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Bible Will I Find: Jesus Is Now Sitting On His Throne? By: Gary Colley
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Some in our day want to have Jesus as a priest, to offer the sacrifice for our sins, but contend that He is not yet ruling or made our King. These have a theory to uphold that states when Christ came the first time He did not establish His kingdom, because of the Jews foiling His plan, but only established the church. They expect that Jesus will return a second time to establish a literal throne in the city of Jerusalem, where they contend He will reign a literal 1,000 years. The Bible completely repudiates these false teachings. The Old Testament prophet Zechariah writes, “Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name if The Branch; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord: Even he shall build the temple of the Lord, and shall bear the glory, and SHALL SIT AND RULE (emphasis mine.GC) upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both” (Zech.6:12-13). Without difficulty we notice that “The Branch” refers to Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Isa.11:1-2). As he was to “build the temple of the Lord” so also Jesus built His church, which is the same as the kingdom or “the Lord’s temple” on earth (Matt.16:18-19; Eph.2:19-21). Jesus did not receive “dominion, and glory, and a kingdom” until His ascension back to the Father in Heaven (Dan.7:13-14; Acts 1:9-11). Jesus was proclaimed by the inspired Peter, on the notable day of Pentecost, as being then “by the right hand exalted” (Acts 2:33). The church of Christ or kingdom His reign began on Pentecost and will continue until He comes again (Rev.20:2). The thousand years spoken of in the signs and symbols book of Revelation is a figurative number. He is “a priest upon his throne” reigning and ruling now (I Tim.6:15). If it could be proven that Christ was not now on his throne, it could not be proven that He is our priest now, and all people are still in their sins (Heb.4:14-16). The kingdom of our Lord is a spiritual kingdom (Jn.18:36), filled with willing servants. Would you make Him the priest and king of your life? We do that be entering into His body the church (Eph.1:22-23), when we embrace the conditions He has commanded. He commands that we hear the Gospel (Jn.6:44-45), believe He is the Christ with all of our hearts (Jn.8:24), repent of our past sins (Lk.13:3,5), confess His name before men with our mouth (Matt.10:32-33), and be buried with Him in baptism to wash away our sins (Mk.16:15-16). His authority is either absolute in our lives or it is obsolete! We will be judged by His Word (Jn.12:48; Heb.5:9). –Gary Colley