Did Jesus Triumph?

Did Jesus triumph and begin his messianic reign following his Death and Resurrection, or is he still waiting for some future event? Did he conquer his enemies on Calvary or not? Most of us would answer, “Yes, of course, he did!” Yet certain popular interpretations, intentionally or not, effectively deny this and teach that his reign will not commence until his return at the end of the present age.

Some preachers argue that the first time Jesus appeared he came as the lowly Lamb who gave his life for our sins, and not as the royal king who reigns from the Messianic Throne. However, when he comes again, we are told, he will arrive as the conquering hero, the “roaring Lion of Judah” who imposes his rule on the Earth and slaughters his enemies.

[Photo by Manuel Rheinschmidt on Unsplash]

He did come the first time as the sacrificial victim who “loosed us from our sins.” That does not mean he did not also conquer his enemies at that time or begin his reign from the “Throne of David.”

Paul wrote to the church at Colossae that after nailing the “ordinances against us” to the Cross, Jesus “despoiled the principalities and the powers, and made an open show of them, triumphing over them.” This description echoes the Roman practice of honoring conquering military heroes with a triumphal parade through the streets of the Imperial City – (Colossians 2:14-15).

The Apostle expressed the same idea to the Ephesians. Jesus “ascended on high, having led captivity captive.” His victory occurred following his resurrection from the dead. God seated him “at his right hand 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.”

God not only exalted His Son, but He also “put all things in subjection under his feet” as promised by the Psalmist – (Psalm 110:1, Ephesians 1:20-22, 4:8).

Jesus will reign over the Earth when he “arrives on the clouds.” However, he already reigns from the Davidic Throne. He will not return to beat his enemies into submission after his Second Coming. He will accomplish that before the final Great Day:

• “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).

This scenario means Christ will return to consummate his Kingdom, not to begin his reign. He reigns now. Already, he is subjugating his enemies.

Unfortunately, we continue to conform our ideas to the existing world order. We hear terms like “king,” “reign,” and “conquer” and we imagine a ruler who uses his “iron scepter” to crack open the skulls of his opponents. Like the tyrannical rulers of the present age, we cannot conceive of someone who does not overthrow rival regimes through military conquest and violence.

Satan has the same problem. His inability to understand the mind of God caused him to do the very thing that brought about his defeat. 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 – (1 Corinthian 1:18-23, 2:6-8).

Jesus certainly did humble himself by submitting to the shameful death of crucifixion. That is why God “highly exalted him and gave him a name 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).

The Book of Revelation declares that Jesus is the “Ruler of the Kings of the Earth,” and in the present tense. The “slain Lamb” conquered his enemies and thus became “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, Jesus reigns as the “Slain Lamb.” He is the Messianic Son destined to “rule the nations with his rod of iron,” but he uses it to “shepherd” the nations toward “New Jerusalem,” not to smash them into dust. This is why the Holy City is populated with the “nations” and the “Kings of the Earth” in Chapter 21.

He “conquered” through his sacrificial death. He now summons his followers to “conquer” in the 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, the word of their testimony, and because they loved not their lives unto death” – (Psalm 2:6-9, Revelation 3:21, 12:1-11).

In Revelation, Jesus does not become the “King of kings”; he IS the “King of kings.” Once again, his exalted status is declared in the present tense - (Revelation 17:14, 19:11-21).

His kingdom advances on the Earth when the “Gospel of the Kingdom” is proclaimed, whenever souls are added to the Church, and whenever men and women are thus delivered from satanic darkness as his saints persevere in the “word of their testimony.”

His disciples reign with him now, but they do so as a “Kingdom of Priests,” not as conquering warriors. Like the ancient priests of Israel, their task is to mediate the light of Jesus to a sin-darkened world.

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SEE ALSO:

• Calvary or Rome? - (When offered by Satan, Jesus refused the political power of Rome. So, why do we continue to seek what he rejected?)

• His Path - (Jesus proclaimed a new political reality, the Kingdom of God, one that bears little resemblance to the political regimes of this world)

• The Unwelcome Savior - (Unrecognized as the Savior of the World and the Messiah of Israel, Jesus was rejected by all but the unlikeliest of men)