Did Jesus triumph and begin his messianic reign at his death and resurrection, or is he waiting for some future event to do so? Did Jesus triumph over his enemies
on Calvary or not? Most of us would answer, “Well, of course, he did!”
Yet certain interpretations, intentionally or
not, deny this and teach that his reign will not commence until his return.
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| [Photo by Manuel Rheinschmidt on Unsplash] |
Recently, and not for the first time, I heard that assumption expressed, that the first time Jesus appeared he came as the lowly Lamb who gave his life for our sins, and not as the triumphant king who would reign from the messianic throne. But when he comes again, then he will arrive as the conquering hero who will impose his rule on the earth.
While most certainly, he did
come the first time as the sacrificial victim who “loosed us from our sins.”
But based on what I read in Scripture, that does not mean that he did not also conquer
his enemies or begin his reign from the “throne of David.” As one preacher
expressed this view,
- “Jesus would fulfill all of God's plans but during His first coming, He would be the suffering servant and not the conqueror king. He will return soon during His Second Coming as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who will rule forever and ever” – (By Larry Huch).
Sorry,
but that is NOT what the New Testament teaches. Paul, for
example, wrote to the church at Colossae that, after nailing the “ordinance
that were against us” to the Cross, Jesus “despoiled the principalities and the powers, and
made a show of them openly, triumphing over them.” And the description echoes the Roman practice
of honoring conquering heroes with a triumphal parade through the streets of
the imperial city – (Colossians 2:14-15).
To the
Ephesians, Paul expressed a similar thought. Jesus “ascended on high, having
led captivity captive.” This triumphal victory occurred following his
resurrection. Having raised him from the
dead, God seated him “at his right hand in the heavenlies, far above all
rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this world but also in that which is to come.” Not only did God
exalt him, He also “put all things in subjection under his feet,” as
promised by the Psalmist – (Psalm 110:1, Ephesians 1:20-22, 4:8).
Certainly,
Jesus will be reigning over all things on the day when he “arrives on the
clouds.” But he is reigning from the Davidic throne now, already, as we speak.
And he will not return so he can beat his enemies into submission AFTER his second coming,
for he will accomplish that before that day. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, at his “arrival”:
- “Then comes the end, when he will deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he will have abolished all rule and all authority and power, for he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet,” and that will include the “last enemy, death” – (1 Corinthians 15:24).
Paul’s scenario means that Christ is coming again
to CONSUMMATE his reign, not to start it. Moreover, any doctrine
that claims death will continue to occur after his “arrival,” however
rare, is incompatible with the Apostle’s claim. His words mean that Jesus is reigning
now, already, he is subjugating his enemies.
Our problem is that we continue to conform our ideas
to those of the existing world order. We hear terms like “king,” “reign,” and
“conquer” and we imagine a ruler who uses his “iron scepter” to crack the
skulls of his opponents, or of just those who might be a bit slow to give him
his due honors. Like the rulers of the
present age, we cannot conceive of someone who does not conquer his enemies and
rival regimes through political might and violence.
Satan had the same problem. His inability to
understand the mind of God caused him to do the very thing that defeated him. As
Paul wrote, if the “rulers of this age” had understood the “mystery”
of God, they would not have “crucified the
Lord of glory.” That “mystery” was
“Christ crucified,” the “power and wisdom of God,” and something
that only the “mind of the Spirit” could understand. And perhaps that
reveals why so many of us still do not understand the necessity and the power
of the cross – (1 Corinthian 1:18-23, 2:6-8).
Yes, Jesus did humble himself
by submitting to the shameful death of crucifixion. But that is precisely why
God “highly exalted him and gave him a name that is above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess, that
Jesus is Lord.” And “exalted” is in the past tense; it is an
accomplished fact – (Philippians 2:6-11).
As for his becoming the “King
of kings,” in Revelation, Jesus is declared to be the “ruler of
the kings of the earth,” present tense. It was the “slain Lamb” that
“conquered,” nikaô, thereby, becoming “worthy”
to open the “sealed scroll,” and to receive all “power, and riches, and wisdom, and might, and
honor, and glory, and blessing” - (Revelation
1:4-6, 5:6-14).
For the remainder of the book, he reigns as the “slain
Lamb,” not as the “roaring lion of Judah.” He is the messianic “son”
destined to “rule the nations with his rod of iron,” but he uses it to “shepherd”
the nations, not to smash them and knock heads together.
He “conquered” through his sacrificial
death, and he now summons believers to “conquer” in the very same manner
that he did, thus, qualifying to reign with him on his Father’s throne.
Victorious saints “conquer” Satan by the “blood of the Lamb, their
testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death.” And
according to Revelation, he is wielding that “iron scepter” over
the nations already – (Psalm 2:6-9, Revelation 3:21, 12:1-11).
And in Revelation, Jesus, the “slain
Lamb,” does not become the “King of kings”; he IS the
“king of kings.” Thus, the “Lamb” will conquer all those who “war”
against him, “for he IS,” NOT will become, “the
King of kings, and the Lord of lords,” and once again, his exalted status
is declared in the present tense - (Revelation 17:14, 19:11-21).
Yes, his kingdom will be consummated at his return, but it also is
a present reality. For now, Satan is “bound from deceiving the nations,”
and if his powers had not been curtailed, he would have destroyed the church
long ago. For now, the kingdom advances on the earth whenever the “gospel of
the kingdom” is proclaimed, whenever souls are added to the church, whenever “Christ
crucified” is proclaimed, and whenever men and women are delivered from
satanic darkness and oppression.
His disciples reign with him now, but we do so as a “kingdom of
priests,” not as conquering and bloodthirsty warriors. And like the ancient
priests of Israel, our task is to mediate the light of Jesus in a sin-darkened
world.