“He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness” Isa: 9:6
We can hear many genuine Christians declaring that they desire to “make Jesus King”. We can appreciate this sincere sentiment of our fellow believers and, in truth, we agree that we desire that the rule of our Lord be over all things.
Many Christians however, look to some
point in the future for this rule of Christ when the Kingdom of our God will be
made manifest over all the Earth.
His Advent-Coming
“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.” Rev: 11:15
This verse reveals the moment when our
God intervenes in human history and the end of human misrule over the Earth is
concluded by sending his Holy Son Jesus Christ personally to reign over all the
Earth.
1000 Years
This time of Jesus’ rule over the Earth
is commonly called the Millennium among Christian. It is generally believed to
be a thousand years of Christ’s reign over the Earth.
We are told by St. John that believers
in Jesus, regardless as to when they lived will reign with Jesus on the Earth.
“and they will reign with him for a thousand
years” Rev:
20:6c
However, in Apocalyptic Literature and Language , which was developed by the Jewish people while they were in captivity during the Second Century BC, and was taught in the Rabbinical Schools of the time of the early Church as an oratory and literary device. The number thousand designated perfect peace, justice and judgment not necessarily amount or duration. It may be speaking of the quality of Jesus' reign over the Earth not the length of time, but maybe in reference to the character of his reign.
This means, that what St. John may be
telling us is not how long, that is the length of Christ’s reign, but rather
the quality of his reign, that it is, and will be characterized by perfect,
peace, justice and judgement over all who are under his rule.
Does this mean that Jesus’ reign will not be a thousand years? No, the reign of Jesus may be one thousand years over the Earth, but the important issue which is being advanced is the quality of his reign over the lives of those who have accepted him as the Messiah regardless of when they live, past, present or in the years to come.
On His Shoulders
The Prophet Isaiah, who wrote so much
regarding the person and ministry of Jesus Christ that his book is sometimes
called by Scholars the fifth Gospel. The Prophet foresaw the coming of Jesus
into the stream of human history and wrote of his rule over the lives of
humanity.
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
will accomplish this”. Isa: 9:6-7
This prophetic word written by the
Prophet, speaks of the reign of the Lord’s Messiah over the lives of all
people, not just Israel. That is Israel may have been the nation through whom
the Messiah has come yet he has come to all peoples, Jesus’ Kingdom has transverse
the bounds of Israel and has encompassed peoples of all nations into his
glorious Kingdom.
“Of the greatness of his government and
peace there will be no end.” (7a)
Jesus’ Kingdom does not end at the borders of
Israel but includes people of all nations any who will but freely accept it.
This kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ
and his reign as King has reached out over the centuries and is even present in
our lives here and now, not just someday in the years to come at the conclusion
of human history.
Many are awaiting the time when our
Lord will be King, yet the witness of Scripture is that that Jesus is, even now
King, not just someday. He rules our lives.
The Inaugurated Eschatology
St. Paul wrote of the reality of Jesus
being King in the lives of his people even now and that the Kingdom of God has
and is come for us even now, that our God has through Jesus brought us into his
Kingdom.
“for he has delivered us from the powers of
darkness and has translated us into the Kingdom of his son” Col: 1:13
The grammar here in St. Paul’s epistles
is present tense meaning that being in the Kingdom of God is a present reality
which believers can experience, right now in their daily lives not just
someday. It is a reality for Christians, and for any and all who be freely
accept it.
This present reality in the lives of
Christians of the Kingdom of God and Jesus as our King is what some Theologians
call “The Inaugurated Eschatology”.
This means that Jesus is, in our
experience, here and now, is our King and all the hopes and blessing of his
thousand-year reign of perfect peace, justice and judgement is already here for
us, not just some day.
St. Paul alludes to the “The Inaugurated Eschatology” in his Roman Epistle
when he writes to Apostolic Christians saying to them, and believers throughout
the ages, that we are “they on whom the end of the age has come”.
St. Paul is not just saying that we are
living in the “end of the age”, rather, he is
saying that the end of history has broken into our lives now, not just someday.
This means that Christ, as our King, is
a reality for believers now, and what we experience under his reign in the
world, in the years to come, will, at his coming, experience as the Kingdom of
God is made manifest over all things.
Jesus is the Child "who is given” who now
has the government of our lives upon his shoulders. This means we are under
Jesus’ care as our King even now.
The Seventh Trumpet
Scripture tells us that there will come
a time when the seventh trumpet of God will sound and the Heavens will be rent
and Jesus will come in great glory. 1Cor: 15:52, 1Thess:4:16,
Rev:19:11:15.
But again, this coming is not
just someday but Jesus is come for each and all even now. When we hear the
sound of the Gospel message trumpeted into our ears then our Lord himself comes
to us and reveals himself as God’s chosen King who even now invites to be under
his perfect, reign of peace, justice and judgement, that is he offers to bare
the government of our lives.
The Gospel is the seventh Trumpet which
opens eyes of our heart and we see that Jesus is accessible in the Heavens that
we might see our Lord Jesus for who he is, God’s chosen King over all things.
As the great reformer John Calvin wrote long
ago; “Christ comes to us clothed in his own Gospel”.
That means that in the presentation of the
Gospel message we meet our Lord Jesus Christ in a personal way, he is present
in that message, it is as if a trumpet is sounded and the Heavens are rent
asunder.
Our Lord Jesus is not just a King for a
future time when human history concludes but Jesus is our King who is come,
even here and now, and has placed us and has brought us, even now into his
Kingdom, as is declared in the Book of Revelation.
"For He is King of Kings and Lord of
Lords, and he will reign forever and ever”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2Ou-n490Gs
Benediction: May we each and all ever rest in the glorious reign of our King Jesus, today, tomorrow and for evermore. Amen.
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Rev. Todd Crouch, Pastor
Topinabee Community Church
Topinabee Michigan
https://topinabeechurch.org/index.html
You Can Follow Topinabee Community Church on Face Book
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