The Hidden Kingdom

The Hidden Kingdom

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.

1 Corinthians 15:24

Paul says Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father. How can that be? Everywhere else the Scripture says he will remain king forever, and his kingdom will never end. But Paul says in this verse that Christ will hand over the kingdom and lay in his Father’s lap his crown, scepter, and everything else. How can we resolve this? Here is the answer: in this verse, Paul is speaking about Christ’s kingdom on earth. This is a kingdom of faith. Instead of reigning in a visible, public way, he reigns through the Word. To us, it’s like looking at the sun through a cloud. We see the light, but we don’t see the sun itself. But when the clouds leave, we see both the light and the sun at the same time in the same object. Similarly, Christ now reigns undivided with the Father. It’s one and the same kingdom. But to us, it appears dark, hidden, concealed, and covered.

He wants to reign secretly and invisibly in our hearts, by the Word alone. Through the Word, he protects and upholds us in our weakness against the world’s might and power. Though the kingdom is now here on earth, it will later be in heaven. It will not be covered and hidden as it appears now. A gold coin remains a gold coin whether I hide it in my pocket or pull it out and hold it in my hand. In the same way, Christ will display before the eyes of the whole world the treasure that is now concealed from us.