According to Revelation 1:5, Christ, the Son of God, “loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood.” He loves us and has accomplished redemption for us by shedding His blood, which washes us and cleanses us from all our sins. Only the blood of Jesus Christ, whom God judged on the cross (Isa. 53:8), is able to wash us from our sins. Thus, Christ’s blood is the unique redeeming blood. Only His blood can redeem us from all our sins. Once we believe that the Lord died and shed His blood on the cross to make propitiation for sins, the Lord’s blood causes God to forgive us of our sins and to spare us from the punishment of sin; it also washes away our sins and removes the filthiness of sin from us (1 John 1:7-9).
The Lord shed His blood to redeem us from our sins, cleansing us and releasing us from them so that we no longer have the problem of sins. All the troubles that come to us from our sins were resolved by the Lord’s blood, which has released us from them. Since the Lord’s blood has released us from our sins, it also has released us from judgment, condemnation, wrath, and death, which are related to sins.
Revelation 1:6 says that the Son of God “made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father.”
The reason God washed us in the precious blood of Christ was that we might be brought under His government. The believers, who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, not only have been born of God into His kingdom (John 3:5) but also have been made a kingdom for God’s economy. This kingdom is the church (Matt. 16:18-19). John, the writer of Revelation, was in this kingdom (Rev. 1:9), and all redeemed and reborn believers also are a part of this kingdom (Rom. 14:17).
Revelation 1 and 5 reveal that the Lord has purchased us by His blood to make us His kingdom (1:5-6; 5:9-10). The Greek word translated “kingdom” in 1:6 and 5:10 implies the meaning of “king.” In Greek, as in English, king and kingdom have the same root. Whether the Greek word is rendered “king” or “kingdom,” it denotes royal authority, or sovereignty. In saving us through the blood of Jesus, God desires not only to transfer us into His kingdom but also to make us His kingdom. In other words, in God’s eyes, we saved ones are not only saved into His kingdom but also constituted to be His kingdom. God purchased us by the blood of Jesus for the goal of making us His kingdom. His purpose in making us His kingdom is to rule, to reign, to accomplish His will on earth, and to gain a group of people on earth to be under His authority.
Every saved person has a measure of the kingdom within him. Some have a greater measure and others a smaller measure, but every saved person has the kingdom within. The Lord’s salvation brings not only the Lord’s life but also the heavenly rule into us. We know that every saved one has the Holy Spirit within. This Holy Spirit is not only life and power but is connected to the throne in heaven. The Holy Spirit in Revelation 4 and 5 is the seven Spirits before God’s throne (4:5; 5:6). This indicates that the Holy Spirit is connected to the throne. The Holy Spirit brings not only God’s life but also God’s throne into us. On the one hand, He is the Spirit of power; on the other hand, He is the reigning Spirit, bringing God’s throne into our spirit. He is the Spirit who causes God’s throne to rule in our spirit within us. The Holy Spirit in us is not only the Spirit of life and the Spirit of power but also the reigning Spirit. Many Christians speak of the Holy Spirit’s pouring out of the love of God into us, but few realize that the Holy Spirit also brings and establishes God’s throne and authority into us. The Holy Spirit is the authority—the seven Spirits of God before the throne—and He desires to establish the throne in us. The seven Spirits of God, the sevenfold intensified Spirit, has entered into us with God’s throne and is ruling and reigning within us. If we submit to Him, we will be blessed, for the kingdom will be ours.
God is recovering His right over the earth in order to make the whole earth His kingdom (11:15). When Christ came, He brought the kingdom of God with Him (Luke 17:21; Matt. 12:28). This kingdom has been enlarged into the church (16:18-19), which will accomplish the establishing of the kingdom of God on the whole earth. On one hand, the kingdom of God today is in the church, but on the other hand, the kingdom of God is coming through the overcoming believers (Rev. 12:10). Then Christ and the overcoming believers will reign over all the nations in the millennial kingdom (2:26-27; 12:5; 20:4, 6).
If we allow Him to exercise His authority to a sufficient extent, we will be a group of overcomers. According to God’s ordination, all the believers should be under the authority of Christ, should allow Christ to reign, and should be a realm where Christ can exercise His authority. Many saved ones, however, desire the Lord’s salvation, the Lord’s love, and the Lord’s blessings, but they will not allow the Lord to reign in them so that He may gain His kingdom. In this situation the Lord must do a further work in the church to gain a particular group of people. Throughout the last two thousand years the line of these lovers of the Lord has never been broken. Apparently the church is in decline, and indeed the church as a whole is in decline. However, in this decline there are still overcomers. In this decline there are still some who love the Lord and tell Him, “Lord, I am under Your authority. I am Your kingdom. I am willing to allow Your throne and Your authority to come in. I love Your ruling. Lord, You are the King, and I am under Your ruling. I submit to Your authority.” When there is a group of overcomers in the church, these overcomers will bring the authority of heaven, the kingdom of God, to the earth. At that time the church will be victorious, and the enemy will be powerless.
We must seriously learn to be restricted, ruled, and trained under the authority of the kingdom. Only those who receive the training to be under this heavenly authority today will be able to exercise this heavenly authority in the future. If today we learn to be under God’s authority, one day we will be enthroned to rule and reign with His beloved Son.
Revelation 1:6 and 5:10 say that God has made us a kingdom. This means that, as citizens of God’s kingdom, we allow Him to reign, and we reign for Him. We are the sons of the Almighty God, who is the King of kings. This makes us members of the royal family. We are not only sons of God but also members of the kingly family. We need to know today not only that we are citizens of God’s kingdom but also that we are actually being trained to be kings. Ultimately, we will reign as kings in the kingdom of God. This can be compared to a prince who grows up in a royal palace as a son but is actually being trained to reign as a king one day. Revelation 20 tells us that in the millennium all the overcomers will be co-kings with Christ, and these co-kings of Christ will be the priests of God and of Christ who will reign with Him for a thousand years (v. 6). In the New Jerusalem we will also reign with Christ in the kingship (22:5).