THY KINGDOM COME (10)

“Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him” (Daniel 7: 27 NLT).

At Easter, the church celebrates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from death. The resurrection of Christ was the herald of hope for humanity for by it, our Lord demonstrated that life is more powerful than death.  Our Lord’s resurrection establishes the possibility of the ultimate resurrection of believers in Christ. If there were no resurrection, life would have been meaningless and christianity would have been nothing more than a well crafted comedy without eternal essence. Apostle Paul therefore argued, “And what value was there in fighting wild beasts—those people of Ephesus—if there will be no resurrection from the dead? And if there is no resurrection, “Let’s feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!”(1 Corinthians 15:32 NLT). Here is the goodnews –the dead in Christ shall rise again!   We need not live in fear of death any longer because everyone who believes in Christ has “passed from death to life” (John 5:24). We can now sing our song of victory – “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55 NLT). In Christ’s resurrection, life triumphed over death, as our vanquished foe called Satan, became a lawful captive of our Lord for all eternity. By His resurrection, Jesus defeated death (the last enemy) and inaugurated the kingdom of God.

At the beginning of His earthly ministry, our Lord released a prophetic proclamation saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15 NKJV). His victory over death signalled the official inauguration of the kingdom of God on earth, as He led captivity captive and distributed gifts to people (Ephesians 4:8).  As a clear demonstration of Chris’ victory over death, many dead believers resurrected with Him as the Bible affirms, “The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people” (Matthew 27:52-53 NLT). The resurrection of Christ is therefore the logical conclusion of the inauguration of God’s kingdom on earth. It confers real authority on the believers over the enemy and empowers them to act on behalf of Christ. Our Lord’s resurrection was a clear validation that He is the Son of God. Paul therefore affirms, “His unique identity as Son of God was shown by the Spirit when Jesus was raised from the dead, setting him apart as the Messiah, our Master” (Romans 1:4 The Message). The resurrection not only confirms that Jesus is the Son of God, but also legitimatises our faith in Him as eternal Saviour.

The resurrection signals the enthronement of Jesus as King of kings, thus heralding the official beginning of His reign on earth. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18 NKJV). Prior to His death and resurrection, our Lord repeatedly said that He had no authority except what the Father had allowed Him to use (John 7:17; John 12:49). Post resurrection, He declared, “all authority is given to me in heaven and on earth.” He is today the sovereign King of the whole universe. He reigns as King of kings over God’s created realms. He shall reign until all rebellion are quenched and his enemies made His footstool. On His return to heaven, the Father promised Him, “Sit in the place of honour at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet. The LORD will extend your powerful kingdom from Jerusalem; you will rule over your enemies” (Psalm 110:1-2 NLT).  This is where we are now.  The church must take advantage of the power of His resurrection to compel all principalities and powers of hell to acknowledge the authority of Christ to rule over all creation (Ephesians 3:10-11, Dan 7:27).

The church, working in concert with the Holy Spirit now exercise the full authority of the kingdom to defeat all the enemies of Christ and bring them to the place of obedience to Christ. The grand design of God is that Christ will come to receive the completed kingdom and present it to His Father (1 Corinthians 15:24-25). Then the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of His Christ.  This is what Easter is meant to remind us. We must therefore be up and doing as we live the resurrection life of purity and power as we await the second coming of Christ. Happy Easter.