77. Kingdom and Thrones
Luke 22:29, 30 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
There is so much about what life will look like in the Eternal Kingdom of God that we do not know; we try to extrapolate and speculate, but being specific about anything in the kingdom we can’t see is dangerous. However, one thing we do know is that we will be eating and drinking with Jesus in His kingdom, implying acceptance and fellowship with the Father and the Son. We look forward to the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His Kingdom, and it will be glorious.
Two things promised that we do not know much about is: 1) receiving a kingdom, and 2) sitting on thrones. What is a kingdom? What do we do on a throne? Whom are we judging? Apparently, there is something about ruling over a kingdom, or a town, or some area of the New Heaven and New Earth. There is something about sitting on thrones; a throne is for ruling and decreeing or for judging and deciding. We cannot answer these questions or further clarify the promises. We can only surmise that believers in Jesus who inherit the kingdom will have something to do that involves responsibility and authority. This ruling responsibility arises from the Paradise of Eden over which Adam had some authority over something. Adam had work to do, and we can be sure that in eternity we will have work to do; it will be interesting and fun, not stressful and boring.
Who will we rule over? And who are the twelve tribes of Israel? The Twelve Tribes may be a metaphorical term for the Church, all believers. In other words, all believers are ruling and taking responsibility for each other. Ruling others is protecting others and caring for them for their own good, like parents are to rule their children, in love not for self. If people on earth were to take responsibility for each other we would look after them for their good and always serve them in love. This kind of mutual care and kindly treating of one another describes the way it is supposed to be on earth (but isn’t) and the way it will certainly be in heaven.
If we are to take responsibility for one another, mutually and equally, and do it for good, we must also have the ruling authority to carry out that responsibility. Luther says, “We are free lords of all, and we are dutiful servants of all.” We lord it over others by serving them selflessly. We cannot understand how that ruling and judging and exercising authority works because we never see a good example of it in real life; but we can imagine it with the help of the Holy Spirit and so get a glimpse of Life Eternal.