The Scriptures plainly declare that “the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over it” (Ps 103:19). Christ is the Lord over his creation. His throne is in heaven, and He is king over creation. This kingship is ‘His official power to rule all things in heaven and on earth, for the glory of God, and for the execution of God’s purpose of salvation’ (Berkhof).
At His Ascension, Jesus Christ ascended to the right hand of his father and even now rules over all of creation (rule of power) and over His church (rule of grace). Christ presently exercises full dominion over all, even now. He is king and His kingdom is presently a kingdom both of grace and of power. He is in full control and He is ordering all of human history as He sees fit.
In the kingdom of grace, Christ is seen to rule the church of which He himself is Head. As such, this rule is a spiritual rule, since it is exercised in a spiritual realm. As Berkhof puts it, ‘it is established in the hearts and lives of believers.’ Its outward expression and form is found in the Church. The NT repeatedly speaks of Christ as “head of the church” (Eph 1:22, 4:15; 5:23; Col 1:18; 2:19); and the church is described to be in mystical union with Him as His “body” (1 Cor 12:27). Christ’s rule over this kingdom is based on His redemptive work; and belongs only to the redeemed. It is a spiritual kingdom, so it has no flag, no world headquarters, and no post office box. But it is certainly and powerfully present wherever Christ’s people gather to hear God’s word proclaimed and to receive the sacraments (Rom 14:17). Lest we forget, this kingdom is a conquering kingdom (Mt 12:28), though we err greatly if we connect the advance of this kingdom to cultural, economic, or political institutions (John 18:36). It is a glorious kingdom (1 Thess 2:12), and despite what some may say, it is a present reality (Matt 3:2). It is a kingdom, which as the Creed declares, ‘has no end’ (2 Pet 1:11).
The kingdom of power, on the other hand, refers to Christ’s rule or dominion over all of creation. In this case, as creator of all, He is also Lord (Col 1:16-17). He orders the affairs of nations (Isa 40:17), and controls the lives and destinies of individuals (Acts 14:15-17, 17:24-27). Quite simply, the Scripture puts it this way: “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him” (Ps 115:3). This serves as the basis for understanding all of history as ultimately serving the purpose of the redemption of God’s people, since we know that God is working together everything after the purpose of His will (Eph 1:11) and that He is ordering all things, so that human history is racing to a great and final climax, the return of our Lord to Earth for the resurrection and the final judgment. It is this kingly rule of Christ that gives us comfort as we face the turmoil of the world around us and its impact on the church and our own lives, as we face the signs of the end of the age: earthquakes, disease, wars and rumours of wars. Even so our King reigns – King Jesus.