ONLY
those who go through the Tribulation REIGN with Christ? Those in
the Rapture NEVER REIGN with Christ? Frightening IF that IS correct.!!
Published 20250814 -:- Revised 20251011P
Scripture
references are from Modern King James (MKJV) unless noted otherwise.
NB: This is all based on the premise that there IS a Pre Tribulation RAPTURE!
I did a word search in the New Testament for the words 'rule' and 'reign'! The
reason was that years ago I discovered in Revelation chapter 20 versus 4-5,
that it seems to says quite clearly that only those who endure and stand firm
through the Great Tribulation will reign with Christ during the thousand years!
So lately I thought let's see if any other passages make reference to us
Christians ruling and/or reigning with Christ at any time in the present or in
the future?
I was quite surprised, because apart from that one mentioned above in Rev 20
there are no passages that clearly says that anyone else will REIGN with
Christ? We have the parables, which infer we could RULE with Christ. But some
say the parables can not be taken literally, they are allegorical. Well let's
look at some scriptures and see what other verses we can find.
In Matthew 24: 43-47 KJV Jesus starts " ..if the goodman ..had known in
what watch the thief would come, he ..would not have ..his ..house ..broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
man cometh". And He finishes with verse 47 "Verily I say unto you,
That he shall make him ruler over all his goods". Most people believe that
Matthew 24 is speaking of the last days followed by the second coming of The
Lord; "the Son of man cometh". Those who think this refers to the
second coming, would then assume the, "RULE over all his good", is
the reward to a good servant. BUT Don't forget it's a parable?
Then we have Matt 25: 14-30, the parable of the man giving out
"talents" to his servants. Ultimately when the man returns, Mat 25:21
KJV "His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant:
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many
things:.." To "ruler over many things;" is more along the lines of an
administrative roll to rule over THINGS! And it is nothing like the reference
in Rev 20:4 KJV "... and they lived and REIGNED with Christ a thousand
years". BUT again Don't forget it's just a parable?
SUFFERING
Some other passages speak of, "IF we suffer", and the reward after
that suffering. 2Ti 2:12 KJV "IF WE SUFFER, we shall also reign with him:
if we deny him, he also will deny us:" And there's another verses in, Rom
8:17 KJV "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Christ; if so be THAT WE SUFFER with him, that we may be also glorified
together." Those verses sound promising!
Well, we all suffer these days, but our suffering is nothing compared to that
described in Revelation 20. Rev 20:4 KJV "And I saw thrones, and they sat
upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that
were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had
not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon
their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and REIGNED with Christ a
thousand years." But that verse is clearly speaking of the beast and his
mark so that has to be speaking of the Great Tribulation! And if you believe
you will be caught up in the Rapture, then the Great Tribulation hasn't
happened yet?
JOINT-HEIRS
Also there is the issue that we are joint-heirs with Christ; as in Rom 8:17
above and in this verse. Gal 4:7 KJV Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but
a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Ok some passages say we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, and it
would appear that we have that authority in our present day. That's fine that
we rule as joint heirs with Christ now in our present day, but we only rule in the spirit realm. And you need the anointing of the Holy Spirit otherwise
you end up like the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19: 13-16. They ordered an evil
spirit to leave a demoned possessed man. Their authority was challenged, and
they got stripped naked and severely booted out of the man's house. Act 19:15
MKJV1962 "But answering the evil spirit said, Jesus I know, and I
comprehend Paul, but who are you?"
YOUR AUTHORITY NOW
But consider this, your authority in Christ now in our present day, does it
compare to that which is described in Revelation 20:4 KJV "... and they
lived and REIGNED with Christ a thousand years." And that thousand years
REIGN of Christ with us as His joint reigning ambassadors will be quite severe.
The world must annually worship the Lord or pay the penalty. Refer Zechariah
chapter 14. Zec 14:16-19 KJV "16 And it shall come to pass, that every one
that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up
from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast
of tabernacles.... 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment
of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles." Then it
goes on to speak of NO rain on their land or the affliction of plagues.
So when we consider REIGNING with Christ, what scriptures are you left with? It
would appear that the only time anyone will truly REIGN with Christ during the
thousand years, is if we have been through the Great Tribulation? But don't
forget this is all based on the belief that there is a Pre Tribulation Rapture,
and that all of us Christians are Raptured off to heaven and don't go through
the Great Tribulation.
THE TRIBULATION
What Happens During 'The Tribulation'? The main references we have for that are in
the Revelation, in particular the letters to the churches. But a key phrase
that keeps popping up is; "He that overcome".
Rev 2:7 "...To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the Tree of Life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God."
Rev 2:11 "...He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death."
Rev 2:17 "...To him who overcomes I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give to him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows except he who receives it."
Rev 2:26 "...And he who overcomes and keeps My works to the end, to him I will give power over the nations."
Rev 3:5 "The one who overcomes, this one will be clothed in white clothing. And I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."
Rev 3:12 "Him who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of Heaven from My God, and My new name."
Rev 3:21 "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with My Father in His throne."
Rev 21:7 "He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son."
So, each church has been through some horrible persecution, and He that overcomes will be rewarded. And we can see that according to revelation 20:
4-5 they also get to REIGN with Christ during the thousand years!
Then you have all the passages through out the rest of Revelation, speaking of
the horrendous things the tribulation saints go through! And they MUST endure
them to be accepted by the Lord.
CONCLUSION
Let's say you believe in the pre tribulation rapture, and YOU ARE CAUGHT UP IN
THE RAPTURE! All living Christians and the dead in Christ are raptured from
earth, and the Seven Year Great Tribulation starts. The tribulation saints go
through hell on earth under the rule of the antichrist. Then Christ returns and
He sets up His one thousand year Reign on earth. And the Tribulation saints
jointly REIGN with Him!
BUT IF you were caught up in the Rapture, what happens to you? Well, you come back from that "Seven Years Holiday" up in heaven! Which is AFTER the Seven years Tribulation! Which is when the thousand years
reign of Christ starts. BUT according to scripture, you are NOT part of the REIGNING body with Christ?
Also, it would appear that after the thousand years there is no indication that
you will EVER REIGN with Christ throughout eternity!? And if you can find any
passages that clearly say anyone who is in the PRE Tribulation Rapture will REIGN with
Christ by all means let know.
So You Have A Choice!
Do you want to miss out on the "Pre Tribulation Rapture" and go
through the Great Tribulation, so that you can get a chance to REIGN with
Christ during the thousand years?
Or
Do you want to be in the "Pre Tribulation Rapture" and "sit in
heaven for seven years watching reruns"? Then when you return to earth you
have NO real authority and you definitely WILL NOT REIGN WITH CHRIST!???
As I said at the start; This is all based on the premise that there IS a Pre Tribulation RAPTURE!
What If There Is No Pre
Trib Rapture?
BUT If there is NO Pre Tribulation Rapture, then has the world been living
through the great tribulation period for the past 2000 years?
As it says in Rev 1:1 "A Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to declare to His servants things which must shortly come to pass. Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads and hears the Words of this prophecy, and the ones keeping the things written in it, for the time is near."
Then also at the END of The Revelation Christ tells John: - Rev 22:6 "And he said to me, These sayings are faithful and true. And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show to His servants the things which must shortly be done. Rev 22:10 And he said to me, Do not seal the Words of the prophecy of this Book; for the time is at hand."
Which is pretty clear cut that Christ is telling John that The
Book Of Revelation Started 2000 Years Ago! Therefore, anyone
who has been an overcomer from Calvary to now WILL Reign with Christ in the
millennium.
That sounds more logical to me.
As before if you have any comments drop me a line.
You might like to look some other talks I have posted: -
GBY - (God Bless Ya!)
Yours Adrian DEACON