On the Throne

Revelation 11:15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."

15 Καὶ ὁ ἕβδομος ἄγγελος ἐσάλπισεν· καὶ ἐγένοντο φωναὶ μεγάλαι ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ λέγοντες· ἐγένετο ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύσει εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων.

There are some questions around this verse that I'm not sure if I can handle in a blog post.  But I do know that these Christological passages fascinate me.  We know from Ephesians 1 that Christ is indeed on His throne and that He is indeed in control of everything.  So what does this passage mean?

Getting back to what I wrote way back in chapter 1, it would seem that John had a very close fulfillment of these passages in mind.  Yet I know many who take this to mean that Christ is not currently ruling earth, but that Satan is now (i.e. the god of this earth).  So what do we make of this?  Ephesians 1:22 tells us that all things are under His feet.  I would consider the world to be part of "all things."  This means that there is a contradiction (which is impossible) or we're reading something wrong somewhere.

As a rule, I like to use a clear passage to help interpret a more difficult passage.  Ephesians 1 is crystal-clear.  Meanwhile, here we are dealing with apocalyptic literature that is rich with symbolism and is ambiguous as to the time of its fulfillment.  This forces me to say that this has already happened.  I may later regret writing this, but it's where I am now.  I also realize that there may be other passages I am not considering.

Theology geeks may find this conversation interesting, but I do want to keep this blog fairly devotional.  I focus on these Christological passages because I like thinking about Jesus and His reign over all of creation.  It amazes me that this God who created everything (and Colossians tells us all things were created through Him and for Him) also knows me personally and I can know Him as well.  He condescends to humanity by giving us special revelation through His Word.  It's an incredible blessing to know the Living God.

Does this fill your heart with awe and wonder?  It should certainly empower your life.  Not in a health and wealth kind of way, but in a way that encourages you to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh.  Does it?