These past few weeks I have had the privilege of teaching the books of Daniel and Revelation to a fine group of young people at the Jackson Hole Bible College. Among other subjects, we looked at the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. But also, during these past few weeks all of us have observed a new level of profanity and high decibel screaming from politicians in our government. The conflict is real and it is unpleasant. The contrast between the goings on in Washington DC and the coming reign of King Jesus is quite stark.
Probably many of us look at what the new president is doing and, for the most part, are glad to see some changes taking place, especially changes that reflect biblical values. But the push back from others who have little use for him and what he is doing, is fierce. However, at this time, they don’t seem to be making a great impact on the president and the rapid changes that are taking place. One does wonder if the lack of any real progress in their push back will generate even greater frustrations and more radical responses. Stay tuned.
But returning to the truths found in Daniel and Revelation. The coming reign of King Jesus and the government He establishes is a far cry from Washington DC. When Jesus returns to this present earth and establishes His government, which will be centered in Jerusalem, there is much said in the Scriptures about what His kingdom will be like. Daniel, John and their prophetic buddies reveal a great deal about the characteristics of Messiah Jesus’ kingdom. Here are some of those.
- JESUS WILL RULE WITH A ROD OF IRON. This is found in Psalm 2 as well as in the book of Revelation. The “rod of iron” is communicating that in Jesus’ kingdom there is zero tolerance for outward sin and rebellion. There will simply be no place for the manifestation of sin and rebellion. How completely different that will be in comparison to the present where immorality, corruption and falsehoods not only exist but are often celebrated. But in Jesus’ government that kind of evil behavior will not be tolerated for one minute. The “rod of iron” is real and will create a wonderful environment for us to live in. We will walk through the world with no fear of being mugged by evildoers.
- JESUS WILL HAVE A KINGDOM CHARACTERIZED BY JOY. It is safe to say that citizens living under human governments are normally characterized by unhappiness and stress, maybe even depression. Jesus government will be just the opposite. Jesus invited His servants to “enter into the joy of their Lord” (Matt. 25), and Isaiah says that “everlasting joy” will rest on Messiah’s people and “sorrow and sighing will flee away” (35:10). The book of Hebrews declares that “the oil of gladness” will characterize the reign of King Jesus (1:9). It is joy that will permeate life in the messianic age. It is hard to imagine that joy will be the atmosphere that we will breathe for all the days of His rule. How grand it will be to get up each morning in Messiah’s kingdom and be filled with joy. “Hallelujah” probably be a well-used word in those days.
- HARMONIOUS RELATIONSHIPS WILL CHARACTERIZE THAT AGE. Peace of all kinds will dominate the world when Jesus rules. After all, He is the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). We are so used to there being conflicts in many places in our world, but wars will no longer exist as nations will “never again learn war” (Isa. 4:2). Furthermore, because of Christ’s work on the cross, men will have “peace with God” (Rom. 5:1). There will even be harmonious relations in the animal kingdom, as lions, lambs and snakes will all live in peace together with no thought of eating one another (Isa. 11:5). Without the presence of the Evil One and his minions, as well as their philosophies, men will live in peace with one another. In Jesus’ kingdom, road rage and other like phenomena will not be present. The visible presence of the Lord Jesus on the earth will no doubt have a calming effect on all the world.
- RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTICE WILL DOMINATE. It is hard for us to imagine what it would be like to live in a place where criminals are always punished and non-criminals are never subject to unjust arrests and verdicts, or where lying and deception are not part of the judicial system. These are all too familiar to us, but righteousness, fairness and justice will always be in play with the Lord Jesus (Isa. 11:4-5). Jesus knows everything so that He will make no mistakes in handing down His verdicts. And He will treat all in the same way. And furthermore, He cannot be bribed or threatened to alter His decisions. Now that will be a delightful environment to live in.
- JESUS CHRIST WILL BE THE ONLY ONE WORSHIPPED IN THE WORLD. It is impossible to count the number of religions and sects that are present in our world. And these have not brought peace and joy to mankind but often death and destruction (Think Islam, for example). However, in the coming Messianic Kingdom, the Lord Jesus will be the object of worship throughout the world, with Zion and the Temple being the geographic center of this worship (Psa. 2; Ezekiel 40-48). And there will be a full knowledge of the Lord which will be possessed by everyone (Isa. 9L9-11). This suggests that the Word of God will be fully proclaimed and the Holy Spirit will be active in the world (Isa. 2:1-5). No deceptive philosophies or false religions will exist in the years of Jesus’ reign, but only truths which open man’s understanding to the greatness of the Lord.
So today, whenever there are movements or events that push us closer to things biblical, we should be grateful. God’s standards and principles are always best and people benefit the most when those are in place. So, changes for the good that we witness in our government should be celebrated. But we do need to remember that they are somewhat fleeting, as the god of this world will be doing his best to resist such things. Our hope lies in the coming world government of the Lord Jesus Christ who will bring in righteousness, joy, peace and a full knowledge of the Lord God. It will be like no other regime and no other kingdom, and it will be eternal. Even so, come Lord Jesus.