The Coronation of Jesus & His Compassion and Empathy
I saw the movie the Son of God last night. I was impacted by the gritty-ness of the times that Jesus lived in. I think we forget how harsh those times were along with many other times in history. I forget how graphic and violent was Jesus’ giving of His body to pay for the evils of humanity. He was relentless! He bought forgiveness with His blood! It confirms this subject material we are working on. He will come again to rule on the earth. Things are never going to be right until He returns.
Let’s look at two things relative to Jesus’ character. First, let’s look at Jesus’ coronation as the King of the earth. Secondly let’s look at His compassion and empathy as He rules. Hebrews says,
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
This means that Jesus’ character when He was a human is exactly the same as His character when He comes back and rules as the political king of the entire earth.
Part 1: Jesus’ Coronation as King of the Earth
Let’s review a passage from Daniel 7, two from Revelation 5 & 11 and one from Matthew 25. Each of these shows Jesus either receiving the Kingdom from God or sitting on His throne. The language of Daniel is very clear that Jesus is receiving the authority to rule over all nations and all people of every language. The text is very clear that Jesus is already the king of heaven but He begins ruling on earth right in the middle of the Antichrist’s oppression of the earth. Don’t get distracted by the Antichrist in this passage, but keep your eyes fixed firmly on Jesus.
Here are the players:
Ancient of Days = God, the Father
Horn or the beast = Antichrist
Son of Man = Jesus
“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire… “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Daniel 7:9-14
Jesus, comes into the Father’s presence and receives all the kingdoms of the earth. He is given the authority to rule them in goodness without a hint of evil or oppression. The whole world has just witnessed 7 years of oppression by the Antichrist’s rule which is greater than the oppression of Hitler. Jesus begins ruling after executing the Antichrist and driving evil off the planet. In other words, His kingdom comes from heaven to the earth and remains. It is exactly as He taught us to pray, “… Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on the earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:9). He begins rebuilding the cities, cleaning the water supplies, establishing public education and teaching the survivors how to govern their nations in righteousness not wickedness.
Want to see His coronation again? Turn to Revelation chapter 5 & 11
Here are the players:
The One Sitting on the Throne = God, the Father
The Lamb and The Lion = Jesus
Notice that the Father, sitting on the Throne, is holding a scroll. John, the disciple of Jesus, is weeping because no one can open the scroll. The scroll appears to be Title Deed of the earth. As it is opened, evil is driven off the planet. Jesus takes the ownership of the earth away from the devil. In this text Jesus is given all authority over the earth andbegins to reign on the earth, not only in heaven.
“Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders… He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reignon the earth.” Rev 5:1-10
“The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ… you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.” Rev 11:15b & 17b
Jesus truly becomes the king of the earth. It is just like the Lord of the Rings episode, “The Return of the King.” At this point Jesus takes the power and authority of God and begins enforcing the values of the Kingdom (Sermon on the Mount) and driving out the values of the Antichrist (see Rev 9:21, 21:8 & 22:15 for the Antichrist’s values).
Now consider a passage from the New Testament where you can see Jesus sitting on His throne:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” Matt 25:31-36
We usually think of this passage as another parable. But is it? The first line is very clear. “When the Son of Man comes… he will sit on this glorious throne.” After the great conflict between the Antichrist’ followers and Jesus’ followers He will separate them out.
Part 2: Jesus’ Compassion & Empathy as the King of the Earth
Let’s read that Hebrews 13:8 verse again: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
That means that Jesus’ good character during the incarnation (when He was a human) is the exactly the same as when He takes the earth back from the devil and rules as the rightful King. Therefore if you understand His good character in the incarnation you understand His character as King. He will still show humility, compassion, empathy, patience, protection, clean anger, intensity and fierceness. All of these character elements will be clean and healthy devoid of human dysfunction.
We are probably familiar with some of what Jesus will face when He returns: a world that is largely out of control with human wars, famine and diseases. Jesus will face a ruler called “the beast” that has a 10 nation confederacy. This leader also called the Antichrist will have a second in charge that leads the world in a false religion – something like Roman Caesar worship. Thirdly there will be an idol or statue that is the focus of worship demanded by the beast.
Jesus will meet this demonically inspired government and worship movement fiercely. The Lord will rouse Himself like a man of war and destroy evil. As it says in Psalms 45:7 “You love righteousness and hate wickedness…” Jesus loves goodness and hates evil. He leaves the door of repentance open to all, while He wipes out the devil’s works.
However, Jesus will also be compassionate and have deep empathy as He rules as King. All character elements that He possesses will still remain intact during the transition to the next age and during His reign on the earth. Do you remember His compassion to heal the leper by touching him? The leper had not been touched by regular people, probably, for many years or decades. Jesus chooses to heal him with a touch not just by speaking a word of healing. (Mk 1:41) Remember how Jesus’ deep compassion motivated Him to heal, feed and teach the crowds of 5,000 and the crowd of 4,000 (Matt 14:14, Mk 8:2, Mk 6:34)? It will be the same then, during His reign as King, as was in the past during His human life. As Jesus compassionately longed to protect the people from Herod (Roman appointee) so will it be in the future. Jesus longs to protect the people of the earth from the beast and his demonic religion. Do you remember His empathy when “His heart went out” to the widow of Nain (Lk 7:13) or when He weeps with Mary and Martha over the loss of their dear brother, even though He knows that He will raise Lazarus in a few moments? What about His empathy for the woman bent over and crippled (Lk 13:16). To Jesus it was 18 long yearsthat she was crippled not 18 short years. Jesus will still have this deep empathy when He rules from Jerusalem and helps the survivors of the great battle rebuild the cities and countries of the world.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Take Away
God Is Just Like Jesus:
Jesus’ fierceness and compassion as the Lion and the Lamb both reveal God’s fierceness toward evil and His compassion toward those who repent and come to Him. Jesus’ character epitomized by the Lion (fierceness and strength) and the Lamb (innocence and purity) are contrasted by the Antichrist’s character as the beast (wild, treacherous, evil and vicious). God will always resist and destroy evil but He is always good. This is evident in the human life of Jesus.
1st Commandment Prayer:
Jesus when I understand you character and leadership in detail and depth I love You all the more. I want to be just like You! I love that you are fierce when evil attacks and you are compassionate when the weak and needy cry to You! The combination of your intensity and empathy gives me confidence in your leadership of the earth! Help me obey the commandments of your coming Kingdom, not to get saved, but because I am already saved by your work on the cross! You are awesome!