Want To Be King For A Day? Learning From The Thompson Twins

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever’” (Revelation 11:15 NKJV).

On Saturday, March 28, 2026, the third “No Kings Day” rally took place across the United States and abroad. The media projected that this was the largest single-day organized event demonstrating opposition to socio-political issues facing Americans.

While reviewing the news about these events and listening to the multiple speeches, commentaries, and public input, it occurred to me that the day after this event is Palm Sunday, with the coming week being the start of the holy week, the Passion, the time Christians celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. But there was no input or mention of this coming week and its significance.

There was mention of Easter, but it was cloaked in the backdrop of politics. I began to wonder, “Is the country that far away from spiritual values that the coming holy week is not even on their social radar?”

“God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,” (1 Timothy 6:15 NJKV).

The theme of the day reminded me of a pop song from the 1980s by the multicultural trio the Thompson Twins, “If I Were King for Just One Day.” An odd song, but one that appeared fitting for the socio-political events of March 28, 2026. Case in point, what is an appropriate theme song for this organized nationwide event was nowhere to be heard.

Returning to my desire to find His kingdom in culture, and use music, from pop culture and within the boundaries of Christianity, as a theomusicological vehicle for an expressive, creative, dynamic, cultural, and scripture-based apologetic, overlooking the opportunity to read this track from the Thompson Twins, from a theomusicological viewpoint, inverts the socio-political discourse and re-focuses the conversation on how His Word is recognized and acknowledged in culture.

How Many Kings?

The term “King,” biblically speaking, has a range that comes with the definition. Amanda Williams, writing for a Christian website, notes that, “[t]he Bible contains numerous stories about kings that ruled over ancient Israel and Judah during the time periods recorded in the Old Testament. If you’re looking for a quick answer, the Bible mentions around 250 kings in its pages” (Christianwebsite, resource, January 2024). The Kings of the United Israel (Saul, David, Solomon) may be the first to come to mind.

1. Saul – Israel’s first king, chosen by God and anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 10). Saul is the first king of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, led a shift from a tribal culture to statehood. The biblical descriptions of Saul’s life are found in the Books of Samuel.

2. David – A man after God’s own heart, established Jerusalem as the capital (2 Samuel 5). David is described in the Old Testament as the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah after Saul. In the biblical narrative, David was a shepherd who earned recognition first as a musician and later by defeating the champion Goliath. He then obtains the favor of King Saul and the friendship of Saul’s son Jonathan. Following Saul and Jonathan’s deaths in battle, David is selected as King. David captures Jerusalem, bringing the Ark of the Covenant into the city, and establishes the kingdom established by Saul.

3. Solomon – Known for wisdom and building the temple, but his later years saw idolatry and heavy taxation (1 Kings 6–11). According to the Old Testament, Solomon was a rich and clever king of Israel who succeeded his father, King David. The traditional dates of Solomon’s ruling are circa 970 to 931 BCE. He is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah shortly after his death.

The Kings of the Divided Israel and Judah expand the range of ruling kings.

Pastor Jason Elder gives a more defined look at the lineage and history of the kings from these two lines.

“After the death of Solomon, the united kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). Each had its own line of kings, with Judah preserving the Davidic line and Israel experiencing frequent dynastic changes…Israel had a total of 19 kings before falling to the Assyrians in 722 BCE (2 Kings 17:6). Judah had 20 kings before being taken into exile by Babylon in 586 BCE (2 Kings 25:8-21). Only David, Solomon, and Saul ruled over the united kingdom before the split” (Pastor Jason Elder, December 8, 2025).

Ultimately, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, is Christ Jesus. “In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is named as the ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’ This title designates the sovereignty of Jesus as the Son of God. While the Kings of man ruled over their respective domains, Jesus and the Heavenly Father rule over all of creation” (Bible Study Tools, May 20, 2019).

Recognizing, acknowledging, understanding, and giving witness to Christ as the “King of Kings, Lord of Lords,” is the foundation building block of Christianity. The struggle is to present this knowledge in culture. Engaging pop culture, and music in particular, the application of reading and listening to music with an apologetic theomusicological ear is a critical practice; a dynamic hermeneutic to demonstrate and provide to both faith-based and non-faith-based communities.

How Would You Be King?

Thompson Twins, “If I Were King for Just One Day”, Here’s To Future Days, 1985, (Official Video) (4K Remaster),

“They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Revelation 17:14 NKJV).

“King For A Day”

Why Would You Want To Be King For A Day?

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1 NKJV).

Looking again at the “No Kings Day” rallies, following the critical apologetic reading of this pop song, we can further understand the importance of what Jeremiah 25 states. The “seventy years of captivity” brought about by the lack of support, praise, and worship of the kings in the surrounding area, the fierce learning we are told that was given by God to reclaim us to Him, stands to underscore this learning and how not to make these mistakes again.

Bible Hub provides a summary of Jeremiah 25, which articulates the point.

“Jeremiah 25 sets forth a profound message from the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The chapter reveals Jeremiah’s dire warning about the impending judgment of God, prophesying a seventy-year captivity in Babylon and the consequential punishment of various nations. The chapter is a vivid display of God’s displeasure with sin, emphasizing the inevitability of divine justice and the global impact of sin” (Bible Hub, 2024-2026).

All things considered, it sounds better to let Christ be the King, our King, the eternal and forever King. Why would we want to be a king for a day? We should recall that once Christ is accepted as our Lord and Savior, we are to be in His royal family. In the end, we are given the opportunity, daily, not just one day, to be in a royal family forever. Knowing this, why would we want to be a king for just one day?

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