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Monday, January 30, 2012

Prophecy's Eternal Kingdom

Revelation 19: 6 "Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns."

Where Prophecy takes you
Our Lord Reigns!  They are powerful words in our English language that function as an unbroken chain around the central purpose of the Bible.  God's reign shows in action the purpose of scripture: God's glory.  As we have been touring Prophecy's Big Picture, we have looked at the Enormous Kingdom of Babylon, the empire kingdoms of history and the Evil Kingdom that has yet to rise prior to Christ's return.  Bible Prophecy's plotline and purpose is drawn to this endpoint - The Eternal Kingdom. 

How much the Eternal Kingdom factors into Bible Prophecy
The idea of God's Kingdom occurs around 400 times in the Bible.  In the Old Testament the Kingdom of God is stated in general terms to refer to the endpoint of all history wherein God will bring to completion His purposes.  When you arrive at the New Testament, the Kingdom of God concept becomes sharpened in the Person and work of Jesus Christ.  224 prophecies point to the Second coming of Jesus Christ.  Without exception, all of the prophetic scriptures find their focal point in the Eternal Kingdom, whose focus finds itself in the Person of the glorified Christ. 

How Big is the focus on Christ's return as the Eternal King
Consider these statistics of prophecy in the Bible as it relates to Christ and His Eternal Kingdom (some of these I've gathered from sermons I've heard over the years):
1. 1/5 of scripture is about Bible Prophecy
2. 1/3 of those scriptures pertain to Christ's return
3. There are over 600 general prophecies about all sorts of subjects, 400 or so speak about the Kingdom in general and 224 point to Christ's return in particular
4. Of the 46 Old testament Prophets - 10 speak of Christ's 1st coming and 36 speak of His 2nd coming
5. Over 1500 Old Testament passages and 1 out of 25 passages refer to Christ's soon return
6. Christ Himself refers to His second coming some 21 times, with 50 places telling us to be ready for His return

Doesn't matter how bad things get, Christ is in control
Philippians 3:20-21 tells us: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."  Here we see the two-fold reminder for the Christian of who I am and whose I am.  Who am I as a Christian?  I am a citizen of the celestial city being built by Christ. (John 14:1-3).  Jesus says in John 14 to "not let my heart be troubled, if I believe in God, I believe in Christ, for He is going to prepare a place for me".  Now what about "whose I am".  I know that Christ has in His authority "all power on Heaven and earth".  (Matthew 28:18)  I know that by Him, and through Him and to Him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16-18).  Prophecy injects into the bloodstream of my faithlife the hope and confidence that He is in control.  That life has purpose.  That He is that purpose.