students of jesus

Each year at Easter millions of people sing the popular chorus from Handel’s Messiah, “The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.” This chorus is drawn from Revelation 11:15, where the seventh (and last) angel declares the final victory of God. Why does the angel use “kingdom” singular when throughout history there have been so many kingdoms? Ultimately there are only two kingdoms: darkness and light. To fully embrace God’s Kingdom means we must ask ourselves where our citizenship lies.

Kingdom citizenship is made stranger still because Jesus spoke as if there are only two ages in earth’s history: “this present age” and “the age to come.” Citizenship in God’s Kingdom also means we come from another age—another era. This is not a harkening to some past age; we are the people of another Kingdom from another age—the age to come. Dr. Who has nothing on us.

Let’s layer in one more strange detail: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood . . .” (1 Peter 2:9-10). We are not simply citizens in God’s Kingdom, nor ambassadors from another time, we are also priests. Some people might think the title and task of priest is presumptuous. Yet it’s exactly how God’s word describes us. Simply put, here’s what priests do: they represent God to men, and men to God. This means heaven and earth intersect in every follower of Jesus. God’s Kingdom is filled with priests, living from one era into another, acting out daily roles as schoolteachers, businesspeople, parents, and students. Here is a worthy meditation: do I see myself in this way—and am I comfortable in that role?