All being well, Charles III will be crowned as king on 6^th May 2023, having acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022. The last coronation in the UK was that of his mother, 70 years ago, when Charles was a little boy. Born as an heir to the throne he has waited many years for this occasion, and at the age of 74 he will be the oldest person ever to assume the British throne.

This is not, however, a world record. For example, King Abdullah was over 80 when he ascended the throne of Saudi Arabia, and Emir Nawaf ascended the throne of Kuwait at the age of 83.

Many years ago, someone else was born to be a king, and knew it from an early age.

“And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end”.

Luke 1:32

The angel Gabriel said these words to Mary, the mother of Jesus, before he was conceived.

It was confirmed by Jesus himself, at the trial which led to his crucifixion:

Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth.

John 18:37

And, although Jesus was never crowned, the inscription on his cross declared him to be ‘King of the Jews’.

The Bible is full of references to the kingdom of God on earth with Jesus as king. Jesus is waiting in heaven for the time determined by God, and then he will come back to earth and rule.

There will be much pomp and ceremony when Charles III is crowned. Although some people are not in favour of such pageantry, or even of the monarchy itself, few people will be unaware of the event.

 But how many people are aware that a greater king is coming? And how many will be pleased to see Jesus as God’s king over the whole earth?

Are we ready for that event which will be even more splendid and glorious than 6^th May? Indeed, it will be awesome and earth-shattering in its impact.  For Jesus is the future king of the world and he will come again to rule for ever.

This is the time of year for quizzes. Questions about the Bible are less common than they used to be, and people seem to struggle with the answers.

See how you can do with this quiz for the end of 2022 and the start of 2023.

FIRST and LAST

1. What is the FIRST book in the New Testament of the Bible?
   
   
2. What is the LAST book in the Old Testament of the English (not Hebrew) Bible?
   
   
3. Who said that the FIRST would be LAST and the LAST would be FIRST?
    (Mark 10:31)
   
   
4. Adam was the FIRST man. Who was the LAST Adam?  (1 Corinthians 15:45)
   
   
5. What did Jesus say is the FIRST and most important commandment? (Mark 12:28-30)
   
   
6. What are the LAST words of Jesus in the Bible? (Revelation 22:20)
   
   
7. What did the Jewish prophets say would be built in the LAST days?
   (Isaiah 2:2; Micah 4:1)

Image by Shahid Abdullah from Pixabay

Our politicians seem to make more public U-turns nowadays. And they get criticized, or even ridiculed.

U-turns in life are not always bad things. When we are heading along a mountain path or a road that leads to danger then a U-turn is a way of surviving. In fact, it can be essential.

Similarly, when a bad decision has been made then it is good to revoke it.  Of course, it is better not to make the bad decisions in the first place. But sticking rigidly to a foolish decision makes no sense.

The word ‘repent’ is used a lot in the Bible. And it means to change our mind. The consequence of this is also to change our way of life.

Jesus is the only person who has never had to repent. His life was perfect: he always pleased God. He preached:

The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.

Mark 1:15

The apostles had the same message. Peter told the Jews:

 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.

Acts 3:19

The apostle Paul said that he had

…declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance.

Acts 26:20

It is a commandment of God

…but now He [God] commands all people everywhere to repent.

Acts 17:30

Furthermore, it is a matter of long-term survival.

[God] is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

2 Peter3:9

So, rather than criticizing other people, maybe we should ask ourselves whether we have done a complete U-turn for God. If not, then we need to think very carefully about this.