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Revelation 20:4; 22:5
“I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (20:4).
The visible church on earth is also the church militant, the body of Christ called to war against the world, the flesh, and the devil, proclaiming Jesus’ decisive victory over all those enemies so that the boundaries of God’s blessed kingdom will expand. But what about those Christians who have gone to be with the Lord? Are they not part of the invisible church, the men, women, and children who not only profess faith in Christ but also possess it in their hearts? Indeed, they are, but there is a special designation for the members of the invisible church who have passed into glory—the church triumphant.
If the visible church is the eschatological goal of God that is now taking shape, the church triumphant in the present is the more definite realization of this goal. This would make the church triumphant in the future, after the return of Christ, the realization of God’s goal in all its fullness. Louis Berkhof describes the church triumphant as one in which “the sword is exchanged for the palm of victory, the battle-cries are turned into songs of triumph, and the cross is replaced by the crown. The strife is over, the battle is won, and the saints reign with Christ forever and ever.”
We find a revelation of the church triumphant that exists at present in passages such as Revelation 20:4. John describes the martyrs in heaven as reigning with Christ for a millennium, which refers to the entire period between Jesus’ ascension and return, as we will see in due time. Moreover, we cannot limit the church triumphant’s membership to the martyrs; by extension, it includes all those who died for the sake of “the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God.” All those who die in faith, having persevered in trusting Jesus through thick and thin, gain and loss, comfort and suffering, have died bearing witness to Christ and His gospel.
Like so much else revealed in Scripture, there is an already and a not yet to the church triumphant. Already the church triumphant reigns alongside Christ, who is conquering all His and our enemies, but the church triumphant has not yet received all its members, and the enemies of God, though decisively conquered, have not all been put down. Only at Jesus’ return will the church triumphant be full and the Lord’s and our foes be completely removed. Then all the church triumphant will see God in His brightness (22:5).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Hebrews 12:14 tells us to “strive . . . for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.” Those of us who trust in Christ will join the church triumphant at our deaths or His return, whichever comes first. Therefore, we must be preparing ourselves for that day, seeking to live in the present according to the holiness that we will fully enjoy in the future. Let us get ready to join the church triumphant by pursuing holiness.
For further study
- Daniel 7:18
- 2 Timothy 4:6–8
- 1 Peter 5:4
- Revelation 1:4–6
The bible in a year
- Daniel 3–4
- 1 John 3