THE RISE TO THE THRONE

 

The Lion and the Lamb by Chris Brazelton

I have written about King David extensively over the years but it seems I am not finished yet. I watched an AI generated film about him yesterday and it was done so well that I don’t know who I cried about more, the David who rose to the throne or the David who fell from it.

The fact remains that David’s accomplishments are astounding. His name comes from the ancient Hebrew root word dod which translates to a beloved person, love, a friend….pronounced Dah-veed in modern Hebrew. As a youth, he was said to be a man after the Lord’s “own heart” and as a man, he spoke by the Spirit and had many revelations (1 Samuel 13:14).

In his rising to the throne he conquered his enemies by his supplication to God for help and protection ‘not fearing what man can do to him’ (see Psalm 55:11). He was fearless in his dedication to his people by his awe inspiring way he believed in the cause in Israel  when he, a mere shepherd boy, slew Goliath, considering him of no regard, a mere ‘uncircumcised Philistine, who dared to defy the armies of the living God’ to whom he stated without fear: “I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast defied…...and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee….that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel” (1 Samuel 17:26,45,46). All the earth, indeed…..

The zeal with which he lived his early years is absolutely mind blowing. What tears at my heart the most are the psalms he wrote as a reflection of his incomparable love for the God of Israel.  His faith gave him a prophetic voice to testify of Christ who would one day sit on his throne. Apostle Peter testified of this fact in Acts 2:22-36. Psalms worthy of notice to this end are:

·         Psalm 16 (thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption);

·         Psalm 22, which closely matches details of the Crucifixion, including “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (v 1);  “they pierced my hands and my feet” (v 16); “They part my garments….and cast lots” (v 18);

·         Psalm 110, which Jesus and the apostles use as messianic, including “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand” (v 1); the prophecy of Christ as “a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (v 4);

·         Psalm 41, often connected with betrayal: “mine own familiar friend…hath lifted up his heel against me” (v 9), which Jesus quoted at the Last Supper (John 13:18);

·         Psalm 69, linked to the suffering of Christ: “in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (v 21);

·         Psalm 118, used repeatedly in the New Testament about Christ: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner” (v 22) and “blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (v 26).

David did three things for temporal Israel that typify what Christ will do for spiritual Israel:

Firstly, following Saul's death, Israel's kingdom was divided in two for seven years. The tribe of Judah accepted David as their king and the rest of the tribes of Israel were ruled by Ishbosheth, one of the sons of Saul, whom Abner, Saul's commanding general set up as the new king (2 Sam 2:8-9).

 

Despite being anointed as Israel's king, by Samuel, the prophet, David refrained from taking action against Ishbosheth in honour of the covenant he made with Jonathan not to retaliate against Saul's family when he came to power. Following Ishbosheth's murder David showed great wisdom and judgment by executing the two men responsible (see (2 Samuel 3). This brought him into favour with the tribes under Ishbosheth and ultimately united all twelve tribes into one nation under the ultimate leadership of God.

 

Secondly, David succeeded in winning the whole extent of the promised land for the covenant people. For the first time the chosen people of the Lord controlled the whole land promised to Abraham's posterity nearly a thousand years earlier.

 

Thirdly, David established Zion or Jerusalem as the spiritual and political center of Israel. Under David's reign Israel reached its golden age. Never before had Israel achieved such heights of power nor did they ever again. (Old Testament Student Manual, Book 1 p 291)

 

David was anointed to sit on the throne of Israel and to establish the royal family line that would produce the King of Kings who would one day sit ‘on the throne of his father David’ (Luke 1:32-33).  My question is this: was David chosen to be an example of the good King who was to come or was he chosen to show that no king can be as good as the King that was to come????? The answer is obvious, no king can be as good as the King that is yet to come because that King would never and will NEVER fall. I often think our present day governments will with their weakness and corruption accentuate the blessing that the King of Kings will be when He comes to govern the world. 

“Even so, come Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE ONE

 

The One by Haley Miller

He is my Sovereign,

He is the king of all kings,

He is my wings of protection,

He is my everything.

 

-      Cathryne Allen 

THE MIGHTY DAVID

 

There has not been a king who loved the God of Israel more than King David. When he conquered Jerusalem he brought the ark of the covenant into the city ‘with gladness’ and led a procession of Israelites playing instruments, shouting, singing and dancing ‘before the Lord with all his might’ in praise of the God he worshipped (2 Samuel 6:12-15). No king of Israel was more free from idolatrous inclinations or practices than David. Because of this, he became the standard of excellence that all subsequent kings came to be measured by (The Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, Enrichment F-1).

David’s valour and his accomplishments as  king were outstanding. His reign is known in the annals of history as ‘the golden age of Israel’ (The Old Testament Student Manual Book 1 p 287). His love for the God of Israel can leave you breathless through the psalms he wrote about Him. But David was also the greatest tragedy of the ancient world. His life is the most dualistic out of any and accentuates Jehovah’s warning about kings. It goes on to show, the higher the rise, the greater the fall. To understand the tragedy of the fall we must understand his accomplishments as a king.

David did three things for temporal Israel that typify what Christ will do for spiritual Israel.  Firstly, following Saul's death, Israel's kingdom was divided in two for seven years. The tribe of Judah accepted David as their king and the rest of the tribes of Israel were ruled by Ishbosheth, one of the sons of Saul, whom Abner, Saul's commanding general set up as the new king (2 Sam 2:8-9).

 

Despite being anointed as Israel's king, by Samuel, the prophet, David refrained from taking action against Ishbosheth in honour of the covenant he made with Jonathan not to retaliate against Saul's family when he came to power. Following Ishbosheth's murder David showed great wisdom and judgment by executing the two men responsible (see (2 Samuel 3). This brought him into favour with the tribes under Ishbosheth and ultimately united all twelve tribes into one nation under the ultimate leadership of God.

 

Secondly, David succeeded in winning the whole extent of the promised land for the covenant people. For the first time the chosen people of the Lord controlled the whole land promised to Abraham's posterity nearly a thousand years earlier.

 

Thirdly, David established Zion or Jerusalem as the spiritual and political center of Israel. Under David's reign Israel reached its golden age. Never before had Israel achieved such heights of power nor did they ever again. (Old Testament Student Manual, Book 1 p 291)

 

All this for the love of Jehovah and then this: “….As the transgressor moves deeper and deeper in his sin, and the error is entrenched more deeply and the will to change is weakened, it becomes increasingly near-hopeless, and he skids down and down until either he does not want to climb back or he has lost the power to do so.” (President Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 117). This became the tragic path of David but more of that later….

 

So do we hold David in our esteem as the greatest Israel king or do we think of him as a tragedy to be remembered???

 

David was anointed to sit on the throne of Israel and to establish the royal family that would produce the King of Kings who would one day sit ‘on the throne of his father David’ (Luke 1:32-33).  My question is this: was David chosen to be an example of the good King who was to come or was he chosen to show that no king can be as good as the King that was to come????? I often think our present-day governments will with their weakness and corruption accentuate the blessing that the King of Kings will be when He comes to govern the world.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: King David Playing the Harp by Gerard Van Honthorst [1622]

THE ONE TRUE KING

Perhaps one of the saddest events in the history of Israel was the time they requested the cessation of judges and asked Samuel to appoint a king over them (1 Samuel 8:5). Samuel warned them that kings will among other things, evoke heavy tax burdens on them; conscript their children into his service and seize private lands (vs 11-17). Ancient Israel would not listen because they had become weak and sinful and were envious of surrounding kingdoms, even though their governments were wicked and oppressive.

And here is another example, like the sons of Eli, of how we can cause people to sin. Samuel had two sons who he appointed as judges in Beersheba. They too did not walk in their father’s footsteps but exploited their position with bribes and perverted judgment (1 Samuel 8:3). This is all the elders needed to use as a reason why Israel should be ruled by a king like the other nations (v 4).

Samuel was not pleased to say the least since all the evils and misfortunes which Israel suffered always resulted from their apostasy from their God. Their request for a king therefore was an outright rejection of the sovereignty of Jehovah, who had always proclaimed himself as their God and King and the House of Israel as His special people, above all people upon the face of the earth (Det 7:6; Exodus 6:7; 19:5; 33:16; Leviticus 20:26; Jeremiah 10:4).

Perhaps the most heart breaking words that came out of the Saviour’s mouth was His response to Samuel who had prayed about the matter: “Hearken unto the voice of the people…for they have not rejected thee but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Imagine the heaviness of heart with which the Saviour would have uttered these words.

But as ancient Israel tragically sought to follow other nations, they became like other nations. We all know the ending to that. The downfall began with the very first king….Saul. Be careful what you want, for you will surely get it.

There was not among all Israel a goodlier person than Saul. He was honest, reliable, considerate of his parents and physically a potential hero and man of valour all Israel sought yet he too, like Samson became another tragedy. He was the lesson that Jehovan wanted to teach Israel about kings:

“Though Saul, had at first, a great regard for the law of Moses, and for God, yet ‘ the consciousness of his own power, coupled with the energy of his character, led him astray into an incautious disregard of the commands of God; his zeal in the prosecution of his plans hurried him on to reckless and violent measures; and success in his undertakings heightened his ambition into a haughty rebellion against the Lord, the God-king of Israel.” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 2:2:79; see also The Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 272)

Samuel anointed Saul to be ‘captain’ and not a king, even though he was later called such (1 Samuel 10:1). This should have served as a reminder that the Lord was still king…..only it didn’t.

The Lord knows us intensely and intimately. He has known us from the beginning and He knows who will fail him and who will serve Him to the end. Make no mistake about that. It should motivate us to follow closely our life’s plan so that in the end we won’t hear Him say: “You chose your own importance over Me, your God and your King”

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: King of Kings by Danny Hahlbohm)

 

KING OF KINGS

 

“He came into the world in time’s meridian to put into full operation all the terms and conditions of his Father’s plan: to bring to pass immortality and to make eternal life available to man; to abolish death and bring life and immortality to light through his gospel.

“And he shall come again……These are the most glorious events in the whole history of planet earth. From Adam to John, called the Baptist, all the prophets looked forward to both of these comings; and from Peter to the last apostle who shall rise up in this dispensation, all have and shall testify of his destined return in power, attended by the hosts of heaven, to bring surcease from all care and sorrow to those who have been valiant in the cause of truth and righteousness.”  (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Promised Messiah”, Deseret Book 1978, p 2)

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True…..

“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns….

“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”   (Revelation 19:11-16)

And the beast who said in the beginning, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God and I will be like the most High”, and who fought to dethrone our God is fighting still but when this earth is rolled as a scroll, he will ascend out of the bottomless pit he will be thrown into when the Lamb of God appears and will go into  perdition (Isaiah 14:13-16; Rev 17:8).

The scriptures and the writings of the prophets indicate that during the Millenium people living a terrestrial level of righteousness will be on the earth, but eventually all will have the opportunity to receive the gospel (see Isaiah 11:9; Habakkuk 2:14; Jeremiah 31:34). Those who do not receive the gospel will be swept off the earth (see Isaiah 65:20). Zechariah taught that the heathen nations who will not come to worship in Jerusalem will eventually be destroyed from the earth (Zechariah 14:16; see also “Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith” pp 268-9)

Think about what it means to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. It means to become like Him and with Him an heir to all the Father has. It means to inherit eternal life. Refusing His gospel means the opposite. Think about who would want to stop people from accepting the Gospel.

Next time you hear the cry of ‘no kings’ know that it has nothing really to do with the governmental power of the promised land today but everything to do with the adversary subtly sowing in the minds of people rejection of the KING OF KINGS who is yet to come and is ‘even at the doors  (D&C 110:16). This came to me with great force the other day. How clever he is to echo that proclamation upon the very land which is the Millenial seat of Him who will come to subdue all kingdoms under his feet (D&C 103:7).

I testify that Christ is THE KING (Psalms 5:2;10; 16;44:4; 47:6-7; 89:18; Isaiah 6:5; 43:15; Jeremiah 23:5; 46:18; 1 Timothy 1:17). The only King who can bring peace to this troubled world and the hearts of men. He will come and He will reign and He will embrace all those who believe in Him. And when He comes we, who believe in Him, will be ever so grateful for the real King.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The King Is Coming by Danny Hahlbohm)

THE LION

 

I used to be sad that Christ came through the lineage of Judah. After all, Judah didn’t seem exemplary enough as a man, not like Joseph. He forfeited the birthright through immorality (see Genesis 38).

I understood Nephi’s explanation of the Saviour’s lineage in saying that ‘there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God’ (2 Nephi 10:3) but this too left me with a negative impression of Judah. Whereas the Jews had indeed become a stiff-necked people by the time that Jesus came on the scene, it is important to see His death in a proper perspective.

Jesus gave up His life willingly. He attested to this when He said: “….I lay down my life that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down myself” (John 10:17,18). The Jews of His day might have pointed the finger and facilitated His death but in actuality, we are the ones that sent Him to the cross. He died to atone for our sins and not for any drummed- up charge that Jews could put Him to death for. No one else had the power to put Him on that cross, not the Jews and not the Romans (see Matthew 26:51-53).

Yesterday I read something about Judah that redeemed him in my eyes. I was reading the “Jewish Antiquities” by Josephus, a Jewish historian, which offers a more comprehensive outline of Joseph’s forgiveness of his brothers and I saw in him the foreshadowing of the Lion of Judah.

When Benjamin was brought before Joseph for the punishment of stealing the golden cup which was concealed in his sack, all the brothers were beside themselves but none more so than Judah. The Bible records that he offered himself to stay in Egypt as a slave to Joseph (Genesis 44:32-34) but his lengthy plea for Benjamin’s life recorded by Josephus brought me to tears. Judah ended his pleading with offer of his life for Benjamin’s:

“If, therefore, you resolve to slay him, I desire you will slay me in his stead, and send him back to his father…..”  (“Jewish Antiquities”, The New Complete Works of Josephus, p 91).

I saw in Judah the protection he offered for his brother to the point of death. I saw: “I will die instead of him, I will die so Benjamin can live”. Does this remind you of someone? I saw the foreshadowing of the redemptive power of Christ in the ancestor the Saviour came from.

There is something else I saw. Judah was determined to prevent his father’s sorrow and pain (see vs 22 and 34). This too reminded me of Christ’s biggest motivation for His sacrifice….to save us for the sake of the Father He loved and would spare the agony of His loss. The Saviour was groomed to save His siblings from the beginning.

When Jacob gave Judah his blessing, he promised him a kingly posterity until “Shiloh” come (Genesis 49:10). Shiloh is Christ ‘unto whom shall the gathering of the people be’ (v10).

Why a lion to represent the Saviour as the head of the House of Israel? Because a lion symbolizes His role as a powerful, royal, and victorious Messiah. A lion is the king of the jungle…..The Lion of Judah connects Jesus to the lineage of King David, representing his authority and protection of his people.

The Lion of Judah…..the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

 

He, in whose hand is the scepter of kings

Who spanned the heavens above

And laid the foundations of the earth below

Upon whose surface He once achingly trod

Before whom we now bow and call,

The Holy One of God.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In God's Care by Greg Collins)

SIMEON'S MOMENT

 

I discovered this painting one year by Ron DiCianni entitled "Simeon's Moment". The painting had me revisit the story of Simeon in Luke 2:25-35. I cannot adequately describe the tearful emotion that swelled within my heart as I did so.  

It wasn't just Simeon's story that touched the depth of my soul but the artist who was so moved by the moment of joy felt by someone as they held the Son of God in their arms. He wanted to capture the moment that Simeon had lived his life for.

It had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen 'the Lord's Christ' (Luke 2:26). Simeon waited a long time and was well stricken in age when the Spirit led him to the temple the day that Mary and Joseph were there with the Christ child to offer sacrifice for his birth as was the Mosaic law of the day (Luke 2:22-24).

Simeon took the Christ child into his arms and pronounced Him to be the awaited Messiah, the glory of Israel and the light to the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). And then he said something highly significant to Mary: "A sword shall pierce through thy own soul....that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (v35).

As I tried to connect to Simeon through my thoughts, I could see how eager he must have been  for the Saviour to be born because the nation of Judah was by then a den of iniquity. No doubt Simeon was tired of all the wickedness and sin around him and he yearned for Christ to come.

I reflected on the signs of the times around us which are being fulfilled and how close the Saviour might be to returning, even at the door (Matt 24:33; Mark 13:29; JS-M 1:39; D&C 110:16).  How many of us will be over-joyed when we see Him coming in the clouds of heaven?

Simeon said when the Saviour comes, the thoughts of our hearts will be revealed; simply because who we are is in our hearts and who we are is all we will have to give Him. Will we be ashamed when our hearts are laid bare before Him or will we be eager to show Him that He resides there? 

May we be overjoyed like Simeon because we have waited with eagerness for His appearing and may our hearts be imbued with faith and love to make them fit for an offering to the Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Simeon's Moment by Ron Dicianni) 

ISRAEL'S TRUE KING

 

When ancient Israel so tragically rejected Jehovah as their king, the Saviour, out of His ever abiding long suffering and mercy, provided a goodly man of imposing stature: a potential hero, and man of valour that Israel sought for a king (1 Samuel 9:1,2). Saul was very impressive but Saul, as the very first king to Israel became a very poignant lesson that was unfortunately missed. And this is the lesson: even the very best among them could never measure up to the one and only true King of Israel. It took Saul just two years of reign to start sinking into a sense of self-importance and exaggerated opinion of his power (1 Samuel 13:1).

 

Despite the warnings of dangers of earthly kings (1 Samuel 8:11-19) and reiteration of rejection of Heavenly King (1 Samuel 10:18,19) Israel was given another chance to recognise who their true King was. When Samuel anointed Saul, he anointed him to be ‘the captain’ of God’s people, to deliver them from the hands of Philistines, and not a king (1 Samuel 9:16; 10:1). This reminder was missed too as Saul is later referred to as a king. The disorder, havoc and destruction of Israel’s spiritual state caused by Israel’s ensuing kings is devastating.

 

When the Saviour comes again, He will appear in all His power wearing a red garment signifying the winepress that He has trod alone (Isaiah 63:3; D&C 133:50) symbolising the Atonement, and He will come as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:15,16).  He will come to subdue all governments and assume His position as our rightful King. He will rule with righteousness and peace through the system of theocracy. And then every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Son of God, the ‘Redeemer and Deliverer from death and hell’ (Mosiah 27:31; D&C 88:104; 138:23). But we need not and SHOULD NOT wait until that day to confess the Christ. In the words of Neal A. Maxwell: “And if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!” (Neal A. Maxwell, “Why Not Now?”, Ensign April 1975)

 

When the Saviour comes, He will come to save, magnify and exalt all those who believe in Him and accept Him as the King of Kings. He alone is the true King, the only King, our King…

 

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Who has loved us and chosen us as Thine own;

We bow before Thee and bend the knee,

In solemnity we offer our hearts to Thee.

Keep us as the apple of Thine eye,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might never stray again

And cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow. 

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Second Coming of Christ  by Jon McNaughton)

KING OF ALL KINGDOMS

I love history. I particularly love finding connections to people across the span of time. Many prophets of old were given to know us and our day through visions and dreams and God given revelations. One such prophet was Daniel who was taken to Babylon around 605 B.C. Daniel lived in captivity for 70 years and served 5 heathen kings. Because of his righteousness he rose to such prominence that he was made governor of all the Jews in Babylon. He prophesied and interpreted dreams of kings with boldness and worshipped the God of Israel without fear. He is mostly known for surviving the lion's den into which he was thrown, for which survival king Darius called him 'Daniel, servant of the living God' (Daniel 6:20). So in Daniel we mainly see immense power, until we read the recordings of his own dreams and visions which pertained not only to his time but to the time which we the latter-day saints live in. Then we see a man heavily burdened with knowledge which tugged at his heart for the scriptures record that Daniel was grieved in his spirit, that the visions of his head troubled him and his countenance changed in him forever (Daniel 7:15, 28).  What could have brought such grief to so great a man?

Chapter 7 of Daniel is a record of a dream that Daniel had of four major ancient empires: Babylonian, Persian, Greek and Roman. We know from Nebuchadnezzar's dream of a great image in chapter 2 that the Roman empire was destroyed and replaced by a powerful European group of ten nations. This dream was about the latter days in which a 'stone was cut out of the mountain without hands' (Daniel 2:45) which consumed all the other kingdoms of the earth. We know of course that this stone is the Kingdom of God on earth, meaning the Church. The visions of Daniel as opposed to kings' dreams should, however, hold a particular interest for us because they go further than the establishment of the Church. The first recorded dream which Daniel had talks about a beast with ten horns, meaning the Roman empire which becomes replaced by ten powerful European nations, as already mentioned. What is particularly interesting is that Daniel saw another horn come up on this beast. This horn is described as a 'little horn' (Daniel 7:8) and does not seem to represent an earthly government or nation so it does not seem to have any political or secular power. However, it does have a terrible power of its own.  This is the  power of an anti-Christ that would rise up and that would make war with the saints of God util the time of Christ's Second Coming (Daniel 7:20-27). What must have pointedly struck at the heart of Daniel is in verse 21 which states that this power prevailed against the saints....until the Ancient of Days, meaning Adam, shall come to Adam-ondi-Ahman to hand over the kingdom to the King of all kings, to Him to whom the kingdom rightly belongs. Why is this a sad story if Christ triumphs in the end? Because when the anti-Christ power wages war against the Saints, many of us will be lost (Daniel 11:32-34). With the latest changes, the Church is placing the responsibility of our testimonies upon our own shoulders, attempting to prepare us for a worse time to come when the saints will be persecuted and many of us will not stand. We will not stand if we do not take this responsibility to heart and center ourselves on the Saviour of the world and His Kingdom. This can already be seen by many who have recently left the Church, whose testimonies were not able to survive the subtle manipulations of the anti-Christ power of our day.
There is another important reason why we need to spiritually invest in ourselves. Without us, there is no kingdom. We, the saints of latter-days are preparing the kingdom in which Christ will reign. Consider Elder LeGrand Richards' take on this:

"When I was president of the Southern States Mission, one of our missionaries preached on that dream of Nebuchadnezzar in one of our meetings where we had some investigators, and I stood at the door to greet them as they went out. A man came up and introduced himself as a minister and he said, 'You don't mean to tell me that you think the Mormon Church is that kingdom, do you?' And I said, 'Yes sir, why not?'. He said, 'It couldn't be.' I said, 'Why couldn't it?' And he said, 'You can't have a kingdom without a king, and you don't have a king, so you don't have a kingdom'. 'Oh', I said, 'my friend, you didn't read far enough. You just read the seventh chapter of Daniel, where Daniel saw one like the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, "and there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him" (Daniel 7:14). 'Now', I said, 'my friend, tell me how can the kingdom be given to him when he comes in the clouds of heaven if there is no kingdom prepared for him? That is what we Latter-day Saints are doing." (In CR Oct 1975, pp 76-77 or Ensign Nov 1975, p 51)

When the heavens opened and John the Beloved saw the Saviour appearing on a white horse whose eyes were as a flame of fire, he also saw that upon His head sat many crowns (Revelation 19:12). These crowns no doubt will represent that He is the King of all kingdoms. And these crowns will be adorned with valuables without price, meaning those who have overcome and endured with faith, those who will welcome Him as their King, those of which the Saviour has said "they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels......." (Malachi 3:17). We shall be His  and He will be ours, the begotten Father of our spirits, the Saviour of our souls, the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.....

KING OF KINGS

We can find in the Gospel of Matthew the detailed father-to-son genealogy linking Joseph to King David. As Joseph was a cousin to his espoused wife Mary, Joseph's genealogy is basically Mary's genealogy too. Jesus, Mary's son, therefore, inherited from his mother royal blood and the right to David's throne. Had the tribe of Judah that Jesus was born into been a free and independent nation at the time of His birth, Jesus would have been born the King of the Jews. Instead Jesus was born of the lowliest birth  into the most humble of circumstances, his divinity heralded by angels to only a group of shepherds, announcing a less than majestic birth of a true Shepherd and the King of Kings. When Jesus was brought before Pilate accused of proclaiming Himself to be the King of the Jews, His response to Pilate was: "My kingdom is not of this world" (John 18:36). During his mortal life, Jesus was not interested in an earthly kingdom. His interests were not political aspirations or desire to gain power. What He was interested in was establishing a kingdom of loyal subjects who would take upon themselves His name and proclaim him their God and the King of their salvation.

When Daniel found himself in Babylon serving King Nebuchadnezzar,  he interpreted the King's disturbing dream through revelation from God. This dream had to do with earthly kingdoms who have come and gone and had no power of endurance. By the time Christ was born, Egyptians had been conquered by Assyrians, Assyrians by Babylonians, Babylonians by Persians, Persians by Greeks and Macedons and Greeks and Macedons by Romans. In Nebuchadnezzar's dream the kingdoms were portrayed by an image of a man signifying man made kingdoms of this earth. Each part of the image represented a different kingdom, the last being feet and toes that stood for 10 modern governments born from the Roman Empire. We know these kingdoms today as the 'crowned heads of Europe'. In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw the image of the kingdoms broken into pieces by a stone cut out without hands (Daniel 2:34) meaning not a man made stone but divinely crafted by God representing a kingdom that the God of heaven shall set up, that shall never be destroyed, that would consume all other kingdoms and that shall stand forever (Daniel 2:44). This dream and prophecy was fulfilled in 1820 through the restoration of the Gospel.

The enduring nature of the kingdom begun in 1820 is intended to cover the whole earth and prepare it for the Millennial reign when Jesus will return and be at last crowned King of Kings bringing with Him peace and prosperity to his loyal subjects. Why the title King of Kings? Because no other kingdom that has ever existed will equal His in scope and perfection. Christ's kingdom will end political mayhem and oppression doing away with human foibles and man's wisdom. It will end crime, poverty, sickness, sorrow, death, killing, calamities, natural disasters and all evil. No other king has ever had the power to affect change of such proportion. We live in a troubled world: politically, religiously and morally. Governments are failing to safeguard our economies, law and order and the moral fibre of our society. Our judicial system, comprised of imperfect men who are exercising earthly wisdom are failing to protect the innocent in our society. We have witnessed this truth only this week as a madman was allowed to walk our streets free and inflict terror on the citizens of our city. The world is deep in sin and ripening for destruction. We are guilty of gross moral and ethic transgressions: human trafficking, sexual exploitation, abuse of children, thieving, murder, rape, greed, abuse of power, bondage and many atrocities that I couldn't even name. It always fascinates me when I sit in Church lessons where the coming of the Saviour is portrayed as something we should dread. Why are we anticipating the Saviour's return with trapidation? How long have we waited for Him? Long enough to warrant scorn from non-believers. Should we not look forward to His return with eagerness and joy? Instead of discussing in class how Daniel saved the day by interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream should we not focus on the hope of the Millennial day, what that dream was really about? I feel that if we familiarised ourselves with the condition of the Millennial reign we would desperately await His coming with eagerness and joy.

It is true that when He comes, the Saviour will exercise judgment on the wicked but for the loyal subjects of His Kingdom, He will bring love, mercy, peace and joy because that's who He is. He will be eager to see us and press us to his bosom. Should we not be longing for this? Recently I sat in the Gospel Doctrine class where a question was asked: "If you knew that the Saviour was coming tomorrow what would you change in your life?" Of course, there were many answers indicating much needed personal change. The answer to this question should be: nothing! There is nothing you could do in one day to change your life in a drastic way. One of the answers was - doing more missionary work. How much missionary work could you do in one day that would make up for years of not doing it??? If the Saviour was coming tomorrow, there is nothing you could change, it would be too late. Should we not instead put on a party to welcome Him back, to let Him know that He is wanted and needed to fix this sad telestial world we find ourselves in, to take away our sorrows and dry our tears, to fix the broken hearted, to give us much needed peace?

Who is this King of Kings that will come to reign in righteousness for a thousand years? He is known by many names because He is a God of  many perfect attributes but mostly He is a God of love and mercy and justice. He will come to claim His own and when He does every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ. And when He comes we will hail Him as our God and our King, the King of Kings, known by majestic names such as these:

Jehovah

Jesus Christ

The Lord

The Son of God

The Son of the Eternal Father

The Lamb

The Shepherd

Redeemer

Almighty God

The God of Israel

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

The Lord of Hosts

The Holy one of Israel

The Redeemer of Israel

King Immanuel

The Eternal God

The Redeemer of the World

Holy One

The Saviour

The Mighty One of Jacob

The Mighty One of Israel

Messiah

The Lord God

The God of Hosts

The Prince of Life

The Lord of Glory

Eternal King

Lord God Almighty

The Son of Righteousness

The Lord of Hosts

Alpha and Omega

The Great I Am

The Stone of Israel

Holy Messiah

I Am

The Great Mediator

Son Ahman

Firstborn

King of Glory

The Lord God of Hosts

The Father of Heaven and Earth

The Creator of All Things

Wonderful

Counselor

The Mighty God

The Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace