Q: How does Christ execute the office of a king?
A: Christ executes the office of a king, in subduing us to himself, in ruling and defending us, and in restraining and conquering all his and our enemies.
1 Corinthians 15:24-26: Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom of God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Brothers and sisters, can you read this week's catechism and coinciding Scripture passage and not be deeply stirred in your heart? Does it not move you and shake you to the core of your being to know that Jesus Christ is King? Does it not stir your affections to know that he is subduing you to himself? Does it not lift your spirit to know that Jesus Christ is ruling, and to know that he is defending us? Does it not give you hope beyond measure to know that he not only restrains, but conquers all his and our enemies?
The battle has been decided. The victory has already been won, though our enemies still linger on and cause much damage. But be assured. Our enemies may hold onto their outposts. They may strike, and strike hard at time. We still feel the pain and are deeply wounded by the sword of Death. But they are a defeated enemy, and the Lord Jesus Christ, the reigning King, will uproot them from their outpost, and completely and utterly destroy our enemies, Death included.
Our heart longs for the day when all our enemies will finally be destroyed. Our heart longs for the day when we see with our own eyes the death of Death. What a glorious day it will be, when we see our King Jesus crush our enemies beneath his feet! It will be a grand day!
There is a moment in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in which he captures so greatly the glory of that final day. I'll close this blog post by quoting this section of Tolkien's work, realizing that as heart-stirring and glorious Tolkien's words are, the reality of that day will be beyond the words of even the greatest of writers and poets!
"'Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the World?'
'A great Shadow has departed,' said Gandalf, and then he laughed and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days and days without count."
Revelation 22:3-5: No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.