It’s a fine line, is it not? How do we act as “salt and light” in today’s world without seeming to align biblical faith with political activism? How do we avoid such a connection when one side champions causes diametrically opposed to what the Bible teaches?

The tragic death of Charlie Kirk has brought this matter to the forefront. He boldly defended his Bible-based beliefs in debates with those beholden to the LGBTQ+ agenda, as well as fiery pro-abortion advocates. During the past election cycle, Charlie brought a great many college-age youth into the political process in America.

I admired Kirk’s boldness and greatly miss his courageous stand, quick wit, and unwavering biblical faith. The support he gave to President Trump in last year’s election was most likely a factor in his triumph. But did his involvement in the political process blur the line between biblical faith and politics?

How do we speak out against those who champion anti-biblical ideals without seeming to support a particular political party? And when we do, how do we avoid putting too much confidence in flawed politicians who fail us at times?

There are no easy answers to these questions, but I believe what the Bible teaches us about God’s kingdom will help us navigate through the stormy seas of the perilous times of our day.

Our Primary Allegiance Belongs to God’s Kingdom

The battle behind the scenes of today’s cultural war is that of God’s kingdom versus the “domain of darkness” from which the Lord delivered us at the moment of our regeneration (see Colossians 1:13). Of course, we love our country, and in America, we enjoy the rights and privileges it offers us. At the same time, we keep in mind the words of Philippians 3:20-21:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (NKJV, emphasis added)[1]

Our kingdom allegiance belongs to God’s kingdom, and as such, it’s the source of our ultimate hope. We find strength in what we do not see, namely that of Jesus’ future appearing and the transformation of our “lowly” bodies to “be like his.” We belong to the winning side in the battle between good and evil, but our victory will not be evident until we meet Jesus in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Our eternal focus does not signify that we avoid the well-being of others around us, not at all. As members of the body of Christ, we serve the Lord in a variety of ways, some of which lead us to aid fellow believers as well as those outside of Christ.

We Cannot Reform Society Through Political Activism

Of course, we long for a world that’s far different from the wickedness, lawlessness, violence, corruption, and deception of our day. However, it’s not our responsibility to bring Jesus’ kingdom to our world. Pay close attention to His words in John 18:36:

“Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world’” (John 18:36).

The Greek preposition “of” in the above verse is ek, which denotes origin. Because Jesus’ kingdom originates in Heaven, our efforts to make it happen here below are to no avail. We cannot reform our society through our striving or political activism. Only Jesus can and someday will bring kingdom conditions to our world.

Some mistake Jesus’ words in John 18:36 as implying that His kingdom will never have a physical presence on earth’s soil. This contradicts clear passages of Scripture and reads far too much into His statement regarding its origin. His words speak to the origination of His rule, and as we will see, also point us to its timing.

Jesus’ Kingdom Will Only Arrive at His Second Coming

If only Jesus can bring His kingdom from Heaven to earth, has it already happened, or will it occur in the future? Many in church history have wrongly answered this question.

In the fifth century AD, Augustine identified God’s physical kingdom with the church, and in the centuries that followed, its leaders sought to establish it as Jesus’ political realm. Christian nationalism, such as the church pursued throughout the Middle ages and has sadly revisited in recent times, takes the church far away from the truth of God’s Word. The church is the body of Christ; the Bible never refers to it as a kingdom. Jesus intended for its leaders to serve, never to “lord it over others” as rulers behave in a kingdom (Mark 10:43-45).

The Apostle John, in Revelation 19:11-20:10, placed the arrival of Jesus’ kingdom on the earth with His majestic and spectacular return to the planet. It’s then that He begins His thousand-year reign over the nations. Is it any wonder Jesus said that His servants would not fight for it? The arrival of Jesus’ physical kingdom will only happen at His spectacular and powerful Second Coming.

The glorious nature of its arrival underscores the futility of striving to bring God’s kingdom to our world. Only Jesus can do that, and someday, He will.

The Vastness of Jesus’ Kingdom Necessitates a Future Physical Realm

The details about Jesus’ kingdom, which the prophet Daniel provides, also put it far out of the reach of anything that’s possible in our day. Notice how he describes it in Daniel 7:13-14:

“I saw in the 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.”

These verses set Jesus’ kingdom apart from anything that’s possible apart from His return. The text says “all peoples” from every nation, no exceptions, will “serve” the “son of man” in His kingdom. Does this not lie far beyond anything we or the church could accomplish? Please also note that the submission of the nations and peoples to Jesus begins at the inception of His kingdom; it’s not a gradual change.

On the night of His arrest, Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man of Daniel’s amazing prophecy, which not only connects this expansive and glorious rule to Him, but also confirms that it cannot and will not arrive on our planet until He comes.

“Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64, emphasis added).

Days earlier, as recorded in Matthew 24:29-30, Jesus also claimed to be the Son of Man who would fulfill Daniel’s remarkable prophecy at His “coming on the clouds”:

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (emphasis added)

According to the words of our Savior, the kingdom conditions for which we long will only arrive after a time of “great tribulation” (Matthew 24:21-22). Can you see how perfectly this aligns with Revelation chapters 6-20? The order is that of “great tribulation,” Jesus’ coming “on the clouds of heaven,” and the establishment of His rule.

The day is coming when righteousness, lasting peace, and justice will prevail everywhere in our world, but that time is not now.

Many mistakenly change the words of Scripture, and direction for that matter, by saying that at His going, Jesus fulfilled the words of Daniel 7:13-14. They say that His kingdom came to the earth after His ascension in the form of the church. Jesus, however, made it abundantly clear that He would fulfill this prophecy at His coming, not at His going.

The Apostle John, writing at the end of the first century AD, referred to fulfillment of Daniel’s kingdom prophecy as a still future event in Revelation 1:7:

“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

The Bible Says We Are Heirs to Jesus’ Kingdom

The next consideration impacts all of us on a personal level. As New Testament saints, the Bible says we are heirs to this amazing kingdom.

We first see this truth in Daniel 7, verse 27:

“And the kingdom and the dominion
and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High;
his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom,
and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

Jesus will give us the kingdom when He comes with the clouds; we are heirs to it.

The New Testament revisits this truth in James 2:5, Romans 8:16-17, and Ephesians 1:12-14. 1 Corinthians 15:50-55 states that it’s impossible for us to “inherit the kingdom of God” in our “flesh and blood” bodies. The good news is that when He appears, Jesus will make us suitable heirs to His glorious realm, giving us “imperishable” and “immortal” bodies (1 Corinthians 6:2; Revelation 2:26-27, 5:10, 20:6).

This confirms the “not yet” aspect of the kingdom to which we already belong, and yet at the same time are heirs to its still future and glorious presence on earth.

Don’t Settle for Mud Pies

Those who seek to conform our culture to biblical standards through human striving aim at a target that’s vastly inferior to what lies ahead for us. Those who equate Jesus’ vast domain, characterized by peace, justice, righteousness, and worldwide submission to Him, as something they make happen in the here and now settle for something that’s not only woefully mediocre when compared to it.

The stark difference between the ways we might influence society and the glories of God’s future kingdom reminds me of this quote from CS Lewis:

It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.

Of course, we desire to reach people for the Savior and, as the Lord leads, speak out against the waywardness of our day. But when we consider today’s fleeting aspirations for political influence versus the glories of the eternal kingdom Jesus will bring to this world, it’s very much like Lewis’ comparison of making “mud pies” with that of enjoying a vacation on a beautiful seashore. (Although personally, I would prefer a two-month getaway at a mountain cabin with a nearby stream.)

Until He comes, we do what we can to serve the Lord in the way He has gifted and called us. We do so knowing that our hope rests in Jesus’ appearing, at which time He will make us fit to inherit His glorious kingdom with joys beyond what we can imagine.

Over the years, one of my favorite songs to play on my trombone has been “This World Is Not My Home.” I’m so thankful that it’s not.

Maranatha!

***

My book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is available on Amazon or on SkyWatchTV. In it, I take the reader on a journey showing how the words of Scripture verify our beliefs in not only the restoration of Israel, but also our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home to glory. Jesus’ appearing is the pre-Tribulation Rapture.

Note: Please consider signing up for my newsletter on the home page of my website at https://www.jonathanbrentner.com/. It will greatly help me in reaching more people. Thanks!

[1] The Greek word for “eagerly await” in verse 20 points to an “intense anticipation” or an “excited expectation” of a future event. “Eagerly await” is an accurate translation.

Nearly five years after the Covid chaos, researchers are still uncovering the magnitude of emotional, physical, academic, and institutional devastation. Nearly once a week, I see articles devoted to the severe impacts on student learning and on the health effects of the Covid injection. Another victim of the chaos is the church. This impact is particularly acute in small, rural churches that, even pre-Covid, were already in decline. Less frequently mentioned is the uproar over an individual’s purpose, desire, and pursuit of dreams or goals. I’m not referring to one’s desire for work-life balance, but the relinquishment of pursuits as a result of panic or fear, perhaps unwittingly sparked by, “This is it; time is about up!”

I absolutely believe that born-again believers should have their oil lamps full and be ready for the trumpet. I pray that Jesus is coming soon, and I hope to be part of that generation, so I do not find fault with pastors preaching our blessed hope and the need to be personally ready. I believe the Rapture and End Times should be preached, if not at every church service, then at nearly every church service. What I am concerned about, however, is the extent to which some believers may have stopped doing what God has called them to because they have acquired a “Why bother” attitude brought about by a misunderstanding of how we should spend our time as we wait for Jesus’s call.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul specifically addresses this misunderstanding. He wrote, “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, emphasis mine).

Shaken means to waver; that is, to be agitated, rocked, toppled. It implies a disturbance of the mind that can lead to destruction. To be troubled is to be frightened by wailing or clamoring. The Greek word for troubled implies that a person has been unsettled or thrown into confusion that occurs as a result of outward distresses, which have threatened one’s inward peace.

“Let no man deceive you by any means” (2 Thessalonians 2:3a), Paul admonished the Thessalonians. Yet, they were deceived, shaken, and troubled to such an extent that some of them had stopped working altogether, while others had become “disorderly,” abandoning restraint and personal discipline. As a result, they had become meddlesome and forsook their Christian duty to walk with purpose and direction.

Though we are even closer to Jesus’s return, today we are still to walk worthy of our vocation (Ephesians 4:1) and to redeem the time, for the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16)—in other words, full of distraction. Satan wants us ill-prepared, off-course, or idle. He will gladly take honest Scripture, pure Bible teaching, and twist the Word in our mind, so again, we will be ill-prepared, off-course, or idle. I, myself, fell victim to the deception that troubled the Thessalonians. During Covid, I became shaken and troubled, believing that the time had expired for me to continue pursuing work that I believed God had put in my heart. Five years later, I am still struggling to get on course.

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus said that we are to watch, for no one, not even our Saviour, knows the day nor hour of the Rapture (24:42-43). In addition to watching, we must also be spiritually ready for the Lord’s return (24:44). If we are watching, then we will be spiritually ready. Part of being spiritually ready comes from living and walking in the Spirit. A man cannot be divided. If we are walking in the Spirit, then we cannot walk in the flesh. It follows then that if we are attuned to the Spirit, then we will be following the Spirit’s leading and doing the Lord’s work. Thus, we will be the “faithful and wise servant,” whom the Lord rewards:

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods” (Matthew 24:45-46, emphasis mine).

The servant who is blessed is characterized by three actions: he is watching, he is ready, and he is doing the Lord’s work. (He is using the talents God gave him; see Matthew 25:14-30.) As a result of misunderstanding how to live and wait for the Lord’s return, the faithful and wise servant was not found among the Thessalonians because, instead of doing the Lord’s work, they had become idle.

This begs the question: What does God expect of me today? The same as He expected after His ascent to heaven. The same as when Paul corrected the Thessalonians. To watch, to be ready, and to be engaged in His work.

Perhaps you have thought that the work the Lord has asked of you could never be finished before His return. I can clean the house in one day, but next week, I will have to clean again. Cleaning may be an easy task to justify. Other work, I term progress work, because the completion date may be months or years off. Perhaps you have trouble justifying this work, or an expense, like a trade school, college, or seminary. Why spend the time or money when you might not finish? Why pursue a dream that may take 20 years? The hard truth is that you may never complete it, not because of the Rapture, but because the Lord may call you home first.

You see, we just don’t know the Lord’s plans. We have the mind of Christ to think rightly, but only One knows tomorrow. That is why James said, “Ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (4:14-15).

This is where the mind of Christ is crucial. We live in a “show me” society. Results get money and attention. But God’s attention and economy are entirely different. In God’s economy, talents are not equal, nor are they equally distributed. More troubling to some is that no matter the talent and degree of investment, the return is the same. Both wise servants would be rulers “over many things.” (See Matthew 25:14-28, especially vs. 21, 23.)

If the Lord has called you to do a work for Him, then do it. Don’t stop working. It takes greater faith to do and invest when the harvest is unsure, even bleak. In this world, we are not guaranteed a great harvest. Our harvest is not what pleases God. Instead, our faith to live and invest in doing His will pleases and honors God. We should do our best each day to live for God, never losing heart on our work for Him, or on His return for us!