JESUS THE GREAT KING

THE GREAT KING

We need first of all to consider God's covenant with David: that, of his descendants, He would raise up a wholly righteous seed (the Christ) who would sit and reign upon his throne for ever. (Literally, for the aeon of the aeons, i.e., the Millennium.) In 2Samual 7 we read of how King David wanted to build a house or Temple for God. God told him that it was not to be David who would build that Temple. However God did promise David that He would build him a house or dynasty that would last for ever. We read:

"And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."....... "And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever." 2Samuel 7v12-13 &16

David himself says:

"These be the last words of David. . . The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and His word was upon my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me: One that ruleth over men righteously, that ruleth in the fear of God he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, a morning without clouds; when the tender grass springeth out of the earth, through clear shining after rain. Verily my house is not so with God; yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for it is all my salvation, and all my desire, although He maketh it not to grow." (2 Samuel 23.1-5).

This promise was not fulfilled in David's lifetime but God does not change His word is trustworthy and sure. So we read of God's promise to Mary the mother of Jesus, who was a direct descendant of David:

"Thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him THE THRONE of HIS FATHER DAVID: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1.31-33).

The world has already had a preview of that perfect character, God has prepared to be the Great King of Israel and indeed the King of all the world. The four Gospel accounts have preserved for mankind an indelible record of his life and work at his first coming. Before he commenced his work he had thoroughly mastered the teaching of the Old Testament scriptures so that he might obey all his Father's commandments perfectly; he set an example of flawless righteousness and he taught the people without fear or favour. At the end although he knew the terrible death that awaited him, he voluntarily surrendered to crucifixion, willing to submit totally to his Fathers will. Peter sought to change the mind of Jesus, striving to deter him from going to Jerusalem and ultimately to his death. Yet Jesus rebuked Peter saying:

"Thinkest thou that I cannot beseech my Father, and He shall even now send me more than twelve legions of angels? How then should the scriptures be fulfilled that thus it must be?" (Matthew 26.53-54).

Nonetheless, Jesus looked forward in perfect faith, to that great reward which he knew that he would receive at the time appointed by his Father in heaven. Thus Paul exhorted the disciples:

"Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12v1-2)

When Jesus returns in power and great glory, he will be accompanied by his Father's angels, for we read Jesus said:

"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit on the throne of his glory: and before him shall be gathered all the nations." (Matthew 25.31-32).

Thus the Angels that Jesus spoke of to Peter that he could call upon his Father for will now be with him, prepared to do his bidding. It is they whom Jesus will send to the four corners of the Earth to gather his elect to the judgement seat.
So lets go on now to examine some aspects of Jesus upon his return.

1) THE PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF JESUS

When Jesus came before, it was foretold of him by the prophet Isaiah:

"Who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected of men..." (Isaiah 53.1-3).

Surely Jesus was despised and rejected, crucified upon the cross, a cruel death. Yet when he returns in the full glory of the Spirit Nature that he now has, to reign as a great and glorious King, his appearance shall be greatly changed. David foresaw his changed appearance:

"My heart overfloweth with a goodly matter: I speak the things which I have made touching the King: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Gird thy sword upon thy thigh O MIGHTY ONE, thy glory and thy majesty. And righteousness: and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp; the peoples fall under thee; they are in the heart of the king's enemies. Thy throne, O God is for ever and ever: a sceptre of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom Thou lovest righteousness, and hated wickedness: therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; out of the ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad" (Psalm 45.1-8).

The righteous have been promised and look forward to the time when as Isaiah records:

"Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty." (Isaiah 33.17).

Jesus was born exactly like us, he was of the same nature and prone to the same weakness, but now, raised from the dead after a life of complete obedience to his Father, he is clothed with divine nature.

"God having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets... hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things.... who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power." (Hebrews 1.1-3).

To Jesus as we read has been given all power and authority by God. Following his resurrection Jesus spoke to his disciples: " And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matt 28v18) Thus mighty in power and appearance Jesus shall rule the nations with as we read an iron rod, yet with justice and righteousness, faithfully executing God's will and purpose.

2) RE-UNITES THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL

Because of the disobedience of King Solomon, God divided the nation of Israel into two Kingdoms, but because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ his Father will reunite them in his hand, that Jesus might reign over a united Kingdom and people:

"Say unto them thus saith the Lord God: Behold I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land: and I will make them one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one King shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms anymore at all." (Ezekiel 37.21-22).

The Kingdom of God though, is not confined merely to the land of Israel, but will be a world wide Kingdom, with Jesus ultimately bringing all into subjection to God. [1Corinthians 15.25]

3) RULES WITH FIRMNESS, WISDOM, JUSTICE AND MERCY.

Man now makes laws and rules as he sees fit, there is no universal concept of justice. Each country has it's own legal system with laws acceptable to some countries but unacceptable to other countries. However in the Kingdom age no longer will man devise laws as he sees fit, no longer will there be injustice, a law that benefits one section of the community at the expense of another. Jesus will rule with justice because his judgement will be on an entirely different level:

"The spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord... he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked" (Isaiah 11.2-4).

The law that Jesus will rule by shall be the law of God, a law that is infallible and irresistible:

"Give THE KING thy judgements, O God and thy righteousness unto the king's son He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgement...He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee while the sun endureth, and so long as the moon, throughout all generations...In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace, till the moon be no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth ...All kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him" (Psalm72.l-ll).

We read that the law shall 'go forth from Jerusalem'. The Kings of Israel were said to sit upon the throne of the Lord God, for it is he who is the ultimate King of all. The Kings dispensed justice and ruled, yet so many times they failed to obey the Lord their God. Their rule was but a faint shadow of what was to come. But Jesus shall indeed sit upon the throne of God and rule with the full authority and power of God:

"Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed; for the Lord of Hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously." (Isaiah 24.23).

We must always remember that Jesus shall be King and rule because he alone is worthy to do so:

"And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on the earth and things under the earth And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2.8-11).

He is the Son of God and it is God's good pleasure to give to him the Kingdom and as God promised to David, that Kingdom shall be an everlasting Kingdom:

"I saw in the night visions, and behold there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given unto him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7.13-14).

Other Prophecies on this subject

Genesis 49:8-10; Psalm 2:6-9; 21:8-12;47:1-3; 50:1-3; 61:5-8; 72:12-14,17; 110:1-6; Isaiah 2:1-4; 12:6; Micah 4:6-8;5:4; Zephaniah 3:14-17; Zechariah 14:9, 14-19; Matthew 27:37; Luke 23:1-3; John 18:37; Hebrews 2:5-8.

source; posted by permission of www.biblelight.org 

Israel a sign of Christ's return

ISRAEL 

A SURE SIGN OF CHRIST'S RETURN.

What is the relevance to us in this day and age, to consider such a small nation as Israel? Why is Israel so important today?
Well firstly Israel are God's witness to mankind, both of his very existence and of his purpose with this earth. We can read in Isaiah:

"But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, `You are my servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." Isaiah 41v8-9

And:

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no saviour." Isaiah 43v10-11.

Secondly, current world and particularly Middle East events, are happening according to a pattern long ago predicted in the Bible. These prophecies place Israel exactly in the political and economic position she is now in. Further these prophesies tell us that Middle East events occurring now, herald even more important events to come. Events of paramount importance, not just for Israel, but for the whole world.

To briefly summarise the history of Israel. Abraham the ancestor of the Jews, a man of great faith, was chosen by God and was the recipient of some momentous promises. The Jews however rejected God and because of their continued disobedience to God, were scattered throughout the nations of the world. The Kings of Israel in reality sat upon the throne of the Lord as we read in 1Chron 29:23 "So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David." Eventually because of the nations continued rejection of Him, God said of Israel through the prophet Ezekiel:

"Remove the diadem, and take off the crown"........"I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is and I will give it to him". Ezekiel 21v27

So Israel was no longer to be a Kingdom and we see in this prophesy three overturnings of the nation foretold. Israel was overthrown:
 

	by the Babylonians
	by the Romans,
	which suggests a third overthrow yet to come.

Yet despite all this happening to them as a punishment for their disobedience, God also promised the restoration of the nation. The prophet Jeremiah records:

"The days are coming says the Lord, when I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from captivity and restore them to the land"......"I am with you and will save you declares the Lord, though I destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you". Jeremiah 30v3&11

Now today in partial fulfillment of prophesy we see Israel back in their land, yet it must be noted they are a state, not a kingdom! Yet the prophesy in Ezekiel speaks of a Kingdom, and one whose right it is to sit upon the throne of David over the restored Kingdom. Who has this right, to whom God will give the Kingdom? Well the angel Gabriel at the conception of Jesus spoke to Mary saying:

"He shall be great and shall be called the son of the highest and the Lord God shall give to him the throne of his father David and he shall reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end". Luke 1v32

So Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of the kingdom, but is clearly not sitting upon the throne nor reigning over Israel forever. This must therefore be fulfilled at some time in the future. The scriptures record that Jesus promised his disciples that he would return. To the early Christians this promise was accepted as being literal and they expected the Kingdom of God to be set up at his return. Over the centuries this hope has faded and most Christians have lost this cornerstone of the original faith. To many the return of Jesus is a pious fairy tale, irrelevant to the modern world.
However the message is clear, Jesus will return. When Jesus ascended into heaven the two angels told the disciples:

"This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven" . Acts 1v11

The Apostles preached exactly the same message, Peter says speaking of God:

"He shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouths of all his holy prophets since the world began" . Acts 3v20

Now Jesus spoke of many signs that would herald his return. We see many of these signs happening in the world now. We will consider one sign in particular, that is the nation of Israel. 2000 yrs ago in AD 70 Israel was overthrown by the invading Roman armies, but Jesus foretold the restoration of the nation. Today in an astonishing reversal of history the state of Israel is a compelling witness to the truth of the words Jesus spoke and a sign of his immanent return. Jesus spoke a parable of a fig tree saying:

"Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves you can see for your selves and know that summer is near. Even so when you see all these things (the signs Christ spoke about) you know that the Kingdom of God is near". Luke 21v28

Now the fig tree symbolised Israel and as we know the nation is back in the land. Trees in general represent nations and in recent years we have seen many nations long absorbed into others re-emerge. Germany is reunited, the USSR split up, Serbia, Bosnia, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania to name but few, now independent nations once again. God said of Israel Amos 3v2 "You only have I known of all the families of the earth ". Israel are still God's people, they are still his witnesses in the earth and God has restored Israel back in the land just as promised 2000 yrs ago. That is why the nation is important to Christians, for their restoration is proof of the immanence of Christ's return.

The Restoration of Jerusalem into Jewish hands is a further sign. Jesus said Jerusalem would be downtrodden and in non Jewish hands until the times of the Gentile nations would be at their end:

"Jerusalem will be trampled on by the gentiles until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled.".....v32...."I tell you the truth this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened." Luke 21v24

We read in Daniel that the prophet spoke regarding the end of man's dominion over the earth and the setting up of the Kingdom of God. King Nebuchadnezzar the King of the Babylonian Empire had a dream about an immense statue. Daniel by the power of God interpreted the dream. He told of how the various metals that the great image was made of, represented the various Kingdoms of men that would arise in the earth. The point as far as our considerations are concerned, is that at the time of the end a stone would strike the image, toppling it and grinding it to powder. The stone would then grow to fill the whole earth. That stone represented the Kingdom of God that would supercede the Kingdoms of man and grow to fill the earth. So we see that Christ upon his return will irresistibly establish the Kingdom of God.

The Nations will resist, but in vain. They will gather against Jerusalem and as we read in Zachariah half the city will be taken. It is at this time that Christ will intervene on behalf of his people. Great and terrible will be that day:

"The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying "I have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill"... The Psalm goes on to say of Christ "You will rule them with an iron sceptre, you will dash them to pieces like pottery". Psalm 2v4&9

Joel also records:

"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and earth shall shake" Joel 3v16 (Earth = Rulers & peoples)

We further read:

"Then shall the Lord go forth to fight against those nations as he fought in the day of battle, and his feet shall stand on the mount of olives which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west." ...."and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee". Zechariah 14v3-4.

Jerusalem is an ancient city and is special in God's purpose. Of Jerusalem God says:

"I have chosen Jerusalem that my name might be there ". 2 Chron 6v6

"The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more then all the dwellings of Jacob, glorious things are spoken of thee O city of God". Psalm 87v2-3

" Beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides of the north. The city of the great King " . Psalm 48v2

So Jerusalem is to be the joy of the whole earth, not just Israel. Jesus Christ is that great King, who will sit upon the throne of David. Great and glorious will be his reign. The city that saw his humiliation and cruel death, is destined to be the seat of his throne. Isaiah prophesied:

" The Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his ancients gloriously" Isaiah 24v

As to what the Kingdom of God will be like, please go to the page about the Kingdom age which goes into some of the conditions that will exist on earth in the Kingdom.
So this modern world, sceptical, self satisfied and self reliant is totally unprepared for the great event of Jesus Christ's return. "Where is this promise of his coming", says the sceptic and so mankind rejects the only real hope of peace.
What this world needs is strong wise government, one that is able to transcend nationalism and self interest. A government that is capable of dealing with the world wide problems of war, violence, crime, moral corruption, pollution, famine and all the other ills that beset mankind. That is what God has in store for this world, a world ruled by Jesus Christ as King dispensing God's law. The result, a world at peace, a world restored to the condition that God intended for it from the beginning.
Can you believe it? Life interrupted by divine intervention, or are you a sceptic! It is hard to believe, requiring something the Bible calls faith. Yet the evidence is remarkable and overwhelming. The truth is compelling and demands your serious and most urgent attention. The nation of Israel is a sign that cannot be ignored.
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source; posted by permission of www.biblelight.org