A tale of three kingdoms

There's a village in south Lincolnshire called Threekingham. Legend has it that there was a battle here between the Anglosaxons and the Danes, in which three Danish kings were killed. Three kings, three kingdoms; three kingdoms, three kings. The story is almost certainly not true and seems to have been started by a monk many centuries later; the origin of the village's name can be explained in much more mundane terms. However, there were battles between Anglosaxons and Danes in this area and these battles were between kingdoms ruled by kings. Very rarely was a women in charge, although occasionally that was the case.

Of course we are now in the UK indeed ruled by a queen. Queen Elizabeth II has been in our thoughts and prayers over the last few days because of the death of her husband, Prince Phillip. Whatever you think of the monarchy as an institution, she is a brave lady and has suffered a great loss in her old age. Apart from our sympathy for her as a person, though, it can also turn our thoughts to the kingdom over which she reigns. Certainly in a relatively few years it will again have a king and he will inevitably change the nature of the monarchy to some degree. May the Queen live forever!

So you and I live in a political kingdom which is coming to the end of an era, but it will continue and we shall remain subjects of the United Kingdom. If we are British and live in Great Britain we have no choice in the matter. We are, though, also citizens of another, spiritual kingdom and in that case we do have a choice: we can be citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, or citizens of the Kingdom of Darkness. The King of Heaven is God and the King of the realm of Darkness is Satan. If you have not chosen to commit your life to Jesus, the human face of the triune God, then you are automatically in the Kingdom of Darkness.

This might seem a bit melodramatic. Most people in this country are not Christians and it doesn't resemble Hell, so Satan can't be ruling here is the obvious conclusion. However, think about how society is and how you would like it to be. Yes, most citizens here have enough food and drink, a roof over our heads, sufficient access to warmth and clothing, supportive friends and family much of the time. Are you happy, though, with the amount of injustice, the unnecessary suffering that goes unalleviated for political ends, the waste of resources, the destruction of the planet's environment, the hedonistic lifestyle adopted by a significant proportion of society? I could go on. Of course, the questions become even more intense if asked of other countries where even access to essential provisions is not guaranteed. And, ultimately, do you know what's going to happen to you when you die? Hell is a reality and Satan isn't worried if life here seems pretty good so long as we are distracted from thinking about God and giving our lives to him.

Whatever its friendly face, the Kingdom of Darkness is about immorality, impurity, indulgence, occult practices, hatred, strife, jealousy, rage, selfish ambition, disunity, contention, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like (Paul's letter to the Galatians, chapter 5, verses 19 - 21) and a future in Hell (Matthew's Gospel, chapter 25, verse 46). Apart from the last in the list, we certainly see a lot of that around us every day. However, there is a way to live differently. The world around us is so caught up in the types of behaviour listed above that they start to seem normal; they are definitely portrayed as such in the media. Being truthful all the time is hard, so is being kind all the time, keeping our behaviour pure, holy and ethical, being content with what we have. Is it surprising that we all tend to fall into the opposite behaviour so easily? Well, actually, no. Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome explained that, however much we want to behave better, there seems to be almost a law that we will do the opposite and fall short (Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 7, verses 14 - 24). That is the Law of Sin and Death. Paul goes on to say that it is through Jesus Christ that we have a way out so that we can be changed into people not subject to the Law of Sin and Death (Romans 7:25 - 8:2) - that is, not subjects of the Kingdom of Darkness but of the Kingdom of Light (Peter's first letter, chapter 2, verse 9).

The Kingdom of Heaven is about love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, patience (Galatians 5:22,23), putting others first, worshipping God (Mark's Gospel, chapter 12, verses 28 - 31). It is possible to live like that consistently only through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us once we have rejected our old way of living, turned away from it and committed our lives, our whole lives, to Jesus, the Son of God, who died to deal with sin and destroy the power of death (Romans 8:3-13).

So there are three kings, three kingdoms; three kingdoms, three kings. We are subject to two of them: Queen Elizabeth and God in the UK and the Kingdom of Heaven, or Queen Elizabeth and Satan in the UK and the Kingdom of Darkness. We can choose only one of the two options. Transfers from the latter to the former are free. Find our more here.

Why are you different because of Easter?

When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that we are now reconciled with God, if we choose to believe in his sacrifice. After being severely beaten, crucified, had a spear thrust into his side to make sure that he was dead, and then left to rot in a tomb for a day and a half, he suddenly came alive again on his own, accompanied by an earthquake and the appearance of angels in a blaze of light. Dramatic, to say the least! This was the man who was also the Son of God and his resurrection proved that he had been successful two days previously when he had been cruelly killed on a cross. Yes! He had defeated the devil and the powers of evil were now on the back foot, with nothing but a rearguard action left to fight. Sin and death were conquered. The way was open for humans to have a personal relationship with God and live with him forever. Death was no longer something to be feared by those who commit their lives to him. All our sin and shame, failings and guilt had been taken upon Jesus on the cross and when he came alive it was confirmed that they had all been dealt with.

• When Jesus died he took upon himself the punishment that we deserved for the way that we've lived our lives - eternal separation from God.

• When Jesus died he reconciled us for the offence that we had caused God by disobeying him.

• When Jesus died he ransomed us from the Kingdom of Darkness, where our citizenship lay because of our sin.

• When Jesus died he took away your guilt and mine and separated us from our sin.

• When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that death could not hold him and the punishment had been accepted; we no longer need to suffer eternity in Hell, if we choose to believe in his sacrifice.

• When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that we are now reconciled with God, if we choose to believe in his sacrifice.

• When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that we are now free from the Kingdom of Darkness and have been transferred to the Kingdom of Light, if we choose to accept his sacrifice.

• When Jesus rose from the dead he proved that there is now no condemnation for us whatsoever, if we choose to believe in his sacrifice.

Today, if you choose to believe in Jesus' sacrifice you can join those who already are members of the Kingdom of Heaven, and have a personal relationship with the King of Kings who made Heaven and Earth, and a certain hope of eternal life with God, living free from guilt as a disciple of Jesus. It isn't too good to be true; it's too good to ignore. Find out more here.

Was it really a good Friday the day that God died?

It's a beautiful time of year, flowers blooming all around, warm days when the sun manages to come out, birds singing happily. We're perhaps looking forward to a Sunday roast on Easter day, before or after opening Easter eggs. Two days earlier is this time called Good Friday. We might eat hot cross buns, which gives a nod to the fact that the day is something to do with a cross, but in the UK most of us probably don't give much thought for why this Friday is called good. If we do, then it could seem paradoxical, because this 'good' day is about a horrific death.

Of course, Christians understand that it's good because 1988 years ago it was the day when Jesus took on the responsibility for our misdeeds. However, it doesn't really seem a very good way in which it happened. Surely it's a sad day. And what about Jesus? Was it a good day for him? Well, in principle, yes, I think that it was. Jesus was born to die: he knew that before it happened. Despite all the temptations along the way to take another route, or in the Garden of Gethsemane to run away from it altogether, Jesus had made it through to the end and his main purpose in life had come. In some ways he was probably looking forward to it. He just had to get through this day and then the way was clear for him to rejoin his Father a few days later in Heaven. But he had to get through this day first.

Jesus had preached what would become the most famous sermons in the world ever. He had taught what would become the most famous prayer ever. He had healed vast numbers of people, including the lame, blind, deaf and lepers, raised the dead and cast out innumerable demons. He had turned water into wine, calmed a storm, killed a tree instantly by cursing it, fed nine thousand men and further thousands of women and children using 12 loaves of bread and a few fish. He had done more than enough, many times over, to be canonized by the Catholic Church and become Saint Jesus. He had taught the world how to live and trained a team to follow in his footsteps. Yet, the main purpose of his life had not yet been accomplished. He was going to give the whole world, through all time, the opportunity to be saved from Hell. In his name and filled with his Holy Spirit, Christians can now do the things that he did when he was alive; no one can do what he accomplished through his death.

Jesus was born for many reasons, but mainly to die so that we can be born to live.

Although this was the day he had lived for, Jesus knew what was coming. Crucifxion is supposed to one of the most painful ways to die, and it takes a long time. It was reserved for the worst criminals and others of whom the Roman rulers wanted to make an example. Jesus wasn't unique in going through such a death and also the preliminary beatings, although there turned out to be several cycles of that. However, no one in his right mind would look forward to it. He knew though, that it was going to be worse than that. He had never been separated from his Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit lived in him. Right at the worst part of his agony on the cross, they were going to abandon him and leave him to it. Total separation from God is the state that defines Hell - Jesus was going to have to go through that while on the cross. No wonder the night before he spent some time begging his Father not to let it happen, but in the end he surrendered to his Father's will and went to meet his betrayer, because ultimately it was his will too.

Christians often spend some time on Good Friday contemplating Jesus' time on the cross, and rightly so. It reminds us how much he did for us; it reminds us that sin is so horrendous that this was the only way to deal with it - the bloody death of the Son of God; it reminds us how much the Father loves us that he was willing to send his Son to go through this for us; it reminds us how much Jesus loves us that he was willing to be the one to endure it. It also reminds us that we were born deserving an afterlife in Hell; it reminds us that as Christians we are now set free to live with God in this life and then in Heaven forever, because of what Jesus willingly accomplished for us.

Jesus was God walking on Earth. He was in every sense of the word God. He was one with his Father and filled with the Spirit. In a very real sense, God himself died that first Good Friday. He died physically on the cross as a human and, for a few hours, died to the Father and Spirit. He died so that we can have eternal life now and in Heaven by believing in him and giving our lives to him. Someone wrote to me recently that she wished that Jesus hadn't had to die so horribly; and that's it, isn't it? We all wish that it hadn't had to be like that, Jesus more than anyone the night that he was betrayed. Yet because of the way that Adam and Eve and you and I led our lives, and everyone in between, it had to be. The only useful response is to repent, turn away from our sinful lives and give them to God. If you haven't yet done that, and so don't know God and have the assurance of salvation in your heart, you can find out how to here. If you are already a Christian, then let's spend at least part of this Good Friday falling more in love with the one who gave all so that we can gain all.

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