Revelation: Kingdom Come Part 1

Palm Sunday is the day when the church remembers Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  Riding on a donkey, He paraded into the city as the crowd shouted “Hosanna” which is Hebrew for “Lord, save us!”  Waving palm branches in the air and spreading their cloaks before Him, they welcomed the Messiah and proclaimed Him as their King.  We view this situation as unique, yet it wasn’t the first time this scenario had been played out.  Welcoming a hero into town was a well-known practice, and there was a right way to do it that the people all knew about.

 In those days, when a conquering hero would return to the capital city, the people would leave town and greet him on the road before he entered the gates.  They would join in the procession and re-enter the city with him, celebrating as they went.  In this way, the people identified with their hero, and he with them.  He had gone out and conquered in their name.  His triumph was theirs, and their joy was his.  This is what they did with Jesus, meeting Him on the road before He entered Jerusalem and hailing Him as Messiah.

As they acted out the first Palm Sunday, the people were simply doing what they had done before, as they welcomed other dignitaries into town, with the exception of their declaration of Jesus as their Savior.  Little did they know that they were also serving as a prototype for the second coming of Christ.

In our study through the book of Revelation, we have used the word “Rapture” many times.  Though the word itself never appears in the Bible, neither do many other theological terms that we use.  While some deny the Rapture, I believe that the concept is found throughout the scriptures.  Among other passages, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 says:

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

While some Bible scholars deny the Rapture, others affirm it but disagree on when it will take place.  Some believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, while others believe that it will take place somewhere in the middle or the end of Jacob’s Trouble.  It is not my purpose to figure out timelines, other than affirming the Bible’s teaching that believers will be instantly translated to their glorified forms and will meet Jesus in the air.  1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says, “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”

Whether it happens at the beginning, middle, or end of the Tribulation, it is certain that when Jesus returns, He will do so along with the dead in Christ who have risen, and with those still alive who have met Him in the air.  In Revelation 19:11-16, John writes about the Second Coming, which may be at the same time or some time after the Rapture:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”

Just as the residents of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus as their victorious Hero by leaving the city and parading back in with Him, so the raptured and resurrected  Church will be taken up, to return with Him along with the heavenly host.  No matter whether you believe in a pre-trib, post-trib, or mid-trib Rapture, the fact is that we don’t really know when it will happen, so why not live as if it’s today?  Our Daily Bread has a story about the need to be ready at any time:

While on a South Pole expedition, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island, promising that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, “It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!” They replied, “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, ‘The boss may come today.’”

In the same way, Christians need to be ready for the Lord to return at any moment.  Since we don’t know when He will return, we should be found ready when He does split the sky.

To be continued next week. . .