THE CURRENT REIGN OF JESUS

" For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet."
(1 Corinthians 15:25)

Devotion 13 of  25

KINGSHIP RELATED TO HIM COMING INTO THE WORLD

    Notice; Christ's kingship is related to Him coming "into the world." That coming occurred when He was "made of a woman, made under the law" (Gal 4:4). This is when He came to save sinners. As it is written, "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus CAME INTO THE WORLD to save sinners; of whom I am chief" (1 Tim 1:15). God sent Him "into the world" in order that "the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17). He came "into the world" so that whoever believed on Him would not remain in darkness (John 12:46). A special body was prepared for Him to come "unto the world" (Heb10:5), a body that would allow Him to make an acceptable offering for sin. The Father sent the son "into the world" that "we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9).

      Therefore, Jesus being "King" relates to Him saving sinners, the world being saved, and men not remaining in darkness. It has to do with men living triumphantly through Him, although they remain in a hostile realm that is dominated by the wicked one.

      Many mistakenly apply Christ being King to His second appearing. They say He is coming again to be King. However, Christ's second appearing is never said to be "into the world." That is language that applies exclusively to His birth into this world. Christ's second coming will be in "the glory of His Father with His angels" (Matt 16:27), but is nowhere said to be "into the world." That appearing is more related to "the world to come" than to "this present evil world" (Matt 12:32; 13:49; Mk 10:30). In fact, Peter affirms that when the Lord comes "as a thief in the night," the entire universe will go up in flames. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet 3:10-12).

      Christ's kingdom, therefore, is directly related to His birth into the world. The putting away of sin, the world being saved, and the reconciling of the world involves King Jesus and His kingdom. His reign is precisely what ensures that those who trust in Him will at last land safely on the other side.

      Some teach that Christ's kingdom and reign relate primarily to another time, when He will rule overtly and apparently over the nations of the world. You cannot conclude this from Christ's words to Pilate. Keep in mind that Pilate was inquiring concerning Jesus' position as king; and yet Jesus' answer was completely out of harmony with much of what we hear about His kingdom. Those who are waiting for Jesus to reign are more apt to miss the appointed benefits of His present reign.

    From another perspective, Christ's coming "into the world" was the initiation of God's "eternal purpose." It was the beginning of the immediate and effective implementation of that great work. The purpose for Christ Jesus is everywhere declared to be the putting away of sin and the reconciling of the world to God. That is what required Jesus to come in the "likeness of sinful flesh and for sin."

      God did not need a "Man" to overthrow the kingdoms of this world! Heavenly powers had successfully overthrown world empires at the will of God (Dan 10:11-20). Bringing men to God, however, required a different kind of reign; one related fundamentally to truth.

PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, help me to comprehend the greatness of my own salvation.

-- Tomorrow: THE ONLY POTENTATE   --