"I saw night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And 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 one
that shall not be destroyed."
-Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV) 1
Sometimes Christians are prone to wonder what the world will be like when Christ returns. Will it be bright? Solemn? Heaven on earth? With so many possibilities at hand, one longs for some kind of explanation. While it may not be the annals of the new earth, Daniel 7:13-14 offers something of a glimpse into the dominion of Christ, in the unlikely quartet of glory, kingship, servitude, and eternity.
"And to him was given dominion and glory." The word glory in its various forms is used 536 times in Scripture.2 Clearly God wants to make a point about himself! What is this glory of which he speaks? The answer can be found by simply noting what words are frequently used in conjunction with the word glory, throughout Scripture. Daniel 2:37 says, "O King, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, and the might, and the glory…" Again in at least eight other passages power and strength (or might) are written along with the word glory. Revelation 5:12 builds on this, listing power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and praise as things attributed to the Lord. What an image this provides for the reader! When Christ returns, the glory described in these passages will be unmatched by any other individual who ever walked the face of the earth. Truly, there will be glory.
The second identified characteristic of the world upon the second coming is the kingship of Christ over all the peoples and kingdoms of the earth. Revelation 12:5 says, "She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter." This passage alone marks out an incredible amount of authority being given to Jesus. To ancient, and even medieval people, this image would have had a large amount of significance. In ancient Egypt and Greece, to have a scepter was an indication of ultimate owe, something only kings would carry.3 So, for Scripture to add on top of this that Christ holds an iron scepter is to make a point of absolute, unquestioned authority. Yet it also entails a sweet, fatherly image. The oldest scepter is the heqa-scepter, which has been described as a shepherd's crook, 4 invoking the picture of God gently keeping us on the path he has before us, thus humbling himself despite his majesty. This will be the kingship of Christ.
So far the glory and kingship of the reign of Christ have been discussed. Now the focus shifts to something that appears far less enticing, though just as beautiful. If Christ will rule the nations, then what will his royal subjects do? Daniel 7:14 continues, "that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him."Servanthood is the third aspect of the new kingdom. While it may not be the modern ideal, a servant attitude is praised in the Bible! It is interesting to note that the knights of the middle ages did not start out as knights, but rather as pages. A page was a knight-in-training who would serve nobility and other knights. As he reached his teen years, the boy would become a squire and assist other knights with the care of their weapons, and their personal needs. FInally, if he had done well, he would take on the rank of a knight. Even then, though, his life would remain one of service to the king. He had come through years of lower service in order that he might be prepared to meet this higher calling of service. 5 This is how the church's servitude to the ultimate king will be- one of progression that will culminate in a joyful, even deeper relationship with God. Servanthood is beautiful, made even more so by the reign of Christ.
The final aspect of the reign of Christ is eternity. Most kingdoms don't last more than a few centuries, and even those that do make it, can't last forever. But God's kingdom will stand. Daniel 7:14 goes on, "his dominion is an everlasting dominion." That means that when it comes, it stays. Nothing could happen to this kingdom to take it away. Rome burned at it's emperor's own hands. Briton lost its momentum to internal corruption, and ultimately was overtaken by invasion. In recent months and years, the governments of various middle-eastern countries have fallen apart. But God's kingdom stands forever. Daniel 7:14 concludes, "and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."
As wonderful a picture as someone may have described of God's kingdom when Christ returns, it's going to be better. Looking back at all that's been discovered over the course of this essay, it is clear that the new earth will be filled with glory. Not only this, but along with it Christ will cause power, wealth, wisdom, strength, honor, and praise. These will come about because of his kingship, authenticated by his iron scepter. Since he cares about his people, he will use his gentle staff to guide them to joyful servanthood, bringing them closer to himself. And, in the end…well, there won't be an end! The joy will be everlasting! So this tour of the new earth ends right where it began, at Daniel 7:14.
"And 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 one
that shall not be destroyed."
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Endnotes
1 All Scripture references ESV.
2 http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_times_is_the_word_glory_in_the_bible
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sceptre
4 http://www.proprofs.com/flashcards/cardshowall.php?title=egypt-quiz-1
5 O'Brien, Patrick (1998). The Making of a Knight. Watertown, MA. Charlesbridge.
great!
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