Awaiting Christ’s Kingdom

Among the Israelites, the title “king” referred to the supreme head of the nation.  A king was commander in chief of the army, supreme judge, and the absolute master of all his subjects’ lives.¹  Knowing this has helped me to understand why the Jewish people did not recognize Jesus as their Messiah.  They were expecting a mighty king who would redeem Israel!  They did not realize that when Jesus returns to earth, He will reign as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16) and Israel will finally be redeemed. 

Do you believe that Christ Jesus will rule and reign upon a literal throne when He returns?  This is a topic that is rarely discussed in pulpits today.  But there is no denying that it is a major theme from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation. 

Daniel 2:44: And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

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

Jeremiah 33:14-16: ¹⁴Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. ¹⁵In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness.

Jesus is the righteous branch.  Jeremiah 33:14-15 refers to Jesus’ first appearance on earth, when he impressed upon the hearts of believers the gospel of his glory.  Jeremiah 33:16 refers to Jesus’ second coming to earth when he will reign as king on the throne in Jerusalem.  We have the benefit of knowing this because we live on this side of the cross and have all of Scripture to read.  But it is easy to see how early readers of the Torah could not possibly understand that there would be two comings of the Lord.

Zechariah 14:5 also prophesies that Jesus is coming, and that He will be bringing His saints with him:

And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.

Zechariah 14:9 makes it crystal clear that when Jesus returns, his kingdom will be an earthly one:

And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

You are probably very familiar with this passage from Romans 14:11, which stirs every bride’s heart:

For it is written,
AS I LIVE, SAYS THE LORD, EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW TO ME, AND EVERY TONGUE SHALL GIVE PRAISE TO GOD." (NASB) 

The prophet Isaiah correctly prophesied the birth of Jesus (Isaiah 9:6) and foretold that the government would be on his shoulders.  Isaiah 9:7 tells us exactly where Jesus will reign over his kingdom: 

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

And in Zechariah 9:10 we learn that His dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.  Amen!

 A future event

Many “kingdom now” proponents base their belief on what Jesus said in Luke 17:21:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (NIV)

Look up this passage in the online NET Bible (a great resource for comparing different translations side-by-side), and you will see that a more accurate translation is probably “in your midst” or “in your grasp.”  Jesus was telling them that the king was among them.

Context is everything when reading Scripture.  Who was Jesus talking to in Luke 17:21?  The NET translators make an excellent argument by stating that Jesus was talking to a group of angry Pharisees.  Why would He tell them that the kingdom was within them? 

  

Remember Jesus’ words a bit later in Luke 11:44: 

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  

Finally, if the kingdom was already here, why would Jesus instruct us to pray for the kingdom to come in Matthew 6:9-13?:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Reference: 1. Merril F. Unger and R.K. Harris, ed.  The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary  (Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1988), 739.