Message Eight

Being Perfected to Reign with Christ
in the Kingdom of a Thousand Years

Scripture Reading: Dan. 2:31-35, 44; Rev. 20:4-6;
Phil. 3:10-14; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9

1. In His second appearing, Christ will come as the smiting stone with His overcoming bride to smash and crush the entire human government of mankind, which rebels against God, exalts man, and worships idols—Rev. 19:11, 14; Dan. 2:31-35, 44; Gen. 11:4, 9:
   1. The corporate Christ, Christ with His overcomers, will become a great mountain to fill the whole earth, making the whole earth God’s kingdom—Rev. 11:15; 5:10.
   2. In life Christ increases to become the church; in administration Christ increases to become the kingdom—John 3:29-30; Mark 4:26.
2. The believers who are perfected in the church age will be rewarded to reign with Christ for a thousand years in the next age, the kingdom age, the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens—Rev. 20:4-6:
   1. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom are sitting upon thrones, and judgment is given to them—v. 4:
      1. To sit with the Lord on His throne will be a prize to the overcomers, that they may participate in the Lord’s authority and be co-kings with Him in ruling over the whole earth— 3:21; 2:26; Luke 19:13-19.
      2. According to the picture in Ezekiel 1, the highest point in our spiritual experience is to have a clear sky with the throne above it— vv. 22, 26:
         1. To have a clear sky means that we have no clouds or darkness between us and the Lord, and to have the throne means that we are under the ruling of the heavens, His ruling presence—1 John 1:5, 7; Dan. 4:26.
         2. To reach the throne means that we are completely submissive to God’s authority and administration; we are reigning in life by being under the ruling of the divine life—Rom. 5:17; Matt. 8:9; Num. 17:8.
   2. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom are martyrs—Rev. 20:4:
      1. All of the believers should be Christ’s witnesses, His martyrs—Acts 1:8.
      2. Christ’s love of affection constrains us to live and to die to Him—2 Cor. 5:14-15; Rom. 14:7-9.
      3. Christ’s love make us martyrs for Him—Rev. 2:10; 12:11; Rom. 8:35-37.
      4. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom are martyred because of the Word of God, the revealed Christ, and the testimony of Jesus, the testifying church—Rev. 1:2, 9; 6:9; 20:4; 19:13.
   3. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom worship and serve God only—20:4:
      1. They are one with the Lord to reject Satan’s offer of the kingdoms of the world and their glory—Matt. 4:8-10; cf. Rev. 13:2, 4.
      2. They never hunt to be the first in any work for the Lord, realizing that behind every ambition there is an idol—Ezek. 14:3; 1 John 5:21; 3 John 9.
      3. They satisfy God’s seeking for true worshippers and thwart Satan’s schemes to rob God of worship—John 4:23-24; Dan. 3:14-19, 25; 6:6-10.
   4. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom have the name of the Lamb and the name of the Father written on their foreheads—Rev. 14:1; 3:12; 22:4:
      1. This signifies that they are one with the Lamb and with the Father and that they belong to the Lamb and to the Father—14:1, 4.
      2. They are in contrast to those who worship the beast and have the name of the beast written on their foreheads—13:16-17; 20:4.
   5. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom arrive at the out-resurrection from the dead, the outstanding resurrection, the extra-resurrection, the best resurrection, the resurrection of reward, which will be a prize to the overcoming saints— Phil. 3:11-14; Rev. 20:5-6a; Luke 14:14:
      1. To arrive at the out-resurrection from the dead indicates that our entire being has been gradually and continually resurrected until we are fully resurrected out of our old being by and with His life—Eph. 2:5-6; Rom. 8:10, 6, 11.
      2. To be in the out-resurrection is to live a life absolutely out of the old creation and in God by continually exercising to reject the self and live by another life, the divine life—Phil. 3:10; Gal. 5:25; 6:15.
      3. The out-resurrection should be the goal and destination of our Christian life—Phil. 3:11, 14.
   6. The overcomers in the millennial kingdom are blessed, receiving the highest blessing of inheriting the kingdom manifested on earth to be Christ’s co-kings—Rev. 20:6a; 1 Cor. 6:9a; Eph. 5:5:
      1. Only those who are living today in the reality of the kingdom will be transferred into the manifestation of the kingdom for the top enjoyment of Christ as a reward—Matt. 5:3-12; Rom. 14:17; Matt. 24:45-51; 25:21, 23.
      2. At the judgment seat of Christ, Christ will judge His believers concerning their dispensational reward or punishment—2 Cor. 5:9-10; Luke 12:46-47; 1 Cor. 3:12-15.
   7. The overcomers are holy:
      1. They live a holy life according to God’s holy nature so that they can become the holy city— Rev. 20:6a; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 21:2.
      2. They are separated unto God from all things other than God, kept by the Lord’s grace from every defilement and pollution to be preserved as chaste virgins to the Lord—2 Cor. 7:1; 11:2; Rev. 14:4.
      3. They are saturated with God’s element to become Christ’s counterpart—Eph. 5:26-27.
   8. The overcomers are priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years— Rev. 20:6b; 22:3-5:
      1. They live as priests of God in the royal priesthood, expressing God, representing God, exercising their spirit to contact God, and living God—Gen. 1:26; 2:7, 9; 1 Pet. 2:9.
      2. They are one with Christ in His heavenly ministry of intercession and of ministering God into people—Heb. 7:25; 8:2; Acts 6:4.
      3. They are laboring priests of the gospel of God, offering up spiritual sacrifices to God, for the building up of the Body of Christ—1 Pet. 2:5; Rom. 15:16; 12:1; Col. 1:28-29.