The Kingship of Christ

 

The subject of the Kingship of Christ is one to which the Reformed Faith has always given an important place. However it might be said that the Reformed Church in Scotland has made a distinctive, thorough and most edifying contribution to this grand subject. What follows is based very largely on the classic work by William Symington entitled Messiah the Prince: or, The Mediatorial Dominion of Jesus Christ which was published in 1840. At the time Symington was minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in Glasgow.

 

Introduction

Before we tackle our specific subject we may note two points of general relevance: the definition of kingship and the distinction of Christ’s kingship.

 

i. The Definition of Kingship

Kingship is the state, office or dignity of a king. A king is a chief ruler and kingship is one of the three great offices in the Bible:

    a prophet speaks for God to men;

    a priest speaks and acts for men to God;

    a king acts for God to men.

 

ii. The Distinction of Christ’s Kingship

Our Lord Jesus Christ has two kingdoms. Alexander Patterson wrote:

   “1. As God supreme, God equal with the Father and the Holy Ghost, he has an essential kingdom. His supremacy and dominion over all things are equal to theirs.

    2. As God-man, Mediator, and Redeemer, he has a mediatorial kingdom which was given him by his Father as a reward for what he hath done for his people. This kingdom in a special manner respects his Church, and is constituted with the design of bringing her real members upon earth to the full enjoyment of the Lord, and of the presence of Zion’s King.” (A Concise System of Theology on the Basis of the Shorter Catechism, p.101 [Q.26])

 

The mediatorial kingdom is what is usually intended when speaking of Christ’s kingship and that is our meaning here. It may be asked though, How are we to know which kingdom is intended in the various Scriptures which speak of Christ as King? There is a rule to guide us: whenever we read of an authority or power or government which is given to Christ or appointed to Him or laid upon Him or similar terms then it must be a reference to His mediatorial kingship: His essential kingship simply could not be spoken of in such terms. As we proceed we shall note the relation between the two kingdoms.

 

We now move on to look at our subject in detail. There are five points to consider: the necessity, the reality, the spirituality, the universality and the perpetuity of Christ’s kingship.

 

1. The Necessity of Christ’s Kingship

The necessity of Christ’s kingship derives from God’s eternal purpose of salvation. If there had been no sin then the glorious Trinity, the Son included, might have governed the universe simply according to their inherent sovereignty. If sin had entered the creation and yet there had been no plan to redeem the fallen creatures then the same would have been true. It is because of God’s gracious purpose and plan to save an elect people out of a fallen world that the mediatorial kingship of Christ is necessary.

 

To understand the need for Christ’s kingship we must reckon with the fact of man’s total depravity. God’s elect, with the rest of mankind, are found in the state of sin and misery. John Willison in the Mother’s Catechism links Christ’s mediatorship with our natural state in the following way:

    “Q. Why behoved Christ’s mediatorial office to be threefold?

    A. To answer our threefold misery.

    Q. What is that?

    A. Ignorance, guilt, and servitude.

    Q. What need have you of Christ as a prophet?

    A. To teach and cure my ignorance.

    Q. What need have you of Christ as a priest?

    A. To atone for my guilt, and intercede with God for me.

    Q. What need have you of Christ as a king?

    A. To deliver me from bondage, and govern me by his laws.

    Q. How doth Christ cure our ignorance?

    A. By his Word and Spirit teaching us.

    Q. How did he atone for our guilt?

    A. By his dying, and offering a sacrifice for us, upon the cross.

    Q. How doth he deliver us from bondage?

    A. By his power, carrying on a work of conversion and sanctification in us.”

 

The kingship of Christ is explained in more detail in the Shorter Catechism at Question 26:

    “Q. How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

  A. Christ executeth the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.”

 

There are five aspects to the execution of Christ’s kingly office. It is the first of these which is of interest to us at this point. Thomas Vincent in his Shorter Catechism Explained from Scripture explains this first aspect of Christ’s kingly work in salvation in this way:

    “Q. What doth Christ’s subduing his elect people to himself suppose?

  A. Christ’s subduing his elect people to himself doth suppose that at first they are stubborn and disobedient, rebellious, and enemies unto him. ‘For we ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts.’–Tit. 3:3. ‘You were sometimes alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked works.’–Col. 1:21. 

    Q. What doth Christ’s subduing his elect people to himself imply?

   A. Christ’s subduing his elect people to himself doth imply his effectual calling of them, and bringing them under his government, wherein, by his word and Spirit, he doth conquer their stubbornness and enmity, and make them a willing people to himself. ‘Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power.’–Ps. 110:3.”

 

The work of a priest is to purchase salvation. The work of a prophet is to publish salvation. The work of a king is to apply salvation. Symington shows that, without His kingly office, Christ is no Mediator:

“As priest, he makes atonement for the sins of the chosen of God, procures pardon, purchases deliverance, from condemnation, pays the ransom due for their sins, and completely removes all legal obstructions to their salvation. As intercessor, he represents the case of his people before the Father, pleads the merits of his sacrifice, and expresses his will that they be put in possession of the purchased benefits of redemption; and the Father is pleased to hear and sustain the validity of his claims. As prophet, he makes known to men that all this has been done, informs them plainly that the curse of the law has been removed, God reconciled, and heaven opened for their reception. Yet will these avail for the salvation of a single soul? All this may be conceived to be done, and yet not one sinner rescued from the pit, not one rebel restored to the favour of the Almighty, not one child of Adam exalted to glory. Without something more, the benefit arising from these interpositions is lost; without another office, the functions of these two are neutralized. Without regal authority, the sacrifice, however meritorious, has no power; the intercession, however powerful, has no efficacy; the doctrine, however clear, has no saving influence; and the Son of God must be content to see the whole human race perish for ever in their sins, as if his blood had never been either shed on Calvary, or carried within the veil.” (pp.21-22)

 

We tend to refer, as does the Shorter Catechism, to the three offices which Christ executes as our Redeemer. But there is merit in thinking of a threefold office rather than three offices. While the offices are distinct they are inseparably connected. All are essential to Christ’s character as Saviour; all are essential for our salvation. It is necessary that Christ should be a king.

 

2. The Reality of Christ’s Kingship

If it is necessary that Christ should be a king then we look to Scripture in the expectation of discovering His kingship there as a reality. What do we find?

 

(i) The Claim

When Christ appeared in this world He certainly claimed to be a king. To Pilate He said: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” (John 18:36) Three times in this verse Christ referred to His mediatorial kingdom. As if to assure himself of this claim Pilate then asked: “Art thou a king then?” Jesus’s reply was: “Thou sayest that I am a King.” (v.37).

 

(ii) The Evidence

a. Christ was prophesied as a king. We confine ourselves to some of the most interesting passages:

Gen.49:10. “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.”

Jacob’s prophetic words indicate that kingly power will remain with Judah and his descendants until the Shiloh or Messiah comes to assume it as rightfully His. When He comes the Gentiles will come under His authority too. It is a fact that once the supreme government of the Jews came to Judah it did not shift from tribe to tribe but remained there and was exercised whenever the Jews were able to govern themselves. Significantly Paul says, “It is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah” (Heb.7:14).

 

Num.24:17. “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.”

Balaam’s prophecy continues the theme established by Jacob. By a ‘Star’ and a ‘Sceptre’ Balaam can only be referring to an eminent king who would come out of Israel. Our minds go to the time of Christ’s birth and the words of the wise men who came from the east to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” (Matt.2:2).

 

Mic.5:2. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

When the wicked king Herod, who was Jewish by faith and not by birth, heard of the errand of the wise men to Jerusalem he demanded to know of the chief priests and scribes where Christ should be born. He was referred to this prophecy of Israel’s true king, One who would come forth from Judah as regards His humanity and yet also came forth from eternity and therefore be God.

 

Psa.2:6. “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”

In Acts 4:24-27 the raging of the heathen and their conspiracy against the Lord and His anointed king, the theme which occupies the first part of Psalm 2, is said to be fulfilled in what Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles and the Jews did against Jesus Christ.

 

Psa.45:1,3,6. “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer....Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty....Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.”

Many of the details in this royal psalm cannot apply to Solomon but do apply to Christ. Paul does exactly that when quoting the words of verse 6 in Hebrews 1:8: “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

 

The following passages might also be considered:

Isa.9:6,7. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (This prophecy is referred to by the angel speaking to the shepherds concerning the birth of Christ in Luke 2:11.)

 

Jer.23:5-6. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

 

Zech.9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (Fulfilled in Luke 19:35-38)

 

b. Christ was prefigured as a king.

Before Christ appeared in this world he was expressly prefigured in his kingly office by Melchisedec, King of righteousness and King of peace (Heb.7:1-2); by Moses, king in Jeshurun or of The Blessed People (Deut.33:5); by David, the Chosen and Beloved King (1Sam.16:1; Psa.78:70) and by Solomon, the Wise and Glorious King (Matt.6:29); and indeed in some way by all the kings of Israel and Judah.

 

c. Christ bore the titles of a king.

1. Some are titles which express the idea of dominion generally. Christ is Ruler, Judge, Commander, Leader, Captain, Anointed, Lord. It must be agreed that these titles could apply to other persons.

2. Others are titles which can be ascribed to no-one else but Christ. Christ is called the Prince of life (Acts 3:15); the King of kings and Lord of lords (1Tim.6:15; Rev.19:16).

 

d. Christ wore the ensignia of a king. We may mention some of them.

Christ occupies a throne. The highest throne. “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev.3:21).

Christ wears a crown. The richest crown. “For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (Psa.8:5 – applied to Christ in Heb.2:7). We may say that His people are the jewels in His crown.

Christ enacts laws. The chiefest laws. “for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isa.2:3). Believers are said to be “not without law to God, but under the law to Christ” (1Cor.9:21).

Christ wields a sceptre. The mightiest sceptre. “The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power” (Psa.110:2-3).

Christ has subjects. “A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” (Psa.22:30).

Christ has attendants. “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 14).

Christ has revenues. “And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour” (Psa.45:12).

Christ has ambassadors. “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us” (2Cor.5:20).

Christ has armour. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God” (Eph. 6:10-11).

 

(iii) The Qualification

Christ’s great qualification for kingship is His personal dignity as the second Person of the Trinity. Yet it is a dignity which by no means makes Him remote from His people. It was a law in Israel that “one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother” (Deut.17:15). By taking our nature in the mystery of the incarnation, even coming in “the likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom.8:3), Christ has been “made like unto his brethren” (Heb.2:17). He enjoys the closest possible affinity with His people without in any way losing His dignity as the eternal Son.

 

We may list some other qualities which fit Christ for His kingship:

Knowledge. As God Christ is omniscient. He is “the only wise God” (Jude 25). Christ has perfect knowledge of the principles of equitable government and of the laws of God’s kingdom. Christ knows the end from the beginning and nothing to Him is unforeseen. Wisdom is necessary to make the right use of knowledge. In His wisdom Christ is able to manage the affairs of His kingdom with consummate skill. It may be said too that Christ is thoroughly acquainted with the affairs of the rival kingdom of Satan and his subjects, so much so that what His enemies intend for evil He is able to turn to good.

Power. As God Christ is omnipotent. He is “the mighty God” (Isa.9:6). Creation and providence are His works, executed by His powerful word, with the Father and the Spirit. Solomon’s saying is applicable to Christ as to none other, “Where the word of a king is, there is power” (Ecc.8:4). He possesses the absolute power of an absolute king.

Presence. As God Christ is omnipresent. He is “the Lord of all the earth” (Zech.6:5). His omnipresence underwrites the universal extension of His knowledge and power. He is able to rule all His subjects personally and directly without dependence upon any vassal.

Righteousness. King David was told by the Lord, “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (2Sam.23:3). Of Christ it is said, “Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity” (Heb.1:9). He loved it and practised it when in this world, even to His own great discomfort. With Him it was [and is] righteousness at any cost and not peace at any price. The redeemed in glory, reflecting on all the dealings Christ had with them while they were in this world, are able to sing, “Just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Rev.15:3). There is nothing sinister about Christ’s administration. It is impartial, equitable and beneficial. How sad that this is not always reflected within His church!

Mercy. “Mercy and truth preserve the king: and his throne is upholden by mercy” (Prov.20:28). If justice is the most necessary attribute in the exercise of regal power then mercy is the most becoming attribute, when it can be exercised consistently with justice. Symington writes: “Although having all the resources of destruction at his command, he bears patiently with the disobedience and rebellious insults of his subjects. He waits to be gracious. To the most worthless criminal he extends the golden sceptre of his love” (p.5). “For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy” (Psa.72:12-13).

Authority. Last but not least Christ, even Christ, must have a proper authority for His kingship. In ancient times rulers took power by usurpation, an act invariably tainted with sin; in modern times they do so by popular election, an act which, although regarded as ‘sacred’ in the eyes of many is also not free from sin. Neither of these is fitting however for Christ. His authority comes in the best possible way – by divine appointment.

 

(iv) The Appointment

How was Christ appointed to His kingly office? There are perhaps four distinct aspects to this:

a. The absolute appointment. Symington states: “Absolutely speaking Christ’s appointment proceeded from the sovereign act of the divine will essentially considered. The designation of all the divine persons to their respective economical characters and offices, can only be referred to such an act.” (p.59)

b. The formal appointment. Symington again: “Christ was formally appointed to the kingly office by his Father from all eternity in the covenant of grace.” (Psa.2:6: “Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion”)....“It belonged to the Father to do this formally, as the representative of Deity in the economy of redemption, being placed at the head of this economy by the mutual consent of the adored Three, to sustain the authority and vindicate the honour of the Godhead.” (pp.58-59)

c. The symbolic appointment. What has been considered so far took place in the eternal covenant. In time the kingship of Christ was intimated by His anointing – the accepted symbol of appointment. Yet in the case of Christ it was not with any material oil but with “the oil of gladness” that He was anointed (Psa.45:7). The Holy Spirit endowed Christ’s human nature with every gracious gift and character at His conception but descended upon Him in the shape of a dove at His baptism, furnishing Him to the highest degree with what was required for the exercise of His kingly office, as well as the prophetic and priestly.

d. The public appointment. Symington: “The kingly office of Christ being essential to the mediatorial character, must, of course, have existed from eternity, and must also have been exercised from the beginning of time [strictly from the entrance of sin into the world]; yet the Scriptures speak of it as conferred upon him in reward of his obedience unto death.” (p.62) The apostle Paul can write: “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil.2:8-11). How are we to understand this? Symington: “His power was, from the first, exercised on the footing of his meritorious death; for although that death had not yet taken place, it was infallibly certain that it should....But when the death had really occurred, it was natural and fitting that there should be a display of the power which resulted from it, and which had all along a regard to it.” (p.63). There is a parallel among men. In earthly society coronation does not make a man a king. The royal power exists and has full validity from the moment of accession to the throne; the ceremony only makes public the sovereign’s investiture with that power. It was surely fitting that Christ, who was King from eternity and exercised that kingship even in the lowest depths of His humiliation, should receive a public recognition of His office once He had risen from the dead.

 

The sum of all this is that Christ is certainly a king.                            

 

3. The Spirituality of Christ’s Kingship

If Christ is really a king then how does He exercise His kingship and manifest Himself as a king?

 

Christ’s kingdom is plainly a spiritual kingdom. John 18:36: “My kingdom,” says Christ, “is not of this world.” It is called “the kingdom of heaven” to mark its spirituality and “the kingdom of God” to show, that its origin, tendency, privileges and goal are all of a spiritual and heavenly nature. Christ is not a worldly ruler: He came “not to be ministered unto, but to minister” (Matt.20:28). The ensignia we have considered already – His throne, crown, laws, sceptre, subjects and so on – are all spiritual in character. So are His worship and homage (John 4:24; 1Pet.2:8), His rewards and punishments (2Thess.1:4-10). However it is a great mistake to imagine that therefore nothing earthly or secular can have any relation to Christ’s kingdom. Consider the following:

 

The kingdom of God has a visible as well as an invisible form. It finds expression in the church of Christ which is gathered by the gospel. There are visible laws, ordinances, officers and subjects. Her public worship, though spiritual in its character, requires buildings for its performance; her ministers, though we trust also spiritual in their character, require manses and stipends. Her members, though not of the world as regards their inward character are yet in the world with respect to their place of residence. They have bodies as well as souls and these must be fed, clothed and sheltered. These simple facts are sufficient to show us that the kingdom of Christ, though spiritual, is not so exclusively spiritual as to have no relation to the physical world. Symington: “The kingdom of Christ is not of this world; yet many worldly things are connected with Christ’s kingdom.” (p.75)

 

The relation should be seen in this way. Whatever worldly things may be connected with the kingdom of Christ must be subservient to the spiritual ends of the kingdom. In this way Christ’s mediatorial dominion may embrace many things beside His actual spiritual subjects or saints. His power over these things is exercised on behalf of His people. “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church” (Eph.1:22). Note that Paul says “all things”! Symington: “But what, we ask, is there that is not for the good of the church? But for the church, would the sun continue to shine, the rain to fall, the earth to vegetate? Would the wheels of providence continue to revolve, or the pillars of the universe to be upheld? No. The church is the great conservative element of the world, and all that is in it; nor is there any thing which is not capable of being rendered, by infinite wisdom and power, subservient to the interests of God’s covenant society.” (p.77).

 

Let us emphasise once again that Christ’s kingdom is truly spiritual. It is spiritual in three chief ways:

(i) In its origin. Christ’s crown was never worn by any other, although the devil has sought after it. It was granted to Him direct from heaven, for He said that His Father had appointed to Him a kingdom (Luke 22:29).

 

(ii) In its administration. Christ’s kingdom is extended by weapons which are “not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds” (2Cor.10:4). These are chiefly preaching and prayer. Christ’s kingdom is defended by spiritual censures – admonition, suspension from privileges and excommunication.

 

(iii) In its goal. Christ’s kingdom has as its great end the salvation of souls to the glory of God. Its aim is not the accumulation of wealth or any worldly estate. “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” (Rom.14:17).

 

We can see that Christ’s kingship is clearly spiritual.

 

4. The Universality of Christ’s Kingship

If Christ kingship is spiritual then how extensive is it? We shall consider Christ’s dominion over the church, then over the creation and finally over the nations.

 

(i) The Church

The kingdom of Christ may be distinguished into the kingdom of grace in this world, which is His Church which He has purchased with his own blood and called effectually by His Word and Spirit; and the kingdom of glory in the world to come, which is the Church purged of all sin and perfected in holiness. These are not so much distinct kingdoms as different states or phases of the same kingdom.

 

The church is a very extensive kingdom (Matt.28:18; John 17:2; Psa.2:8). Alexander Patterson: “It extends to persons of all ages, ranks, and nations. Many shall be found in it at last, gathered out of every nation, and people, and language, under heaven; and all shall be fully satisfied with the riches of this kingdom, which consist of glory, and honour, and immortality.”

 

a. Christ exercises His kingly office firstly over His elect people. According to the Shorter Catechism there are three aspects to this:

1. He subdues them. We considered this under The Necessity of Christ’s Kingship.

 

2. He rules them. Thomas Vincent explains how Christ does this:

    “1. By giving them laws, unto which they are to conform their hearts and lives. (‘The Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king.’–Isa. 33:22.)

    2. By annexing or adding to his laws threatenings of punishing the disobedient, and promises of rewarding the obedient. (‘I will kill her children with death; and all the Churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts; and I will give to every one of you according to your works.’–Rev. 2:23.)

    3. By appointing Church officers, not only for declaring and publishing his laws, but also for the execution of some threatenings, who, having the key of discipline as well as the key of doctrine committed to them, are to rule under him in the Church, and have power of binding and loosing, of administering Church censures, and relaxing or taking them off. (‘And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’–Matt. 16:19.) [We should note here that the authority of ministers, elders and deacons is strictly ministerial. They may only govern Christ’s church according to Christ’s own laws; they may never legislate themselves. Christ’s authority alone is magisterial. He has ‘crown rights’ over His church and woe betide anyone from within or without the church who seeks to usurp them.

    4. And chiefly, Christ doth rule his people inwardly by his Spirit, whereby he doth write his laws in their hearts, working in them a disposition and strength to yield to him that obedience which he requireth. (‘I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.’–Heb. 8:10. ‘Ye are the epistle of Christ, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.’–2 Cor. 3:3.)”

 

3. He defends them. Vincent again:

    “1. By hiding them under his wings. (‘How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings!’–Matt. 23:37. ‘He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.’–Ps. 91:4.)

    2. By restraining and conquering all his and our enemies. These are the devil, the flesh, the world, and death.”

 

b. Secondly Christ exercises His kingly office over His and His people’s enemies:

1. He restrains them. Vincent states: “Christ doth restrain his and his people’s enemies, when (their power remaining) he doth set bounds and limits to them, over which he doth not suffer them to pass.”

 

2. He conquers them. Vincent again: “Christ doth conquer his and his people’s enemies, when he takes away their power in part, that they have not dominion over his people; but then he doth completely conquer them, when he doth bring all enemies under his feet, and utterly abolish and destroy them.”

 

Christ governs His people with the shepherd’s staff of His grace; He governs His enemies by the iron rod of His providence.

 

(ii) The Creation

We have noted that the Father gave the Son as Mediator to be “head over all things” to the church (Eph.1:22). This is suggestive, surely, of the idea that Christ’s mediatorial sovereignty is as extensive as His essential sovereignty. And this very idea, against which so many even of the Lord’s people inwardly rebel and even outwardly declaim, is what we find developed in Scripture. Let us note a few verses:

“All things are delivered unto me of my Father” (Matt.11:27).

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt.28:18).

“Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him” (Heb.2:8).

“He is Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). (Peter)

 

What is Christ Lord or King of?

 

Christ is King of the whole inanimate and animate creation. “Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas” (Heb.8:6-8). At the command of Christ the Mediator the sun and the moon have stood still; the stars in their courses have fought; seas have stood up, rivers have dried up and fires have failed to cause hurt; ravens, asses and serpents have all acted contrary to their nature; a fish has even provided money for the temple tribute!

 

Christ is King of the angelic world. Peter says of the resurrected Christ: “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1Pet.3:22). Only in reference to Christ as Mediator could it be said that angels were made subject to Him. The holy angels are “all ministering spirits, sent forth [by Christ] to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb.1:14).

 

We trust that no-one will dispute that Christ has mediatorial sovereignty over the holy angels and employs them for the benefit of His church. But what of the evil angels, with Satan at their head? It is surely significant that the very first announcement of the Saviour reveals Him as the conqueror of the evil one by His atoning suffering at Calvary: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Gen.3:15). Satan possesses his power over men because of their sin. He and His minions have no proper authority to exercise their malice towards sinners but they do have divine permission. But in the case of God’s elect Satan’s power to do them lasting hurt has been removed through the satisfaction to God’s justice which was rendered by Christ. All legal ground for Satan’s designs against the elect has been taken away. To them it is said, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom.16:20). This shall finally be fulfilled when Christ casts the devil and his angels “into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Rev.20:10).

 

We have already seen that Christ exercises dominion over men, whether righteous or wicked. Also, what we have said under this head has in a modest way pointed us to another great truth, which is that all the various dispensations of providence are under Christ’s dominion, for the sake of His church.

 

The objection is made that to extend the mediatorial kingship of Christ so widely is to confound it with His essential sovereignty. Symington states that there is no necessity that “the territory over which the sovereignty is exercised by inherent right, and that over which it is exercised by delegated authority, should be actually different in matter or extent. They may in reality be the same in substance, and of course equal in extent; the difference consisting in this, that the kingdom over which he, as the Son of God, rules by inherent right, he is, as Mediator, authorised to manage and direct for a new end, namely, the salvation of men, and the best interests of the church.” (p.98).

 

A further objection is made that to give such an extent to the mediatorial kingship of Christ must suppose that the wicked have some interest in the work of Christ. Symington deals helpfully with this:

    “There are some benefits enjoyed by the wicked of the world, which, as they result from the mediatorial economy, may be said to be, indirectly at least, the fruits of Christ’s death. Such is the case with the divine forbearance, temporal favours, and the outward dispensation of Gospel ordinances of the which the wicked partake, but which, but for the scheme of salvation, they could never have enjoyed.” (pp.130-131). He points us to the Lord’s willingness to spare Sodom and its wicked inhabitants because of the few righteous souls who were found in the city. He also says this: “Nor is it irrelevant, here, to advert to the distinction betwixt things viewed simply in themselves, and viewed as blessed by God. The things themselves may be enjoyed when the blessing of heaven is withheld. In the case of temporal benefits, it is the blessing that springs, properly speaking, directly from the mediation of Christ; the things themselves spring from it only indirectly. Things which flow from the natural goodness of God, it will be allowed, were forfeited by sin; and, if so, they can be restored only through the Mediator.” He further says: “Now, it may be asked, to which covenant, the covenant of works or that of grace, do these promises and assurances respecting temporal mercies belong? Not surely to the covenant of works, for, through this medium, no good can come to fallen man; the curse is all that he can receive from this source. But if they belong to the covenant of grace, they must have some connexion with the death of Christ, by which this covenant is ratified. And if the things, viewed in themselves, flow, as we admit, from the natural goodness of God, and so may be participated in by more than the saints; yet, viewed as blessed by God, that is, as real blessings, must they not be regarded as flowing from the blood of Christ, by which they are secured, redeemed, and sanctified, for the use of his own people? Nor can it be any more a valid objection to Christ’s headship over all things, that the wicked are thus supposed to enjoy temporal benefits, than it is to his headship over the church, that the wicked, as well as others, enjoy access to the ordinances of the Gospel and the means of grace.” (pp.131-132).

 

(iii) The Nations

The mediatorial dominion of Christ over the nations is well-established in Scripture. We may note three lines of proof:

a. The commands issued to civil rulers.

“Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (Psa.2:10-12). The subject of the whole psalm is the Lord’s Anointed and what men do or don’t do to Him. This can only be Christ as Mediator. The psalm enjoins subjection to Christ upon ‘kings’ and ‘judges’, i.e. civil rulers. But perhaps it is merely these great men in their personal or individual capacity? But Herod and Pontius Pilate, of whom this psalm foretells, acted against Christ in their official capacity. It is in their official capacity then that those who hold the like positions are encouraged to submit to Christ and to serve Him. To ‘kiss’ in this context is to express loyalty to a sovereign. The wickedness of Judas Iscariot was seen in that he betrayed the Son of man with a kiss – a token of loyalty but one that in his case was entirely feigned.

 

b. The predictions concerning Christ’s kingdom.

Whatever is predicted regarding Christ and His cause in the world must indicate what is included in the grant made by the Father to the Son as Mediator. Dominion over the nations is a theme frequently referred to.

“The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him.... His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.” (Psa.72:10-11, 17).

These things are spoken with reference to “the king’s son” (v.1). Psalm 72 is ‘A Psalm for [or, of] Solomon’. Now these things were never true of David or Solomon but they are true of David’s greater Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Kings and nations are mentioned here giving recognition to Christ’s dominion in their civil capacity. They bring material gifts to Christ and they give moral subjection to Him, falling down at His feet, serving Him and calling Him blessed.

“Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.” (Isa.49:22,23).

This prophecy refers to New Testament times and the ingathering of the Gentiles. The designation ‘nursing fathers’ and ‘nursing mothers’ indicates that earthly kings and their queens shall exercise the most solicitous care towards the church, involving not simply protection but also nourishment and support. The Hebrew word rendered ‘nursing’ here means to strengthen and establish. While the immediate concern of civil rulers is the temporal good of their people, the advancement of the cause of Christ is an end which they are bound to aim at; without the sanctifying influence of that religion which is ‘pure and undefiled’ all the endeavours of civil government, however lawful, are bound to end in frustration, as we see only too clearly in our present society.

 

c. The designations of Christ.

There are designation or descriptions of Christ which imply that He has dominion over the nations. Christ is:

“the governor among the nations” (Psa.22:28);

“higher than the kings of the earth” (Psa.89:27;

“the prince of the kings of the earth” (Rev.1:5);

“KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev.19:16).

 

With these things in mind we wish now to ask two questions:

1. According to Scripture, how exactly does Christ the King regard the nations of this world? Does He as it were disregard them and their boundaries and simply exercise His gracious power in gathering His saints to build His international church in their midst? Is what we have just seen, as many think, merely predictive of what will be the final result of the leaven of the gospel at work in the world? Or is it in some sense prescriptive? Does Christ as King require something particular of the nations as nations? What does Scripture teach?

 

This is a major subject and we can only say a little on it here. We maintain, on Scriptural and rational grounds, that it is the duty of nations, as such, to have respect to the religion of Christ. Symington: “It is the duty of a nation, as such, enjoying the light of revelation, in virtue of its moral subjection to the Messiah, legally to recognise, favour, and support, the true religion.” (p.303).

 

a. This idea is but a natural and necessary inference from the Scriptural references to a national subjection to the Messiah, already noted. As subjects of Christ nations and their rulers are not merely under Christ’s providential control but under His moral authority. As the church is of the greatest interest to Christ so ought it to be to all His subjects.

 

b. The description which is given of the magistrate’s office, in the New Testament particularly, confirms the previous point. The magistrate is described as “the minister of God” and that “for good” (Rom.13:4). To evil works he is to be a “terror” (v.3). Now what is the greatest good in this world? Surely it is the cause of Christ. What is the greatest evil? Surely it is anything that would oppose Christ and His cause. It must be the duty of the magistrate therefore to punish not only public breaches of the second table of the law, the sins of men against their fellow men, but also public breaches of the first table of the law, the sins of men against God. This is the teaching of the Westminster Confession in Chapter 20:4:

“And because the powers which God hath ordained, and the liberty which Christ hath purchased, are not intended by God to destroy, but mutually to uphold and preserve one another; they who, upon pretence of Christian liberty, shall oppose any lawful power, or the lawful exercise of it, whether it be civil or ecclesiastical, resist the ordinance of God. And for their publishing of such opinions, or maintaining of such practices, as are contrary to the light of nature, or to the known principles of Christianity, whether concerning faith, worship, or conversation; or to the power of godliness; or such erroneous opinions or practices, as either in their own nature, or in the manner of publishing or maintaining them, are destructive to the external peace and order which Christ hath established in the church; they may lawfully be called to account, and proceeded against by the censures of the church, and by the power of the civil magistrate.”

 

This section was written against the Anabaptists, who maintained that magistrates had no right to meddle in religious matters. They (and their modern successors) pled for ‘toleration’ of their (erroneous) views, according to a supposed right to ‘liberty of conscience’. It ought to be obvious that no right such as this exists. God never did and never could grant men such a liberty. Rather we have a duty to believe the truth and only the truth. The magistrate, while not entering into men’s consciences, is bound to prohibit all false religion and to punish any public expression of it, however sincerely meant. In the end sincerity is not the thing: truth is the thing. One day sincerity will have to meet the Truth in its incarnate form, Jesus Christ. Sincerity will be of no avail then.

 

c. The Old Testament furnishes us with examples of men who occupied civil office who were yet zealous for the spiritual welfare of the people under their authority. Moreover there were frequently partnerships between these civil rulers and religious leaders, partnerships which were brought about by God for the good of Israel: Moses and Aaron; Joshua and Eleazar; David and Abiathar; Solomon and Zadok; Hezekiah and Azariah; Zerubbabel and Joshua. We ask, Was such a thing in any way improper or immoral? We ask moreover, Has such a thing been revoked with the coming of Christ? He alone has legislative authority in His church. Where then in the New Testament does Christ annul for His covenant people the principle of the establishment of religion which was so clearly the duty and privilege of His covenant people under the Old Testament? On the contrary, given that the establishment principle is founded upon moral grounds and is not ceremonial in character, concerning as it does the good of men’s souls, the welfare of society and the honour of God, so it must be of perpetual obligation. While the countenance of the civil power is not essential to the being of the church it is involved in her well-being.

 

Is there New Testament evidence for the establishment principle? In 1 Timothy 2:1-2 we read: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” What Christians are to pray for in regard to magistrates, those same magistrates are bound to promote. Rulers are not to be indifferent to godliness any more than they are to honesty.

 

The establishment principle has been defined as ‘co-ordinate jurisdiction with mutual subordination’. The magistrate does not possess power in holy things but about holy things. The alternative to establishment is so-called ‘voluntaryism’. It advocates a secular state and is atheistic in principle. As George Smeaton pointed out, this theory leads to the absurdity that the best ruler is the worst man – one who has no fear of God and to whom all religions are alike, and none worthy of encouragement!

 

2. According to Scripture, and in the light of the foregoing, what should we expect to witness among the nations as time proceeds and the purpose of God unfolds?

 

In the Old Testament, the book of Daniel portrays again and again how rulers rise up and take power unto themselves but God is always ready, when the occasion requires, to demonstrate His power and authority. The people saw these great empires crumble and their leaders humbled in the dust. We learn of the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. The Roman Empire had been set up in the time of Christ and it is still with us, now in the subtle and sinister form of the Vatican and finding expression in the ever-burgeoning superstate known as the European Union.

 

In regard to our present subject we have an important and intriguing verse in the Book of Revelation:

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (Rev.11:15). The wording of the Greek text here is disputed. The NIV following the critical text reads: “‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’” This difference in wording clearly has an effect upon the meaning of the passage. Herman Hoeksema states in his commentary on this text:

    “In our version we read of kingdoms, in the plural. This would leave the impression that the reference was to the various kingdoms and empires in the political sense of the word that exist upon the earth. But the original does not speak of kingdoms, in the plural, but simply of the kingdom. And the idea is that the sovereign rule over the world has completely fallen to God Almighty and His Christ. We might therefore paraphrase: ‘God and His Christ have gained sovereign rule over the world as a whole.” (Behold He Cometh, p.404).

 

Hoeksema explains that God is indeed sovereign all through the history of the world but that His sovereignty is not undisputed. There is a battle being carried on in this world for the possession of the whole world as kingdom between God and His Anointed, the Christ, and the devil and his anointed, the Antichrist. The full and complete sovereignty of God shall not appear before these rebels have been subdued and destroyed. Then the kingdom of the world shall be a kingdom of man under God, as was God’s plan at the beginning. William Hendriksen gives a similar interpretation.

 

It seems to me that these and other interpreters, although conservative in their approach to Scripture, have chosen to follow the reading of the critical text because it best fits their eschatological scheme – which is the amillennial one. It views Christ now as King of saints and King of the church but not particularly King of nations. There is an emphasis on the rise of Antichrist (in the form of a worldly, secular, atheistic power) and his domination of the nations, and so there is no particular expectation that nations, as nations, will submit to the kingship of Christ. Indeed the very idea may be decried as ‘theonomy’.

 

Presbyterians however are very happy with the reading of the Received Text! James Durham comments on the text:

    “By Kingdoms of this world, we understand not all Kingdoms, but some or many; called Kingdoms, in opposition to persons or families, or parts of Nations. Now, the body of Kingdoms and Nations are brought in, as is expressly said, Chap. 15.4. parallel to this, All Nations shall come and worship before thee. They are called Kingdoms of this world, to show, that such Nations as formerly did not acknowledge God should now submit to Him. The scope is to show the increase of the Gospel after Antichrist’s begun ruin, in opposition to the former paucity that was in the true Church. 

    They are said to become the Lord’s and His Christ’s, in opposition to what formerly they were; they were His by creation, but were not of His Church, nor did not acknowledge His Christ as Head, but owned another master; now they become the Lord’s by special acknowledging of Him, and they become His Christ’s by the profession of faith in Him alone. In a word, this their becoming His now, is to be a pure Church to Him, such as no Nation formerly were, and as once the Jews were His in a peculiar manner.” (Commentary upon the Book of the Revelation, pp.644-645)

 

In other words Durham is saying that during the New Testament era many of the nations of this world shall in varying degrees give their professed subjection to Christ.

 

Postmillennialism, which I submit is the historic view of Presbyterians, views Christ now as King of saints, King of the church and King of nations. It emphasises the ruin of Antichrist (in the form of the Papacy). The Papacy once dominated the nations but had its power broken at the Reformation, never to be recovered again to the same degree.

 

We need to emphasise that Christ is a present king, not simply a future or coming king as dispensationalists teach and many other Christians seem to accept. We might note that premillennialism in its most extreme form would have Christ as presently king of just about no-one in particular! Because of its arminianism it allows that individuals may take Christ as their Saviour but not make Him their Lord; because of its dispensationalism it views the church as a mere parenthesis in history; because of its premillennialism it is still waiting for one particular nation, Israel, to give its allegiance to Christ the King.

 

In Revelation Chapters 4 & 5 we are presented with not simply the throne of God but the throne of God and of the Lamb. Even now, the whole universe, including every kingdom and the sphere of government, temporal and spiritual, is subject to the authority and power of King Jesus.

 

The kingship of Christ is clearly universal.

 

5. The Perpetuity of Christ’s Kingship

If Christ’s kingship is universal then what is its duration?

 

We have seen that as Mediator Christ was set up from eternity (Mic.5:2). His throne is declared to be “for ever and ever” (Heb.1:8). If Christ’s kingship is eternal then we would expect that His kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom. Scripture states just that. “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever” (Dan.2:44). “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Dan.7:13,14). Of Christ’s dominion there shall be no end.

 

This would be fine except for a verse which has caused much confusion. It is 1 Corinthians Chapter 15:24: “Then cometh 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.” What does it mean that Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father?

 

To some it means that the mediatorial kingship of Christ is one day to come to an end and the government of the kingdom is to be placed in the hands of God, essentially considered. But think of what that means. It surely implies that in eternity the mediatorial action of Christ is to cease altogether. It implies that He is to effectively abandon His mediatorial office.

 

To grasp the true meaning of this text we must read on: “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all” (vv.25-28).

 

In eternity the Son is to be subject to the Father and that forever. To say that the Son as Son is in any sense subject to the Father is to introduce a subordination into the essential Trinity – an idea which is clearly heretical. It is only as the Mediator that the Son can be subject to the Father and this He cannot be in eternity unless He is Mediator forever.

 

The sense in which the Son is to ‘deliver up’ the kingdom to the Father is surely this. It is that Christ is to bring the work which He was commissioned by the Father to perform to a state of completion and then to present it in that finished state to the One from whom the commission was received, by way of giving account of the trust which was committed to Him. The word translated ‘deliver up’ is elsewhere rendered ‘ripe’ (Mark 4:9 mg.). At the end of the world the Messiah shall have brought His kingdom to perfection. The elect shall all have been saved and the reprobate all removed from within its bounds.

 

There will certainly be a change in the way the kingdom is administered in glory. Presently it is through outward means; then it shall be immediate. No Bibles, no preaching, no sacraments, no prayer. “Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face” (1Cor.13:12). And it shall be in the face of Christ our King that we shall continue to enjoy “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God” (2Cor.4:6).

 

What shall be Christ’s kingly work in glory? Symington states: “We conclude that our Redeemer will never lay aside his mediatorial authority–never cease to act in the capacity of King of glory. Indeed, all the mediatorial offices seem to be exercised in heaven,–the prophetical, in diffusing spiritual illumination,–the sacerdotal, in securing the blessings and giving acceptance to the services of his saints,–and the regal, in bearing rule, receiving homage, and administering reward to the children of the kingdom.” (p.391).

 

In the light of what we have considered we can only echo the words of the psalmist:

    “Let all that Sion’s children are

        be joyful in their King”                             (Metrical Psalm 149:2)