Playlist:

playlist Go to the Reigning with Jesus Christ (topic) playlist

Filter by Categories

The Last Great Day

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John O. Reid

The Last Great Day holds profound significance as it pictures a future time of incredible transformation and responsibility for those called by God. We are in training now to follow the pattern of Jesus Christ, being prepared to serve as kings and priests. We will reign with Him on the earth, starting from scratch to rebuild cities, counties, towns, and eventually nations under His guidance. This will be a tremendous adventure, beginning small as we recover from the world's destruction, learning to administer and follow God's laws in their deepest intent during the Millennium, a time of rest and restoration. Our role will not be passive but extremely active, as we govern with purpose, love, strength, compassion, power, and gentleness. Under His personal teaching, we will grow in understanding beyond what we have ever known, developing the abilities needed to serve the billions who will be resurrected. As we reign with Him for a thousand years, our skills will expand, equipping us for the awesome responsibility of guiding and teaching during the events following the Millennium. This is all part of God's plan to slowly train us for the greatest job ever given, ensuring we are ready to fulfill His purpose in bringing about a world transformed under His rule.

Portrait of a King

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

When we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and made the Kingdom of God our goal in life, we signed on to be kings or queens. The Christian life is God's royal school for training future monarchs. As revealed in Revelation 5:10, we have been made kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. This is not a metaphor or symbolic promise; it is a real reward of power over the nations. In Revelation 2, in the letter to Thyatira, it is clear that those who overcome will be given authority to rule over the nations with a rod of iron, symbolizing great strength, durability, firmness of will, superior skill, and the threat of overwhelming force. The question arises: how will we wield such power? Will we be tyrants, or will we withhold our authority and allow anarchy? Will we be good kings, ready to rule when given our rod of iron? God did not call us to be passive in society but to be workers and leaders. When He calls us and makes promises, He ensures we have the ability to fulfill them. Jesus Christ is preparing a place for us and simultaneously preparing us for that place, ensuring that His purpose for us as kings or queens in His Kingdom will be accomplished. Each of God's children will be responsible for ruling some part of the earth, as God is the ruling family of the universe. We must be prepared to rule, considering how our daily lives help in this preparation. The Bible provides everything we need to qualify for our place in God's Kingdom, offering instructions to achieve this goal with His help. We are already spiritual Israelites, chosen by God, and part of the royal family by spiritual heredity, ready to receive our inheritance in the Kingdom of God. Our preparation includes learning to think like God, ensuring that as kings in His Kingdom, we will act as He would. We must be like the people we rule, sharing their beliefs and customs, to be effective leaders. Our training began before conversion, and we are going through experiences now that will help us understand and guide those we will rule in the future. In our preparation, we must avoid worldly ambitions for power or military might, trusting in God for victory and success rather than in human strength or alliances. We must not entangle ourselves with foreign beliefs that could lead us away from God, sticking to His truth without compromise. We should not pursue wealth as a distraction, focusing instead on seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, knowing that He will provide for our needs. Most importantly, we must internalize God's law, writing it on our hearts to make it a permanent part of our being. This knowledge will make us humble, approachable, fair, and just as kings under God. We must study and practice to become complete Christians, imitating our Savior Jesus Christ, the Word of God, so that we are walking, talking embodiments of His law. Following the example of Josiah, we must purge false practices, restore true worship, enforce God's law, and publicly demonstrate His way to encourage others. Ultimately, to be a king in the Kingdom of God is to be a servant, looking out for the best interests of our subjects, a quality we can practice now in our families and communities. If we are diligent in our preparations, we will be good rulers under Christ in His Kingdom.

A Millennium of Preparation

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

God has a meticulously crafted plan that He has been executing since the beginning, with every step preparing for the next. As part of this divine strategy, those called and converted are being prepared not only for immortality but also for significant roles in the coming ages. In the Millennium, the thousand-year reign with Jesus Christ, His elect will rule alongside Him, guiding and directing according to His will. This period serves as a time of judgment for those living then, and the elect will oversee vast efforts to rebuild cities and prepare the earth for the billions who will rise in the second resurrection during the Great White Throne Judgment. Working with the people of the Millennium, the elect will build massive urban systems and store resources to support those who awaken to their first chance at salvation. As Christ prepares a place for His followers, so too will His elect prepare places for those who died without hope, ensuring they have the physical environment and basic needs to start anew in their journey toward conversion.

Thy Kingdom Come

Sermonette by Ronny H. Graham

Most professing Christians hold to the pagan belief that heaven is the reward of the saved, imagining that they will waft off to heaven at death.

Qualifications of a Godly Judge

Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The saints, the true followers of Christ, the children of God, are being prepared for a significant role in the future. We will judge the world and the angels, as Paul earnestly instructs, urging us to begin learning and practicing judgment now. When Christ returns to establish God's Kingdom, we will be given thrones, positions of great honor, and responsibilities as kings and priests. Our roles will include powers of judgment and priestly duties, discerning between true and false, right and wrong, holy and profane. We will govern the world to come with much effort, not resting in ease but actively ruling alongside Him. The scriptures reveal a profound oneness with Christ for those in the first resurrection. We will be in Him, and He in us, as the Body to His Head, the virgin bride joined to her Husband. We will participate in all of His activities, including judging, ruling, making war, and serving as High Priest. Though He holds preeminence, much of His power and authority will be entrusted to us to fulfill the responsibilities He assigns in His Kingdom. Our Christian life is a training period for these future positions in God's Kingdom. It is not a time of passive waiting but one of active, strenuous education, practice, correction, and maturing to replicate Christ's life and character in us. We must become holy, putting on the righteousness of Christ through a process of sanctification to prepare for what lies ahead. If we are not prepared, we will not attain these roles. To reign with Christ, godly judges must meet certain qualifications. We must strive diligently to present ourselves approved to God, proving ourselves worthy of our calling as holy ones, set apart as children of God. Our walk must be worthy of Him, meeting a high standard through cooperative effort with God. This preparation involves knowing His Word deeply, rightly dividing the truth to make godly decisions, and applying biblical principles to every situation. Additionally, we must be cleansed from dishonor, sanctified, and prepared, possessing unimpeachable character as holy judges, striving for perfect holiness without any corruption, to be ready for the roles He has waiting for us in His Kingdom.

New Heavens and New Earth

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Following Jacob's Trouble, God will regather a remnant of the outcasts, breaking their yokes and bringing them to repentance and rest in the Promised Land.

Leadership and Covenants (Part Two)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

We must learn the lessons of godly leadership now because our positions in the Kingdom will require their use. Society demonstrates a lack of personal leadership.

Our Awesome Destiny (2000)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Through a miraculous combination of knowledge plus the spirit of God, we realize that our destiny is to be a part of the divine Family.

Heaven Must Wait

Sermon/Bible Study by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Going to heaven is not scriptural. The soul is not immortal; it is equivalent to life. Mankind does not have a soul; he is a soul, subject to death.

Feast of Tabernacles Basics

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The basics of the Feast of Tabernacles consist of a harvest image, depicting a massive number of people coming to the truth. The journey depicts a time of judgment.

Government (Part Two)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

God is establishing a spiritual kingdom, with Christ as King, installed at the seventh trump when He will unleash the power of His Kingdom against the world.

Who Are the Twenty-four Elders (Revelation 4:4)?

Bible Questions & Answers

The twenty-four elders are not redeemed human beings because no man except Jesus Christ (John 3:13) has ascended to heaven where God's throne is.

Judgment Is a Merciful Blessing

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God is patient and tender-hearted to late bloomers, forgiving sincerely repentant individuals, but will not budge an inch on rebellion or sin.

The Removal of the Originator of Sin

Sermonette by Clyde Finklea

One of the blessings which occurs at the beginning of the Millenium will be the removal of the originator of sin, the dragon, serpent, Satan the devil.

Why Are We Called To Overcome?

Sermon by John O. Reid

Like physical leaven, if spiritual leaven is not checked quickly, it will expand exponentially, destroying the container housing it.

The Book of Daniel (Part Five)

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

Daniel 7-8 is full of overlapping images and visions. Both chapters show the certainty of the end of Gentile kingdoms, replaced by God's eternal Kingdom.

The Israel of God

Article by Charles Whitaker

Paul refers to the church as 'the Israel of God.' Why not 'the Judah of God'? Why did God not inspire Paul to call the church "the Jacob of God"?

God and Government

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Government run by carnal men will never work, but those under the New Covenant, having God's law written on their hearts, can make any form of government work.