Kingdom Dynamics

It is in the more obscure-to-us statements of Jesus that produce not only intrigue but indicators that Jesus is up to more and on different levels than where we function. Jesus is our King. We are the kingdom. He tells us most of His business, but there are things he does not expect us to be involved in. We have our job to do, and it parallels His. The Kingdom business is unified. It all works together to accomplish God's will on earth. So when Jesus talks about "coming in His Father's glory with holy angels taking vengeance on folks with power and authority in His kingdom" it is a sit up and take notice event or series of events. (See last blog on this.) But I have noticed there are other statements by Jesus and His apostles that are similar, though they all have to be looked at in their context. But, the similarity of them makes the point that Jesus is up to something that is pretty significant, a sit-up-and-take-notice happening. Let's look at some.

In Matthew 12:25 Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God coming upon people when He casts out demons by the power of the Spirit of God. Kingdom-coming is with power. There is authority. There is an unmistakable intention to let the world know who is in control, who is King, and which Kingdom is going to win, and whose side we need to be on if we hope to be winners. In the text that is clearly talking about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, Matthew 24:30, Jesus tells of "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." (Josephus reports this sign as a light or star in the shape of a sword hanging over the city.) For all those who mocked and scoffed and ignored and tried to exert their own power and authority, Jesus clearly has the last word, and His power and authority is established. Those with Him won, and those against Him lost. In another text in Matthew 26:64 as Jesus stood before the high priest He said, "...nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." The high priest lost it and tore his robes. The picture could not be clearer. This little two bit self-appointed peep squeak of a priest was no match for Jesus. These statements put things in their proper place. In John 1:51 to Nathaniel who was impressed with Jesus telling him what He saw while Nathaniel was under the fig tree, Jesus said, "Truly, truly I say to you, you shall see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." For whatever else it means it is meant to depict Jesus' unique position of authority. One more. To the fickle, bread-seeking crowds who stumbled over His words of discipleship in John 6:62 He says, "What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before?" In other words, "they have seen nothing yet."

Jesus throws out these statements throughout His ministry because people needed to know that if they miss and misunderstand His first visit, there are going to be additional visits that they will not be able to miss. In Luke 19:44 Jesus says the reason Jerusalem will be destroyed is because the Jews did not recognize His first visitation. And, Peter tells his readers that they must be careful to glorify God on the day of His visitation. It seems that if we miss Jesus' coming, all we have to do is wait, and He will come again, and perhaps again with increasing evidence of His power and His authority. That last coming is really going to be something.