Who Reigns over Who?

The Saints who reign with Jesus Christ for 1000 years

1. Those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and the word of God before and during the Great Tribulation, and

2. Those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand during the Great Tribulation but were not beheaded.

This conclusion is drawn from the Fifth Seal (Rev 6:9-11; 7:13-16).

But who will they reign over?

1. There is no biblical instance of a resurrected saint ruling over mortal human beings.

2. In one instance, where the apostle Paul is speaking to the problem of lawsuits taking place in the church of Corinth as a means to resolve personal disputes, he points out, "do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels?" The apostle Paul informs the church of Corinth that in the future, when Believers inherit the kingdom of God, they will be higher in hierarchical status than angels. (1 Cor 6:1-4).

3. As the Millennial Kingdom begins, Jesus Christ gives thrones and judgment to the tribulation martyrs (Rev 20:4).

4. This fulfills a promise Jesus Christ made at the beginning of Revelation.

And he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; and I will give him the morning star. (Rev 2:26-28)


From Revelation: An Explication © Helpmewithbiblestudy.org: A resource for learning how to read the Bible.