The Minister's Corner No. 56

The Minister's Corner

By the late Prof. Wick Broomall, A.M., Th. M.

No. 56 — "BASILEUO" ("To be king, to reign") A. Introductory

1. Word and Usage. The Greek verb "basileuo" is found 21 times in the Greek New Testament. Four of these are in the Gospels (Matthew 2:22; Luke 1:33; 19:14, 27);

ten are in Paul's letters (Romans 5:14, 17 twice, 21 twice; 6:12; I Corinthians 15:25),^ and seven times in Revelation (5:10; 11:15, 17; 19:6; 20:4, 6; 22:5).

I. Translation. AV uses some form of "reign" in every place except I Timothy 6:15 ("kings"). ASV is almost like AV in every place; RSV introduces a few minor changes (mostly in tense forms). The other versions consulted (Goodspeed, Weymouth, Verkuyl) do not differ materially, although there is a noticeable tendency toward the use of "is king" (for example. Revelation 22:5 — "will be kings;' Weymouth).

III. Meaning. "Basileuo" is defined by Thayer as "to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign:' "To reign" is by far the most common translation in the version. Either "to reign" or "to be king" will translate every occurrence of "basileuo"

B. Classification

1. "Basileuo" Classified Grammatically, a. Present Tense. The indicative is found in Matthew 2:22 (indirect discourse); the infinitive (after "dei") in I Corinthians 15:25);

the imperative in Romans 6:12; and the substantive participle ("kings") in I Timothy 6:15. b. Future Tense. The future indicative is found in Luke 1:33; Revelation 5:10, 11:15;

20:6; 22:5. c. Aorist Tense. The indicative is found in Romans 5:14, 17 (second), 21 (first); I Corinthians 4:8, twice; Revelation 11:17; 19:6; 20:4. The infinitive is found in Luke 19:14, 27. The subjunctive is found in Romans 5:21 (after "hina") to express purpose.

I. "Basileuo" Classified Theologically. Here we have a number of very important truths which can be treated but briefly.

a. "Basileuo" and God. There are two, possibly three, passages that apply undoubtedly to God the Father. They are all in Revelation.

1. Revelation 11:15. "The sovereignty of the world now belongs to our Lord and His Christ; and He will be King for ever and ever" (Weymouth). Some apply "He" to God — others to Christ (cf. Luke 1:33). Compare Handel's Messiah.

2. Revelation 11:17 — "We give thanks, 0 Lord God, the Ruler of all, Who art and wast, because Thou hast exerted Thy power. Thy great power, and hast become King" (Weymouth). The aorist here is inceptive and should be translated as Weymouth has it instead of “hast reigned” (AV) of "didst reign" (ASV). God is "the King of the ages" (Greek), that is, "the eternal King" (I Timothy 1:17). His kingship here (Revelation 11:17) is recognized as visibly realized in the consummation (cf. verse 15).

3. Revelation 19:6 — A great voice proclaims: "Hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Omnipotent has become sovereign King" (Verkuyl). Again the aorist here is inceptive as above and so should be rendered. Williams has translated the aorist here: "has now begun to reign" Of course, there is no "now" in the original; that word, however, helps to bring out the inceptive idea. Although always reigning. His reign is now realized in the triumphant subjection of all His enemies as recounted in this chapter (19).

b. "Basileuo" and Christ. Here there seems to be a twofold division.

1. Christ's present "basileuo." Under this we note three things:

(a) His right and title to such reign (1 Timothy 6:15 — "The King of them that reign as kings," ASV margin). Note the substantive participle here in genitive relationship. Compare Romans 13:lff.

(b) The rejection of His reign by the Jews (Luke 19:14, 27). "We will not that this man should reign over us" This ASV rendering brings out the "will" (Greek, "thelo") of their intention. So Weymouth: "We are not willing that he should become our King."

(c) The termination of His mediatorial reign (I Corinthians 15:25). "For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet" (Montgomery). The last enemy mentioned here is death (verse 26); that enemy, subdued in Christ's conquest of satan at His first advent (Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8), is finally vanquished in the resurrection of the body at Christ's second advent (Philippians 3;10, 20f; I Corinthians 15:24-28).

2. Christ's eternal "basileuo." "He will be King over the House of Jacob for ever, and of His reign there will be no end" (Luke 1:33, Weymouth). the eternity of His reign is indicated positively (He is King for ever) and negatively (His reign has no end — on "end" see No. 51 — "Telos"). One should compare the prophecies of Daniel (2:44;

7:27) which are undoubtedly in mind in Luke 1:33. The fact that this reign is described as having no end shows that no millennial kingdom is in mind. "The House of Jacob" is not the literal Jacob and his physical descendants, but rather the spiritual House

— the Body of Christ — to which the whole family of God — whether Jew or Gentile

— belongs (cf. Ephesians 2: 11-22; Hebrews 3:5, 6; 12:22-24). Note how "— the house of Israel" and "the house of Judah" are applied spiritually to the true Church (Hebrews 8:8ff, quoting Jeremiah 31:31ff)- (To be continued)

No. 57 — "BASIOLEUO" ("To be king, to reign")

1. The Christian's present "basileuo." Several passages would seem to indicate that the Christian in the present life enjoys a "reign" with Christ. Romans 5:17 probably belongs here: "For if, due to that one person's fall, death is king through that person, far more surely shall those, who receive the person, far more surely shall those, who receive the overflowing of grace and the gift of righteousness, reign as kings in the life they enjoy through the One, Jesus Christ" (Verkuyl). The "reigning as kings" surely seems to refer to the present life; this fact is confirmed by such passages as I Peter 2:9 ("royal priesthood"); Revelation 1:6 ("a kingdom"); and other similar references. In II Timothy 2:12 the compound verb "sum-basileuo" ("to reign together" — Thayer) is found. The passage reads: "If we endure, we shall also reign with him: if we shall deny him, he also will deny us" (ASV). Some commentators (e.g., Ellicott) refer the reign to the future life; others (e.g., EGT), using Romans 6: 4,5,8 and Colossians 2:12 as parallels, make the "corulership" refer to the present life as well as the future life.

2. The Christian's intermediate "basileuo." After death and before the final resurrection the soul of the Christian is "with Christ" — which is "very far better" than his state in this present world (Philippians 1:23). There are certain passages that seem to refer to this "reign" after death in the intermediate or inter-adventual state.

(a) II Timothy 2:12 ("sum-basileuo"). We have considered this passage above and have there show that some commentators refer it to the life after death.

(b) Revelation 20:4, 6. Verse 4 refers to certain ones who "lived, and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (ASV). Four things are stated in verse 6 regarding those of "the first resurrection": (1) Their spiritual state: "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection" (2) Their freedom: "Over these the second death hath no power" (3) Their ministry: "But they shall be priests of God and of Christ' (4) Their function:

"And shall reign with him a thousand years"

In our previous Studies (Nos. 14-17 on "The Binding of Satan") we have proved that Revelation 20:1-10 refers to the time between the first and second advents (cf. also Russell Bradley Jones, The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter, chapter IX), therefore, if this be so, it would appear that the reign spoken of here (verse 4 and 6) pertains to the Christian's reign with Christ in the life after death (note "souls" in verse 4).

3. The Christian's eternal "basileuo." If the Christian reigns with Christ in the present life (Romans 5:17) and in the intermediate state (Revelation 20:4, 6; cf. II Timothy 2:12), then it is most certain that that rulership will be continued into eternity. This fact is confirmed by two passages:

(a) Revelation 5:10—"Thou hast made them kings and priests unto our God, and they shall reign on earth" (Montgomery). The context of this verse seems to make eternity the time. The "earth" here is undoubtedly the "new earth" of the eternal order (cf. Revelation 21:1; II Peter 3:13; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22). It is probably to this time that such passages as Luke 22:30 and Revelation 3:21 belong.

(b) Revelation 22:5—'And they shall reign forever and ever" (ASV). The whole context of this passage shows that eternity is the time designated.

d. "Basileuo" and Redemption. This verb occurs five times in the fifth chapter of Romans (verses 14, 17, twice, 21, twice). There are three great truths that cluster around these verses:

1. Death reigned as king through Adam's disobedience (Romans 5:14, 17a). "For if, by the trespass of one, death reigned through the one" (ASV). Adam's sin crowned death as king of the human race.

2.Through Christ believers now reign as kings in life (Romans 5:17b). this we have dealt with above.

3. As sin ruled as king in death, so grace now rules as king in righteousness.

(Romans 5:21). In the realm of death sin reigned as king; in the realm of eternal life grace reigns through righteousness. This truth prepares the ground for what is said in Romans 6:12—"Sin, then, must not be king in your mortal body, to have you yield to its passions" (Verkuyl).

e. "Basileuo" Used of Real and Supposed Kingship. 1. Real kingship is indicated in Matthew 2: 22—Archelaus "was ruling over Judea in the place of his father, Herod" (Williams). 2. Supposed kingship is found in the attitude of the Corinthians (I Corinthians 4:8)—"ye have come to reign without us: ye and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you (ASV, the last verb is "summbasileuo"). See Plummer in ICC for helpful remarks.

C Conclusion

The greatest proof of our "joint-reign" with Christ now (Romans 5:17 is that sin does not reign as king in us (Romans 6:12).