The calling of God is a preparation for an extraordinary role in His plan, where we will reign with Jesus Christ as kings and priests on the earth. This role involves ruling under His guidance, starting from scratch to rebuild cities, counties, towns, and eventually nations after the devastation of war. We will learn to administer and follow God's laws in their deepest intent, gaining understanding directly from Him during a time of restoration and growth. Jerusalem will serve as the focal point of government, and the whole world will look to it for guidance on how to please the Father and live according to His will. Our leadership will embody purpose, love, strength, compassion, power, and gentleness, as we comfort and govern mankind who have endured poor rule throughout history. Over time, under Christ's guidance for a thousand years, our abilities will grow tremendously, enabling us to serve in greater capacities for those who will come up in the resurrection. This reigning with Him is a vital part of God's plan to slowly develop us for the greatest responsibilities ever given, ensuring we are ready to teach, guide, and rebuild a world transformed by His will.

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.

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.

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.

Modern Bible readers often have difficulty relating to ancient metaphors, including agricultural, weights and measures, idioms, and government—especially monarchy and the extensive throne room episodes used to illustrate God's supreme authority. We see a dramatic contrast between Solomon's opulent throne surrounded by 14 carved lions, symbolizing immense earthly power, with Almighty God's heavenly throne in Revelation 4-5 surrounded by majestic angelic beings including the 24 elders, 7 spirits, and 4 living creatures, worshiping Him continually, demonstrating the purity of His presence, as well as the perfection of His heavenly government. As God's called-out saints, we must humbly express awe, praise, and worship of His incomparable sovereignty, power, and might.