Every earthly kingdom meets its end. All empires crumble and fall. But from the beginning, the kingdom of God, which Christ would rule, was said to be eternal.
Among London's most famous attractions is the Tower of London. Originally built by William the Conqueror to keep the restive population in check, it became infamous as a holding place for prisoners. Visitors still love to hear about the mystery of "the princes in the Tower," the beheading of Anne Boleyn, and the imprisonment of the future Queen Elizabeth I. But for most of its history, the Tower was first and foremost a royal residence with a very important ceremonial role. It was from this location that kings and queens would depart for their coronations in Westminster Abbey, following the path of Fleet Street, The Strand, and Whitehall along the northern bank of the River Thames.
Details about some of these processions have managed to survive, so we know much about the lavish displays used in Tudor coronations. The Tower itself was remodeled for the coronation of Anne Boleyn, who would meet her end there a few years later. No expenses were spared on these occasions, for when the sovereign passed outside the city walls of London and onto the sacred ground of Westminster, they reached the very peak of their powers on earth. They were triumphing heroes like the Roman generals of old. Criers would proclaim the sovereign's identity as the rightful ruler and invite his or her subjects to swear allegiance.
Contrast this with the entrance of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Anyone hoping for a glorious triumphal procession that day must have been horribly disappointed. Here was a common man with no kingly bearing seated not upon a palfrey but a humble donkey. No colorful carpet was laid out before him but rows of hastily procured palm leaves. Like the kings and queens of England, Christ's path would end at the kingdom's most sacred location: the Temple Mount. Although he was proclaimed "King of Israel" by some who greeted him on his route (John 12:13), there would be no sacred anointing offered by the religious leaders of the day and no crown placed on his head.
For though Jesus was most assuredly a king, his kingdom was not what it seemed. Those who proclaimed their allegiance to him on Palm Sunday or earlier in his ministry typically did so with the understanding that he would reign on David's throne over the physical land of Judah, which by that point was under the rule of the Roman Empire. Christ's more ambitious followers might have believed he would regain all the territories of King Solomon to the north and south, but no one saw him as king of the earth itself, let alone king of heaven—or if they used those words, they had little concept of what they meant.
They were prepared to back him in his rise to power. They believed he would toss out the Romans and Herodians alike. They viewed him as a political savior, and they desperately needed earthly salvation. But when Christ himself discussed his kingdom—and he did so often throughout his time of active ministry—he revealed something quite different.
He did not invite people to help him build the kingdom. He simply declared it as a reality.
The first recorded words Christ ever preached were, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt. 3:2). He did not invite people to help him build the kingdom. He simply declared it as a reality. He stood there with no army, no sovereign wealth, and no network of bureaucrats and told them, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." It was a certain and unconquerable fact.
Jesus was not born in the royal seat of Jerusalem. Rather, he entered that city when the time was right. He came upon them from the outside upon his own initiative, by his own power, without a conquering army to support him. His very birth came about by no human action, but according to the declared will of God proclaimed to Mary by the angel Gabriel. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you…" (Luke 1:35) That is not an invitation, but a proclamation. At every point in Christ's life, he comes upon people, acting rather than reacting, initiating rather than responding. His birth was unexpected, his death was unexpected, and his resurrection was supremely unexpected.
Every earthly kingdom meets its end. All empires crumble and fall. But from the beginning, the kingdom of God, which Christ would rule, was said to be eternal.
And when Christ preached, he proclaimed, as Luke tells us: "He went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1) .This is the biggest giveaway that Christ's kingdom is unlike any other. Historically, some invading armies have been welcomed as liberators, but no kingdom has been good news from beginning to end. There is the inevitable turn into darkness, injustice, and oppression. But the arrival of Christ's kingdom is not just good news; it is the good news: the gospel.
Every earthly kingdom meets its end. All empires crumble and fall. But from the beginning, the kingdom of God, which Christ would rule, was said to be eternal. "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever," the Psalmist wrote (Ps. 45:6), and Daniel prophesied, "In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan. 2:44).
Only a few days after Palm Sunday, Christ was arrested and put on trial. When they brought him before the Roman governor Pontius Pilate, the Jewish religious leaders charged that he had falsely proclaimed himself King of the Jews. Thus, it was a case of a ruling power putting a political rival on trial, for both the Jewish and Roman officials had seen Jesus' entrance into the city. They had heard his proclamations about a kingdom over which he was king.
What they failed to grasp was what Jesus told Pilate: "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world" (John 18:36). Yes, the kingdom of God is not of the world—it comes upon it. It stands in opposition to all earthly kingdoms, even as it permits them to rule for a time. Daniel had prophesied that God's kingdom would "crush and put an end" to its rivals. (Dan. 2:44) Thus, the arrival of Christ's kingdom was an existential threat to both Jews and Gentiles who sought a kingdom of their own.
At the beginning of Christ's ministry, the devil offered him "all the kingdoms of the world and their glory" (Matt. 4:8). This is the most the devil can give any of us: a limited kingdom, a fallible kingdom, a temporary kingdom. Such are all the kingdoms of this world.
Any worship that finds its end in an earthly kingdom finds its end in the devil.
But a kingdom always seeks worshippers, and Satan demanded that Christ worship him to receive that earthly kingdom (John 4:9). Human kings often think themselves worthy of worship, but behind the adoration granted them by their subjects lies the worship of Satan himself, for any worship that finds its end in an earthly kingdom finds its end in the devil.
The kingdom of God also seeks worshippers. When the Magi came to find the child born "king of the Jews," they declared their desire to worship him (Matt. 2:2). As more people discovered who Jesus was, they, too, worshipped him (Matt. 14:33, John 9:38). Even now, we as followers of Christ are implored, "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…" (Heb. 12:28).
The battle between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of God is occurring in the hearts of human beings. Whom will we worship? To whom will we swear allegiance?
We live now amid a great political struggle, not for the soul of America, but for the souls of all mankind. It is not up to us to win this battle or to usher in Christ's rule. The victory is already accomplished. When he comes again to earth, it will be by right of conquest to claim that which belongs to him: the Church which he has purchased with his own blood.
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever." (Rev. 11:12) This is the good news we must proclaim today and always.
