As I was watching, listening and reading about the inauguration of Donald J. Trump yesterday, I could not help but think about a temporal government versus an eternal one. God has established governments to be able to lead people; to provide peace, prosperity and unity. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom.13.1).
Presidents, kings, rulers in this world come and go. Some are good, and not so good. All you have to do is read II Kings to see how many kings of Israel were evil versus the few that were God-fearing. He appoints and removes. In America, ours are for four years, unless you’re elected for another four, but no more than eight. That’s temporal my friends! “He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Dan. 2.21).
We have just celebrated the advent of Jesus Christ’s birth. The Isaiah verse is so clear about who is going to be the King for eternity. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9.6).
And it’s not temporal. There will not be any elections, coups; just one ‘King’ and it is eternal. “Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, and on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore (Isa. 9.7).
And God has secured this through an act of obedience by his Son. As we consider the words, the government shall be upon his shoulder, we have to be reminded of the cross our Lord carried on his shoulders, while a crown of thorns was piercing his head. Jesus had the divine government…the dominion, power, and authority of the kingdom of heaven…on his shoulders when he bore the cross for our sins.
The apostle Paul states that Jesus is “the head over every ruler and authority” (Col. 2.10). The sacrifice on the cross canceled the record of the charges against us, and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross, as evidenced by his resurrection. (Col. 2.14,15)
And in doing so Jesus ushered in a glorious new day for all of humanity when the King “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2. 8-11).
While it was a remarkable day in the orderly transition of one Presidential administration to another in this great country, it pales in comparison to the eternal Kingship of Christ, which has no beginning and no end. Satan’s rule was defeated once and for all. While we are exhorted to pray or our president and the governmental leaders, let us continue to bow before our true King. To God be the glory!