Introduction

It is always something very special for us to study the character and person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Often, we do it for purely theological interest and can forget who we are dealing with. As said in a song, He should always be the “King of our hearts”. He should be the centre our affections and feelings, and we should bow before Him in reverence. The Lord Jesus touches our hearts in so many ways, that one single way would not adequate to describe him.

The Lord Jesus is King

There is no doubt, that He is “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 17:14; 19:16 „(17:14) These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them; for he is Lord of lords and King of kings: and they that are with him called, and chosen, and faithful.“ „(19:16) And he has upon his garment, and upon his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.“; 1Tim 6:15 „which in its own time the blessed and only Ruler shall shew, the King of those that reign, and Lord of those that exercise lordship;“). While in the Old Testament a King of Glory was announced (Ps 24:7 „Lift up your heads, ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in.“), more specifically, it was about the son of David who would hold the throne over Israel (Jer 23:5 „Behold, the days come, saith Jehovah, when I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, who shall reign as king, and act wisely, and shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land.“). When Jesus was born, God ensured people of the nations acknowledged His royalty, even when the reaction in Jerusalem was distress when they asked: “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Mt 2:2.11 „Where is the king of the Jews that has been born? for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to do him homage.“ „And having come into the house they saw the little child with Mary his mother, and falling down did him homage. And having opened their treasures, they offered to him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.“). The Lord Jesus Himself “witnessed a good confession” before Pilate (1Tim 6:13 „I enjoin thee before God who preserves all things in life, and Christ Jesus who witnessed before Pontius Pilate the good confession,“): “You say rightly that I am a king” (Jn 18:37 „Pilate therefore said to him, Thou art then a king? Jesus answered, Thou sayest it , that I am a king. I have been born for this, and for this I have come into the world, that I might bear witness to the truth. Every one that is of the truth hears my voice.“, NKJV). When the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem on a foal, the prophecy was fulfilled: “Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Mt 21:5 „Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.“; cf. Zach 9:9). Also, God arranged that even contrary to the will of the Jewish leaders, it was written on the cross: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS” (Lk 23:38 „And there was also an inscription written over him in Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew letters: This is the King of the Jews.“).

But the King was rejected by His people Israel and brought to the cross. The Lord Jesus said: “My kingdom is not of this world” (Jn 18:36 „Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world; if my kingdom were of this world, my servants had fought that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.“). From then on, the sphere where His kingship would be recognized would be in heaven. However, there should still exist a kingdom on this earth. In Matthew 13 the Lord Jesus speaks about the existence of an earthly kingdom, mysterious in nature. This announced kingdom of peace would not yet be visible, but rather there should exist a kingdom that is invisible in nature (cf. Mt 13:11 „And he answering said to them, Because to you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it is not given;“). Today, the kingdom of God does not exist materially like the kingdom of peace will – “Not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom 14:17 „for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.“). The kingdom of God presently has no visible king on earth. The subjects should belong to this invisible, spiritual kingdom on this earth. The ten parables of the kingdom of heaven in Matthew 13–25 speak very clearly of this. As a result, today, one could put themselves on the side of the one who has been rejected as the earthly king and where one willingly submits to His commandments and statutes.

The Lord Jesus will be king in the future

We want to understand and take it seriously that the visible kingdom of Israel will be established in future. The disciples asked the Lord after his resurrection: “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6.7 „(6) They therefore, being come together, asked him saying, Lord, is it at this time that thou restorest the kingdom to Israel? (7) And he said to them, It is not yours to know times or seasons, which the Father has placed in his own authority;“) And the apostle Peter says later “[…] when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began” (Acts 3:19-21 „(19) Repent therefore and be converted, for the blotting out of your sins, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, (20) and he may send Jesus Christ, who was foreordained for you, (21) whom heaven indeed must receive till the times of the restoring of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since time began.“). So, this kingdom was yet to come. That means Israel is not replaced by the church or the church blended together with Israel. Rather, the church has been inserted into the way God would deal with Israel. Because of this fact, today we must primarily use the letters of the New Testament to answer the question: What is our relationship with the King and the related kingdom, “as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Lk 1:70 „as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began;“)?

Our relationship with the rejected King

For many believers this question seems to be answered quickly, and for those there is no doubt about it: The Lord Jesus is my King. I serve my King. – The gospels talk about the “kingdom of God”. If we are dealing with a kingdom, then there must be a king, and this king is Christ, so their conclusion goes. Since I am in this kingdom, Jesus is therefore my King and if He is my King, I should address Him as King.

The question is of course, is this conclusion as self-evident as it seems? Let us go through this conclusion step by step:

1. There is a kingdom, then there must be a king

We read in Luke 19:12: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.” It seems to show that there was a kingdom which didn’t have a king. Just because there is a kingdom, it doesn’t mean that Christ must today be the king of this kingdom. We do not say that He is not the king, but rather it shows that we cannot naturally conclude it.

2. If there is a king, then it is Jesus Christ.

Here we should notice that we very often read about the Kingdom of God or about the Kingdom of Heaven, but never about the Kingdom of Jesus or the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.[1] Even in Acts 8:1 „And Saul was consenting to his being killed. And on that day there arose a great persecution against the assembly which was in Jerusalem, and all were scattered into the countries of Judaea and Samaria except the apostles.“2 the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ are separated: “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ […]”.

The term “kingdom of God” expresses that God rules and the term “kingdom of heaven” expresses that it is kingdom is ruled from heaven or like Daniel says: “The heavens do rule” (Dan 4:26 „And whereas it was commanded to leave the stump of the roots of the tree; thy kingdom shall remain unto thee, after that thou shalt know that the heavens do rule.“).

3. If I am in the kingdom where Jesus Christ is king, then He is my King.

Even if I am in such a kingdom, I must ask myself if I am in the service of the king or if I have a different relationship with that king. There are different relationships in every royal dynasty. There are the ordinary people, the servants and the royal family. There are also diplomats from different countries. All these different groups have different relationships with the king; different privileges but also things they share in common. The children of the royal family, the servants and the ordinary people must be obedient to the ordinance of the king, however, not the diplomats.

4. If Jesus is my King, then I should address Him with His title.

In the salutation there will certainly be differences: The ordinary people and the servants will address the king with “my King”. However, the children of the royal family will call him either “dad” or “father”. The diplomats will probably speak only of the king of this or that country. This example shows just that there are differences and that we must not jump to conclusions: we cannot simply reason that if the Lord Jesus is a king, that He is also “my King”. Many people think that the Lord will receive special honour when we address Him as “my King”. But we also can ask if a father who is a professor in a university wants to be addressed by his son with his academic title?

We want to continue to study the word of God and ask what our relationship with King Jesus is. This investigation is exciting and will reveal something we might not have expected. Certainly, we all would have been thankful to stand at the threshold of the royal palace (cf. Ps 84:10 „For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God, than dwell in the tents of wickedness.“, NASB) and to bow before the King Jesus. By the way, of course we want to bow before the Lord Jesus, but at the end of this article maybe/hopefully because of a different reason.

The salutation of the Lord in the New Testament

It is surprising that not one of the authors of the New Testament addresses the Lord Jesus as King. Also, His disciples which literally have expected the kingdom, have never called Him king. There is no prayer addressed to the King. Always Jesus is addressed as the Lord. Acts is the earliest testimony of Christians. There we find Paul speaking to the jailer saying: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31 „And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.“). The Christians testified of “the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33 „and with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.“). They were baptized “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 8:16 „for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus.“). And the “Lord Jesus” was preached (Acts 11:20 „But there were certain of them, Cyprians and Cyrenians, who entering into Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, announcing the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus.“). Men did not risk their lives for the King, but “for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26 „men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.“). It was not the king that was exalted, rather “fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified” (Acts 19:17 „And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who inhabited Ephesus, and fear fell upon all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.“) Also Paul had not received his ministry from the king but from “the Lord Jesus” (Acts 20:24 „But I make no account of my life as dear to myself, so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God.“).

After the Lord Jesus was rejected by His earthly people, He responded to Peter’s confession, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:16 „And Simon Peter answering said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.“) by saying that He will build His assembly. Not only did the Lord Jesus carry the sins for all those people who would believe in Him, but also, He loved the assembly or church so much that He gave Himself up for her (Eph 5:25 „Husbands, love your own wives, even as the Christ also loved the assembly, and has delivered himself up for it,“). By the coming of the Holy Spirit a completely new society of men was created: a completely new man (cf. Eph 2:10-18). “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1Cor 12:13 „For also in the power of one Spirit we have all been baptised into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bondmen or free, and have all been given to drink of one Spirit.“).

Later, the Lord Jesus appeared to the apostle Paul and revealed to him a mystery that was eternally in the heart of God (cf. Acts 26:16 „but rise up and stand on thy feet; for, for this purpose have I appeared to thee, to appoint thee to be a servant and a witness both of what thou hast seen, and of what I shall appear to thee in,“; Eph 3). Today we live in this age in which this mystery is revealed by God. This age will last until Christ returns and then turns again to His earthly people, fulfilling all the promises God has promised to them in the Old Testament. We are part of a very different and special age, an age which was not announced in the Old Testament. As a result of this, it is not surprising that as children of God we are in a completely different relationship with the rejected king then that which the people of Israel anticipated. Certainly, Jesus Christ has a claim on us, but He does this in His role as Lord and not in His role as king.

Above we have seen that there is now a completely new society of men which is called the church or assembly which is the body of Christ. This society is so closely linked with Christ that we are called his members [Eph 5:30 „for we are members of his body; we are of his flesh, and of his bones.“]. Through the members of his body, He takes His form in this world. While Christ is away, He is represented through His body on this earth. To describe our closeness with Christ, Paul says in Ephesians 5 that husbands should love their wives like Christ loved the church. We are not only closely connected to Christ, but, as we have already seen, we entered a love relationship in which our affections center on our bridegroom in heaven. This connection with Christ has brought us into direct closeness with the Father. Since Christ is with the Father, we also have this same closeness with the Father, that we are permitted to say: “Abba Father” (cf. Rom 8:15 „For ye have not received a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.“; Gal 4:6 „But because ye are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.“). Also, we have confidence to enter the holy place and “have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13-18, NKJV). Such closeness did not exist in the Old Testament and will not exist in the future kingdom of peace, as the prophet Ezekiel makes it clear to us (cf. Ezek 40–48).

The discussion about the “new covenant” is very similar. In the same way many people say that the new covenant has been made with the church. But we cannot see this in the New Testament. Rather Hebrew 8:6-13 confirms that the new convent applies to the house of Israel. The new covenant has only two parties: God and Israel. When we look at this two parties, where do we see the church? We are not on the side of God nor are we on the side of Israel. However, the new covenant still affects us as Christians. Why? Because we are so intimately connected with Christ – the mediator and guarantor of this new covenant, we are affected in the same way by this covenant as Christ is. We are His body! But we are not a party of this covenant. We are in a completely different type of relationship than that which Israel will have in the future.

A heavenly society

As Israel had innumerable promises associated with this earth, so then the new society of men is connected to heaven: They have a “hope which is laid up” for them “in heaven” (Col 1:5 „on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,“); their “citizenship is in heaven” (Phil 3:20 „for our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour,“, NKJV). For this society, there are no treasures on this earth (cf. Mt 6:20 „but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust spoils, and where thieves do not dig through nor steal;“). As pilgrims and strangers (1Pet 2:11 „Beloved, I exhort you , as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;“) they do not belong to this world (Jn 8:23 „And he said to them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above. Ye are of this world; I am not of this world.“). By the will of the Father they are delivered “from this present evil world” (Gal 1:4 „who gave himself for our sins, so that he should deliver us out of the present evil world, according to the will of our God and Father;“). This is contrary to what is found in the Old Testament. There could not be a bigger difference to the believers in the Old Testament, although there are certain hints that the patriarchs looked for a heavenly dwelling place (cf. Heb 11), but this was not their primary calling. In the same way we enjoy certain earthly blessings even when they are not our primary calling (e.g. the marriage relationship).

When we notice these correlations then it becomes clearer for us why the early Christians did not speak of their King but of their Lord. This was not out of disrespect but out of the knowledge of their special relationship with the Lord.

The idea of a king always implies (1) a distance to his people and (2) a hierarchy with ranks. In this hierarchy there are different positions some are more distant or closer to the king than another; that includes different relationships between the different groups of the monarchy. However, the Holy Spirit shows – especially in Ephesians 2 and 3 – that we have come into such a closeness with both the Lord and with God the Father, a closeness that cannot be surpassed. Furthermore, the biggest difference – that which was between Jews and Gentiles – is removed in the church which means all have the same blessings, and all have the same closeness. If we see the Lord as our King and address Him by that title, we act completely contrary to the way the Holy Spirt wants us to display our Christian blessings.

However, the early Christians knew that they were nevertheless in the dominion of the kingdom of God. We see this when the Apostle Paul wrote: “These only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me” (Col 4:11 „and Jesus called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These are the only fellow-workers for the kingdom of God who have been a consolation to me.“). Or when the Apostle John wrote from Patmos: “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ” (Rev 1:9 „I John, your brother and fellow-partaker in the tribulation and kingdom and patience, in Jesus, was in the island called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus.“).

Those who have a clear comprehension of the teaching of the apostle Paul, understand that: “In the dispensation of the fulness of times” (Eph 1:10 „for the administration of the fulness of times; to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth; in him,“) – which is the millennium, the future kingdom of peace – the Lord Jesus will be head of everything in heaven and on the earth; everything will be subjected to Him. Paul then expounds on this with the incredible teaching that at this time, not only will the assembly be excepted from this; the assembly will be “the fulness of him that filleth all in all” (Eph 1:21-23 „(21) above every principality, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name named, not only in this age, but also in that to come; (22) and has put all things under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the assembly, (23) which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all:“). When Christ starts to rule, the assembly will be associated with Him as His body. She will be the bride at His side. He will present to Himself “a glorious church” (Eph 5:27 „that he might present the assembly to himself glorious, having no spot, or wrinkle, or any of such things; but that it might be holy and blameless.“) and she will reflect His glory (Rev 21:10-11 „(10) And he carried me away in the Spirit, and set me on a great and high mountain, and shewed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven from God, (11) having the glory of God. Her shining was like a most precious stone, as a crystal-like jasper stone;“). His innermost feelings and affections belong to His bride, the one who moves His heart. Should it not also move our hearts to address the Lord in such a way that it is adequate to such a closeness?

Even individually, He is “my Lord” and not “my King”. What a deep closeness Paul expresses when he writes in Philippians 3:8 „But surely I count also all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all, and count them to be filth, that I may gain Christ;“ of “my Lord” and what tender affection is contained in the words of Mary Magdalene: “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (Jn 20:13 „And they say to her, Woman, why dost thou weep? She says to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.“). In both cases we see closeness and not distance. Likewise, for Thomas, it wasn’t when he heard about the Lord Jesus from others, rather it was when he was so close to Jesus that he could touch Him, he exclaims: “My Lord” (Jn 20:28 „Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God.“).

In the light of these challenging truths, do we not then need to assume that the Lord Jesus must be grieved when we express something through our songs which shows that we merely have not understood our true position and relationship with Him or even with one another? Surely the Lord Jesus also looks at our hearts and He is very patient with us. Nevertheless, He wishes for us to have a proper understanding. How often must He have been grieved when His own disciples did not understand Him. Shall we not pledge to praise Him with even more insight? Does not the Father look for worshipers, who worship Him in “in spirit and truth” (Jn 4:23 „But the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for also the Father seeks such as his worshippers.“).

Furthermore, we do not read anymore in the epistles that the kingdom of God was “preached” as it was in Acts 14:22; 20:25; 28:23 and 28:31 „(14:22) establishing the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to abide in the faith, and that through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of God.“ „(20:25) And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom of God , shall see my face no more.“ „(28:23) And having appointed him a day many came to him to the lodging, to whom he expounded, testifying of the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and the prophets, from early morning to evening.“ „(28:31) preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, with all freedom unhinderedly.“. It is apparent that the revelation about the church, which the Lord revealed to Paul, contained some teaching of the kingdom of God. Those who had understood well the teachings of the apostle Paul did not have to assume that the teaching of the kingdom of God had become irrelevant. Rather teaching would be included in the new revelation about the house of God, the assembly and the body of Christ. Even when the kingdom of God was not preached in the same way as it was in Acts, the idea of the kingdom was further mentioned (Rom 14:17 „for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.“; 1Cor 4:20; 6:9-10; 15:24, 50 „(4:20) For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.“ „(6:9) Do ye not know that unrighteous persons shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who make women of themselves, nor who abuse themselves with men, (6:10) nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor abusive persons, nor the rapacious, shall inherit the kingdom of God.“ „(15:24) Then the end, when he gives up the kingdom to him who is God and Father; when he shall have annulled all rule and all authority and power.“ „(15:50) But this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit God's kingdom, nor does corruption inherit incorruptibility.“; Gal 5:21 „envyings, murders, drunkennesses, revels, and things like these; as to which I tell you beforehand, even as I also have said before, that they who do such things shall not inherit God's kingdom.“; Eph 5:5 „For this ye are well informed of, knowing that no fornicator, or unclean person, or person of unbridled lust, who is an idolater, has inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God.“; Col 1:13; 4:11 „(1:13) who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love:“ „(4:11) and Jesus called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These are the only fellow-workers for the kingdom of God who have been a consolation to me.“; 1Thess 2:11 „as ye know how, as a father his own children, we used to exhort each one of you, and comfort and testify,“; 2Thess 1:5 „a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, to the end that ye should be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for the sake of which ye also suffer;“; 2Tim 4:1; 4:18 „I testify before God and Christ Jesus, who is about to judge living and dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom,“ „The Lord shall deliver me from every wicked work, and shall preserve me for his heavenly kingdom; to whom be glory for the ages of ages. Amen.“; Heb 12:38; Jas 2:5 „Hear, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor as to the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him?“, 2Pet 1:11 „for thus shall the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be richly furnished unto you.“). This emphasizes the fact that despite our high position in Christ, we have a Lord whom we must submit to.

In this context it is very interesting to see that after Acts 21, we no longer read that the early Christians were called “disciples” (This term also has a much more distinct reference to the kingdom of God). That does not mean the characteristics of discipleship do not apply to us. But if we live as Christians; as saints; as beloveds; as children; as sons; as servants etc., we automatically fulfil all the characteristics of disciples and even more.  

The Gospel of the Kingdom

In His speech about the Last Days, the Lord Jesus says in Matthew 24:14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”. That brings up the following question: Is it not our mission to preach this gospel of the kingdom? However, we must notice to whom the Lord Jesus is speaking and to which time He is speaking about. The Lord is speaking to the Jewish remnant, which we learn from Matthew 23:37-39 „(37) Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those that are sent unto her, how often would I have gathered thy children as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! (38) Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; (39) for I say unto you, Ye shall in no wise see me henceforth until ye say, Blessed be he that comes in the name of the Lord.“. It is the time very close to the great tribulation (cf. Mt 24:15-22), because it is written: “Then shall the end come”. Near the close of this age, after the church has been raptured, the “gospel of the kingdom” will be preached. It will not be another message than what was preached in the beginning of the ministry of our Lord. John the Baptist and later the Lord Jesus Himself have preached the gospel of the kingdom. Their message was: The King is coming; the kingdom of God is very close. When the end of this age approaches, the church will have already been raptured.

Of course, we can preach this kingdom to people today, especially when we consider that we are close to this time of the end. We can tell the people that the Lord Jesus is coming to judge and that He will establish His kingdom as king on earth. This is a serious reminder for them to convert. People even need to be reminded of the message of the eternal gospel: That God is the creator, who “made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Rev 14:7 „saying with a loud voice, Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and do homage to him who has made the heaven and the earth and the sea and fountains of waters.“). Today people are so poisoned by the theory of evolution that they no longer believe in the Creator. Yet our very gospel is still different: It is still the most wonderful gospel that exists: “The glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God” (2Cor 4:4 „in whom the god of this world has blinded the thoughts of the unbelieving, so that the radiancy of the glad tidings of the glory of the Christ, who is the image of God, should not shine forth for them .“), the “gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24 „But I make no account of my life as dear to myself, so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God.“), the “the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (1Tim 1:11 „according to the glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.“). But the content of the gospel of the kingdom does not apply to a Christian. He is not waiting for the judgement or even for the Antichrist, but for the Lord Jesus and the rapture of His church with all of those who have fallen asleep in Christ (cf. 1Thess 4:13-18). While the message of gospel of the kingdom will be: “The king is coming”, the Christians today shout and pray “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:17-20 „(17) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come; he that will, let him take the water of life freely. (18) I testify to every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any one shall add to these things, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book. (19) And if any one take from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. (20) He that testifies these things says, Yea, I come quickly. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.“).

The “King” in Acts 17:6-7

And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; Whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. Acts 17:6-7

Now at the end we want to have a look at the passage in Acts 17:6-7 „(6) and not having found them, dragged Jason and certain brethren before the politarchs, crying out, These men that have set the world in tumult, are come here also, (7) whom Jason has received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying, that there is another king, Jesus.“. This passage is very often quoted by proponents of songs in which Jesus is addresses as the King. In my opinion there is no doubt about one thing: You cannot establish a doctrine based on this passage. It seems to be almost the only straw the proponents of this songs have, and it is always quoted again in this context. But let us notice who is speaking here: it is those people who want to say something bad about the Christians. This passage is like John 19:12 „From this time Pilate sought to release him; but the Jews cried out saying, If thou releasest this man , thou art not a friend to Caesar. Every one making himself a king speaks against Caesar.“ (NKJV): “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.’” If the accusing Jews somehow wanted to upset the Romans about Christ, then they had to argue in that way. Even Pilate was dissuaded to release the Lord by this kind of argumentation. In addition, it is quite possible that the early Christians had really explained to the Jews that they had rejected their king. But that does not mean that the Christians were speaking of the Lord Jesus as their King. On the contrary, we have already seen above, that they themselves always spoke of the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31; 4:33; 8:16; 11:20; 15:26; 19:17; 20:24 „(16:31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved, thou and thy house.“ „(4:33) and with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.“ „(8:16) for he was not yet fallen upon any of them, only they were baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus.“ „(11:20) But there were certain of them, Cyprians and Cyrenians, who entering into Antioch spoke to the Greeks also, announcing the glad tidings of the Lord Jesus.“ „(15:26) men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.“ „(19:17) And this became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who inhabited Ephesus, and fear fell upon all of them, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.“ „(20:24) But I make no account of my life as dear to myself, so that I finish my course, and the ministry which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the glad tidings of the grace of God.“).

Different relationship levels

Sometimes people say that we have different relationship levels in the ways we address the Lord. Generally speaking, the thought is correct. The Lord Jesus is not only our Lord, He also calls us His “friends” and even His “brothers”. He is our “high priest”, and even our “creator”. Yet, we cannot find a Bible verse in the New Testament where we as Christians are asked to address the Lord Jesus in prayer or song as our/my friend or brother. If He calls us His friends or brothers, then that is one thing. But we should not conclude that we also are allowed to address Him in that way (for this there is no indication in the Scripture of this; but rather we find the opposite in the New Testament). On the other hand, in Hebrews we read that the Lord Jesus is “our high priest” (Heb 4:14-15; 8:1 „(4:14) Having therefore a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast the confession. (4:15) For we have not a high priest not able to sympathise with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart.“ „(8:1) Now a summary of the things of which we are speaking is , We have such a one high priest who has sat down on the right hand of the throne of the greatness in the heavens;“), and nevertheless nobody addresses Him with this title. In hymns we often find that we sing of the Lord Jesus as our high priest and the Scripture itself give us this pattern. That is contrary to songs where we sing of the Lord Jesus as our King; as we have no pattern in the New Testament.

Of course, there are also songs today in which we can sing about the Lord as the King: When it comes to His position in the kingdom of peace or to His supremacy as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Of course, we are already looking forward to (1) that on earth, where they only had a crown of thorns for Him, He will soon wear many crowns; (2) that here, where He was struck on His head with a reed, He will hold a divine scepter in His hand; (3) that here, where they only had a cross for Him, will soon stand His throne. But He is not “our” or “my King” as in the way He will be for His people Israel, in the kingdom of peace.

Conclusion

As Christians we are transferred into the kingdom of the beloved Son of the Father (Col 1:13 „who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love:“). He is not only the King, who will be recognized as such on earth, He is also the “beloved Son”. He is the beloved of the Father – that is how we recognize the Lord Jesus today. And because we are in the Son and have received the life of the Son, the Father loves us as He loves the Son (Jn 17). No believer of the Old Testament was able to enjoy “the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness” (Eph 2:7 „that he might display in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.“). And the Scripture does not say anything about such closeness in the coming kingdom of peace. We enjoy an undeserved relationship that most likely cannot be excelled and because of that we can only bow our knees in adoration of the Son and the Father.

Translation: Samuel Ackermann & James Edwards