“Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:6-8).
The gospel of Jesus is about politics. The gospel is proclaimed in political language: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace and the King of Kings. Christians are called to be ambassadors of Christ’s kingdom. Jesus came to judge and overthrow the powers of this present age. It was precisely because of his political message that he was viewed as a threat by the Jewish leaders of Israel and the Roman officials. Jesus was crucified as an enemy of the state.
Even after the resurrection, the disciples of Jesus continued to understand the mission of Jesus as a political revolution. They asked, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom of Israel?” The disciples understood the mission of Christ in terms of their own nationalistic prejudices and interest. In his reply, Jesus redirected his disciples’ attention towards the mission of God. He said, “It is not for you to know the times…” In other words, the restoration of the kingdom to Israel is not to be their mission. Their mission will begin in Jerusalem, but extends “even to the remotest part of the earth.” Jesus fulfills God’s promise to Abraham that his seed will bless all the families of the earth. God’s mission is not about the restoration of the kingdom of Israel, but about the restoration of the earth.
During this political season, some Christians are suggesting that this election cycle is an opportunity to “save the nation.” To suggest that any political candidate can “save the nation” is to give homage to a false-christ. The Christian Faith must not be reduced to a political ideology that serves the kingdoms of this world. Christ’s mission is not the Christianization of the political kingdoms of this world, but the ontological transformation of this present age into a new heavens and a new earth. The kingdoms of this world are judged and the kings of this world will bow before Christ as King of kings (Philippians 2:10-11).
Standing before Pilate, Jesus declared, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). As we live in this present age our mission is to be ambassadors of a kingdom that transcends the politics of present age. We are commissioned to be witnesses in every kingdom of this world, in every sphere of influence. To be an effective witness of God’s kingdom we must be emptied of all sociopolitical allegiances of this present age lest we compromise our commission. As witnesses we must prophetically speak to issues of righteousness and justice, we must be ministers of reconciliation. We must be engaged. Our prophetic words will be met with violence. Jesus declared, “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Just as the powers of this age crucified Christ, they will continue to violently resist His mission.
However, Christ will conquer and this present age will pass away. Just before he was arrested and executed, Jesus declared that all nations would “see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 26). The resurrection of Jesus affirms the certainty of that coming day. At the sound of the seventh trumpet the voices of heaven will declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).
