Explainer: The Messianic Reign

Various forms of Millennialism (A.K.A. Chiliasm) dominate the landscape of popular Christianity. So much so that even the most fundamental Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, the Two Natures of Christ, and Justification through faith alone are eclipsed by arguments about the minutia of eschatology.

Millennium is Latin for “1,000 years” – the period of time mentioned in Revelation 20:4-6—and only there. Thus, the entire edifice of Millennialism is built on two verses in the concluding chapters of the Bible.

But the Reign of the Messiah (Christ in Greek) has a far deeper and broader importance in the Bible. The Messiah’s reign on earth (i.e. the Kingdom of God) is among the most central doctrines of the Bible. It is prophesied in the Old Testament, announced in the Gospels and explicated by the Epistles.

By widening the scope of our Bible inquiry to all of the passages that speak of Christ’s reign, we can see a far more complete picture of the Messianic Kingdom that will enable us better to understand the duration of 1,000 years which is found in Revelation 20:1-6.

To search the Scriptures for the reign of Christ on earth, several key words will be useful. The first and most obvious is the verb, “to reign,” i.e. “to exercise sovereign power.” Both the Hebrew MaLaK (H4427) and the Greek Basileuo (G936) are verb forms of the word for King. (Strongs Concordance numbers are in parenthesis.)

Second, the verb, “to judge,” in Hebrew DeeN (H1777), and in Greek krino (G2919), after which the tribe of Dan is named, also looms large in our discussion.

Perhaps surprisingly, the verb, “to shepherd” Hebrew Ra’aH (H7462) and Greek poimaino (G4165) is nearly as important. Quite often this word is translated as “rule” because the context cannot mean literal shepherding. This should be no surprise since, in the ancient world, kings were often considered shepherds.

These three verbs yield a rich field of Bible passages to study. Below I have simply arranged some of the principle passages about the Messianic reign to brings some fundamental aspects of the Messianic Reign into focus.

First, the Messiah is none other than Yahweh, the LORD Himself. Second, His appearance and reign is in the future of the Old Testament. Third, His Kingdom, once established shall continue into eternity.

Exodus 15:18  The LORD shall reign (H4427) for ever and ever. 

Psalm 146:10  The LORD shall reign (H4427) for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD. 

Isaiah 24:23  Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign (H4427) in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. 

Isaiah 40:11  He shall feed (H7462) his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 

Isaiah 52:7  How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! (H4427) 

Jeremiah 23:5  Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign (H4427) and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 

Jesus is the Promised Messiah  

Matthew 2:6  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor (H4910), that shall rule (G4165) my people Israel.  (Quoting Micah 5:2).

Luke 1:32-3  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign (G936) over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

1Timothy 6:15  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 

Revelation 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed (G4165) them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. 

He will gather His people out of their scattered places

Genesis 49:8-10  Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise: thy hand shall be in the neck of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up? 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. 

Jeremiah 23:6-8  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. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land. 

Ezekiel 20:33-34  As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out, will I rule (H7462) over you: And I will bring you out from the people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered, with a mighty hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with fury poured out. 

Ezekiel 34:13-15  And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed (H7462) them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.  I will feed (H7462) them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed (H7462) upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. 

Micah 4:6-7  In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted; And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign  (H4427) over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever. 

He shall reign not only over Israel, but over the Gentiles / all the earth.

1 Samuel 2:10  The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge (H1777) the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed. 

Psalm 9:7-8  But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment. And he shall judge (H1777) the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness. 

Psalm 47:7-8  For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth  (H4427) over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. 

Psalm 96:9-10, 13  O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.  Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth (H4427): the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously. . . Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge (H1777) the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth. 

Zechariah 14:8-9  And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. 

Romans 15:12  And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign (G936) over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. 

Revelation 2:27  And he shall rule (G4165) them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. 

Revelation 11:15, 17  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 (G936) for ever and ever. . . We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned (G936). 

Revelation 12:5  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule (G4165) all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. 

Revelation 19:15-16  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule (G4165) them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. 

The saints will reign WITH Him

Isaiah 32:1  Behold, a king shall reign (H4427) in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. 

Jeremiah 33:20-21  Thus saith the LORD; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign (H4427) upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers. 

Matthew 19:28  And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging (G2919) the twelve tribes of Israel.

Luke 22:30  That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging (G2919) the twelve tribes of Israel. 

John 21:16  He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed (G4165) my sheep. 

1 Corinthians 6:2  Do ye not know that the saints shall judge (G2919) the world? 

Acts 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed (G4165) the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. 

1 Peter 5:2  Feed (G4165) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 

Revelation 22:4-5  And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.  And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign (G936) for ever and ever.  

Sometimes, when a length of reign is added, it indicates that portion of the Messiah’s reign which is before sin and death are utterly destroyed on the Last Day.

1 Corinthians 15:25  For he must reign (G936), till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 

Revelation 20:4  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 (G936) with Christ a thousand years.  

Revelation 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign (G936) with him a thousand years.