All Hail King Jesus

For years and years, God's people were praying for a King and Messiah. Israel knew the prophecies that said, "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1). A messianic King from the line of King David, who defeated Goliath, was to come and save His people, making a great nation once again of His lineage. 

What Israel did not know was that the Messiah was not coming for the enemy they had in mind - the Roman Empire, but for the greatest enemy of all dwelling among God's people - sin in people's hearts. As shown in Isaiah 5, God had already provided the people of Israel with an incredible economy, political success, and superb comfort. However, as his people had experienced these common graces from Him, this beautiful life given to His people did not solve the problem of His Kingdom. His people still had a heart of stone instead of a heart of flesh (Isaiah 5:4). The power of sin and death was not defeated and still reigned among the people of God. There had to be a greater hope than the hope of the earthly kingdom and a political leader to usher people into the true Kingdom God had for His children. 

The prophecy of the coming Messiah indicated that it would appear that the Messiah would not have won the battle at first, challenging the people of Israel's expectations. As Isaiah says in Isaiah 50:6, the Messiah would be betrayed by someone near him and take on a crucial punishment. Death would claim its victory over our Lord through His crucifixion at the cross, a brutal punishment - however, it did not have the final word. Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, conquering sin and death. His people, and us, were born again to a living hope through His resurrection, to an imperishable, undefiled, and unfading inheritance kept in Heaven for us. Jesus, the great conqueror over sin and death, has won over His people through His death and resurrection - changing His people's hearts from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).

Even as His coming and victory were not what the people of Israel anticipated initially, God had a more extraordinary story entailed for his people - for since we have united with Jesus like this in his death, we will certainly be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should not be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:5-7). As the people of God, we are freed from sin and now have all of our needs met according to the riches in glory of Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19). He has also given us a new inheritance, one of the New Jerusalem, where God and man will dwell together. Every tear will be wiped from our eyes - where there will be no more death or mourning or crying, for the old earth will have passed away (Revelation 21:4). And every person at the name of Jesus should bow their knee in Heaven and earth and under the earth. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, who has provided all things to his Children (Philippians 2:10).