When the Holy Spirit started the church on the day of Pentecost, some fundamental, historical events had just occurred. Jesus had just laid down His life for the sins of the world. Do we truly get the impact of that single event? No sacrifice before or since has even come close to matching His.
Jesus was Yahweh, the I Am of the Old Testament. He was the God of Israel. He was the one Who talked to Moses face to face. He was the friend of Abraham. He was the creator of the universe. Yet, He emptied Himself of His heavenly glory, left His Father’s side, and came to earth for a single purpose: to seek and save the lost.
Yet the one whom Daniel saw as the Son of Man coming on the clouds of Heaven, seated at the right hand of the Ancient of Days, with an everlasting kingdom and dominion and who received worship and service, left His home to lay down His human life to save you and me and to redeem us back to the Father.
Jesus was then raised from the dead. In doing this, He conquered death and removed its sting from mankind forever. For thousands of years, death owned man. Death imprisoned man. But when Jesus rose, He defeated death and showed us the way to overcome death as well. Death still has its grip on mankind, but through Jesus, we can be more than conquerors. I will die, but through Jesus, death’s hold is only temporary. When the end comes, it will be for death and not for me. Death will give up all the dead.
Then Jesus ascended into Heaven to be seated at the Father's right hand. Daniel’s vision was fulfilled. All authority was placed under the Son of Man’s feet. He was back in His heavenly abode, ruling over all of creation. Only the Father was exempted from His rule.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14 ESV).
This is our God. This is our Lord. This is our King.
The Jews thought the Messiah would usher in an earthly kingdom. They tried to force Jesus to become king before killing Him. Even the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt the sting of a letdown:
“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.” (Luke 24:21 ESV).
The apostles had all argued over who would be the highest-ranking general in the Kingdom to come:
“An argument arose among them as to which of them was the greatest.” (Luke 9:46 ESV).
Even today, we want Jesus to be an earthly King. Many people of the Christian faith still believe He will come back to set up an earthly kingdom. This is a misunderstanding of Scripture. The Kingdom has come. Jesus is not missing out on any rule or authority. It was all given to Him by the Father when He ascended into heaven:
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18 ESV).
And
“So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19 ESV).
There is no rule He does not have. There is no kingdom that is not under His authority. He determines the destiny of nations and of leaders. He does so because He is Lord and King. In fact, John calls him the King of kings:
“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Revelation 17:14 ESV).
King of kings. That’s Jesus. He is the One who gives nations and kings their authority.
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.” (Romans 13:1 ESV).
Kings will kneel before Him. Kings will confess Him. No rule exists that overshadows the sovereignty of God. When the time comes, Jesus will destroy all enemies. The last to be destroyed is death. That’s when we will stand by His side as we watch Him throw death into Hades. Death will no longer be in existence.
I understand why we yearn to have Jesus return to earth to set up an earthly kingdom. But the Kingdom He currently rules over is above all other kingdoms. In His kingdom, all other rulers and powers must yield to Him when He says to them, “Enough!”
But Jesus is not coming back to reign on a physical throne. He is already reigning over all things now, and when He destroys all enemies, including death, He will reign in His kingdom with no more enemies. Any throne we may want Him to be seated on is far less than the throne He currently occupies.
Jesus is already above all nations. There is no throne yet outside His reach. There is no other place to ascend than where He is at the Father’s right hand. He rules the universe at His Father’s side. And when His Father says, “It’s time,” He will return to bring us home to the place He has prepared for us.
Do we know who our King is? Do we realize He is the sovereign Lord over all? Do we realize He is the eternal Word of God who spoke everything into existence? Do we realize He is now reigning with all authority under His feet?
He is not waiting to claim an earthly kingdom. He is already over them all. He is not fighting death, He already conquered it and will stand with us when He raises us from the dead. He is holding the universe He created together by His power:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:16-17 ESV).
I am not sure how I sometimes envision the spotless Lamb of God, but I am sure I often underestimate His power and majesty. As much as I study about Him and as much as I grow to love Him, I am pretty sure I will have the same reaction that the disciple whom Jesus loved had when He saw Jesus the way He is now in Heaven:
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,” (Revelation 1:17 ESV).
How do I know I will be victorious in Jesus? How do I know I can endure all things in Jesus? How do I know I can overcome in the name of Jesus?
Because my Lord is King of kings, Almighty Creator, the Alpha and the Omega, the Son of Man, the great I AM, and the sovereign God of all.
There is none like Him.
I am in 1 Kings in my daily Bible reading. Most of us know about the bad advice that King Rehoboam took from the young counselors when he rejected the advice from the older people. The Bible makes it clear that this all happened because it was from the Lord:
“So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the LORD that he might fulfill his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.” (1 Kings 12:15 ESV).
But do we realize that the king God would give ten tribes to was guilty of the same thing? God gave the northern ten tribes of Israel to Jeroboam and promised to make his house an enduring one like David's house in Judah if he obeyed His words.
“And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you.” (1 Kings 11:38 ESV).
After God gave Israel to Jeroboam, he became afraid that the people would rise up, kill him, and return to Rehoboam, so he consulted his counselors:
“And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will turn back to the house of David.
If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the temple of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”
So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold. And he said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”“ (1 Kings 12:26-28 ESV).
So the king took counsel...
Both kings rejected wise counsel and listened to those not concerned with God's things. This is a vital lesson for us. We are surrounded by people ready to counsel us to do this or that. Who are we going to listen to?
Sometimes, it takes effort to discern whose advice is wise or foolish. Any advice we seek must be accompanied by prayer, study, and a heart that seeks God's will and not a heart that seeks to find someone to validate what we intend to do without regard for what God wants.
Two kings sought advice and listened to the wrong people. That should warn us about the dangers of who we listen to. When we seek advice, let's seek it from people who have demonstrated godliness and a love for the Lord. Let us seek it with prayers for wisdom and a habit of putting God's word into our hearts.
Otherwise, we may take counsel from bad people and fall into the same trap as these two kings.
I am in 1 Kings in my daily Bible reading. God was merciful to King Ahab even though Ahab was a wicked man. God gave him victory and showed his power to Ahab, even while Ahab and Jezebel tried to kill His prophets.
But even in victory, Ahab showed contempt for God. Twice, God gave Ahab victory over Ben-Hadad of Aram. God had determined that Ben-Hadad should die, but Ahab signed a treaty with him and let him go. So, God sent a prophet to King Ahab with a pronouncement of judgment.
“And he said to him, “Thus says the LORD, 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life shall be for his life, and your people for his people.'“ (1 Kings 20:42 ESV).
I wonder how often God shows us His grace when we do not deserve it. How often does God do good for us so we will know who He is and see His glory in our lives? How often do we witness His goodness while ignoring His hand in it and paying Him no regard?
We talk about God's wrath, and we should because God can be provoked to wrath. But His wrath is slow, and his kindness is quick. Only after we show Him contempt upon contempt will we eventually provoke His wrath.
God is not a man that He angers at the first offense. He is so patient, forgiving, and kind to us while enduring our disrespect. There is only one reason why the most powerful being would put up with this from the dust He has created. He does so because He loves us.
He made us in His image to live with him for an eternity. He is not quick to condemn His creation but seeks reconciliation. Yet, time after time, we take His goodness and ignore the one Who gave it. Yet He still gives.
This is precisely why we see God blessing those who are evil. While we focus on the evil, God sees the image bearer He longs to redeem and live with. Even with us, He does not seek to destroy. He seeks communion. That's why we were created.
Yet, God gives, and we often take from Him with no thought of Him. Like King Ahab, we do what we want with His gifts and do not lay it at His feet. How often will we do this before we incur God's wrath and show Him that His attempts to impact us with goodness are in vain?
While God is extending His grace to us and showering us with kindness when we do not deserve it, let us humble ourselves before God and give glory to Him for what He is doing to us.
In 54 years, I've learned this about me: I'm a horrible king of my own life.
Thanks to Jesus, I found Him.
I am in the book of 2nd Kings in my daily Bible reading. Poor Gehazi, servant of Elisha. Have we felt like him at times?
In Chapter 4, the Shunammite's son died, and Elisha asked Gehazi to heal the son. Can you imagine the joy and honor this servant must have felt? Do you remember the last time you were given the honor to do something great? Sometimes, things don't turn out the way we expect, do they?
“Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.” (2 Kings 4:31 ESV).
This servant did everything he was asked to do, but nothing happened. Elisha had to come behind him to heal the boy; someone else received the honor of service instead of Gehazi.
Later, presumably, Gehazi was one of the men who gathered veggies for a stew to feed the prophets of the Lord. Unaware, they gathered poison and fed it to the sons of the prophets. Again, Elisha had to come behind and heal the stew:
“And they poured out some for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the stew, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.” (2 Kings 4:40 ESV).
Finally, when Naaman came to be healed of his leprosy, Eliash sent his servant to Naaman with a healing message. Yet, Naaman became angry, and the servant received the brunt of his anger:
“But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.” (2 Kings 5:11 ESV).
What lessons do I take away from this? Sometimes, it's hard to be a servant. Gehazi listened to Elisha to raise the boy, and even though he did everything right, he failed in his service. Someone else came along and got the glory.
Then, even though he had pure intentions, people were hurt because of a mistake in gathering poison. Sometimes, even though we mean well, we make mistakes that cause others to suffer.
And finally, sometimes we will be the ones who receive the ire of people we speak the message of God to others. When they don't like what God says, we will be the ones who receive their anger, just like Gehazi did with Naaman.
Knowing these things can help us keep from getting disillusioned when we serve the Lord and things don't always go the way we hope. Remember, when we serve, God honors the service, not necessarily the results.
I am in 2 Kings in my daily Bible reading. Things are going downhill fast for Israel. Judah is close behind, but Judah does have a few good kings left that will delay the judgment of the Lord upon them.
Listen to how far the people of Israel had fallen. While the king was the one who led this apostasy, it was the people who followed with their hearts.
“And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city.” (2 Kings 17:9 ESV).
They did what they knew what was wrong. When we do things secretly, we do it because we want to hide what we, or others, think is wrong. Had they done this in ignorance, there would have been no reason for secrecy.
When we find ourselves being secretive with our actions, it may be because we know what we are doing is wrong, and we want to hide our actions. I understand that there may be other legitimate reasons for secrecy, but too often, we stand behind legitimate reasons to hide behind actions we know in our hearts are wrong.
Well, there is no secrecy with God. He knows all. He sees all. He hears all. As Adam and Eve tried to hide from God in futility, so is our secrecy before God. We often act like toddlers before God, thinking we can hide behind the hands we put over our eyes. In the end, it is impossible to hide from God or to do anything secretly before Him.
“and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, “You shall not do this.” (2 Kings 17:12 ESV).
Israel ended up suffering in judgment because of their not-so-secret sins, and this is our destiny if we continue down the path of our secret sins before God.
The flip side of not being able to hide our sins from God is that God will always see our troubles, our pain, and our needs. He is not blind to them; they cannot be hidden from His eyes. The God who sees our secret sins also sees our every need. We never fall between the cracks with God, for good or bad.
Have you ever wondered why God gave Abraham Ishmael as a son? Could it be a gift of grace to ease Abraham's anxiety?
Abraham believed God, but didn't always understand how God would fulfill His promises to him. Twenty-five years is a long time to wait on God's promises when you are nearing 100 years old.
I wonder if Ismael was God's gift of grace to Abraham to ease his anxiety while he waited on God's promise to him. God tells us that He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. Ishmael may have been God's way to help Abraham wait for the promise of Isaac.
I am not sure, but we know that God gives us what we need when we need it, even if we don't see it then.
How many Ishmaels does God give us to help ease our anxieties while we wait for the permanent answers to our needs?
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV).
I am in Proverbs in my daily Bible reading. Boy, volumes could be written on each verse. But here is one that seems particularly written for our times:
“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.” (Proverbs 17:15 ESV).
While this seems to characterize the evil in our godless society, I have been trying to read this in light of my personal application. One temptation we must guard against is the prejudice we bring to people.
Do we treat family better than strangers regarding justice and dealing with sins? Of course, we will have more compassion for people we love, but do we justify evil conduct with people we love while condemning the same thing against people we do not know as well?
Or what about fault-finding? Are we quick to condemn people before we spend the time investigating a matter thoroughly? How careful are we not to bring accusations against someone unjustly because we are quick to listen to the accusations of others without giving people the benefit of the doubt during a prayerful investigation?
In our actions, do we end up justifying the wicked and condemning the righteous? If so, we engage in abominable behavior before the Lord. People made in the image of God deserve more from us as servants of the Lord.
Let us be careful in the accusations and justifications we press upon people.
Regarding hell...
Forget the fact that there is eternal torment for those who do not choose to live in the grace of God and bend the knee to King Jesus.
Consider the people we will be spending eternity with. Are we ready to spend eternity with people whose god is themselves? Imagine how bad it will be when all restraint is gone.
Now, evil is tempered by God's presence in His creation. No one has unlimited evil pursuits. No one is allowed to follow their evil nature with impunity.
But in hell, God's presence is absent. There will be no restraint on the evil of man. While experiencing the punishment due them in a place where the worm will never die, everyone will be free to devolve into evil with no restraint.
Punishment and torture will be bad enough, but spending eternity with people with no guardrails on their evil nature will be unbearable in and of itself.
Perhaps we need to spend more time contemplating the reality of hell before we make life decisions today. After all, our Judge, King Jesus, spent more time discussing hell than He did heaven.
Are we really ready for that reality if that is the direction we are heading?