Peter Shee—Singapore
A hundred years is a significant milestone, and milestones are important if we are serious about our goal.
The end of a thing is better than its beginning (a)
“Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things that are not yet done,
Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
And I will do all My pleasure.’ ” ()
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.“ ()
This second centennial issue looks towards the triumphant church—conceived in eternity and declared at the very beginning—when the promised Savior will crush Satan under His feet and ours (; ).
Christ is called the Son of David because the Davidic kingdom was God’s prophetic model of His eternal kingdom (; ; ; ). After the captivity, no successor ever sat on David’s throne. But James explained that David’s tabernacle had been restored, and he added: “Known to God from eternity are all His works” ().
Paul linked Christ’s kingship to His priesthood—at His resurrection, Jesus brought forgiveness of sins (, ) and established God’s kingdom as David’s ultimate successor (; )!
The inaugurated status of the kingdom coincided with the birth of the church (; ). As priests and kings, we should follow our Master in fierce battle to win the world for Him (; ). As one writer in this issue warns, the fallacious view of “realized eschatology” has led some within the True Jesus Church to lose focus on Christ’s second coming, thus impeding our growth into the glorious church. The exile of Judah and destruction of the temple in 586 B.C.E. and again in 70 C.E. give us the clear message that hearts matter more to God than buildings. As God’s people, we cannot but find glory in God alone, just as He is glorified through us (, ).
Apostasy plagued the church soon after the apostolic foundation was laid. In “Our Story,” we are reminded to continue the story of the church as the truly revived apostolic church. The self-questioning in another theme article is timely: “Is it possible that after a century on earth, the True Jesus Church today has retained the form but not the soul of God’s true church?”
The significance of century—let it be a blessing, not bane. We know whom we have believed, and that we are indeed His elect community—both an assurance and a great responsibility.