Power and the Authority of God

Rev 11:15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever." 16  Then the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17  singing, "We give you thanks, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign. 18  The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both small and great, and for destroying those who destroy the earth." 19  Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

The writer of Hebrews pens this at a time when the Roman Empire reigned supreme. Not only did the Emperor demand human submission, but he also claimed that the gods of the conquered nations were subservient to his power.  Hebrews Ch.11v15 offers a rebuttal to this: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever."    

The kings, and the kingdoms, of this world are subservient to a much larger Divine Authority – whether they recognise this or not! No one can stride this earth as if their authority is beyond question. All power, whether political or spiritual, belongs to God; and all who exercise power must remember that power is on temporary loan and is to be used with wisdom and care.      

Ordinary 20 / Pentecost +13

42 The Kingdom Comes

The Scripture passage for the day is drawn from Reuben Job and Norman Shawchuck, A Guide to Prayer for Ministers and other Servants, (Nashville, The Upper Room 1983), 261.
This reflection is from my own devotional exercises for the day.