77. THYATIRA: POWER OVER THE NATIONS

77. THYATIRA: POWER OVER THE NATIONS

 2:26-27. Rod of Iron: “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: 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.”

This passage is directly related to Psalm 2:7-9: I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my Son; this day have I begotten thee. 8 Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

This promise to the Son God is fulfilled in Revelation 2:26-27: "To him will I give power over the nations." Jesus now makes this promise to the overcomers in Thyatira: "Even as I received of my Father."

Psalm 2:9 says: "Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron."  Revelation 2:27 says: "and he shall rule them with a rod of iron."

Psalm 2:9 says: "And dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel."  Revelation 2:27 says: "As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers."

We may conclude from this parallelism that the Revelator is declaring the fulfillment in Christ of Psalm 2:7-9. In this passage Christ is promising to the overcomers the same promise that was given to Him by the Father in Psalm 2:8-9. As He received from His Father, so He imparts to His Church. Although the rulership of the nations is inherently Christ's, He may delegate it to the people. Christ has promised His Body, the Church, this authority, Matthew 28:18. We see further that this ruling authority belongs only to Christ and His Body in Revelation 12:5 and 19:15:

Revelation 12:5:  And she brought forth a man-child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.

Revelation 19:15:  And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.

The sword of His mouth is the Word of God. With it He slays the wicked principalities and powers, thus giving life to those who will believe in Him. But to the unbelievers, the rod smites in chastening and wrath.

The nations are broken to shivers as if an iron rod had smitten a clay pot. This is fulfilled in the fact that as Christians we are united across all racial, tribal, ethnic, or linguistic barriers. The political divisions of the world are broken to shivers by the unity of the Body of Christ. Ultimately, this unity will break down all of these barriers so that there will be no strong base for warring factions and destroying armies. The only reason for nations to compete for territory, people and power is the concept of "limited resources." When the nations realize that in Christ there is an unlimited supply, there will be no need for this competitive spirit.

How is it that the rule of Christ over the nations is to be compared to the rod of iron that breaks into pieces, even to "shivers" as the KJV translates? The answer is that His rule is an inner rule of the heart and not of law or force, (Jeremiah 31:33; Proverbs 7:3; Hebrew 8:10; Romans 2:15; 2Corinthians 3:2-3).  Therefore, in Christ each person is a governing unit within himself, a tiny shiver. Christ sets us free from the law of sin and death. In Christ we can be free indeed and offer this freedom to all who will come to Him. 
This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation In Context, available at the Living Word Bookstore in Shawnee, Oklahoma and also available online at www.amazon.com or www.xulonpress.com. Free downloads are available at www.revelationincontext.sermon.net.