Conqueror of All Earth’s Kingdoms
Jesus is Saviour, Redeemer, and Friend, as we heard in verse 3 of Blessed Be the Name. Verse 4 goes on to say the following:
His name shall be the Counsellor,
The mighty Prince of Peace,
Of all earth's kingdoms Conqueror
Whose reign shall never cease.
This comes straight out of Isaiah 9, a prophecy made about the coming of Jesus, and how His name would be Counsellor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace. Again, these are three wonderful titles, and I have explored these in a Christmas devotional series which I will link here.
The Conquering King
But let's talk about the last two lines of this verse - that Jesus is the Conqueror of all earth's kingdoms. For some, this is abhorrent language. They see Jesus as only the meek and mild carpenter from Nazareth. They see only His gentle and nurturing moments in the gospel, and avoid the picture of Jesus as a conquering warrior in Revelation 19, for example.
We also know that in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus described Himself coming as King to judge all nations. And in Matthew 28:18 we read His declaration: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me." He is more than a humble carpenter. He is the One to whom all peoples and nations will bow.
But in a great twist, Jesus ended up conquering evil through the cross! Colossians 2:15 talks about how Christ "disarmed the powers and authorities" and "triumphed over them by the cross." He is victorious through seeming defeat - as it turns out, the Conquering King wins by dying on a cross.
And His reign shall never cease, as the song says. How worthy He is of our praise today!
Our Hope Beyond Politics
Politics is always a hot topic. At this point in history, South Africa is wrestling with some deep problems, with incompetent government ruining our lovely country. War continues to rage between Russia and Ukraine, and Israel and Palestine. In the United States, the political divide between the conservatives and liberals is growing wider and seemingly pushing the country towards civil war again. In fact all over the world we see political difficulties.
But thank God, our hope is not in politics! Thank God salvation is not found in presidents and politicians! Jesus is above all the kingdoms of the earth, and Psalm 110 says that Jesus "will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth" (Psalm 110:6).
Yes, we pray for godly and faithful leaders and politicians who will make wise and compassionate decisions for our nations. But in the end it is the kingdom of God, above our nations, where we find our true citizenship.
As you hear this verse again, celebrate that all earth's nations are in Jesus' hands today and always.
