From Resurrection to Return: Living in Light of the Risen and Coming King

By Dave Jenkins

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not the end of the story; it is the turning point of history.

In a culture that lives for the moment and measures truth by shifting opinions, the resurrection stands as God’s definitive declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is the vindication of His person, the confirmation of His work, and the foundation of the Christian’s hope. Yet the New Testament does not allow us to stop at the empty tomb. It presses us forward, reminding us that the risen Christ is not only the Savior who was raised, but the King who is reigning and the Judge who is returning.

To understand the resurrection rightly is to see that it is not merely an event to celebrate, but a reality that shapes how we live now and how we view the future.

The Resurrection Points Us Forward

After His resurrection, Jesus did not remain on earth indefinitely. He ascended into heaven before the eyes of His disciples, and in doing so, He revealed that His work had entered a new phase. As Acts 1 makes clear, the same Jesus who was taken up will come again in the same way. The resurrection leads to the ascension, and the ascension points unmistakably to the return. The empty tomb, then, is not the final chapter of redemptive history; it is the beginning of Christ’s reign and the guarantee of His return.

The Risen Christ Is Reigning Now

This truth confronts one of the most common misunderstandings in our day. Jesus is often spoken of as if He were distant, passive, or merely an example to follow. Scripture presents something far different. The risen Christ is reigning now. Seated at the right hand of the Father, He rules with all authority in heaven and on earth. He intercedes for His people, governs His church, and directs the course of history according to the sovereign will of God. The resurrection did not remove Christ from the world; it established His rule over it.

The Resurrection Guarantees His Return

Because He reigns, history is not random, and the future is not uncertain. The resurrection guarantees that Christ will return. As Acts 17 declares, God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed, and He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. The resurrection is not only proof that Jesus lives; it is God’s public declaration that Jesus is the appointed Judge of all the earth.

This stands in direct opposition to the spirit of our age. We live in a culture that rejects accountability, resists authority, and seeks to redefine truth on its own terms. Yet the resurrection makes clear that every person will one day stand before the risen Christ. Every claim will be evaluated, every life examined, and every knee will bow. The empty tomb is not merely a message of comfort; it is also a declaration of authority.

The Resurrection Secures the Believer’s Future

For the Christian, however, this truth is not a cause for fear, but for hope. The same resurrection that guarantees judgment also secures the believer’s future. Christ is called the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, meaning that His resurrection is the beginning of a greater harvest to come. Because He lives, those who belong to Him will also be raised. Death is not the end. The body will be redeemed. The grave does not have the final word.

The Resurrection Shapes How We Live Now

This future hope is not meant to remain abstract. It is meant to shape how we live now. The New Testament consistently connects the resurrection of Christ to the daily life of the believer. Because we have been raised with Christ, we are called to seek the things that are above, where Christ is. Our minds are to be set not on the passing realities of this world, but on the eternal kingdom that is to come.

This means that the resurrection reshapes everything. It changes how we endure suffering, reminding us that present trials are temporary in light of eternal glory. It changes how we view sin, calling us to holiness in light of the life we now have in Christ. It changes how we engage the culture, grounding us not in fear or compromise, but in the unchanging truth of God’s Word.

Living Between the Empty Tomb and the Coming King

In this sense, the Christian life is lived between two great realities: the empty tomb and the coming King.

We live in the “already but not yet.” Christ has come, and He has accomplished redemption. Christ has risen, and He reigns in glory. Yet Christ has not yet returned, and the fullness of His kingdom has not yet been revealed. This tension defines the life of the believer. We are called to stand firm in truth while waiting with hope. We are called to live faithfully in the present while longing for what is to come.

In a confused age, clarity is not optional. The resurrection provides that clarity. It reminds us that truth is not determined by culture, but by God. It anchors us in the reality that history is moving toward a definite end, not drifting aimlessly. And it calls us to live with both conviction and hope, knowing that the risen Christ is both reigning now and returning soon.

Conclusion

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not merely a past event to be remembered. It is a present reality that governs the life of the believer and a future hope that secures our destiny.

The risen Christ reigns.

The risen Christ will return.

And because of this, we must fix our eyes on Him, stand firm in His Word, and live each day in light of the risen and coming King.

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