Apocalypse Revealed #284
284. "And we shall reign on the earth." This symbolically means, and they will dwell in His kingdom, He in them and they in Him.
To reign on the earth means nothing other than to be in the Lord's kingdom and to be united with Him in it, according to these words of the Lord:
...that all (those who believe in Me) may be one; (and one) as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us... The glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be one as We are one, I in them, and You in Me..., that they also... may be with Me where I am... (John 17:20-24)
So then, since they are thus one with the Lord, and together with the Lord form the kingdom that is called the kingdom of God, it is apparent that nothing else is symbolically meant by reigning.
Reigning is mentioned because of the prior statement, "You have made us kings and priests;" and because kings symbolize people who are governed by wisdom springing from Divine truths from the Lord, and priests symbolize people who are governed by love springing from Divine good from Him (no. 20).
It is because of this that the Lord's kingdom is also called a kingdom of saints (Daniel 7:18, 27); and of the Apostles it is said that with the Lord they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), even though it is the Lord alone who judges and reigns. For He judges and reigns from Divine good by means of Divine truth, which they have in them as well from Him. But anyone who believes that what they have from the Lord is something of their own, is expelled from the kingdom, that is, from heaven.
Reigning has the same symbolic meaning in the following places in the book of Revelation:
...they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (Revelation 20:6, cf. 20:4)
And of those who will come into the New Jerusalem, it is said:
(The Lamb) gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5 [cf. Revelation 21:23])
Revelation 10
1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.
4
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
5
And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,
6
And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:
7
But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.
8
And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.
9
And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.
10
And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.
11
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
