Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
We return, once again, to the words of Isaac Watts (1674-1748). “Jesus Shall Reign” is a hymn devoted to Christ’s ultimate reign over all. He is the Lord over every country, over every ruler, and in every corner of the earth.
The submission of all things to Christ is truly the end of the redemptive story, and as He has conquered sin, death and the devil, He will ultimately give all things back to God the Father. In the full circle of the biblical story, Christ returns goodness to all of the created order and God reigns over it forevermore.
What a great ending! We look forward to seeing the fullness of Christ’s work and the restoration of all things, even if we see dimly through time into what all of the events will be like. No matter what the future holds, God is asking for our faithfulness today as we keep in mind His promise of the future.