39. Waiting for a Kingdom

LONNIE: We’re glad you could join us for another session of Exploring the Word.

JEANNIE: This is our opportunity to dig a little deeper into the riches of the Bible together.

LONNIE: Today we’re going to try to answer a question about the future, about exactly what we can expect at the end of history.

JEANNIE: We get many questions related to the second coming of Christ, and one thing that has come through is a lot of confusion about the nature of the kingdom Christ will set up at the end of time.

LONNIE: It’s important because it relates to where we need to stand today as we wait for the coming kingdom. We need to be part of the right kingdom now – if we’re going to belong to the right kingdom later.

JEANNIE: We want to put our hope in the right place.

LONNIE: Exactly.

If we’re waiting for a kingdom, it’s important to wait for the right kingdom. It’s important because there are actually going to be two kingdoms fighting for our allegiance at the end of time. There are going to be two rival movements headed for a showdown. There’s Christ’s kingdom – and there’s a human counterfeit kingdom.

Now at the very end, at the final clash, it’s going to be very clear, black and white, good vs. evil, Christ vs. Satan. The problem is we need to declare our allegiance before that final clash, before the heavens open up and the mountains tumble. We don’t want to get caught up in a counterfeit religious movement and then find out, in the end, that we’re on the wrong side!

So let’s try to zero in on something basic, something essential, we can say about the kingdom Christ will set up. What’s it about? What distinguishes it from all other kingdoms, all other movements?

Take a look at something the Apostle John described in Revelation. He had a vision of how things will turn out in the end. This is a remarkable glimpse into the future.

“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men...and God Himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” Revelation 21:3, 4
I’d like to suggest that here in this passage is everything you need to know about the right kingdom, about the coming kingdom. It’s crystal clear in this city. It sums it all up – for this reason. Christ’s kingdom is about heaven coming down to earth. That’s it. Christ’s kingdom is heaven coming down to earth. That’s what distinguishes it from everything else.

This comes through strikingly in the book of Revelation.

It comes through in the picture of the sky splitting open and the King of Kings descending from heaven to earth like a conqueror on a white horse. John describes that in Revelation 19:11.

It comes through in the picture of this great city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.

Christ’s kingdom, Christ’s mission, is about bringing heaven down to earth. That’s the real thing. This simple fact will help us avoid the wrong thing. Because we’re going to see how the counterfeit kingdom is all about trying to bring earth up to heaven. It’s about trying to exalt human traditions to take the place of the things of God.

Napoleon Bonaparte had charisma. He built up a personal grandeur and glory that compelled millions throughout Europe to admire him. He was a man of keen intelligence and driving will. And he exercised an almost magical charm over those he met. And, most importantly, he inspired the French to dream big dreams. Napoleon's vision of a great French Empire that would dominate future ages compelled men to give their lives for him.

But Napoleon's empire ended up at a place called the Invalides Hotel. It was, and is, a barracks for old soldiers. It housed some of Napoleon's veterans, broken men missing arms or legs, men slowly dying of their injuries.

After Napoleon's defeat, France shrunk back to manageable boundaries. Europe returned to its previous rivalries and alliances.

In the pursuit of a vast empire that would endure forever, so much had been lost, so much had been sacrificed.

This zealous pursuit of empire is one of the greatest tragedies men have had to endure over the years. And I believe it is a vital part of Satan's strategy in earth's end times. He wants more than anything else for people to transfer their hope of heaven to something here on earth. He wants us to lose sight of the God of heaven “up there” and focus instead on some charismatic human leader here on earth.

The New Testament, by contrast, is always trying to get us to put our hope in things above, in what God has for us, that comes down from heaven. Listen to what the Apostle Peter wrote:
“Through him [that is Christ] you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” 1 Peter 1:21, NIV

We can have faith and hope in a God far off in heaven. Why? Because Christ has been here. He was raised from the dead. And while human eyes were fixed on Him in wonder He ascended up into glory. That's why we can look up with confidence. Someone we know is up there preparing to come again, preparing to make His kingdom a physical reality on this earth.

The Enemy doesn't want us looking up. He wants, at all costs, to keep us looking for things on earth to distract us from heaven, to replace heaven. He wants us to follow some charismatic human figure who makes big promises so we won’t fix our hope on Christ’s eternal kingdom.

Revelation is a prophetic book that uses a lot of symbols, a lot of images: a dragon who goes to war, a beast who speaks blasphemies, a harlot called Babylon. And what all these images are trying to tell us is this: an enemy is at work. Satan is trying desperately to set up his alternative kingdom. He’s trying to offer people a competing hope. And he often offers it in the form of false religion.

We don’t want to get sucked into his false religious movement. We don’t want to be seduced by the one who can appear as an angel of light.

So let’s look at what his kingdom is all about. We’re going to see just how it centers around one thing: trying to bring earth up to heaven.

Revelation 17 gives us an interesting picture of the harlot called Babylon. In ancient times, Babylon was the great rival of Jerusalem. Here it is a symbol of the kingdom that will compete with Christ's in the end times. John sees:

“. . . the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth were made drunk with the wine of her fornication.” Revelation 17:1, 2

Adultery, immorality. Obviously this is the primary thing one associates with the image of a harlot. And this woman has been very successful in getting people all over the world intoxicated by her immoral behavior. Whatever Satan’s false religious system is teaching, whatever it’s promoting, it’s selling like hotcakes. People are falling for it.

Let’s look at another verse where this woman’s immorality is defined a little more specifically:

“She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit ...” Revelation 18:2, NIV

This is a picture of Babylon as a vast occult empire. It’s a “haunt for every evil spirit.” It’s about demonic activity.

This picture is echoed in Revelation 13:13. Listen to how the beast is described. Remember the beast is another player in that alternative, counterfeit kingdom.

“He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down . . .”

This is magic. These are phenomena that appear supernatural, even divine. The next verse tells us that the beast deceives those who dwell on the earth by these signs.

So yes, it’s all about the occult. It’s all about magic. That’s Satan big draw: “You can have magical powers. You can control your own destiny. You can even reach beyond the grave and commune with lost loved ones. You can transcend death now.” That’s all part of the occult. That’s all part of the signs that seduce people.

That’s how Satan tries to bring earth up to heaven. The occult is about trying to seize divine power; it’s about trying to sell people magical power – You can have anything you want. You can make people do anything you want.

Satan hasn’t changed. He hasn’t changed since that day long ago when he said, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” That’s in Isaiah 14:13.

That’s what the occult is all about: stealing heaven. So, Satan’s kingdom tries to bring earth up to heaven in this sense: Magic GRABS at divine power. It tries to steal it. It tries to manipulate it. It tries to get the secret formula for it.

Now let’s contrast this with the nature of Christ’s kingdom, the kingdom that brings heaven down to earth. In the first chapter of Colossians, starting in verse 3, Paul gives thanks for the faith and love of these believers.

“... because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world...” Colossians 1:5,6

Christian faith is focused on something that originated in heaven, that originated with God. The gospel comes down to us from heaven and spreads through the world. It’s not something we made up. It’s not something we figured out. It’s a message that comes down to us from God.

So, this is something we can say about the nature of Christ’s kingdom: Faith RECEIVES divine favor. That’s what the gospel’s all about. That’s what grace is all about. We receive, by faith, the love and acceptance of a Heavenly Father.

You can see the contrast. Magic grabs at divine power. Faith receives divine favor. Earth trying to steal heaven vs. heaven coming down to earth.

Now let’s look at something else we find in Revelation. John introduces us to the harlot called Babylon:

“And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.” Revelation 17:3

Here again we see the harlot and the beast together. This powerful beast is full of the names of blasphemy. And the harlot is seated on it, a conqueror who has seduced the world with her false teachings.

Now blasphemy is about speaking against God, assuming to be God, to take the place of God. In other words, the leaders of this alternative kingdom aren’t content to try to steal divine power; they want to take God’s place! They want to speak for Him; they want to drown out His voice with theirs.

That’s another way the Enemy tries to take earth up to heaven. He wants human authority to REPLACE divine authority. He wants some human tradition to supplant the gospel. That’s part of the wrong kingdom.

James talks about a certain kind of presumption that claims to be wisdom:

“Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. . . But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peaceloving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:15,17, NIV

Wisdom that comes from heaven is pure and it makes people pure. It’s peaceloving and it makes people peaceloving. It’s considerate and it makes people considerate.

In the good kingdom that brings heaven down to earth, we LEARN from divine authority. We don’t try to replace it. We don’t presume to speak for God. We listen careful to His Word. We study His principles.

There's one more aspect of this harlot called Babylon that stands out in Revelation:

“This woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls...” Revelation 17:4

This is a rich woman, no extravagance has been denied her. She believes in luxury. She’s about a material paradise. That becomes evident in the next chapter when merchants are said to weep and mourn over her rich cargoes doomed for destruction.

John pictures gold and silver, purple and scarlet, precious wood and marble, fragrant oil and frankincense.

Here we see the final way in which the wrong kingdom operates. It’s a distraction. It DISTRACTS people from the realities of heaven. It tries to replace the glory of heaven with a materialistic dazzle on earth. It tries to get people’s attention fixed on the glitter and the gold. It's hard for people to fix their hope on eternal things when they’re wrapped up in chasing a material paradise on earth.

What about the right kingdom? How does that operate? Listen to James again:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights...” James 1:17

Friends, everything worth having comes down from the Father. In other words, the best things in life are GIFTS, gifts from a loving Heavenly Father.

Instead of getting trapped in the pursuit of a material paradise, we need to concentrate on the gifts that come from above. Instead of getting distracted by the glitter and gold, we need to focus on qualities that are eternal.

You can be confident that you’re standing on the right side, now and at the end. You can be sure that your hope is in the right place, the right kingdom.

It’s all about a kingdom that brings heaven down to earth.

It’s not about magic that grabs at divine power.

It’s all about faith that receives divine favor.

It’s not about trying to replace divine authority.

It’s all about learning from divine authority.

It’s not about the glitter that distracts us from the realities of heaven.

It’s all about the Father’s gifts as the best things in life.

A wonderful, glorious kingdom is coming soon to this earth. And you can be a part of it.

You can have a secure place in the kingdom that will never end.

JEANNIE: Well, Lonnie, we’ve come to the end of another 13-week stretch of Exploring the Word, a quarter of a year of studying together.

LONNIE: And we’ve gone through many of the most important themes in Scripture. We’ve talked about what God is like and why we need to get back to that all-important relationship. We’ve talked about what Jesus took on, as a Man, and how we can be secure in a sense of acceptance with the Father. We’ve talked about God’s continuing revelation and His plans for a remnant church, a church that will stand in the end times.

JEANNIE: So I think many people might be wondering how they can respond, how they can take the next step in their spiritual journey. It’s not enough, of course, to take in all these wonderful truths from the Bible; we have to act on them, right?

LONNIE: Absolutely.

Right now Satan is making a last-ditch stand. This is his last chance to make an alternative work on earth. Right now he’s trying to undermine the gospel and replace God’s authority with other religious traditions.

But friends his kingdom is doomed. The alternative kingdom that has brought on so much suffering and sorrow will be swept away. It will end in a lake of fire.

But those looking up will finally see Christ's kingdom come down in dazzling glory.

The Christ who brings heaven down to earth closes His Word with the wonderful promise, "Behold, I am coming quickly." And then He extends an invitation, an invitation that all within Christ's kingdom repeat: "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17

Don't let anything prevent you from coming into the right kingdom. Please don’t let anything prevent you from saying Yes to the truths you’ve been learning. Is there something you need to change in your life? Is there a step you need to take right now? Have you found a church that you’re confident will stand firm on God’s Word in the end times? Have you found a church where the testimony of Jesus Christ and the commandments of God are honored? That’s how the remnant church is identified in Revelation.

I urge you to find that church now. I urge you to unite with God’s true people now. The two kingdoms will soon collide in a climactic showdown that will shake the earth to its foundations. Make sure your grip on the gospel is firm. Make sure your grasp of Christ's sacrificial love is sure. Make sure that nothing on earth will distract you from the eternal realities of heaven.

Many people are going to be seduced by a false religious system. Many will be blinded and come to believe in the doctrines of demons. Many will become part of a tyranny more horrifying than they can imagine.

But others will overcome these dark forces. They will stand firm, receiving God’s favor by faith, learning each day from divine authority. They will declare that their citizenship is in heaven. They will eagerly await a Savior from there.

I want you to be one of those who welcome Christ at His second coming. I want you to be one of those who reign with Christ. I want you to be one of those who will inhabit the New Jerusalem. I want you to be on the right side during the glorious climax of history.

So please take the step you need to take just now. Please make the right connection. Please make the right commitment with the right group of believers. You can be sure that God will see you safely through to that day when heaven comes down to earth.

Dear Father, we want to be part of Your kingdom, the right kingdom. So receive our gesture of faith right now. Guide us to the right place, to the commitment we need to make. Take us to the next step in our spiritual journey. We hold nothing back. We open our hearts and our minds to Your leading. We lay our past and prejudices, our hopes and our fears before You. Here we are. Take us. We thank You for accepting us so graciously in the Beloved Son. Amen.

JEANNIE: As your homework assignment at the end of this 13-week series, we’d like to suggest you do something a little different.

LONNIE: How about committing yourself to a course of Bible study, a course like the Discover Bible Guides, (www.discoveronline.org) that will take you through the truths of Scripture, and help you make that informed commitment to God’s end-time message.

JEANNIE: We can help you find study groups in your area. We can recommend churches in your area. (E-mail: info@exploringtheword.com)

LONNIE: Above all we want you to get plugged in. We’d like you to move forward with other believers who have taken a stand in the right kingdom.

JEANNIE: So please make it your own personal Bible study plan. This is your chance to sink your roots into God’s Word. It’s an investment of time with eternal benefits.

LONNIE: Until next week, God bless you. Never stop Exploring the Word. And remember, God really does love you.