Christ Rules His Kingdom from a Heavenly Throne

In Matthew 24:30, Jesus states:

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all kindreds of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Most Christians believe this is referring to the Second Coming of Christ. But is it? The Lord Jesus is actually quoting directly from Daniel 7:13-14, which reads:

13 “ I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. 14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.

Clearly, this passage teaches that Jesus is going up in the clouds of heaven and not coming down to earth. He is going to God the Father, who will give Him an everlasting Kingdom. It is true that Christ will one day return to earth (1 Thess. 4:16) and defeat His final enemy, which is death (1 Corinthians 15:25-26). But Matthew 24:30 is speaking of something quite different--something which has already occurred. I believe this because Jesus, our Lord, tells us in Matthew 24:34 that, "this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." "All these things" include the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple as well as the inauguration of Christ's Kingdom in 70AD.

Now let's be honest with Scripture and with ourselves. A "generation" does not mean some distant generation in the future. Jesus, our Lord, means the generation to which He is speaking! This was a major prophetic event with incredible implications for the Christian faith because Christ Jesus was destroying the Temple and its sacrificial system. He is the full and final sacrifice for our sins. Once the Temple was destroyed, Christ's Kingdom was fully inaugurated.

I've met some Christians who believe that Jesus cannot be our King or be on the throne because He must sit on a physical throne and rule from Israel. Let's not demote Christ from His heavenly throne to an earthly throne. He currently rules over heaven AND earth. One of the clearest passages in the Bible to prove this point is found in Peter's Sermon in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2:29-36:

29 “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, 31 he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. 34 “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:

‘ The LORD said to my Lord,
“ Sit at My right hand,
35 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’

36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

The fact that Jesus is our King and that His Kingdom has been established is inescapable. Let's worship our King and be faithful subjects in His Kingdom. Part of being faithful, of course, is recognizing His authority and Kingship and believing that His government is increasing. "The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this" (Isaiah 9:7).