Until

The Revelation says the Lamb of God will become the Lion of Zion. Astride a great white horse, he will lead the armies of heaven and tread "the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty" (19:15).

Jesus? Our Jesus? The meek and mild Jesus? The one about whom the scriptures say

"A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out..." (Matt 12:20).

Sometimes it's hard to see Jesus as a warrior. But that passage is the key. The sentence continues:

"A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out
till he leads justice to victory."

That "till" is important. Jesus came with a purpose, a mission, and he carried it out. He was here to be a sacrifice, to be killed simply for claiming to be exactly who he was. Next time, the mission will be different.

The other day as I was reading this, when that "till" jumped out at me, I was reminded of a song from some years ago:

First time around he came as a man
clothed in humility
He was the Father's sacrifice
sent to set us free ...

This time around
there'll be no speculation
the king will wear his crown.
This time around
the world will see his glory
watch is kingdom come down ...

As hard as it is to imagine sometimes, the day will come when Christ will return in glory and power to establish his kingdom on earth. And we will be able to say goodbye to sin and pain and grief and all the ills of this world.

Come, Lord Jesus.