Associate Rulers

There will be associate rulers with Christ Jesus in God's heavenly Kingdom. Revelation 14:1-4 foretold that 144,000 persons were to be "bought from among mankind" and resurrected to heavenly life. These include men and women who, instead of being served, humbly served God and fellow humans. "They will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years." (Revelation 20:6) Their great number is much smaller than the "great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all the nations and tribes and peoples and tongues" who will survive this system's end. These too render God "sacred service day and night," but they do not have a heavenly calling. (Revelation 7:9, 15) They form the nucleus of the new earth as subjects of God's heavenly Kingdom.- Psalm 37:29; John 10:16.

In choosing those who would rule with Christ in heaven, Jehovah selected faithful humans who had experienced life with all its problems. There is virtually nothing that people have been through that these king-priests have not also experienced. So their life on earth will enhance their ability to rule over humans. Even Jesus himself "learned obedience from the things he suffered." (Hebrews 5:8) The apostle Paul said about him: " We have as high priest, not one who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but who who has been tested in all respects like ourselves, but without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) How comforting to know that in God's righteous new world, people will be ruled by loving, sympathetic kings and priests!

Next time: Was The Kingdom In God's Purpose?