What It Means That Christ Rules Now
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.”
— Psalm 2:6 (KJV)“But ye are come unto mount Sion… and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant…”
— Hebrews 12:22,24 (KJV)
Christian Zionism insists that Jesus has not yet begun to reign — that He will only assume His kingship after returning to earth and establishing a literal throne in physical Jerusalem. But the New Testament speaks a different word. The King is not waiting. He is already reigning — not from Mount Moriah, but from Mount Sion above.
To say His rule is future is to deny the victory of the cross, the reality of the resurrection, and the exaltation of the ascended Christ.
The Throne of David Is Occupied
Peter, preaching at Pentecost, makes this undeniable:
“He [David]… being a prophet… seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ…
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted…
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith…
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool.”
— Acts 2:30–35
Here Peter explains that Jesus is already seated on the throne David foresaw — not in a rebuilt palace in Jerusalem, but at the right hand of God, reigning from heaven.
This is not a delay. This is the fulfillment.
Zion Is Not Earthly Anymore
Psalm 2 declares:
“Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Psalm 2:6)
Christian Zionism applies this to a future geopolitical event — but Hebrews corrects the geography:
“But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem…” (Hebrews 12:22)
Jesus reigns from Zion above, not from an earthly hill. His Kingdom is present, spiritual, and advancing — not postponed until a future Jewish monarchy.
The Reign Has Already Begun
“He must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:25
This verse does not say “He will reign.”
It says “He must reign” — and now He does.
His reign is active. His enemies are being subdued. He is not waiting to take dominion — He has already been given all authority in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18).
The Danger of Postponed Kingship
By teaching that Jesus is not yet reigning, Christian Zionism unintentionally strips the Church of her authority, undermines the victory of the cross, and leaves believers powerless in the face of spiritual warfare.
But scripture says:
“God… raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
— Ephesians 2:6
If He reigns, we reign with Him.
If His Kingdom is present, then so is His power.
If He is seated now, then we are not waiting for political fulfillment — we are walking in spiritual reality.
The True Zion Is the Heavenly One
“Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”
— Galatians 4:26
The believer is not a citizen of an earthly nation but of a heavenly one. The Lord is not returning to set up a throne in a war-torn city. He is coming again from the heavenly Zion, from the throne already established, to judge the nations — not to become their political head.
Note: This post responds to ideas presented in When a Jew Rules the World by Joel Richardson. Direct quotes reflecting those views are included in the Appendix: Christian Zionism in Joel’s Own Words.
The term Christian Zionism is a false term that misrepresents the heart of Christ’s 2nd Advent. Obviously in this church age, Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven now. He is and has always been the King of Kings. He also holds the keys of death and Hades through His finished work on the cross and resurrection. At the same time, when He returns, he will ALSO fulfill Isaiah 11, which has not been fulfilled yet. He will take up his earthly throne in the line of King David and rule “Thy Kingdom Come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” as The universally recognized Lion Of Judah, The Prince of Peace, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, Mighty God, and Wonderful Counselor. And EVERY knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. None of these took place during His first appearing as the suffering servant from Isaiah 53. We are in the church age while the Son is absent and his Holy Spirit, the promised comforter and advocate is present, not only with us but in us. And we, the Church (the Body of Christ) include both believing Jews (and gentiles such as myself) who have been grafted into Christ, the True Vine. For there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female but all are one in Christ Jesus. Replacement theology is dangerous. Israel has not been replaced. “The Jews” did not kill Jesus. Scripture is clear that the Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law and Scribes” (those who perceived their power base to be placed at risk by Rabbi claiming to be Son of God and Son of Man) who crucified Him. In fact they arrested him under cover of night in secret precisely because they feared “the people” aka the Jews might riot. Let me be plain. Those shouting, “Crucify Him!” on Friday morning were NOT the same people shouting “Hosanna in the highest!” five days earlier. This false teaching has led to nearly 2,000 years of uninterrupted anti-semitism. Outside of God’s supernatural intervention, it is not a stretch to say I would not know the Jewish Rabbi called “Yeshua HaMashiach” were it not for the faithful early Jewish followers of “The Way” who took the time to write down an orderly account for future generations. I am blessed to be adopted and grafted into the Body of Christ.
Hello,
Thank you for taking the time to write such a thoughtful and respectful comment. I appreciate both your love for Christ and your desire to honor the Jewish roots of our faith.
I believe we agree on much more than we disagree.
We both affirm that Christ is presently seated at the right hand of the Father. We both affirm that He is King of kings and Lord of lords. We both affirm that salvation is found in Him alone and that believing Jews and Gentiles are one body in Christ.
Where our views diverge is not over whether Christ reigns, but over the timing and nature of the fulfillment of the promises made to David.
You wrote that when Christ returns He will take up His earthly throne in the line of David because Isaiah 11 has not yet been fulfilled. My question is how this view harmonizes with Peter’s words in Acts 2.
Peter specifically says that David knew God had sworn an oath that He would raise up Christ to sit on David’s throne:
“Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him… that of the fruit of his loins… he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne.” (Acts 2:30)
Peter then immediately connects that promise to Christ’s resurrection and exaltation to the Father’s right hand.
For me, that passage is pivotal because Peter does not point his hearers to a future enthronement. He presents Christ’s resurrection and exaltation as the fulfillment of the Davidic promise.
That does not diminish Christ’s future return. I wholeheartedly believe He will return bodily, raise the dead, judge the world, and bring all things into their consummation. The question is whether the Davidic throne is future or whether Christ is already occupying it as Peter declares.
I also appreciate your rejection of antisemitism. On that point we are in complete agreement. The Gospel came through the Jewish people, the apostles were Jewish, and every believer owes a tremendous debt of gratitude to God’s faithfulness throughout redemptive history.
My concern is not with Jewish people but with how prophecy is interpreted. I believe the New Testament consistently directs us to view the promises through Christ Himself, who is the true Seed of Abraham, the Son of David, and the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
Thank you again for engaging respectfully. Conversations like this are far more profitable than accusations and help all of us search the Scriptures more carefully.
Grace and peace,
Rick