lord desires us, His church, to root out and pull down through our prayers those things that are hindering the kingdom of God. A good recent example of this is the coming down of the Berlin Wall and the falling of the spirit of communism that was behind it.

The church’s prayers can affect the political kingdoms of the world to make ready for the planting of the kingdom of God. Our prayers and obedience will hasten the coming of the Lord. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" ( 2 Peter 3: 10-13).

"And there was given unto him a mouth, speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months" ( Revelation 13:5). This 3 ½- year period is not meant as a literal number, but rather as a spiritual one. To the Jews, 3 ½ stood for an unknown period of troublesome times. The number also represents judgement. Since 3 ½ is half of perfect 7, it’s half of perfection - a number of trouble and judgement.

Great trouble is coming upon the earth, trouble and tribulation such as the world has never before witnessed. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book" ( Daniel 12: 1).

It’s not going to merely strike areas here and there as in times past, but it’s going to hit on a world-wide scale. Revelation 13:5 tells us the devil will have "power...to continue" during this troublesome time. This will be so because it’s going to take time before the church realises her authority and uses it against the enemy, and it’s going to take time for the church to fight her smaller battles against Satan. The enemy doesn’t like it so he is trying to keep the church from pressing into that place of authority and taking this earth from him.

Legally the earth belongs to us. Jesus gave it to us. When Christ died on Calvary he gained back the earth that Adam had lost. The first Adam lost it when he sinned; the second Adam got it back. "The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein" ( Psalm 24:1).