The Return of the King and His Triumphal Entry
This past Sunday was Palm Sunday, the day of the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into the old city of Jerusalem. Five days later, He was dead!
This past Sunday, a sister (in Christ) from a distant state shared with me how the Lord kept her focus entirely on that theme for several days. She wondered what it might mean. I told her we would just have to be watchful and see what happens. It is now Tuesday, April 7th and nothing that I am aware of (national or global) seems to have happened on April 5, 2020 that would connect with the theme of the Triumphal Entry.
Then, this afternoon, came a text from a local friend and sister-in-Christ. She is from a Baptist background. She had just today discovered a video online and felt led to share it with me. It is the world’s largest virtual singing of George Frederic Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus.” It is performed by the world-famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir, 360 members strong.
In an amazing display of the capabilities of the internet and video manipulation, the producers inserted virtual soloists from their homes in between the 360 uniformed members of the actual Tabernacle Choir. Then they displayed hundreds of other virtual soloists around the elliptical ceiling of the Mormon Tabernacle venue in Salt Lake City.
As some readers are aware, I was born into a Roman Catholic family and attended a minor seminary (high school) boarding school. While there, I studied music, learned to play guitar and sang in the 88-member seminary choir. In my senior year, we went on tour. I still remember to this day the thrill of singing the Hallelujah Chorus in front of an audience of 1,200 people.
Regardless of the audience, I still sing along every time I hear it. So here in this video we have Handel’s masterpiece from 278 years ago combined with modern technology to create a means for Christians from every (or no) denomination to join in unity to welcome our King in Triumph over Mystery Babylon!
As imperfect Christians, we all have errors somewhere in our beliefs and doctrines. When the King returns, the denominational walls will be coming down—or will have already come down! So that we will then see how we truly are all one in Christ Jesus! Though the virtual participants in this video are likely to be predominantly Mormons, perhaps this video of the world’s largest virtual “Hallelujah Chorus” is a foretaste of that unity in Christ we can all experience now.
I have viewed it three times today—make that four times, and during each playing, I sobbed as rivers of tears streamed down my face. Figuratively, I was on my knees and then prostrate before my King whom I seek to worship in spirit and in truth. As I watched this highly moving and inspiring performance, I pictured King Jesus suddenly materializing in the midst, and with arms outstretched to His people all over the globe, He smiles and utters the single word, “Peace!”
Unless the Father has something even more magnificent in mind, I would nominate this, Handel’s masterpiece, as the song to accompany the King’s Triumphal Entry into the heavenly Stone Kingdom here in New JerUSAlem! (For new readers, to whom this concept of the USA being the New Jerusalem is a new, strange, some would even say, “heretical” doctrine, stay tuned as I lay it all out for you in my series, Mystery Babylon and the Stone Kingdom.)
While many believers would play this Chorus on Palm Sunday to commemorate His Triumphal Entry before His death, I suggest that it is even more appropriate to watch it and celebrate the King on this coming Sunday, April 12, 2020, on which day we will celebrate His Triumph over death and the grave!
And do come quickly, King Jesus! For at this time of a grave national crisis and perhaps, of great national sorrow still to come upon us very soon, we are in dire need of Your righteous rule over US(A)!
Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
And now, here is the video.