JESUS THE KING
If we claim to follow Christ we shall be sure that our Lord Jesus Christ, on his return, is to be King over the earth:
The Angel Gabriel:
“He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32,33)
Jesus:
“Do not swear … by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.” (Matthew 5:34,35)
Jeremiah:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgement and righteousness in the earth. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is his name by which he will be called: The Lord our Righteousness.” (Jeremiah 23:5,6)
Zechariah:
“And in that day his feet will stand on the mount of Olives … And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be – ‘The Lord is one’, and his name one.” (Zechariah 14:4,9)
Paul:
“Because (God) has appointed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all, by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31)
Only by the righteous reign of Jesus over the earth will it be possible for God to fill the whole earth with His glory.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD
If we claim to follow Christ we can rejoice in the knowledge that God will establish His kingdom in power over the earth:
Daniel:
“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” (Daniel 2:44)
Jesus:
“The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever … We give you thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the one who is and who was and who is to come, because you have taken your great power and reigned.” (Revelation 11:15,17)
God is truly the ruler over all His universe:
The Psalms:
“The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.” (Psalm 103:19)
Daniel:
“The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he chooses … his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:25,34)
He once established His kingdom in Israel, and removed it because of His people’s wickedness:
Moses:
“If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant … you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” (Exodus 19:5,6)
David:
“Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our Father, for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head over all … Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered.” (1 Chronicles 29:10,11,23)
Ezekiel:
“Now to you, O profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, whose iniquity shall end, thus saith the Lord God: Remove the turban, and take off the crown … Overthrown, overthrown, I will make it overthrown! It shall be no longer, until he comes whose right it is, and I will give it to him.” (Ezekiel 21:25-27)
When Jesus re-establishes the kingdom, rebellious Israel must repent, and the unrepentant will be rejected:
Zechariah:
“Then they will look on me whom they have pierced; they will mourn for him as one mourns for his only son.” (Zechariah 12:10; see Revelation 1:7)
Jesus:
“There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.” (Luke 13:28)
Jesus will establish his kingdom by subduing the nations, and moreover the nation which crucified him will need to submit.
THE SOURCE OF SIN
If we claim to follow Christ we shall acknowledge that sin springs from the human heart, and find in mankind the “devil” who is at enmity against God:
Jeremiah:
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9)
James:
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away of his own desires, and enticed.” (James 1:14)
Hebrews:
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” “But now, once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 2:14; 9:26)
Jesus:
“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” (Mark 7:21-23)
Paul:
“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, evil, murders, drunkenness, revels, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practise such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
The Bible traces the origin of human sinfulness to the fall of man in Eden, and only by the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross can this “devil” be destroyed.
