1 Corinthians 15:24-26 and the Reign of
Christ by Jack
Kettler 2012
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, till 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 these 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 rsien 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 who may be 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
specifically 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. And, 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 till 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” 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.
And 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), and “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 own 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 Thrown 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).
See the helpful Partial-Preterist /
Postmillennial Eschatology Chart, compiled By Brandon
Vallorani at: http://undergroundnotes.com/graphics2/postmill-preterist_chart.pdf
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 alway, 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 Millenium - A Study of American
Postmillenialism 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” Postmilleniallism from The Reformed
Reader
The Covenantal Kingdom: A Brief Summary of the 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 Postmillenialism by Greg Bahnsen
*Most of these titles should come up when doing
an Internet search. Also, this list is far from a
comprehensive list.
Mr. Kettler is an ordained Presbyterian Elder and the
owner of http://www.Undergroundnotes.com where his
theological, philosophical and political articles can be
read. He has worked in corporate America for over 30
years and is now realizing his dreams as a successful
home business entrepreneur. Permission is hereby granted
to reprint this article as long as my web site is
retained in the biographical information.
Jack Kettler
5 Star Presidential Director and
Top 20 Global Business Builder Award Winner!
Curious, for an automatic e-mail reply go to:
Jack@KettlerWellness.com