God Rules Over the Nations
Key Scripture — Psalm 22:28 KJV
“For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations.”
Introduction
The Kingdom belongs to God.
Psalm 22:28 makes a declaration that reaches beyond one nation, one generation, or one period of history:
“The kingdom is the LORD'S.”
God does not receive His authority from mankind. He does not rule because nations give Him permission to rule. His throne was not established by human government, and His authority is not dependent upon human recognition.
He is King because He is God.
The LORD created the heavens and the earth, and therefore everything ultimately belongs to Him.
Psalm 24:1 declares:
“The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.”
God possesses the Kingdom, exercises sovereign authority, and governs according to His own righteous will.
“For the Kingdom Is the LORD'S”
The word kingdom speaks of more than territory. A kingdom includes the rule, reign, authority, and dominion of a king.
Therefore, when Scripture declares:
“The kingdom is the LORD'S,”
it announces God's sovereign right to rule.
God is not merely present within His Kingdom.
He owns it.
He governs it.
He establishes its order.
His Word determines what is righteous.
Human beings do not redefine God's Kingdom according to changing cultures, traditions, or personal desires.
The King determines the order of His Kingdom.
“He Is the Governor Among the Nations”
Psalm 22:28 continues:
“...and he is the governor among the nations.”
The Hebrew thought behind this expression concerns ruling and exercising dominion.
God's authority is not restricted to Israel.
He rules over the nations.
Psalm 47:7–8 KJV declares:
“For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.”
“God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.”
Kings rise and fall.
Governments change.
Empires appear and disappear.
Generations come and go.
But God's throne remains.
His Kingdom Rules Over All
Psalm 103:19 KJV
“The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.”
This verse reveals both God's throne and His dominion.
The throne represents royal authority.
The Kingdom represents the exercise of that authority.
And Scripture says:
“His kingdom ruleth over all.”
Nothing exists outside God's ultimate sovereignty.
That does not mean everything occurring in the world expresses God's moral approval. Scripture clearly shows human rebellion, sin, wickedness, and satanic opposition.
Nevertheless, rebellion does not dethrone God.
God remains sovereign even when His creatures rebel against His commands.
An Everlasting Kingdom
Psalm 145:13 KJV
“Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.”
Human kingdoms are temporary.
God's Kingdom is everlasting.
Nebuchadnezzar eventually learned this truth.
Daniel 4:34 KJV records his confession:
“...I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:”
God's Kingdom existed before the governments presently ruling the earth.
It will remain after they are gone.
His dominion crosses every generation.
God's Kingdom Has a King
The Kingdom cannot be separated from its King.
Throughout Scripture, God reveals Himself as King.
Psalm 47:2 KJV
“For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.”
Jesus came proclaiming God's Kingdom.
Mark 1:14–15 tells us that Jesus preached:
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”
Christ's message demanded a response.
Repent.
Believe.
The announcement of the Kingdom calls people away from rebellion and toward submission to God.
You Must Be Born Again
One of the most important teachings concerning entrance into God's Kingdom appears in John 3.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews. Yet religious position and biblical knowledge were not enough.
Jesus told him:
John 3:3 KJV
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Natural birth does not give spiritual entrance into God's Kingdom.
Religious tradition does not accomplish it.
Church attendance does not accomplish it.
Family heritage does not accomplish it.
Jesus said:
“Ye must be born again.”
Born of Water and of the Spirit
John 3:5 KJV
“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
The Kingdom requires spiritual transformation.
Jesus continued:
John 3:6 KJV
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
The natural person cannot produce spiritual life through human effort.
New birth is the work of God.
Entrance into the Kingdom therefore involves more than adopting Christian terminology.
There must be spiritual life.
Delivered From Darkness and Translated Into the Kingdom
Paul describes salvation in Kingdom language.
Colossians 1:13 KJV
“Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:”
Notice the movement:
Delivered from the power of darkness.
Translated into the Kingdom of His Son.
Salvation involves a change of spiritual allegiance.
The believer no longer belongs to the dominion from which Christ has delivered him.
We now belong to Christ.
Kingdom Citizenship Requires Kingdom Obedience
If God is King, then His people cannot claim His Kingdom while rejecting His authority.
Jesus asked:
Luke 6:46 KJV
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
The word Lord acknowledges authority.
Therefore, calling Jesus Lord while deliberately rejecting His commandments contradicts the confession itself.
Kingdom citizenship calls for obedience to the King.
Jesus said:
John 14:15 KJV
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
We do not obey God in order to purchase salvation.
We obey because we belong to Him.
We Do Not Rewrite the King's Word
Every generation faces pressure to reshape Scripture according to its culture.
But the Kingdom does not belong to us.
“The kingdom is the LORD'S.”
Therefore, we cannot alter God's standards simply because human standards change.
The Church is called to proclaim what the King has spoken.
Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:2 KJV
“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
Our responsibility is not to make God's Word conform to the world.
Our responsibility is to allow God's Word to transform us.
Seek First the Kingdom
Jesus taught His disciples:
Matthew 6:33 KJV
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
The Kingdom must have priority.
Not merely:
My plans.
My ambitions.
My possessions.
My reputation.
But:
His Kingdom.
His righteousness.
His will.
His glory.
Kingdom living asks a different question.
Instead of merely asking, “What do I want?”
we learn to ask:
“What does my King desire?”
Thy Kingdom Come
Jesus taught His disciples to pray:
Matthew 6:10 KJV
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
Notice the relationship:
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy will be done.
The Kingdom of God and the will of God belong together.
Where God's reign is willingly acknowledged, His will is obeyed.
Therefore, praying for God's Kingdom involves surrendering ourselves to His will.
The Kingdom Is Righteousness, Peace, and Joy
Paul writes:
Romans 14:17 KJV
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.”
God's Kingdom cannot be reduced to outward religious practices.
Kingdom life involves the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Righteousness.
Peace.
Joy in the Holy Ghost.
The King's character should increasingly become visible in His people.
The Kingdom Is Present and Yet Coming
The New Testament reveals an important Kingdom truth.
God's Kingdom is already at work through Christ, yet Scripture also looks forward to the full manifestation of His reign.
Jesus proclaimed:
“The kingdom of God is at hand.”
Believers have already been translated into the Kingdom of God's Son.
Yet Jesus also taught us to pray:
“Thy kingdom come.”
Therefore, there is an already and a not yet dimension.
Christ reigns now.
His people belong to His Kingdom now.
Yet we still await the day when His reign will be openly and universally manifested.
The Kingdoms of This World Will Become His
Revelation points toward the ultimate triumph of God's Kingdom.
Revelation 11:15 KJV
“The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.”
Human history is moving toward the fulfillment of God's sovereign purpose.
God will not surrender His Kingdom.
Christ will not lose His throne.
The final word belongs to God.
Key Observations
The Kingdom belongs to the LORD.
God's authority does not originate with humanity.
God's sovereign rule extends over all nations.
His Kingdom is everlasting.
Jesus Christ proclaimed the Kingdom of God.
Entrance into the Kingdom requires the new birth.
Believers have been delivered from darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God's Son.
Kingdom citizenship involves submission to the King.
God's Word establishes the standards of His Kingdom.
The Kingdom is presently at work while awaiting its future complete manifestation.
God's Kingdom will never be overthrown.
Christ shall reign forever.
Personal Application
If “the kingdom is the LORD'S,” then my life belongs under His authority.
I must ask myself whether I merely acknowledge God as King with my mouth or actually submit to His rule in my daily life.
His Word must govern my decisions.
His righteousness must shape my conduct.
His purposes must become more important than my personal ambitions.
When the world appears unstable, I can remember:
God's throne has not moved.
When nations are troubled:
God remains King.
When human standards change:
God's Word remains established.
And when I cannot understand what God is doing, I can still trust the One whose Kingdom rules over all.
Reflection Questions
What does it mean that “the kingdom is the LORD'S”?
How does Psalm 22:28 describe God's relationship to the nations?
What does Psalm 103:19 teach about the extent of God's rule?
Why is the new birth necessary to enter the Kingdom of God?
According to Colossians 1:13, from what have believers been delivered?
What does it mean to live under the authority of King Jesus?
Are there areas of my life that I have resisted placing under God's rule?
How should Matthew 6:33 affect my priorities?
What does it mean for me personally to pray, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done”?
How does knowing that God's Kingdom is everlasting strengthen my faith during uncertain times?
Closing Prayer
Heavenly Father, I acknowledge that the Kingdom is Thine and that Thou rulest over all. Thy throne is established in the heavens, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
Thank Thee for delivering me from the power of darkness and translating me into the Kingdom of Thy dear Son.
Teach me to live under Thy authority. Let Thy Word govern my thoughts, decisions, conduct, and desires. Where I have resisted Thy will, bring me into submission to Thy truth.
Help me to seek first Thy Kingdom and Thy righteousness. Let righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost be evident in my life.
When the world around me changes, remind me that Thy Kingdom cannot be shaken. Thou art King, Thy Word remains true, and Thy dominion is everlasting.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
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