How Long Must Christ Reign?

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:24–26)

Today’s big question: how long must Christ reign?

In the previous devotional, we observed that Christ, the Messiah, could not remain in the grave; He had to rise again. Now as we focus on the next few verses of this “resurrection chapter,” we see a truth reflected throughout Scripture regarding the reign of Christ. After rising from the dead, Jesus ascended into heaven, where He “sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool” (Hebrews 10:12–13).

In Acts 2:34–36, the Apostle Peter also referenced the reign of Christ The unwillingness to accept any supreme ruler except Jesus was one of the major reasons early believers were hated, tortured, and killed by the Roman government. They were accused of “saying there is another king—Jesus” (Acts 17:7), and they willingly gave up their lives in the service of this great King. For this same reason, millions have suffered and died as martyrs throughout the history of the church—their allegiance belonged to the risen Christ.

These believers did not fear death because of the hope provided by Christ’s Resurrection, and they did not value their lives as much as the promise of everlasting life with the Lord. Like them, we must deny ourselves and trust the faithful words of Jesus Christ: “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Revelation 1:18).

Jesus will reign until all enemies are put under His feet, and the last enemy to be destroyed is death itself, to which He now holds the key. Jesus rose from the grave and conquered death, but it still has not been fully destroyed. People will continue to die until the very end, when God makes all things new and death itself will finally die—swallowed up in victory!

This is what John witnessed in his vision of the end, as he wrote, “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Revelation 20:14). Finally, once He has destroyed the last enemy, Jesus Christ will deliver the kingdom to His Father, “that God may be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).

Is God your all in all? Is Jesus Christ the King of your heart? You owe Him your complete allegiance. Don’t allow anything or anyone else to take first place in your life.

Today’s big idea: Jesus must reign until He has defeated every enemy, including death itself.

What to pray: bow your knee to the King, Jesus Christ the Conqueror of death.