165. Rule
Revelation 2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
The authority over the nations given to overcomers includes the ability to rule the nations with a rod of iron. The rod of iron and the breaking the vessels of a potter are pictures of the power of this authority. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus Christ. Now He is sharing that authority with His church, the believers in Christ. The ruling authority we have been given is more powerful than we can imagine.
The rod of iron used by the people of God to rule is the Word of God. The hammer of the Law convicts the world of sin in the face of social and cultural customs. The Law of God is an unbending rule, like a rod of iron, that does not break, but it breaks that which it speaks against. It is like the law of gravity: if you break that law you are the one that gets hurt. Even if the whole society thinks one thing and the Law says another, the authority of truth overcomes the authority of the majority. It may not appear as if the authority of Law is winning, but we have this promise that we can stick up for God’s Law and God’s Rule no matter how many oppose it. They are the ones who will be broken. “Let God be true, but every man a liar.”
The authority of the church that preaches the Gospel carries the authority of a rod of iron. Nothing can undermine or cast doubt on the word of grace and forgiveness that comes through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All false claims and promises of life and light, hope and happiness are crushed by the simple word of Gospel. ‘One little word can fell him.”