Kings and Queens Under the King of Kings

The word "king" carries weight. It conjures images of crowns and thrones, of power and authority. But what does it truly mean when we call Jesus the King of Kings? And more surprisingly, what does it mean that we are called to be kings and queens under His reign?

Created to Rule

From the very beginning, humanity was designed with a purpose that might surprise us. Before God even created Adam and Eve, He declared His intention: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion" (Genesis 1:26).

Notice what we're called to rule over—not each other, but creation itself. The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field. We are collectively appointed as stewards and rulers over everything God has made. This isn't about exploitation or domination; it's about responsible care and authority.

Immediately after creating humanity, God gave four powerful commands: "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28). These aren't just physical directives about having children and spreading across the planet—though they certainly include that. They carry profound spiritual weight.

Being fruitful means producing good things—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. It means improving our environment and making life better for those around us.

Multiplying extends beyond procreation to discipleship. We're called to create other image-bearers who also love God and love others, training them to do what we do, hopefully even better.

Filling the earth means spreading out, not clustering in comfortable places. It means taking the gospel to every corner of the world, sending and being sent.

Subduing the earth involves conquering the dangers that threaten us—both natural and spiritual. It's about forest management and waste management, yes, but also about defeating sin, temptation, and the lies of the enemy with the sword of truth.

The Promise of an Eternal King

In Genesis 49, something remarkable happens. Jacob prophesies over his son Judah: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples."

This was an audacious claim for a family smaller than most church congregations. Yet it pointed toward a King whose reign would never end, to whom all nations would one day bow.

When Kings Go Wrong

The biblical narrative gives us a sobering education in kingship. Moses, though never technically a king, provided prophetic instructions for Israel's future monarchs in Deuteronomy 17. These commands were specific: Don't acquire many horses. Don't get them from Egypt. Don't take many wives. Don't accumulate excessive gold and silver. Write a copy of God's law and read it daily.

These weren't arbitrary rules. They were guardrails designed to keep kings humble, dependent on God, and focused on their true calling.

Then came Solomon, who systematically violated every single command. He acquired 12,000 horses—from Egypt. He took 700 wives and 300 concubines. He accumulated 666 talents of gold annually (roughly $2.9 billion in today's terms). And we have no evidence he spent his days reading God's law.

The lesson? Even the wisest earthly ruler, without humility and obedience to God, becomes a cautionary tale.

The King Nobody Expected

After centuries of flawed kings and broken promises, after 400 years of silence, an angel appeared to a young woman in Nazareth. The promised King was coming—but not in the way anyone anticipated.

Jesus arrived as a baby in Bethlehem, the city of David. He grew up demonstrating perfect kingship, but without ever seeking political power. In fact, He actively resisted it.

The people wanted a king who would either overthrow the Roman oppressors or join forces with the religious elite to gain power. Jesus did neither. Instead, He lived as a perfect King without a throne, showing us what true authority looks like.

He loved perfectly. He mended the brokenhearted. He trained disciples. He sent them out with good news. And He accomplished His greatest victory through apparent defeat—dying on a cross and rising again.

Jesus understood what the original command truly meant. He said, "Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit" (John 12:24). His fruit multiplied not in spite of His death, but because of it.

Our Royal Calling

Here's the stunning truth: the kingship doesn't end with Jesus. Revelation 5:9-10 declares that through His blood, He has "made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth."

We are kings and queens under the King of Kings. Not rulers over each other, but co-regents called to exercise dominion over creation, to love and mend and train and send.

This means our primary weapons against the enemies of our King are prayer and Scripture. It means seeking God's wisdom daily, reading His Word, and allowing it to shape how we think and act.

Living as Royalty Today

In a world saturated with lies—from every political direction, from countless sources—we desperately need to anchor ourselves in truth. We need humility to recognize that we've all believed some falsehoods. We need grace to extend to others who are also navigating this confusing landscape.

The call is clear: humble ourselves before the King of Kings. Ask Him to show us truth. Love each other better. Mend one another when we stumble. Train each other to recognize deception. Send warriors of truth and love—both together, never one without the other.

We are not called to build earthly kingdoms or accumulate power. We're called to be fruitful, to multiply disciples, to fill the earth with the gospel, and to subdue the spiritual forces that threaten to destroy us.

This is what it means to be royalty in God's kingdom. Not crowns and thrones, but service and sacrifice. Not domination, but loving stewardship. Not political power, but spiritual authority rooted in prayer and Scripture.

The King of Kings reigns. And under His loving authority, we reign with Him—not over people, but for people, exercising the dominion we were always meant to have over a creation that desperately needs faithful stewards.

The question isn't whether we'll rule. It's whether we'll rule well, under the guidance of the only perfect King who ever lived.