From the beginning of time, rulers and kings have longed for immortality. If they could live forever, they could rule forever, and their kingdoms would never come to an end. Pharaohs built pyramids and filled them with treasures, hoping to secure eternity in the afterlife. Chinese emperors searched endlessly for elixirs of life. European medieval monarchs turned to alchemy, seeking to defeat death.
Today, the quest for the elixir of life continues. Recently, during a parade in Beijing, a hot mic captured Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing the possibility of extending life to 150 years and achieving immortality. The ambition is the same: cling to power, escape death, and preserve their kingdoms.
This longing for eternal rule is not new. Anyone who has tasted power—political, financial, or otherwise—struggles to let it go. And frankly, that’s quite understandable. But the awareness that death will one day strip it all away is torment enough. This drives many to pursue every possible means of extending life to cling to their power.
Yet history shows every empire collapses, and its rulers fall with it. No king, throne, crown, or dynasty has ever escaped the reach of death. Psalm 49:12 declares: “The grave is their eternal home, where they will stay forever. They may name their estates after themselves, but their fame will not last. They will die, just like animals.”
Babylon, called “the glory of kingdoms” (Isaiah 13:19), fell to Persia in one night. Greece under Alexander fractured after his death. Rome, once claiming to be eternal, crumbled from within. Daniel 2 foresaw this cycle of empires rising and falling until “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44).
This is no accident. God revealed in Daniel 2 that the empires of the world, from Babylon to Persia, Greece, Rome, and down to the very last empire yet to come, would rise and fall like the parts of a great statue. History has confirmed this vision with exact detail. However, the Kingdom of God, which supersedes them, will endure forever because Jesus, its appointed ruler, has risen from the dead and lives forever.
But scripture warns of one rival who will imitate Jesus’ resurrection. The bible calls him the Beast. He will be the ruler of the very last empire that will overrun the world in the last days. Revelation 13:3 says, “One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast.” For a brief time, his resurrection and kingdom will deceive the world. And many will give their allegiance to him, thinking that his kingdom would last forever.
Yet his reign is short: “The beast was given authority for forty-two months” (Revelation 13:5). Revelation 17:11 confirms his end: “The beast… goes to destruction.” His rule only highlights the contrast: Christ reigns eternally, the Beast falls swiftly. Daniel 2:44 concludes in the days of this ruler and his cotravellers, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed… it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever.
That kingdom belongs to Jesus Christ. Unlike the rulers of this world, Jesus has already conquered death. Revelation 1:18 records His words: “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever!” His resurrection proves His rule is eternal. Luke 1:33 promises: “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Every empire in history has fallen. Every world power today will one day end. But Christ’s kingdom will never end. He offers eternal life not through wealth, politics, or science, but through faith in Him. John 3:16 declares: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
You can become a citizen of the only kingdom that lasts forever. Give your allegiance to Jesus Christ, and receive the eternal life that no ruler on earth can manufacture. The desire for immortality is real, but it is only found in the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
