That is My King

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That's My King

Matthew 24:29-31

"And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."

 

            As we enter a new year, we are again confronted with the dreaded "election year."  Every four years, as our country goes through the process of selecting a new president, we are inundated with advertisements, speeches, and political pundits who all proclaim that their candidate is the answer to all the woes of the country and the other candidate is the death-knell of our society.  This election will mark the 16th presidential election in my lifetime.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that no matter who is elected, they will not provide the answers to the problems confronting our society.  While it is essential that we exercise our right and responsibility to vote, we also need to recognize that no human leader will be able to solve the core problems of our society, for the problems we face are spiritual, not political.  Therefore, we need to seek spiritual answers to spiritual problems. 

            Yesterday, we examined the events that will transpire towards the end of the age.  While the details of the events may be debated, the certainty of divine judgment is undebatable.  However, the hope of humanity is not found in the events of the last days.  It is located in what happens after the events.  After intense judgment, Christ will return to establish his kingdom. Christ speaks of this even in Matthew 25:29-31.  After the turmoil, he will appear in all his glory.  This is the 2nd advent of Christ.  He came as a humble servant born in a manger in the first advent.  However, in the 2nd advent, he will return as a triumphant king with glory and power.  For those who have rejected Christ, it will be a time of mourning as they recognize their impending judgment (vs. 30). For those who have opposed Christ and rejected his salvation, the arrival of the king will bring terror and grief (see also Dan. 7:13-14 and Revelation 20).

            However, the king's arrival will bring hope and salvation for those who have followed Christ.  This event is described in greater detail in Revelation 19:11-19, in which Christ will come with all the saints throughout history to establish his kingdom on earth.  In contrast to the first appearance of Christ, in which we see Christ in his suffering and humiliation on the cross, in his second appearance, he comes as a victorious king.  We read in Revelation 19:16 that on his robe and his thigh is written a name, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." All those who have been redeemed and previously gone to heaven will be with him. 

They will join the people still alive on earth and celebrate the king's arrival.  No longer will sin reign on the planet. No longer will we have leaders who cannot provide answers.  Instead, he will come and bring peace and righteousness to the earth.  During his reign, there will no longer be injustice and destruction. 

            In this passage, we discover the hope of humanity.  Our hope is not in leaders who continually fail to live up to their promises because of corruption and sin.  No longer will we be given promises by candidates that they cannot fulfill.  Christ will come and establish a kingdom of righteousness over all the world.  He is the hope and answer for humanity; he is the only one who can genuinely provide spiritual solutions for spiritual problems.  The crisis we see in our world today is not political.  It is not an economic crisis.  It is a spiritual crisis in which sin wreaks havoc upon our society. Today people clamour for righteousness and justice, yet they have a corrupted view of what it means.  Their answer for justice is more injustice. They condemn hate by promoting more hatred.  But when Christ reigns, he will defeat sin and destroy its corruptive influence.  He will reign in righteousness and justice.   That is why only he is the one worthy to be called "My King." 

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