Jesus - The Eternal King

Jesus will sit on the throne of David for 1000 years.  He will completely fulfill every last promise that God made to the Jews throughout their history.  We can believe God is truthful when He says:  Those who are weak will survive as a remnant; those who were exiles will become a strong nation. Then I, the Lord, will rule from Jerusalem as their king forever.” As for you, Jerusalem, the citadel of God’s people, your royal might and power will come back to you again. The kingship will be restored to my precious Jerusalem. Micah 4:7-8

King David had a difficult time believing this would happen.  These are the words of David: Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And now, Sovereign Lord, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! Do you deal with everyone this way, O Sovereign Lord? 2 Samuel 7:18-19   God had things in mind that David could not possibly understand.  We have a 3000 year historical advantage for our understanding.

The mother of Jesus was of the lineage of Nathan, a righteous son of David. (Luke 3:31) Nathan was an older brother of Solomon. Only the Lord knows why David did not name him as king. Because Nathan was not a king Jesus is referred to as “the Branch” out of David.  Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. Jeremiah 23:5 (KJV)  We know that Jesus was actually the Son of God, as was Adam. (Luke 3:38)

Scriptures say it this way:  Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—…one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all… Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— Isaiah 11:1-11  

The line of David has not ruled for 2600 years but soon Jesus (the Branch) will come back from Heaven.  He will be the 21^st king in David’s Jerusalem and His reign will be perfect.  The Bible says: For my people will serve the Lord their God and their king descended from David— the king I will raise up for them. “So do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel,” says the Lord. “For I will bring you home again from distant lands, and your children will return from their exile. Israel will return to a life of peace and quiet, and no one will terrorize them. Jeremiah 30:9-10

The evil worship of David’s original 400 year dynasty will be forgiven after Israel’s judgment is completed.  The Scriptures say: But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living. Isaiah 4:2-3   This means that all of Israel will be saved at this time. Of course the evil 2/3 of Israel will be killed first. (see: Zechariah 13:8,9 and Amos 9:10)

Jesus will save Israel when they finally recognize that He is the one they killed 2000 years ago.  What a great day it will be when this happens: “On that day a fountain will be opened for the dynasty of David and for the people of Jerusalem, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.”… And if someone asks, ‘Then what about those wounds on your chest? ’ he will say, ‘I was wounded at my friends’ house!’ Zechariah 13:1,6   Jesus will still bear the scars inflicted at His crucifixion. 

The completion of David’s dynasty will be a one thousand year love fest.  This is another promise that God gave Judah: “But Judah will be filled with people forever, and Jerusalem will endure through all generations. I will pardon my people’s crimes, which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make my home in Jerusalem with my people.” Joel 3:20-21   We are informed that Israel has not yet been pardoned but the world will certainly know when it does happen.  The Jews and also the world will live in love. 

God will have all the glory:  When I bring you home from exile, you will be like a pleasing sacrifice to me. And I will display my holiness through you as all the nations watch. Then when I have brought you home to the land I promised with a solemn oath to give to your ancestors, you will know that I am the Lord. You will look back on all the ways you defiled yourselves and will hate yourselves because of the evil you have done. You will know that I am the Lord, O people of Israel, when I have honored my name by treating you mercifully in spite of your wickedness. Ezekiel 20:41-44    It will be wonderful when the whole world is able to observe the righteous relationship between God and Israel.

Observe that even the world itself will be changed by the Lord for the benefit of the people.  The Scripture says: On that day the sources of light will no longer shine, yet there will be continuous day! Only the Lord knows how this could happen. There will be no normal day and night, for at evening time it will still be light. On that day life-giving waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flowing continuously in both summer and winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped. Zechariah 14:6-9 

It will not be very long until this world will have only one God.  That in itself will be fantastic but the fact that Jesus will live among His people is truly humbling.  Praise the Lord forever!

Building A Temple

God is a great builder. If we look around at nature, we can observe the enormous amount of detail that He put into our world. The human body itself is a real marvel. Although thousands of years have passed since our creation, God is now using people to build something new. We are told: You are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. (1 Peter 2:5 NLT). All the creating of the universe was simply the ground-work for the greatest building of all time. This great temple will last forever and God absolutely loves it. It is going to be unparalleled by anything else in eternity. We can say this because God dwells in every small piece of it. 

The Bible says we are the stones in this eternal temple. It is very important that we fit into our place so that the building will continue in the plan of God. Remember, the failure of a stone to conform to its place in the wall, will cause that stone to be rejected by the builder. It is difficult for some humans to understand the motives of God. To resolve this shortfall, our loving God simply teaches and leads us during our everyday walk of faith. The Lord has instructed us to gather together and help each other the best we can. In Jesus, we are priest of God but we don’t have a strict schedule to follow. This allows us to help other stones to fit into place. We fit with the other stones when the Spirit directs our lives.

Our spiritual growth is individual although its purpose is always for the building-up of others. This ties us together forever. The new temple has a heroic foundation: And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:20-22 NLT). We are a family that spiritually fits together. Support for one another is one of the primary needs of this temple. It’s important for our leaders to seek God because a building always has a plan to be followed. We must learn patience as God slowly builds His great temple. We should use every opportunity for prayer and to purify our lives. This building is the most majestic building ever constructed. 

God’s temple is a place where we can hear, see, and feel things that are not available in any other place on earth. Musicians tell us that the sound qualities in some stone temples cannot be duplicated. We can hear some things that we will never hear anywhere else. Some great stone buildings can have a grandeur that takes away our breath. Sometimes the splendor contained in a great building makes us feel insignificant. The Bible says: Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. (1 Cor 3:16-17 NLT). My friends, this is our only chance to be built into something that will have greatness forever. We are the materials that God is building with and we have a certain responsibility as part of this great temple.

The local church is the place where God gathers His stones together. It is in these groups of people that the stones are prepared to be part of God’s great building. Paul said this about the church leaders: Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Eph 4:12-13 NLT). A stone is not able to prepare itself individually to be a part of God’s great temple. To reach the complete standard of Christ we must interact with other members of the church. There is no way for us to describe what it is that each stone will gain from being a member of God’s family.

In our free country it is difficult to convince some people of their need for the church family. We should remember that by faith everything is possible. Becoming a loving member of the local church may be the final test of our devotion to God. Paul reassures us: May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God… Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. (Eph 3:19-21 NLT). If we want to bring glory to God we should do it through a church family. The church is necessary for every person desiring to have a completed relationship with God.

The reason we are able to be part of this great temple is because the Spirit of God lives in each of us. Our responsibility is to be the kind of righteous stone that will fit well into the building of God’s holy temple. All the stones must work together to accomplish the will of the Master. Our purpose is to fit into the plan of the Creator. We can trust Him because He always wants the best for the family He is building. The Bible says: Every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. (Heb 3:4 NLT). It’s amazing that we can be part of the eternity that the Lord has planned for those that serve Him. May the Lord grant us love for all our brothers and sisters who will live in the family forever!