Hope of the Everlasting Kingdom
I’ve recently been thinking about how being part of the body of Christ through the local church is one of the greatest gifts Jesus has given us. In the church, we find community, support, encouragement, sanctification, and strength. But while there is great rejoicing in community, there is also often great weeping. Whether it is sitting with a friend who is struggling through infertility, hearing of the premature death of a faithful member, praying for missionaries who are experiencing immense persecution, or even needing others to help you bear your own loss, it is hard to escape the brokenness of this world. Even as a Christian walking faithfully with other Christians and growing in your love for the Lord, life can still feel so wearisome, and hoping in God can seem a daunting task.
Daniel 2 encouraged me in the midst of my own weariness. For Daniel, the Babylonian kingdom represented weariness, injustice from evil rules as well as judgment and defeat for the people of Israel due to their sin. But as we read in Daniel 2:36-49, the powerful kingdom of Babylon would not have the final say. In fact, no earthly kingdom will! All kingdoms, as powerful and mighty as they may seem, will be brought to an end by God’s everlasting kingdom. If you are in Christ, then the God of all kings will one day welcome you into this kingdom. This is our sure and steady hope.
God’s Kingdom Has Come
Just as God revealed this mystery regarding the Babylonian kingdom to King Nebuchadnezzar through Daniel (Daniel 2:47), God reveals the mysteries of His eternal kingdom to us in Christ. When God the Son came to the earth, He came proclaiming the kingdom of God. He healed the sick, ate with outcasts, and forgave people of their sins. Christ came with authority over all things, and “after making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3b ESV). All who place their faith in Jesus’ work have the sure hope of being part of His kingdom because they too will be raised (1 Thessalonians 4:14). Can you believe that? If you have placed your faith in Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, then this is God’s promise to you and to all who have believed! Our bodies will be raised, the brokenness redeemed, and all things will be made right.
Oftentimes in my life, events and circumstances feel overwhelming and heavy. I lose hope quicker than I like to admit, and I wonder where God is in all of it. Passages like the ones we have read today remind me that Christ is my reference point for hope. He is the proof that God’s kingdom has come and will be fully complete one day.
But, what will this kingdom be like? Revelation 7:9-10 shows us that, “After these things, I looked, and here was an enormous crowd that no one could count, made up of persons from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb dressed in long white robes, and with palm branches in their hands. They were shouting in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” Can you picture it? No more death, no more injustice, no more weariness. Rather, it will be a people made alive, doing what they were made to do, and praising God in one voice for all eternity. Friend, cling to Christ, and He will carry you home.
God, thank you for the promise of your eternal kingdom. We praise you, for you are the God of all kings. Your rule has no end. Would you strengthen us that we might hope in this eternal kingdom? Fix our eyes upon Jesus that we might endure with faith. Amen.
