Messiah: Nature of His Kingdom and Return

“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion. Praise the Lord, O my soul.” (Psalm 103:19-22. NIV).

“You heard Me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.” (John 14:28-29. NIV).

Our finite minds are limited to earthly dimensions, time and space. But as Jesus promised, He is ruling even now from His throne in heaven where the heavenly hosts do His bidding and all is beauty, reverence and harmony. Then consider another promise Jesus made before His death. He told His disciples: “I am going away, and I am coming back to you.” We see this promise as referring to His resurrection and appearances He made to his disciples and others who recognized Him and rejoiced that He was indeed alive. Yet here is another promise, which He is fulfilling day by day as He calls His disciples home to Heaven: “In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” (John 14:2-4. NIV).

A further promise deals with Jesus’ second coming. We look for it and anticipate that it cannot be long now, for many of the signs Jesus spoke about in what we call His eschatological (end times) teachings we are seeing fulfilled daily and yearly. Jesus taught us: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31, NIV). Although people throughout time since Jesus ascended to heaven have tried to set a time for His second coming, Jesus Himself taught us: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36, NIV). It is well that we follow Jesus’ instructions concerning being ready: “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matthew 25:13. NIV).

Whether we are translated through death to go to the reward Jesus has prepared for those who love and serve him, or whether we remain until His second coming, our stance is to be ready and to welcome Him. He knows best and has everything prepared! Amen!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, December 30, 2010

Messiah: His Everlasting Dominion

“I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:13-14. NKJV). “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:29-30, NKJV). “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’ “ (Revelation 1:7-8, NKJV).

Many scholars and Bible students have observed that the only promise the Lord Christ has not fulfilled yet is His Second Coming to earth. We know this to be true. Daniel who lived and prophesied about it centuries before the birth of Christ could, with his apocalyptic (end times) visions, see the everlasting kingdom established by the Ancient of Days (God Who is from everlasting to everlasting). The vision from Daniel 7:13-14 was given by Jesus Himself when he told them of His Second Coming and of conditions that will exist when He comes again. Many from various tribes will mourn at His return, for they will not be ready for the new and everlasting dominion to be established. John, in writing the Revelation, also stated that at the time of His Second Coming, He will come on the clouds and “every eye will see Him.” Again, John warns, there will be mourning because many will not be ready for His appearing.

Do you spend time thinking about the Second Coming and the establishment of His everlasting dominion? As a new day dawns do you ask: “Lord, could today be the day You come again to establish Your kingdom?” We need to read seriously and thoughtfully Matthew 24, Christ’s own apocalyptic teachings about His return. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36). He gave this sound advice: “Therefore keep watch because you do not know the day or the hour” (Mt. 25:13).

Watchfulness and readiness are critical as we anticipate His second coming. He will come suddenly, when we least expect His arrival. But, as with His birth in Bethlehem, we have the prophecies, even from Himself, that this will occur. Watch and pray!

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Saturday, December 18, 2010