|
About Jesus Steve Sweetman The
Eternal Throne Of David "For
unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will
be upon His shoulders … of the increase of His government and peace
there will be no end … He will reign on David's throne and over His
kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever …" (Isaiah 9:6-7) The
general consensus is that King David ruled the tribe of Judah from 1010
B. C. to 1003 B. C., and then ruled all of Israel from 1003 B. C. to
around 970 to 965 B. C..
Two hundred plus years later the prophet Isaiah predicted that an
Israeli Messiah would establish an eternal kingdom and rule from David's
throne again. Judaism thus
adopted a Messianic theology that looked forward to the day when their
Messiah would free Israel
from Gentile domination. Christians
understand this Messiah to be the Lord Jesus Christ.
Orthodox Jews agree with liberal scholars when they claim Jesus
was just one of many messianic zealots who dotted the Galilean landscape
in the first century. Orthodox
Jews are still waiting for their Messiah.
Liberals aren't waiting for anyone.
An
angel sent from God to Mary confirmed the Christian belief when he
proclaimed that she would give birth to a son.
"… the Lord God will give Him (Mary's son) the throne of
His father David and He would reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever; His kingdom will never end". (Luke 1:32-33)
Some
people confuse "David's throne" with the throne Jesus
presently sits on in heaven. They're
not the same throne. David's
throne was a literal earthly throne in the literal city of Jerusalem, not in heaven. It's on
this earthly throne in Further
to the fact that Jesus would rule on David's throne, both Isaiah and the
angel, predicted that the Messiah's rule would have "no end".
His kingdom would be eternal.
This tells me that Jesus' rule on David's throne will not end
after what Prophetic Futurists call "the thousand year rule of
Christ". Revelation
21:1 to 3 sheds a bit of light on this issue.
"I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven
and the first earth had passed away … I saw the Holy City, the New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God … I heard a loud voice
from the throne (heavenly throne, not David's throne) saying, 'Now the
dwelling place of God is with men' …" Along
with a new heaven, a new earth, there will be a new Jerusalem, where I
believe Jesus will rule from David's throne.
Something
that many of us miss concerning the new earth is seen in Revelation
21:24 to 26. "The
nations will walk by its (New Jerusalem's) light and the kings of the
earth will bring their splendor into it … the glory and honor of the
nations will be brought into it".
The word "it" refers to the New Jerusalem.
The word "nations" is translated from the Greek word
"ethnos", meaning, "a group of similar people who are
distinguished from other groups of people".
According to this passage, there will be distinguishable nations
of ethnic peoples on the new earth.
These nations will be governed by kings, not by elected
officials. I believe these
kings will be appointed by Jesus from those of us who are now a
"nation of kings and priests". (Revelation 5:10, 1 Peter 2:9)
These kings will bring the splendor of their nations into the New
Jerusalem, which I believe is a form of worship to King Jesus.
The
eternal government of Jesus predicted in Isaiah 9:6 and 7 finds it's
final fulfillment on the new earth where Jesus
will govern Israel
and all nations on earth. (Romans 15:12)
The "eternal nationhood of Israel" predicted throughout the Old Testament will also find its
fulfillment on the new earth as well. Israel's distinctiveness among the nations, with Jesus sitting on the throne
of David, will exist throughout eternity.
|