Who Is the King of God’s Kingdom?

• Chosen by God. “I myself have installed my king . . . I will give nations as your inheritance and the ends of the earth as your possession.”​—Psalm 2:6, 8.

• An heir of King David. “A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us . . . To the increase of his rulership and to peace, there will be no end, on the throne of David and on his kingdom in order to establish it firmly.”​—Isaiah 9:6, 7.

• Born in Bethlehem. “He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him: ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for that is what has been written through the prophet.’”—Matthew 2:4, 5.

• Rejected by men and executed. “He was despised, and we held him as of no account. . . . He was pierced for our transgression; he was crushed for our errors.”​—Isaiah 53:3, 5.

• Raised from the dead and glorified. “he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was he forsaken in the Grave nor did his flesh see corruption...Therefore, because he was exalted to the right hand of God... ”—Acts 2:31, 33.

Jesus Christ—Ideally Qualified

In all human history, only one person has fit the description of an ideal Ruler; that person is Jesus Christ. In fact, an angel had told Mary, Jesus’ mother: “God will give him the throne of David his father, . . . and there will be no end to his Kingdom.”​—Luke 1:31-33.

Jesus never became a ruler on earth. Rather, he is to rule mankind from heaven as King of God’s Kingdom. What makes him an ideal Ruler? Consider what Jesus did while on earth.

• Jesus cared for people. Jesus helped men and women, young and old, regardless of their background or status. (Matthew 9:36; Mark 10:16) When a leper pleaded: “If you just want to, you can make me clean,” Jesus was moved with pity and cured him.​—Mark 1:40-42.

• Jesus taught us how to please God. He said: “You cannot slave for God and for Riches.” He also said that we must treat others as we would like others to treat us​—a principle that has come to be called the Golden Rule. In addition, he showed that God is interested not only in what we do but also in how we think and feel. So to please God, we must control what we feel in our heart. (Matthew 5:28; 6:24; 7:12) Jesus emphasized that for us to be truly happy, we must learn what God wants us to do and then do it.​—Luke 11:28.

• Jesus taught what it means to love. Jesus’ words and actions were powerful and touched his listeners’ hearts. “The crowds were astounded at his way of teaching, for he was teaching them as a person having authority.” (Matthew 7:28, 29) He taught them: “Love your enemies.” He even prayed in behalf of some of those who were responsible for his death: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”​—Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34.

Jesus is perfectly qualified to be an effective world Ruler who is helpful and kind. But when does he begin to rule?