At his incarnation, our Lord Jesus Christ clearly and boldly proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. God the Son came to earth to redeem rebellious humans, save them from their sins, and make them the people of God. This redemption impacts us in the material realm as well as the spiritual, both now and for all eternity.

Perhaps the kingdom of God was His most misunderstood teaching; yet it remains the most important; in fact, the core message of the Lord. Actually, the kingdom Jesus Christ proclaimed and initiated was more profound and more radical than anything any man has ever envisioned. It is therefore not surprising that over two thousand years on, the carnal mind is yet to fully grasp the import of the kingdom message. Scripture says,

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned.

For those of us, however, who have received Christ, we must retain strong awareness of kingdom realities. Indeed, the kingdom of God has come to us in the person and work of Jesus Christ Himself - His substitutionary death on the cross, His triumph over death and sin, His ascension to heaven, and His imminent Parousia. He says,

John 14:3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also...

Here and here alone is true hope for us as believers, and also for a lost and confused world that is groping in the dark. Hence, John Calvin admonishes us,
“we are to lay hold on that kingdom which cannot be shaken; for the Lord shakes us for this end, that he may really and forever establish us in himself.”

Today, as we remind ourselves of the Parousia, shall we rededicate ourselves to seeking the kingdom and its righteousness above all else? Shall we henceforth position ourselves as vessels of honour for the advancement of the kingdom, so that when that voice beckons, “Surely I come quickly (Rev 22:20),” we may boldly and joyfully respond,

“Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”