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1 Corinthians 15:24-28 states that Jesus will reign only until all enemies have been placed under His feet, at which point He will hand everything to the Father and subject Himself to Him.

then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For He has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is clear that this excludes the Father who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

However, Daniel 7:13-14, Luke 1:33, and Ephesians 1:21 all assert that Jesus will be in dominion over His Kingdom forever.

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. 14 And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Luke 1:32-33 will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!

Ephesians 1:20-21 which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

Is there any way to resolve this apparent contradiction?

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    His kingdom is that which the Father has given him. He still serves the Father who reigns over all. What he is handing over is essentially the complete accomplishment of removing evil from God's creation of humanity and that realm. That was always his mission, and now, on behalf of God, he has finished it. He rules under and with God's authority so whose kingdom it is is quite moot.
    – steveowen
    Commented Mar 6, 2022 at 23:46
  • @steveowen Interesting perspective! I'd really appreciate it if you could expand on it with an answer. Have a great day. :D
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 6, 2022 at 23:53
  • The question of “is there a contradiction” is opinion based. I have flagged it as such
    – Luke Hill
    Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 3:05
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    @LukeHill You can't just say a few words and expect everyone to apprehend all it is that you're saying. "The question of “is there a contradiction” is opinion based" is not an explanation. If my question is opinion based, can you explain to me why exactly? What opinion am I basing that question on? That there might be a contradiction? If that's an opinion, please explain as to why it's an obvious fact that there is(or isn't) a contradiction(which would make any belief that dissents from this fact inherently "opinion based").
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 3:10
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    Both truths (a reign until ... and a reign for ever) are true. There is no contradiction.
    – Nigel J
    Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 13:49

4 Answers 4

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Your assumption that "Jesus will reign only until all enemies have been placed under His feet" is not correct. Jesus's reign is forever, a truth to which the scriptures you cited attest. Here is another scripture that attests to the eternal reign of Jesus Christ:

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever" (Revelation 11:15)

When (or after) Jesus has "abolished all rule and authority and power" and "put all his enemies under his feet," including death, only then will he hand over the kingdom to God the Father" (1 Corinthians 15:24). Moreover, Paul adds, "the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all" (ibid., v.28, my emphasis).

In other words, there will never come a time when "everything" is not under the Son.

Neither verse 24 nor verse 28 teaches that Christ will be dethroned. His reign is indeed forever. By the same token, however, in his reign, Jesus will be subject to his Father who has put everything under his Son. To be subject to his Father, Jesus is in no way stepping down from his eternal throne, nor is he in any way relinquishing any of his attributes as God the Son, including omnipotence.

The eternal order has been, is now, and forever will be: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Within that divine order, there is perfect equality among the three persons of the Trinity. Each person in the Godhead, however, has an eternal role to play. In very human terms, which I use reverently, God the Father has delegated tasks to his well-beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased (see Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9.35; and 2 Peter 1:17).

In the human sphere, particularly in the workplace, we sometimes assume that the employee is somehow less than, or inferior to, the employer. After all, the employer signs the paychecks, and the "boss" has more power than the people who "report to" her or him. He or she has the authority to dismiss an employee for any reason.

Not so in the divine sphere. The Father is the Sovereign LORD (YHWH). The Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, is subject to the Father and is perfectly obedient to him (see John 8:29). There is a mutual love affair, so to speak, between Father and Son. The Father loves his Son, and the Son loves his Father.

The Holy Spirit's role seems to be to reveal Jesus to all created beings, particularly to true believers in Jesus (see John 14:15 ff.) Jesus called him "the Spirit of truth" (ibid., v.17). So, Jesus IS the truth, and the Spirit of truth reveals him to people. The Holy Spirit who indwells each and every believer in Jesus Christ is Christ's presence with them. He is the Paraclete who teaches them, comforts them, helps them to pray, and empowers them to manifest the Fruit of the Spirit. In so doing, He enables Christians to become more like Christ.

I'll conclude my remarks by providing you with the words of the Isaac Watts hymn, "Jesus Shall Reign":

Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does its successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
To Him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown His head;
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.
People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on His love with sweetest song,
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on His name.
Blessings abound where’er He reigns:
The pris’ners leap to lose their chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all who suffer want are blest.
Let every creature rise and bring
The highest honors to our King,
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud amen.
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    @Rajesh: By "perfect equality" I mean that for any and every attribute you think of God having, each member of the Trinity has that same attribute to the same degree. How that attribute is exercised may differ, one from the other, but the attribute itself does not change. For example, God's holiness was expressed by Jesus in the unparalleled quality of the life he lived as the God-Man. The holiness of God the Father inspired and humbled the prophet Isaiah, as recorded in Isaiah Chapter 6:1 ff. The holiness of the Holy Spirit is demonstrated in the lives of Christians who are walking by and Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 21:46
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    being filled by the Holy Spirit, as they submit to his direction in their lives. The same could be said for the way the Trinity exercises justice, or mercy, or grace, or omnipotence, or omniscience, or any other attribute you might care to name. Each person of the Trinity possesses and exercises those attributes in accordance with their particular role within the Godhead. I realize that using the word "role" may be ill-advised, but I think the word communicates fairly well for our purposes. Commented Mar 7, 2022 at 21:49
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    @Rajesh: "Fatherliness" is not an attribute, but love is. Fatherliness is a human label we attach to numerous characteristics. A good father is loving, tender, strong, gentle, supportive, encouraging, protective, and so on. God's attributes are revealed to us in God's Word, the Bible. Each person of the Trinity possesses those attributes in equal measure. HOW THEY ARE EXPRESSED may SEEM to us humans to be different, but sometimes that is because of our finite perspective on things that are infinite. The concept of a Triune God may seem to us at times to be an unplumbable mystery, but it is not Commented Mar 8, 2022 at 14:59
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    a mystery to God. The tri-unity of God is an eternal reality, the best "proof" of which is the existence of love, which is expressed ONLY in relationship. In eternity "past," love existed among the three persons of the Trinity. God IS ONE, but if Jesus and the Holy Spirit were not equally God from eternity past, then the oneness of God would be very self-centered and self-involved. Love does not exist in a self-centered, self-involved vacuum of relationship. The relationship within the Godhead is a loving relationship and has been and will be for all eternity. Commented Mar 8, 2022 at 15:09
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    Frankly, the Holy Spirit being a part of the Godhead is unnecessary. People point to Genesis 1:26, which says that let US make man in OUR image, and say that it's proof of the Trinity(of three Gods in one). But they forget that TWO people can say US and OUR as well. And the point you made about love not existing in a self-centred, self-involved vacuum of relationship is truly a GOOD point, but you don't need 3 people to have a relationship; you only need 2. All the good points you made would apply equally as well to a duality(Father and Son). The personhood of the Holy Spirit is unnecessary.
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 8, 2022 at 18:04
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No, there is no contradiction because at no point does Christ ever relinquish his Kingship. Neither is it ever taken away from him. He will hand over the completed work of his Kingdom rule to the Father at a certain point, once everything in all creation has been restored to what it originally was. This will glorify the Almighty.

When creation went askew (due to sin) the Son of God already knew his assigned role in restoring it. At a particular time in the future, the Father would send him to earth and he would willingly go, die, be resurrected then return to the Father. The Holy Spirit also knew his assigned role in the restoration. He would be sent to earth after the Christ had returned to heaven, to enable Christians to be ambassadors for Christ, until Christ returned in great glory. All three persons in the Godhead had worked out the plan of salvation before any creating started. All three were involved in the creation. All three are united in restoring everything to sinless perfection. All of this glorifies the Almighty. But to glorify the Almighty is to glorify the others in the Godhead for they are one in Deity.

The Father and the Son share the one, divine nature, with absolute unity of the Spirit in that nature. Various scriptures highlight the role of one Person at a particular time, then a different but complimentary role of another of the Person at another time.. Once you look at all the texts you have mentioned in that light, there is no contradiction.

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  • So, is it like Jesus hands supreme control over to the Father, but He Himself does not stop ruling? Like right now Jesus is has supreme control of the Kingdom, at God's right hand; His equal when it comes to authority over the universe since Jesus was given ALL(the whole amount) of authority over the spiritual realm(Heaven) and physical realm(Earth), which I think are all the realms so basically everything in existence. But when the last enemy is destroyed, Jesus will then hand supreme control back to the Father, still retaining His rulership over the kingdom?
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 8, 2022 at 18:09
  • Basically, Jesus will no longer have supreme control over the Kingdom as He does now, but He will still BE reigning over the Kingdom as He was before, the only difference being that He is under God's supreme rulership, correct? Good answer! +1 :)
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 8, 2022 at 18:11
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Op asks: Is there any way to resolve this apparent contradiction between the verses listed above?

The reign of Christ is for the eons, or ages. It's for a very long but limited period of time.
This will be when He reigns as God's son.

and unto the Son: 'Thy throne, O God, is to the age of the age; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy reign. Hebrews 1:8 YLT

Prior to the eon of the eon he will be reigning in the 1000 year as King over Israel.

"During the millennium, Jesus will reign as king over Israel and all the nations of the world (Isaiah 2:4; 42:1). The world will live in peace (Isaiah 11:6–9; 32:18), Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:1–3), and, at the beginning, everyone will worship God (Isaiah 2:2–3). The purpose of the 1,000-year reign is to fulfill various promises God made to the world. Some of these promises, called covenants, were given specifically to Israel. Others were given to Jesus, the nations of the world, and creation. Jesus’ 1,000-year reign will be a time of promises kept". Quoted from Got questions.

There will come a time when everything will be subjected to Christ. After all rule and authority has been abolished, including death, Christ hands the kingdom to God the Father.

For it behooves Him to reign until He shall have put all the enemies under His feet. 26The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27For “He has put in subjection all things under His feet.”b But when it may be said that all things have been put in subjection, it is evident that the One having put in subjection all things to Him is excepted. 28Now when all things shall have been put in subjection to Him, then also the Son Himself will be put in subjection to the One having put in subjection all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. 1 cor. 15: 25-28

It is in Luke where we find the reign of God never ends.

and he shall reign over the house of Jacob to the ages; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.' Luke 1:33

God will have completed His goal for his entire creation. When God is all in all.
His kingdom rules in every heart. Love never fails.

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  • So, Jesus doesn't rule forever, then?
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 10, 2022 at 18:59
  • The word "forever"is a mistranslation. It actually means age, or eon. He will reign to the age of the ages. God is in the process of subjecting people, nations, and even the heavenly realm to Christ over the next couple ages or eons. Once the Father has subjected everything under Christ then Christ gives up his reign and subjects Himself to God the Father. 1Cor1:15:24. The kingdoms of the world did become those of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign to the ages of the ages!' Rev. 11:15. So to answer your question Christ's reign will end once everything has been subjected to Him.
    – Sherrie
    Commented Mar 10, 2022 at 20:46
  • What about Ephesians 1:21? He will have His name and authority in the age to come.
    – Rajesh
    Commented Mar 10, 2022 at 20:55
  • Yes he will have authority in the next age as well as the one following it. The last one is called the age of the age. Some translations say forever and ever. Ages always have a beginning and an end. He will be ruling for very long time. We are now in the present evil age. ..gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age. Gal.1:4. Satan is the god of this eon. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers. 2:cor:4:4
    – Sherrie
    Commented Mar 11, 2022 at 0:48
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1 Corinthians 15:24-28 states that Jesus will reign only until all enemies have been placed under His feet, at which point He will hand everything to the Father and subject Himself to Him.

No. 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 echoes the same theme as other biblical passages in the same vein:

1 Corinthians 11:3 the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

Compare the above, with the verse you've just quoted:

1 Corinthians 15:28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

Both speak of hierarchical chains:

  • wife - husband - Christ - God
  • creation - Son - God

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