Christ on David’s Throne
While there are countless disagreements and controversies in the
religious world, there is almost universal agreement among Bible believers that
Christ would come into the world to sit on David's throne. What did the
eighth century B. C. prophet have in mind
when he wrote: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and
the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and justice from
henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform it" (Isa. 9:6-7)?
I am very fortunate
to have in my study some of the greatest commentaries ever written on the
prophecy of Isaiah. I shall read brief excerpts from some of these scholarly
commentaries. Dr. Edward Young was one of America's greatest Hebrew scholars.
His commentary on The Book of Isaiah (Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1965) makes the following observations on the expression, "upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom": "It had earlier been promised that David's
throne would endure forever, and hence the description of Messiah's reign is
identified with that of David" (volume 1, p. 343). In his Exposition
of Isaiah (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1968), Dr. H. C. Leupold,
a distinguished Lutheran scholar, affirms: "At this point he (that is, the child of
Isaiah 9) is definitely identified with the famous throne of David"
(volume 1, p. 187). For many years, Dr. Joseph Addison Alexander taught at
Princeton Theological Seminary. His book, The Prophecies of Isaiah (Grand
Rapids:
Zondervan Publishing House, 1976, a reprint, 1865), makes basically the same point as do Edward
Young and H. C. Leupold. Please listen. "The endless increase of power and prosperity on
the throne of David means of course that the Prince, whose reign was to be
thus powerful and prosperous, would be a descendant of David. This is indeed a repetition and
explanation of a promise given to David. .and repeatedly referred to by him. Hence the
Messiah is not only called the Branch or Son of David, but David himself.
The two reigns are identified, not merely on account of an external resemblance
or a
typical relation, but because the one was really a restoration or continuation
of the other"
(p. 204).
The angel of the Lord identified Jesus Christ as the Son of the Highest
who would reign
on the throne of David. "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for
you have found favor with God. And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb,
and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. And he shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David;
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end" (Lk. 1:30-33). For Bible believers, there should be no
misunderstanding about Christ's coming into the world to reign on the throne of
David.
But I have some questions for you to consider. When was Jesus to begin his reign on the throne of David? Is Christ already
reigning on David's throne or does his reign begin at some indefinite time in the future? There are preachers and
theologians who insist that Christ is potentially king, but he is not king in
act and in fact. Their argument goes
somewhat as follows: Because the Jews rejected their king, God could not establish
the kingdom the Old Testament
prophets had predicted. Have those preachers forgotten Isaiah fifty-three?
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he
is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is
dumb, so he does not open his mouth. He was taken from prison and from
judgment: and who shall declare his
generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the
transgression of my people was he stricken" (Isa. 53:7-8). The Jews'
rejection of Christ was no surprise
to God. He knew all along the Jews would reject their king.
When
our Lord was being tried before Pilate, the Roman governor asked Jesus, "Are you king of
the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, You have said so" (Mt. 27:11). Does Christ's
answer mean he was confessing to Pilate that he was indeed the king of the
Jews? Dr. A. T. Robertson's scholarly set of books, Word Pictures in the
New Testament (Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930), affirms: "By his
answer ('You have said so') Jesus confesses that he is" king of the Jews
(volume 1, p. 225). In view of Christ's words, how can anyone deny that he is now
king over his kingdom?
If Christ is not king now, what is the meaning of Paul's words to
Timothy? "I give you charge in the sight of God, who quickens all things,
and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession;
that you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing
of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed
and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6:13-15).
Christ will not become the "blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings,
and Lord of lords." He is now the "King of kings and Lord of lords."
The book of Revelation teaches the same truth. "These shall make war with
the Lamb, and
the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and
they who are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14).
We
know the prophets predicted that Christ would reign on David's throne. We know that an angel
of God told Mary that the Lord God would give unto her son the throne of David (Lk.
1:32). We know that Christ confessed to Pilate that he came into the world to
become king (Mt. 27:11). We also know that both Paul (1 Tim. 6:15) and John (Rev. 17:14)
called Jesus Christ "King of kings and Lord of lords." But I have not
yet
established the time the Lord began to reign over his kingdom.
But before I do that, I must say a few words about the kingdom. Is the kingdom
of God on earth now or must we wait at some future date for the kingdom? If the
kingdom is not now on earth, Christ could
not be a king.
Jesus promised his
disciples: "Upon this rock (that is, that Jesus is the Christ the Son of
the living God) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against. And I will give unto you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and
whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt. 16:18-19). Did Christ build one
institution—the church—and give to the apostles the keys to another
institution—the kingdom? In case you may be having difficulty answering my question, we
must remember that the early members of the church were in the kingdom.
In his brief letter to the Christians at Colosse, Paul reminded them
that they had been delivered (or rescued) from the "power of
darkness" and "translated into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Col.
1:13). Both verbs—"has delivered" and "has translated" are
past tense. The delivery from the power of darkness and the translation into
the kingdom God's dear Son had already occurred. The Christians at Colosse were
not waiting for the delivery and translation; that had already taken place. At
least, that is what the language of this verse requires. How could the
Colossian Christians be translated (or transferred) into a kingdom that was still in
the future?
The apostle John
emphasized the same truth I have just read to you from Colossians 1:13. He
informed his readers:
"I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the "kingdom and patience of Jesus
Christ, was in the isle that is
called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ"
(Rev. 1:9). Did John really mean he
was "in the kingdom of Jesus Christ?" If he were in the kingdom, the kingdom had to exist. It is not
possible to be in a non-existent kingdom.
Now let us turn to Acts 2 to learn when Jesus
began to reign on David's throne. Acts 2, as you almost certainly know, records
the events that transpired on the birthday of the Lord's church. Luke tells us
that Peter, the other apostles and thousands of Jews from many areas were
present for the day of Pentecost. God himself endorsed by various miracles the apostle Peter's preaching. Peter
quoted from the prophet Joel and said the events on that day were a fulfillment
of Joel's prophecy (Acts 2:16-21). After Peter had quoted the words of Joel, he challenged the Jews:
"You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by
him in the midst of you, as you yourselves know." He then indicted the
Jews for their part in the crucifixion of Christ. Christ's enemies believed
they had finally gotten rid of Christ when they killed him. But God raised him
from the dead. It simply was not
possible that death could hold the Son of God. Peter told his audience that God had revealed to David that
Jesus—not David—would be raised from the
dead. "For David speaks concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before
my face, for he is on my right hand,
that I should not be moved: therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was
made glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither
wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast made known unto me the ways of life; thou
shalt make me full of the joy of thy countenance"
(Acts 2:22-28).
When
the ancient Jews read those words from Psalm 16, they almost certainly believed David was
predicting his own resurrection. If they believed that, the apostle Peter hastened to
correct their misunderstanding. Please listen to Peter. "Men and brethren, let me
freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried,
and his grave is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing
that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,
according to the flesh, he would
raise up Christ to sit on his throne" (Acts 2:29-30). How could language be simpler than that? Psalm 16 could not possibly
be applied to David. David was still dead
and in his tomb. By divine inspiration, king David, being a prophet of God, predicted the coming of Christ to sit on his
throne.
If you think I may
have exaggerated what David had in mind, please listen carefully. "He
(that is, David) seeing this before spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left
in hell, neither did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus has God raised
up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of
God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit,
he has shed forth this, which you now see and hear. For David has not ascended
into the heavens: but he says
himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool" (Acts 2:31-35).
Let me
summarize very briefly what I have emphasized thus far. Isaiah foretold that
Christ would sit on David's throne (Isa. 9:7). The angel of the Lord informed
Mary that God would give her Son "the throne of his father David"
(Lk. 1:32). The apostles Paul (1 Tim. 6:15) and John (Rev. 17:14) referred to
Christ as "King of kings and Lord of Lords." Our Lord confessed to
Pilate that he had come into the world to be king (Mt. 27:11). Peter's sermon
on Pentecost quoted king David as affirming that God would raise up Christ to
sit on David's throne (Acts 2:30).
Now please
listen to the climax to the apostle Peter's sermon on Pentecost.
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made
this Jesus whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (Acts 2:36). We
are aware of the meaning of the word "lord." It refers to one who has
absolute authority over others. The apostle Matthew does not use the word
"lord" in his record of the Great Commission, but what else could he
have had in mind? Jesus said, "All authority is given unto me in heaven
and on earth" (Mt. 28:18). Christ asked his disciples, "Why call me,
Lord, Lord, and do not the things that I say unto you" (Lk. 6:46)?
The word "Christ" comes from the
Greek christos which means the anointed one, the noun christos
from the verb chrio which means to anoint. We know from
our reading of the Old Testament that both priests and kings were anointed. But
the context of Acts 2 does not apply to Christ's priesthood. Peter was speaking
of Christ's reign on the throne of David. Christ was the anointed king sent
from heaven to serve as King of kings and Lord of lords. The author of Hebrews
commented: "But unto the Son he says, Thy throne, O God, is forever and
ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom" (Heb.
1:8). Our Lord Jesus Christ "must reign, till
he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed
is death" (1 Cor. 15:25-26).
The Jews on Pentecost had sinned grievously by crucifying their own
Messiah. Peter's
sermon had cut or pierced them to the heart. They were fully aware of their sin
against
God. The Jews were honest enough to know of their failures and to seek relief
from their guilt. They asked Peter and the other apostles, "Men and
brethren, what shall we do" (Acts 2:37)? Peter quoted Joel as saying,
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved" (Acts 2:21). The Jews were calling on the name of the Lord by
asking Peter and the other apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall
we do?" They wanted to know what to do to be saved. I am not going to insult your
intelligence by telling you that they do not have to do anything to be saved. Tragically,
that is what some Calvinist preachers teach. But not one preacher in the books of Acts
ever taught that.
The Holy Spirit inspired Peter to tell the believing Jews on
Pentecost: "Repent, and be
baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,
and you shall receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, even as
many as the Lord shall call. And with many other words did he testify and
exhort them saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation" (Acts 2:38-40). Incidentally,
that last phrase is passive: "Be saved from this crooked generation."
When the Jews on
Pentecost responded to the Lord's command by repenting and being baptized (Acts
2:41), were they saved and citizens in the kingdom of heaven? The word
"citizenship" is used of members of the body of Christ. Paul urged
the Philippians: "Only let your conversation be as it becomes the gospel of Christ:
that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs,
that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the
faith of the gospel" (Phil. 1:27). He also reminded the Philippians: "For
our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the
Lord Jesus Christ" (Phil. 3:20). The Greek verb, "let
conversation," is from the word politeuomai. The word
involves behaving as a good citizen. The word "conversation" in
Philippians 3:20 is a noun, politeuma, and is usually translated
"citizenship." These words prove beyond any doubt that we are now citizens in the kingdom of God—not
will be citizens—but citizens here and now.
I have one final question for you. How does one become a citizen in the
kingdom of heaven, the church of the living God? Even though our parents may be
devout citizens of the kingdom, we do not become citizens of the kingdom because of
their relationship to God. We must decide on our own to become Christians and render
obedience to the gospel. Is that not what Jesus told Nicodemus? Our Lord said to this
prominent Jewish ruler: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus says unto him, How can a man be
born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and
be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born of
the water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
(John 3:3-5).
Neither
Peter or Paul or Philip or Ananias ever specifically told a man to be born
again. Will you please give attention to what these men told alien sinners to
do in order to become citizens in the kingdom of God? Peter commanded the
believing Jews on Pentecost: "Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in
the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Paul reminded the Galatians:
"For you are all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of
you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:26-27).
"Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them...And
when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God,
and the name of Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:5, 12).
Ananias instructed Saul of Tarsus: "Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins,
calling on the name of the Lord" (Acts 22:16).
If you are not a
citizen in the kingdom of heaven, the church of the living God, will you
confess your faith in Christ and be baptized into him this very day?
Winford Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour
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