31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33
These words are those given to Mary, the mother of Jesus, by the angel Gabriel. They are given to dispel her fears at the sight of the angel, and cause faith to rise within Mary to believe the Word of the Lord, that she would give birth to the promised Messiah; the Son of God. The testimony of God’s Word shows that before the angel left her, Mary believed that which the angel declared to be true in her response; “And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. “And the angel departed from her.”
Mary’s understanding of the promise of God to give to her forthcoming Son “the throne of His father David” would rest upon what the Scripture already revealed about David’s throne, and the promises God made to David that related to it. This is to be found in 2 Samuel 7:12-13,16 where we read; “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. – And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
In his address recorded in Acts 2, the apostle Peter draws the attention of his audience to the writings of David recorded in the book of Psalms, and also to the promise made to David concerning his throne being established forever. Peter made it clear that David did not ascend to the heavens, but was in fact prophesying of the One to come, who was in fact God incarnate. David had written “”‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool”, and in no uncertain terms, the apostle Peter made it clear that this was in direct reference to Jesus Christ, the One they had just crucified. Even now He was seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, as both Lord and Christ.
We know from the direct testimony of Jesus Himself [John 18:36] , that “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” We are told by the writer of Hebrews; “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” The city we seek not being of this world here and now, but is the heavenly city that is to be revealed when Christ returns in glory. This city to come will not be revealed until the first heaven and earth have passed away [Rev 21:1] , or as the apostle Peter puts it [2 Pet 3:10,13] ; “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. — But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
It was a common error amongst the Jews in that day to look for a glorious kingdom to be established on earth, and in the days prior to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in power, even up to the day of Christ’s ascension, this also remained the attitude of the disciples. This can be clearly seen in their question to Jesus immediately prior to His ascension; “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” If it wasn’t for the fact that the Holy Spirit Himself had changed their perception of such matters, why else would the apostles have taught so clearly that which was contrary to their own hopes and beliefs only a number of days prior, as in the passages I’ve already quoted?
If we are numbered in the elect today, we have a few questions that we should ask ourselves: Do we have a Saviour who is already declared to be the King of the Universe or not? Is He already seated upon His heavenly throne, of which David’s earthly throne was merely a copy. Or is He waiting in the wings for a day when He can finally be seated upon David’s earthly throne amongst a continually rebellious people? Has Christ already bound Satan, that His glorious Gospel may rob the devil of his captives, or is that binding still something you await? Does Christ and the power of His kingdom, by His Spirit, dwell in the hearts of the elect of God upon the earth today. That they may be salt and light in the earth, and the peoples may see their good works, empowered by God’s Spirit, and give glory to God? For those who answer no to any of these questions, it is my utmost belief that you have an under realised eschatology. This I mean in the sense of failing to understand the present and eternal glory in which Christ is now seated, and that now and for evermore, He rules and reigns in power from the true throne of David, of which the earthly throne in ancient Jerusalem was just a copy. Also in the sense of failing to realise the power held by the Gospel in the earth today, to rob Satan of those he has taken captive through sin. It is true Satan still prowls like a lion seeking its prey, but it is also true that he has already been bound by Christ, that all who have been given to Him of the Father, may be released from captivity by the power of the Gospel.
Let us repent today of our foolishness, and know fully that even now Christ is Lord of lords and King of kings. He now prepares a place for us that is to be revealed upon His return in glory, which will be the next time anyone on earth will see Him. There is no secret rapture of the church, and there will be no earthly reign in a fallen world for a thousand years. His promise is only to return once more, and that will be in glorious triumph to the fanfare of heaven itself [1 Thess 4:16]. In that day the “sky shall vanish like a scroll being rolled up”, “the mountains shall melt like wax”, or in the words of Peter; “the Day of the Lord shall come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.” When Christ returns to judge the living and the dead, which will be the next time any living soul on earth shall see Him, at that time “every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.”
If you have called upon the name of the Lord for salvation in faith, fear not anything of this world, for His promise is to save you, and save you He shall. Whether you should remain until He comes, or should return to the dust while He tarries, know full well that when you see your Saviour in the flesh, it will be in glory, and at that time you will be transformed in the twinkling of an eye to be just like Him, and to dwell with Him for all eternity, in a city where only righteousness shall dwell.
PDF No related posts.
