Royals: The Return of the King
Focus statement: Jesus Christ’s Second Coming crystalizes that Jesus is the final and best Royal the world will ever see. Prepare for His return by serving Him today.
Setting the Scene:
This is our last sermon in our “Royals” series! We have surveyed many royal figures in the Old and New Testament: Pharaoh, Moses (or the Law of Moses), Saul, David, Solomon, Jeroboam, Rehoboam, Hezekiah, Josiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Herod, Pilate, and the Antichrist. They all have painted a picture of what a “royal” can be and while some were good and some were bad, they all emphasize this point: Jesus is better.
All of these royals are essentially bad metaphors or “types” of Jesus and leave us wanting more. They leave us saying, “we need a better king.” Jesus was, is, and will be that King. He came 2,000 years ago to conquer sin and death but left earthly establishments in place. Now, we look forward to the day when He will come back and overthrow every earthly power and establish His eternal reign. When that happens, no king or kings will succeed Him and we will reign with Him for all eternity!
Let’s recap!
Here is a “brief” overview of our entire sermon series to catch us up to the final coming of the King:
Pharaoh:
Pharaoh was the most powerful ruler in the world during Israel's captivity. Rather than recognizing the Lord's authority, he hardened his heart repeatedly, enslaving God's people until God demonstrated His supremacy through the plagues and the Exodus.
Pharaoh is:
a king who enslaved God’s people,
a ruler who hardened his heart against God,
one who demanded others serve him.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Frees people from slavery to sin (John 8:34-36, Romans 6:17-18)
Has a perfectly obedient heart toward the Father (John 6:38; 8:29)
Came not to be served, but to serve and give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
So instead of:
A king who keeps people in bondage
We get:
The King who sets captives free.
Jesus is better.
Moses or the Law of Moses:
Moses wrote the Torah, the first five books of the Bible and the law, sent down by God through him. He became Israel’s God-appointed leader, delivering them from Egypt, mediating God's covenant, and shepherding the nation through the wilderness.
Moses is:
A faithful yet flawed mediator between God and Israel
One who delivers God’s people from physical slavery
A prophet who points people to God’s covenant
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the perfect mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 8:6)
Delivers us from slavery to sin and death (Colossians 1:13-14)
Establishes the New Covenant by His own blood (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 9:15)
So instead of:
A servant who points the way
We get:
The Son who is the Way.
Jesus is better.
Saul:
Saul was Israel's first king, chosen after the people demanded to have a king "like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8). He began with humility and great promise, but over time his insecurity, fear of people, and repeated disobedience led to his rejection by God. Saul spent much of his reign trying to preserve a kingdom that God had already declared would belong to another.
Saul is:
A king chosen according to the people’s expectations rather than God’s ultimate plan.
A ruler who valued the approval of people over obedience to God.
One who desperately clung to a kingdom he could not keep.
A king who repeatedly tried to destroy God’s anointed.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is God’s chosen and beloved King, appointed by the Father from eternity (Psalm 2:6-7, Matthew 3:17)
Always sought the Father’s will rather than human approval (John 5:30, 8:29)
Freely laid down His life, knowing His kingdom could never be taken from Him (John 10:17-18, 18:36-37)
Is Himself the Lord’s Anointed, who was rejected, persecuted, and yet ultimately enthroned (Acts 2:36, Hebrews 1:3)
So instead of:
A king who grasped for a throne he could not keep.
We get:
The king who willingly laid down His life and received an everlasting throne.
Jesus is better.
David:
David was Israel's greatest king - a shepherd chosen by God whose reign became the standard against which future kings were measured. Yet despite his remarkable faith, David's adultery and murder revealed that even the best earthly king still needed a Savior.
David is:
A shepherd who becomes king.
A man after God’s own heart.
A king who still falls into grievous sin.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the Good Shepherd and eternal King (John 10:11, Luke 1:32-33)
Perfectly fulfills the Father’s will (John 4:34; 8:29)
Is completely without sin (Hebrews 4:15, 1 Peter 2:22)
So instead of:
A great king who needed forgiveness
We get:
The perfect King who offers forgiveness.
Jesus is better.
Solomon:
Solomon inherited a united kingdom, built the Temple, and became famous for wisdom and wealth. Yet his divided heart eventually led Israel toward idolatry, proving that wisdom without wholehearted devotion is not enough.
Solomon is:
The wisest king of Israel.
A builder of the Temple.
A ruler whose heart is eventually divided.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24, 30)
Builds God’s eternal temple, His Church (Matthew 16:18, 1 Peter 2:5)
Loves the Father with perfect obedience (John 14:31)
So instead of:
A wise king whose heart wandered
We get:
Wisdom personified in a King whose love never fails.
Jesus is better.
Jeroboam and Rehoboam:
The pride of Rehoboam and the idolatry of Jeroboam split Israel into two kingdoms. Rather than leading God's people toward unity and faithfulness, both kings accelerated the nation's spiritual decline.
They are:
Kings whose pride and foolishness divide God’s people.
Leaders who placed politics above faithfulness.
Rulers whose decisions fracture the kingdom.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Unites God’s people into one body (Ephesians 2:14-16)
Leads with humility (Philippians 2:5-6)
Establishes an everlasting kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28, Luke 1:33)
So instead of:
Kings who divided God’s people
We get:
The King who makes us one.
Jesus is better.
Hezekiah:
Hezekiah was one of Judah's most faithful kings, trusting God during the Assyrian invasion and leading important reforms. Yet even he later succumbed to pride, reminding us that even good kings remain flawed.
Hezekiah is:
A faithful king who trusted in God in crisis.
One who experienced miraculous deliverance.
A ruler whose pride eventually resurfaced.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Trusts the Father perfectly – not just in crisis (John 11:41-42, Luke 22:42)
Defeats sin, death, and Satan forever (Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
Remains perfectly humble (Philippians 2:8)
So instead of:
A faithful king who stumbled.
We get:
A faithful King who never fails.
Jesus is better.
Josiah:
Josiah rediscovered the Book of the Law and led one of Judah's greatest revivals. Yet despite sweeping reforms, the people's hearts remained unchanged, and judgment still came.
Josiah is:
A reforming king.
One who restored God’s laws.
A leader who cannot change hearts.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Perfectly fulfills the law (Matthew 5:17)
Writes God’s Laws on our hearts through the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 10:16)
Makes us new creations by the Spirit (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ezekiel 36:26-27)
So instead of:
A good king who cannot reform behavior
We get:
The good King who transforms hearts.
Jesus is better.
Nebuchadnezzar:
Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon's mighty emperor who conquered Jerusalem and carried Judah into exile. His pride led God to humble him dramatically until he finally acknowledged that the Most High rules over all kingdoms.
Nebuchadnezzar is:
A king who grasped at glory.
One who acknowledged God in word only.
A ruler who must be humbled to submit to God.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Did not grasp at equality with God but emptied Himself (Philippians 2:5-8)
Humbly submitted Himself to the Father’s will (John 6:38, Luke 22:42)
Is perfectly obedient from eternity (Hebrews 10:5-10)
So instead of:
A king forced into submission
We get:
The King of Kings who embodies perfect submission.
Jesus is better.
Cyrus:
Cyrus, king of Persia, conquered Babylon and unexpectedly became God's instrument for sending the Jewish exiles home. Though he did not belong to Israel, God sovereignly used him to accomplish His purposes.
Cyrus is:
A pagan king used by God.
One who frees Israel from exile.
A ruler who unknowingly fulfills God’s purposes.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is God’s eternal Son (Hebrews 1:1-3)
Frees us from sin and death (Romans 8:1-2)
Perfectly accomplishes the Father’s mission (John 17:4)
So instead of:
A king used by God.
We get:
The King who is God.
Jesus is better.
Zerubbabel:
Zerubbabel, a descendant of David, led the first wave of exiles back to Jerusalem and oversaw the rebuilding of the Temple. His work was vital, but it was only a partial restoration that pointed forward to something greater.
Zerubbabel is:
A Davidic leader.
A rebuilder of the Temple.
One who begins restoration but cannot complete it.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the promised Son of David (Matthew 1:1, Luke 1:32-33)
Builds His Church as God’s dwelling place (Matthew 16:18, Ephesians 2:19-22)
Brings restoration to completion (Hebrews 12:2, John 19:30)
So instead of:
A builder of a restored temple
We get:
The King who builds an eternal Kingdom.
Jesus is better.
Herod:
Herod the Great sought to preserve his throne by attempting to kill the infant Jesus, revealing the insecurity and brutality that often characterize earthly power.
Herod is:
A king threatened by Jesus’ birth.
One who clings to power through fear.
A ruler who kills to preserve his throne.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Freely lays aside his heavenly glory (Philippians 2:6-8)
Rules through sacrificial love (John 13:1, 15:13)
Gives His own life for His people (John 10:11,18)
So instead of:
A king who kills to keep his throne
We get:
The King who dies to establish His throne and people.
Jesus is better.
Pilate:
Pilate held the authority to release Jesus but surrendered justice to political pressure. This earthly judge condemned the only truly innocent man who has ever lived.
Pilate is:
A ruler with authority but little courage.
One who knows Jesus is innocent and true.
A governor who compromises justice.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the righteous Judge (John 5:22-27, Acts 17:31)
Is Truth itself (John 14:6)
Bears our condemnation so justice and mercy uncompromisingly meet (Romans 3:25-26, 2 Corinthians 5:21)
So instead of:
A ruler who condemns the innocent
We get:
The righteous King who is condemned for the guilty.
Jesus is better.
The Antichrist:
The Antichrist represents the culmination of humanity's rebellion against God - a counterfeit ruler who exalts himself, deceives the nations, and demands the worship that belongs to God alone. He is the final imitation king before Christ's victorious return.
The Antichrist is:
A counterfeit king.
One who exalts himself above God.
A ruler who deceives the nations and demands worship.
In contrast, Jesus Christ:
Is the true King of Kings (Revelation 19:16)
Glorifies the Father rather than Himself (John 8:50, 54, 17:1-5)
Alone is worthy of the worship of every nation (Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 5:11-14)
So instead of:
A false king who steals worship
We get:
A true King who alone deserves worship.
Jesus is better.
Every throne in scripture points to one throne.
Every crown points to one crown.
Every kingdom points to one Kingdom.
Jesus isn’t merely another royal in the story, He is the King to whom every royal was pointing to all along.
A flawed Expectation.
In the Gospel of Mark we see a disconnect between the Messiah who had arrived (Jesus!) and the expectation of the Messiah among the first-century Jews. They expected the Messiah to arrive and overthrow the government, receive all nations, and put an end to evil once and for all (Isaiah 9, Psalm 2, Daniel 7, Zechariah 14). However, those prophecies speak of the Second Coming of the Messiah. The first coming of the Messiah was prophesied about in Zechariah 9 and 12 and Isaiah 53 (among others) and they described a Messiah who would come humbly on a donkey, would be rejected, pierced, and who would die for our sins.
We see this disconnect in Mark 8:27-33 when Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Messiah but then rebukes Jesus for saying He was going to die. Peter expected the Messiah to be a political leader, but instead He was a suffering servant.
Again we see this disconnect when the religious leaders mock Jesus on the cross in Mark 15:31-32. They say, “if you are the Messiah, come down from the cross and conquer.” But what they didn’t realize was that Jesus was conquering. He was conquering sin, death, and Satan himself.
But now that Jesus has returned to Heaven, we know that His return will be the way He predicted in the same Gospel: Mark 8:38
For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
The Lamb.
Revelation 19:6-21
Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,
“Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come,
and his Bride has made herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself
with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.” Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Jesus will return as many things - a ruler, a conqueror, a leader of armies… but my favorite way that Jesus returns as is the Lamb.
In the Old Testament, we read about sin sacrifices that were offered to God to cover one’s sins. The ritual was that a lamb was to be brought before the priests and the priests would inspect the lamb to determine whether it was without blemish before the lamb would then be killed in place of the person, the sinner.
I can provide you exactly ZERO passages in scripture where the priest would inspect the sinner, where the sinner had to come and be deemed acceptable to receive forgiveness through their offering. No, it was always the lamb that was inspected. It had nothing to do with the sinner, it was all about the lamb.
Jesus is that Lamb. He is THE Lamb. When we believe in Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, God no longer inspects us for blemishes, He inspects the Lamb of God and the Lamb of God, Jesus, is perfect. Whether or not we are worthy to be in God’s presence has never depended on our own goodness or perfection, but rather it depends on Jesus’ perfection. Hallelujah!
That is the Lamb that is coming back for us. We have no reason to dread His return because we know that when Jesus comes to bring God’s judgment on the earth, God will not inspect us, He will inspect Jesus, who has already covered our sins.
Our Great Hope:
Revelation 19 paints a picture of everything that is wrong with the world right now being set right by a conquering King. There is a thousand-year period described in Revelation 20 where Christ reigns, then the devil is released once again and dealt a final blow.
All war, all disease, natural disasters, corrupt systems, they will be dealt with swiftly and righteously. That is what our great hope is. Our final victory is described in Revelation 21:4,
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
He is the only one worth worshipping. He is the only one worth putting our hope in.
Nothing, not political victories, not new legislation, not sports trophies, new purchases, homes, healing, life extensions, nothing will have a genuine lasting effect on our happiness and ultimate satisfaction in this life. Nothing, well… except Jesus.
It doesn’t matter what it is that promises security in this life – it will eventually and usually very quickly let us down or cease to matter.
That is not an argument for nihilism. If by believing this the conclusion is “Since Jesus is coming back to set everything right, nothing matters” that would be incorrect. Instead, this is an argument for perspective. We look forward to our King returning, setting everything right, a King who is a better version of any royal figure we experience today, and a King that we don’t have to solely look forward to serving for all eternity, but a King that we can serve today.
That means that since Jesus is coming back to set everything right, everything matters.
If you have not placed your faith in the King, don’t you want that perspective?
If you have, don’t you want others to have that perspective?
How we prepare the way for Jesus’ return is the same way John the Baptist did during Christ’s first arrival on earth. We tell others about His Gospel and urge them to repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Jesus is better. He is the best. He is the only King worth serving, worth putting our hope and satisfaction in. And thus, we can look forward with hope and joy, not fear and dread, to the Return of the King.