God created Adam and Eve to be king and queen over the earth. Their job was to rule the earth to the glory of God.

They failed.

Jesus Christ is the second and last Adam, and the church is His bride, the second Eve. Christ is King, the church is His queen. He will exercise dominion over all nations of the earth: “He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. . . . All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him” (Psalm 72:8, 11). As the new head of the human race, Christ will at last accomplish what was entrusted to Adam and Eve—with His beloved people as His bride and co-rulers. God’s saints will fulfill on the New Earth the role that God first assigned to Adam and Eve on the old Earth. “They will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).

Human kingdoms will rise and fall until Christ brings to Earth a Kingdom where mankind will rule in righteousness. Daniel prophesied, “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44).

As Christ will be the King of kings, His realm will be the Kingdom of kingdoms—the greatest kingdom in human history. Yes, human history, for our history will not end at Christ’s return or upon our relocation to the New Earth; it will continue forever, to the glory of God.

“Rejoice greatly. . . . See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. . . . He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:9-10). Matthew 21:5 makes it clear that Zechariah’s prophecy concerns the Messiah. Just as the first part of the prophecy was literally fulfilled when Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem, we should expect that the second part will be literally fulfilled when Jesus brings peace to the nations and rules them all. Jesus will return to Earth as “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:11-16). We’re promised that “the Lord will be king over the whole earth” (Zechariah 14:9).

Bible-believing Jews in the first century were not foolish to think that the Messiah would be King of the earth. They were wrong about the Messiah’s identity when they rejected Christ, and they were wrong to overlook His need to come as a suffering servant to redeem the world; but they were right to believe that the Messiah would forever rule the earth. He will!

In His parables, Jesus speaks of our ruling over cities (Luke 19:17). Paul addresses the subject of Christians ruling as if it were Theology 101: “Do you not know that the saints will judge [or rule] the world? . . . Do you not know that we will judge [or rule] angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). The form of the verb in these questions implies that we won’t simply judge them a single time but will continually rule them.

If Paul speaks of this future reality as if it were something every child should know, why is it so foreign to Christians today? Elsewhere he says, “If we endure, we will also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12). God’s decree that “[his servants] will reign for ever and ever” on the New Earth (Revelation 22:5) is a direct fulfillment of the commission He gave to Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28).

David confirmed for all humanity the original great commission that God gave to Adam and Eve: “You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority” (Psalm 8:6, NLT).

Mankind’s reign on the earth is introduced in the first chapters of the Bible, mentioned throughout the Old Testament, discussed by Jesus in the Gospels and by Paul in the Epistles, and repeated by John in Revelation. From start to finish, we are told that our God-given purpose and destiny are to rule the earth.

God’s desire is to prepare you now for what you will do forever. As any athlete, soldier, or farmer will tell you, preparation isn’t always easy. But it’s necessary, and its payoffs are huge. Our role as Kingdom rulers is not automatic—God makes it dependent on our faithful service here and now.

Are you ready to rule the New Earth? No? That’s all right. God’s plan is to shape your life to make you ready. Are you cooperating with His plan, submitting to His training, and learning to call upon His strength and wisdom?

Thank you, Lord, that as your image bearers, we are still capable of bringing you glory, even in a world that is so bent. Thank you that your purpose and calling for us have not changed. Thank you that you are preparing a world for us to rule—and you are preparing us to rule it, for your eternal glory. Help us, Lord, never to think we do not have a role in your plan for our lives. Help us to fulfill our responsibilities and exercise the spiritual disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, giving, and serving others, so that we might be the sorts of children and servants that you take pleasure in commending and rewarding.

Excerpted from 50 Days of Heaven.