Kingdom Come

Our world is not as it should be. Our world is a not as it could be. There’s probably no greater example of this then what happened last week in Kerr County, Texas, when this devastating flash flood took the lives of over 100 men, women and children. But what was lost in the news cycle of this tragedy was all the other horrific incidents that took place over the 4th of July weekend. In Chicago, 44 people were shot, leaving seven dead. In North Carolina, 12 were injured and one killed in a shooting at a house party. In Queens, New York, 3 people were stabbed at a Fireworks Celebration. Over the weekend 437 people died in traffic fatalities. But that was just the weekend. The worst thing that happened this past week wasn’t even reported. You see, according to the CDC, this past week approximately 12,038 unborn children never got the chance to look into their mother’s eyes, take their first steps, or get the opportunity to love. So, yes, our world is not as it should be. Our world is a not as it could be. But our world will not always be this way.

Right now, we pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” And to some extent, God’s kingdom has come to those who’ve surrendered their lives to follow Jesus Christ. But today, we still live in a world that’s severely broken, that’s led by ungodly and corrupt leaders, and that’s growing more and more hostile to those who claim to follow Jesus.

For example, this past week in Seattle, a group of Christians gathered in a park to give away free haircuts, free bikes and free groceries and then entered into a time of worship. But as they did, they were attacked by Antifa who threw urine filled water balloons at them. Later that evening, Seattle’s mayor blamed the Christians for provoking this attack by their worship. In response to the mayor, this same group gathered on the steps of city hall a few days later – to worship Jesus and give a message of hope to the city. But as they were singing praises, Antifa attacked them again, this time beating and injuring those who were singing. So, yes, our world is not as it should be. Our world is a not as it could be. But our world will not always be this way. For there is coming a day, when the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.

And if you’d like to see how everything will change on that day, let me encourage you to open your Bible to Revelation 11:15-19, where God’s Word describes the arrival of God’s kingdom, and what we will witness as God’s Kingdom comes. So, if you’ve found Revelation 11, we begin with the announcement that will change the world, as the seventh angel blows his trumpet Announcing the Arrival of God’s Kingdom: Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

Today, our world is a mess, it is not as it should be, but here, with the blowing of the seventh trumpet, our world will be transformed, it will be radically changed forever. For in this first verse, we see the answer to the Lord’s prayer. The Kingdom has come! And it doesn’t simply come alongside the kingdom of this world; it replaces the kingdom of this world. A radical transition takes place. With the wrath of God having been completely poured out on unrepentant mankind, all evil and demonic forces in this world are finally defeated. This world is no longer the realm of Satan. It has become the realm of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.

On that day there will be no more sin, no more suffering, no more evil, no more death, no more ungodliness, corruption, hatred, malice, pain or fear. This day will mark the end of history as we’ve known it. But history itself will not end here, for the long-awaited messianic kingdom prophesied in the OT will be fulfilled. For this day ushers in the righteous reign of Jesus Christ. Jesus will reign as our king over a new and glorified earth. And all those who have trusted in Jesus will reign with Jesus. So, this day marks the beginning of the eternal kingdom of Christ: a time of blessing, joy and peace on earth that will never end.

This is our blessed hope. Both God the Father and God the Son will rule together over heaven and earth. The picture here is the same as that what was shown to Daniel, when the evil kingdoms of the world are defeated and handed over by the Ancient of Days to the authority of the Son of man. Daniel’s vision is fulfilled on this day: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:13-14 On this day, when the angel blows the seventh trumpet, everything will change. For on that day, the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!

Now, imagine if you can, how long all of heaven has waited for this day. Evil empires have come and gone upon the earth. Wars, tragedies, death, disease, destruction, and chaos will finally cease to exist. Those who have hated and defied God are defeated and destroyed. Their day is done. God’s day has begun.

So now, what we see next, is that all heaven joins in Celebrating the Arrival of God’s Kingdom: And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” Revelation 11:16-18 On the day God’s kingdom comes – God will be worshiped. Every knee will bow, but those who lead the way, are the twenty-four elders who sit on their throne. But they don’t just bow, they fall on their faces in humble adoration of God. This is a beautiful image of complete surrender and total reverence acknowledging God’s power and authority to reign.

And their first expression of worship is that of giving thanks. The twenty-four elders, who first appeared in chapter 4, represent the 12 tribes of Israel, and the 12 apostles. In other words, they represent the redeemed of Christ, God’s people worshiping Him. They are the first to bow down in humble adoration and give praise to God as Lord God, Almighty, who is and who was. They praise Him as the Almighty Sovereign Ruler over all history. They praise Him as the One who is and who was! God is no longer worshiped as the One who is to come. For eternity is no longer something that is to come, for the Kingdom has come! His eternal reign has begun.

How did this happen? The elders tell us when they say: “for you have taken your great power and begun to reign.” This is an extraordinary statement. This verb “taken power” is a perfect tense verb, meaning that at the very moment when God’s kingdom comes, God takes total authority over heaven and earth, and the effects of this transfer of power is permanent. Satan no longer has any authority or power in this world. He is permanently defeated. In other words, this is the moment that the twenty-four elders declare that God has won. And now His reign begins – His reign of goodness, peace, love, joy and blessing has arrived!

At the same time the twenty-four elders describe the reality of Satan’s defeat by saying: ”The nations raged, but your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged” At this point, our God has avenged every injustice; all who have conspired and raged against Him; all who have harassed, hated, and harmed God’s people; all who have worshiped other gods; all who knew who God was, but chose to not to give Him glory, nor give thanks to Him. To them God’s wrath came. So at this point the elders acknowledge that now is the time for the dead to be judged.

“The dead” are all those who loved their sin more than God and never repented in spite of God’s longsuffering patience with them.
“The dead” are those who chose to reject the offer of His Son to be their Savior and refuse to trust in Him.
“The dead” are those who will forever remain separated from a relationship with God, because they simply wanted nothing to do with God. Now, they are about to face God’s Great White Throne Judgment, which is described in Revelation 20…

Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

I share this preview of the great white throne judgment, because when God’s kingdom comes, the time for receiving God’s mercy will have expired. But until that day, everyone alive still has a chance to have their name written in the book of life. And the way to get your name written in the book of life is pretty clear: Repent and believe in Jesus. Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus by putting your trust in Jesus. Receive God’s gift of eternal life by receiving Jesus as your Savior. As Luke tells us: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Remember, God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. That’s why salvation is His gift to us. We just need to trust in Jesus. As Paul wrote: For the wages of sin is death but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

That’s why today is the day of salvation. Now is the time to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus. You don’t want to be judged for your own good works, for if that’s what you are counting on, God’s Word is clear, no one measures up; no one is good enough, no one is righteous. That’s why God gave us His Son, so that when you believe in Him, you not only receive the gift of eternal life, but at that time your name will be written in the book of life. And you will never have to fear condemnation.

So, let me ask you: If you were to die today, would your name be written in the book of life? If not, then maybe today is the day you receive God’s gift of eternal life by receiving Jesus. What you do with Jesus is a matter of your eternal destiny. Without Jesus, you will be left to be judged on the merit of your own works, but with Jesus your name will be written in the book of life. And those whose names are written in the book of life will be rewarded for their faith.

That’s the huge contrast now made by the twenty-four elders’ song of praise. For when the kingdom comes, the elders sing that this will also be a time “for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great.” Some scholars want to make a distinction between servants, prophets, saints and those who fear God’s name. It is more likely, however, that all these terms simply describe the whole of God’s people. All faithful followers of Jesus are servants of Christ, all speak His Word, all are set apart as His holy people, and all give reverence to God. But the question you may be asking is not who these people are, but what exactly is their reward? What will be our reward on the day when Christ’s kingdom comes? Well, let’s let Scripture inform us:

In Matthew, Jesus himself tells us. He says, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’” Matthew 25:31-34 On the day the kingdom comes, Jesus will reward your faith by giving you the inheritance God has prepared for you. You will receive the kingdom.

At that time, we will also be rewarded with crowns. There are at least five crowns that will be given on that day: The Crown of Life is given to those who’s love Christ has helped them endure persecution, temptation and suffering: Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12

The Crown of Righteousness is awarded to those who love Christ’s appearing and live righteously. Paul wrote these words saying, Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8

The Crown of Rejoicing is given to those who lead others to faith in Christ: For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes? Is it not you? 1 Thessalonians 2:19

The Crown of Glory is given to faithful shepherds of God’s people – pastors, elders, teachers, small groups leaders and more. God will reward those who answer the call to loving and leading His people. As Peter writes: And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. 1 Peter 5:4

The Victor’s Crown is given to those who suffer persecution and remain faithful to Jesus, even to the point of death: I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Revelation 2:10

But I’ve saved the best reward for last. For the greatest reward you will receive that day is when you hear Jesus say for the very first time: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” Matthew 25:21. This is what will take place when we celebrate the arrival of God’s kingdom. We will witness the judgment of the dead and receive God’s gracious rewards to us as His beloved. But then we will witness one final marvel as God’s temple in heaven is opened to us. Look now at verse 19, in what I call…

Experiencing the Arrival of God’s Kingdom: Then God’s temple in heaven was opened and the ark of His covenant was seen within His temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. Revelation 11:19 This is the dramatic conclusion of the arrival of God’s kingdom. God has taken His rightful place as sovereign over heaven and earth. The dead are judged. Believers are rewarded. But now, God opens His temple in heaven and shows us the ark of the covenant.

Why is this revealing the crowning moment of this day? Well, the ark of the covenant was the most sacred object of Old Testament Israel, that was either lost or consumed during God’s judgment on Jerusalem. What makes the ark so special is that the ark represented God’s saving presence, but the Israelites were never actually allowed to see it: even those who transported it received special instructions for how to cover the ark without looking at it. The reason for this lay in the holiness of God and the sinfulness of the people. Sinful people could not look upon the presence of God or they would die. Only the high priest was allowed to see the ark, once a year, when he brought the atoning blood to sprinkle on it for the forgiveness of the nation.

But now on the day when God’s Kingdom comes, every believer is allowed to see the ark. Why? Because when we look upon the ark, we will see that the issue of our sin has been dealt with once and for all by Jesus. For it is here, where Jesus’ blood was poured out in the ark’s mercy seat. So that now, anyone who has been covered by the blood of Jesus can come into the very presence of God.

The picture is clear. Christ’s shed blood has made the way to the Father. And on this day, when we look upon the ark of the covenant, we will see that God’s mercy to us is complete. From this moment forward we will look upon God and enjoy His presence forever. This is our great hope. And it is fulfilled on this day. No more separation between us and God. We will see Him face to face. We will see the face of God. We will know His peace. We will see His smile.

But until that day, our world today will not be as it should be. But on this day, when the Kingdom comes, everything will change. The destroyers of the earth will be defeated. The dead will be judged. The faithful will be rewarded. Sin will be no more. Jesus will take His rightful place as King of heaven and earth. And we will enter into the presence of God and enjoy Him forever.

But until that day… May we hold onto the hope of our coming King,
May we serve Him faithfully in the midst of the trials of this broken world,
And may we give praise to Jesus for what He has done. And one day, His Kingdom will come.