Luke 20:39-46a "Then certain of the scribes answering said, Master, you have well said. 40. And after that they dared not ask him any question at all. 41. And he said to them. How say they that Christ is David’s son? 42. And David himself said in the book of Psalms, the LORD said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand, 43. Till I make your enemies your footstool. 44. David therefore called him Lord, how is he then his son? 45. Then in the audience of all the people (of Israel) he said to his disciples, 46. Beware of the scribes,…" (and religious leaders)
Now let’s go on over to one more, and that would be the day of Pentecost, and Peter is preaching to the Nation of Israel in Acts chapter 2. Let’s pick this up in verse 25. Because here again we see, Peter is trying to convince this great Hebrew crowd gathered for the feast of Pentecost, that the One they crucified was the Christ, the very Messiah they had been looking for. He was the Creator of everything. Now verse 25.
Acts 2:25-29 "For David spoke concerning him, (Christ from the Old Testament Psalms) I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved: 26. Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: (now that’s what David said. Now in verse 27, David is making a direct reference to Christ’s burial and resurrection) 27. Because you will not leave my soul in hell, neither will you suffer your Holy One to see corruption. 28. You have made known to me the ways of life: you shall make me full of joy with your countenance. (Now Peter comes back and says) Men and brethren, let me freely speak to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day." In fact Davids tomb can be visited even today as well.
Acts 2:30a "Therefore being a prophet,…"
Most people don’t think of David and the Psalms being prophecy. Oh, it’s full of prophecy. Psalms chapter 22 is a graphic description of the crucifixion, and we’ve already seen Psalms chapter 2 as being an outline of the whole Old Testament program. Now verse 30 again.
Acts 2:30 "Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, (yes, Jesus of Nazareth came through the linage of David, the loin of the tribe of Judah) according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;" Now wait a minute. In those three years of Christ’s earthly ministry, did Jesus ever sit on David’s throne? Why of course not. So what’s the prophecy? He will one day! The day is coming and that’s the "until" of His sitting at the Father’s right hand. Now let’s move on into verse 31.
Acts 2:31-32a He (David) seeing this before (through the eyes of prophecy) spoke of the resurrection of Christ that his (Christ’s) soul was not left in hell, (that’s the English word that speaks of the place of the departed) neither his flesh did see corruption. 32. This Jesus…"
Now remember the setting? This is the feast of Pentecost, and the Hebrews are in Jerusalem from all over the Roman Empire. The crucifixion has only been 50 days back and every Hebrew is probably talking about that last Passover and what had taken place. And here Peter is trying to convince them that this Jesus, the One that they crucified, was the Christ.
Acts 2:32-35 "This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this, which we now see and hear. (in other words the coming of the Holy Spirit) 34. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he said himself, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit on my right hand. 35. Until I make your foes your footstool."
Now let’s just stop and analyze this as we head on back to Hebrews, chapter 1. What is all of this emphasizing? Well, first and foremost, it emphases the fact that Christ has finished the work of redemption in that everything that needed to be done to purchase man’s Redemption and Salvation was finished. And as our High Priest, His Priestly work is just here beginning. There were no places to sit in the tabernacle or the Temple. During the history of the Hebrews, the priest came in day after day, and they never sat down, their work was endless. And their work carried on until the day they died, and another priest would come in and take his place. It was an endless, priestly work, but this man, when He finished the work of Redemption and begun the work of Salvation for all, presented everything to the Father in Heaven, now He could sit down, because it was done.
Now that’s the whole picture, but He’s not going to stay seated there at the Father’s right hand, because there’s still another segment of all the prophetic program left, the mystery that had been hidden in the heart of God, His working of Grace the coming in of the promised New Covenant and the parenthetical period of the “Church Age”, then after the tribulation period, and the 1000 year Kingdom Age. And oh, when we speak of the Kingdom Age, that also riles people up. They just can’t accept the fact that there is an earthly kingdom out there in the future. We see the liberals and moderates idea is the only kingdom is already in us. It’s just an invisible kingdom and all that nonsense, and it bugs us to hear people speak of that glorious kingdom that’s coming in that light. But listen, there is a literal kingdom coming on the scene over which this Christ, this Son, is going to rule and reign from David’s throne in Jerusalem as King of Kings. He'll rule over the Israel of God and the nations, as the nations will become the servants to the Hebrews. So yes those who have by way of relinquishing all self will and worldly appetites have through its death entered His kingdom in the here and now. But there remains an earthly reign of His Kingdom on earth.
So we have to understand that the Son is at the Father’s right hand, having finished the work of Redemption and is awaiting the perfecting of His mystical Body through its Salvation, the Salvation of His spiritual body, but only for a period of time will He sit there. Now it’s already been 1960 years or so, so we think we’re getting close to when He will be ready to arise from that seated position and return and invade human history once again by the removal of His Body. But when He returns and enters into human history, He’s going to have all of His enemies subjected, with His feet on their necks. So all of his enemies are going to find themselves suddenly not in a place of blessing, but rather in a place of His wrath and eternal doom.
No comments:
Post a Comment