👑 He Rules: All Things at God’s Right Hand

In the previous post, we saw that Jesus rose, defeating death and bringing new, everlasting life. We noticed that there was a now-but-not-yet aspect to Jesus’ resurrection. He has given us new life in the present, but there’s also a sense that we don’t yet have this new life. He has already defeated death when he rose from the dead, and yet the defeat of death is still to come.

We live in an overlap of ages. We experience many good things that arise from what Jesus has accomplished, and yet there are still many things that we don’t yet experience.

What’s the deal? What happens next in the story following Jesus’ resurrection but before he returns? Why does it matter? Before we answer these questions, we need to unpack our problem further.

1. The problem

In addition to the problems posed by the questions just asked, we have the issue of the “rulers”.

👑 The rulers below👇

God created humanity in his image to rule his world below (Genesis 1:26–28). But we have done a terrible job of it. We’ve destroyed his planet, we’ve destroyed many of his creatures, and we’ve destroyed one another. We see this when we look at what’s happening in global politics, and we see this when we look at our own lives. We’ve attempted to overthrow God and run the world our way. But in the process, we’ve made things far worse than we could have imagined. We’ve tried to rule the world without God, and it’s been a disaster. The disaster is present everywhere before us.

👑 The rulers above ☝️

Most of us become so preoccupied with the problems right before our noses that we forget that there is also a big, invisible, spiritual realm before us. We might call this the realm of “the rulers above”.

In previous posts, we’ve seen how Adam and Eve’s sin led to suffering, death, and judgment.

And where did they get the idea to sin in the first place? Adam and Eve were led astray by a serpent. Later in the Bible, the serpent is described as a “great dragon” and “that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). The fact that he can lead the whole world astray shows us that he is pretty powerful. Elsewhere, we read that he is the father of lies (John 8:44) or “the ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). He “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14), he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8), and he “holds the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14). This particular ruler—Satan—should not be underestimated.

Furthermore, he has a team of friends working for him. Sometimes these are referred to as fallen “angels”[1] or “demons” [2] while at other times, they are referred to as “unclean spirits” (Mark 1:23), “evil spirits” (Luke 7:21), “deceiving spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1), “seducing spirits” (1 Timothy 4:1), “powers and authorities” (Colossians 1:16, 2:15), “the powers of this dark world” and “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). These guys are powerful too. 

There is a large team of rulers in the realm above. They are opposed to God’s purposes, and they are opposed to us. One might expect that this team would pose a significant threat to us. And in one sense, they do. But in another sense, they really don’t. This is because of God’s solution.

2. God’s solution

In the previous post, we saw how Jesus is like a new or second Adam. As the new Adam, Jesus is also God’s new ruler. In Jesus, God provides a new ruler who is more powerful than the rulers below and more powerful than the rulers above.

We vibe from the start of the story that Jesus will be a king. For one, the Gospels mention the fact that he is the Christ or Messiah very early on (e.g., Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 2:11, John 1:17). The words “Christ” and “Messiah” mean “anointed one”. The Hebrew word for “anointed one” is “Mashiach” (מָשִׁיחַ), which translates to “Messiah” in English, and the Greek equivalent is "Christos" (Χριστός), from which we derive "Christ." In the Old Testament, kings are most commonly the ones anointed,[3] though anointing can also be a thing for priests[4] and prophets.[5] 

We also get “ruler vibes” or “king vibes” from the gifts given to him by the Magi (Matthew 2:1–2), his triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Mark 11:7-10), and the crown of thorns he’s given on the cross (Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:17, John 19:2, 5).

However, the actual coronation takes place when Jesus rises from the dead.

⬆️ Jesus rose to rule 👑

Jesus rose to rule. When God raised Jesus from the dead, he “exalted” or “lifted” him up to the position of ruler. In Philippians 2:9, we read that “God exalted him to the highest place”. Though Jesus was king before, he now rules as the resurrected king and lord of all in a place that is higher than any other place.

💺He is seated at God’s right hand 🫱

So, where is Jesus? At the end of Luke’s Gospel, we read that Christ ascended and “was taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:51; cf. Acts 1:9). Where did he go? In Ephesians 1:20, we read that God “raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” 

The language of the “heavenly realms” usually has to do with spiritual stuff, so it may not necessarily mean that Jesus is “physically” in heaven. If you look at all the passages that talk about Jesus being “in heaven” or at God’s “right hand”,[6] there isn’t much to strongly suggest that this is talking about Jesus physically.

But what is certain? Christ is in a position of ruling, far above everything else. He really is in charge.

👆Over everything

 Jesus rules over everything. Philippians 2:9 says, “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name”. Ephesians 1:21 says that Jesus rules “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked”. In Matthew 28:18, Jesus himself tells us that “all authority in heaven and on earth” has been given to him.

Jesus rules over everything, and he rules over everything now.

However, there’s also a not yet aspect to Christ’s rule. In 1 Corinthians 15:24–27 we read:

24 The end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”

So, there’s a sense that his rule has not yet been fully established. We’ll return to this in the next post.

⏱️ For all time

And the outcome is fixed for all time. In Ephesians 1:21, we read that God raised Jesus “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.” Jesus doesn’t just rule now, with the possibility that someone might overthrow him later. No, he rules now and forevermore. It's a done deal.

⛪️ For the church

 But to what end? Why does Jesus rule all things for all time?  Ultimately, it has to do with the glory of God. Jesus does everything for God’s glory (see Ephesians 1:3-14, Philippians 2:11). But, to that end, we’re told that Jesus rules all things for the church. In Ephesians 1:22–23, we read:

22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

God has made Jesus the ruler of all things for the church. In the Bible, the word “church” usually refers to a local “gathering” of people meeting around God’s word, like on a Sunday morning, or it refers to all the people who are now gathered around his throne in the heavenly realms (that is, all of God’s people across the ages). The verse above seems to refer to that “heavenly” kind of church.

So, in other words, Christ rules all things for us. God raised Jesus to be the ruler over all things for all time for his all-time church, and that includes us. Jesus is there, at God’s right hand in heaven, for us.  

How does he rule for us? In Romans 8:34, we read that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” In Hebrews 9:24, we read that Jesus “entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” Jesus is seated in God’s presence, interceding for his church and for us. Or, in other words, he’s our rep before God the Father, mediating between us and God (1 Tim 2:5), defending us as our advocate against any accusation (1 John 2:1), giving us direct access to God on his throne, including when we pray (Hebrews 4:14–16), and guaranteeing our everlasting salvation (Hebrews 7:24-25).

3. How we should respond

🧠 Know your untouchability 🔥

Because Jesus rules all things, we don’t need to fear Satan and his team of rulers in the spiritual realms. Christ has authority over them. For this reason, in Romans 8:38–39, Paul can say with confidence:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

As far as the rulers above are concerned, Jesus has made us untouchable. Nothing they do can separate us from God and his love.

🙏 Pray with confidence

Next up, we can pray with confidence. We can come before God in his throne room, knowing that Jesus pleads for us on our behalf (again, see Hebrews 4:14–16).

🦶 Stand firm

And yet, because Jesus hasn’t yet returned, we need to make a conscious effort to resist the devil and stand firm.  In 1 Peter 5:8–9 we read:

8 Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith.

He is looking for people to devour. We need to be alert to the fact that he is still doing stuff.

I remember once watching this TV series called Changi. There were a group of Australians living in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. Those running the camp found out that the Japanese had just lost the war to the Allies (the American and Australian side). It was over. But what happened next was stunning. They went around the camp and tried to kill and injure as many people as possible. It wouldn’t impact the final outcome. The war was over. But they wanted to create as much damage as possible while there was still time before they were brought before a war tribunal.

That’s kind of like what Satan and his team are doing. They’ve lost the war against Jesus. But they haven’t yet been wiped off the map or brought before God’s final tribunal. So, in the meantime, they want to create havoc. They are looking to devour us. It won’t change the outcome. But they can still do damage.

So, we need to stand firm.

🗡️ Suit up

How do we do this? We need to suit up. Check out what Paul says about suiting up in Ephesians 6:11–18:

11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.  

How do we stand firm against these rulers, authorities, powers and evil spiritual forces?

• 🥋We need the belt, the truths we read in the Bible.

• 🍽️ We need the breastplate, the righteousness Jesus has transferred to our account (check out the phone analogy from a few posts ago).

• 🥾 We need shoes, the gospel message, which rescues us and brings us peace with God.

• 🛡️We need the shield, that is, faith or trust that God will keep his promises and defend us from these forces.

• 🪖We need the helmet, the hope of salvation from these forces,

• 🗡️We need the sword, the word of God, which we find in the Bible.

• 🙏We need prayer, knowing that the Spirit gives us access to Jesus, the ruler of all things, who then gives us access to God the Father.

That’s how we stand firm. That’s how we suit up.

Notes

1. Matthew 25:41, 2 Peter 2:4, Revelation 12:7.

2. Matthew 7:22, 8:31, 9:34, 10:8, 12:24, 12:27, 12:28, Mark 1:34, 1:39, 3:15, 3:22, 5:12, 5:15, 6:13, 9:38, 16:9, 16:17, Luke 4:41, 8:2, 8:30, 8:32, 8:33, 8:35, 8:38, 9:1, 9:49, 10:17, 11:15, 11:18, 11:19, 11:20, 13:32, Romans 8:38, 1 Corinthians 10:20, 10:21, 1 Timothy 4:1, James 2:19, Revelation 9:20, 18:2.

3. E.g., 1 Samuel 10:1, 1 Samuel 16:12-13, 1 Kings 1:38–39, Isaiah 45:1.

4. E.g., Exodus 28:41, Exodus 30:30, Exodus 40:13-15, Leviticus 8:12. .

5. E.g., 1 Kings 19:16, Isaiah 61:1, Psalms 105:15.

6. E.g., Luke 24:51, Acts 1:9-11, Acts 2:33, Acts 7:55-56, Romans 8:34, Ephesians 1:20, Colossians 3:1, Hebrews 1:3, Hebrews 8:1, Hebrews 9:24, Hebrews 10:12, Hebrews 12:2, 1 Peter 3:22.