Jesus was a prophet who spoke God's Word to us. He was a priest who let himself be sacrificed as the Lamb of God. But he was much more than just those two things – he was also the king!

Before Jesus returned back to heaven, he spoke his last words to his disciples. Matthew 28:18 tells us one of the things he said on that day. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Authority means to be in charge. And Jesus said that his Father had given him all authority. Jesus was now in charge of all the earth; north, south, east, and west, Jesus was the ruler over every square inch of it! He wasn’t simply king of a country. Jesus was the king of the entire world!

Sadly, as Jesus walked our planet as a human being, very few people treated him like the king he was. People argued with him, called him names, mocked him, and beat him. Eventually, they even sent him to die like a lowly criminal. He was king of the world, but he was treated like the scum of the earth!

That won’t be the case when Jesus comes back to our world a second time. Philippians 2:10-11 tells us about that glorious day: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Everyone who has ever lived will eventually bow down before Jesus. Even those wicked men who sent him to die will have no choice but to say, “Jesus, you are king!”

As our king, Jesus rules over us from heaven. He gets to tell us what to do. Ephesians 1:22 explains, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church.” Jesus is the “head” of the church, the people who believe in him. That means he’s the boss – whatever he says, it’s our job to do it! And what does our King command us to do? To love God, love each other, and grow his kingdom by sharing his good news with all the nations on the earth!

But Jesus isn’t some lazy king sitting on a throne barking orders at his people. He’s a king who has defended us from enemies. During his first trip to Earth, King Jesus came to rescue us from the enemy of sin. And when he returns a second time, he will trample every single one of our enemies, even death! With Jesus as our king, we’ll live forever in his kingdom in a perfect paradise!

Ps. 2:6-9; Matt. 28:18-20; Eph. 1:19-23; Col. 1:13, 18; Rev. 15:3, 4