KINGDOM O.T.

Matthew 22:41-46 (ESV) Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?" They said to him, "The son of David." 43He said to them, "How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, 44" 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet'? 45If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?" 46And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

John 7:40-44 (ESV) When they heard these words, some of the people said, "This really is the Prophet." 41Others said, "This is the Christ." But some said, "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?" 43So there was a division among the people over him. 44Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

What did the Pharisees and people know about the promised Messiah? That He would be David's Son. This prophecy was as sure to these people as night following day. Do we understand the importance of Jesus being the Son of David? I believe it is key to understanding Bible prophecy and understanding "the times and seasons".

The Davidic kingdom

(1) The divine choice of David (1Sam 16:1-13) Samuel anoints David.

(2) The giving of the Davidic Covenant (2Sam 7:8-16 Ps 89:3,4,20,21,28-37)

2 Samuel 7:8-16 (ESV) Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. 9And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 10And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, 11from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. 12When 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. 13He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.' "

Psalm 89:3-4 (ESV) You have said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: 4'I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.' " Selah

Psalm 89:28-37 (ESV) My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. 29 I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.  30If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,  31if they violate my statutes and do not keep my  commandments,  32then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes, 33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.  34I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.  35Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.  36His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.  37Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies." Selah

These are the two passages that the Pharisees and people of Jerusalem knew so well. David was promised an heir that would be eternal (thus God) and promised that his throne would endure forever. Psa 89 is so emphatic on this point - God will not lie and He has sworn - that we must interpret this as literal. The Jews of Jesus' day knew and understood this. They were looking for the King Messiah. Jesus' disciples understood this - in Acts 1:6 they asked,

 Acts 1:6 (ESV) So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

(3) The exposition of the David Covenant by the prophets ( Isa 1:25,26 Zech 12:6-8)

The kingdom as described by the prophets is:

(a) Davidic, to be established under an heir of David, who is to be born of a virgin, therefore truly man, but also "Immanuel," "the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace" (Isa 7:13,14 9:6,7 11:1 Jer 23:5 Ezek 34:23 37:24 Hos 3:4,5)

(b) A kingdom heavenly in origin, principle, and authority (Dan 2:34,35,44,45) but set up on the earth, with Jerusalem as the capital ( Isa 2:2-4 4:3,5 24:23 33:20 62:1-7 Jer 23:5 31:38-40) (Joel 3:1,16,17)

Isaiah 2:2-4 (KJV) And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

(c) The kingdom is to be established first over regathered, restored, and converted Israel, and then to become universal (Ps 2:6-8 22:1-31 24:1-10 Isa 1:2,3 11:1,10-13 60:12 Jer 23:5-8) (Jer 30:7-11 Ezek 20:33-40 37:21-25 Zech 9:10 14:16-19)

Jeremiah 23:5-8 (ESV) "Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: 'The Lord is our righteousness.'  7"Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when they shall no longer say, 'As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' 8but 'As the Lord lives who brought up and led the offspring of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.' Then they shall dwell in their own land."

(d) The (moral) characteristics of the kingdom are to be righteousness and peace. The meek, not the proud, will inherit the earth; longevity will be greatly increased; the knowledge of the Lord will be universal; beast ferocity will be removed; absolute equity will be enforced; and outbreaking sin visited with instant judgment; while the enormous majority of earth's inhabitants will be saved (Isa 11:4,6-9 65:20 Ps 2:9 Isa 26:9)(Zech 14:16-21) The N.T. (Rev 20:1-5), adds a detail of immense significance--the removal of Satan from the scene. It is impossible to conceive to what heights of spiritual, intellectual, and physical perfection humanity will attain in this, its coming age of righteousness and peace. (Isa 11:4-9 Ps 72:1-10)

Isaiah 11:6-9 (ESV) The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.  7The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. 9They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

(e) The kingdom is to be established by power, not persuasion, and is to follow divine judgment upon the Gentile world-powers ( Ps 2:4-9 Isa 9:7 Dan 2:35,44,45 7:26,27 Zech 14:1-19)

Psalm 2:4-9 (ESV) He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.  5Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,  6"As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." 7I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you.  8Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.  9You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

Note: Jesus establishes His kingdom with force - it doesn't evolve like the post-mills teach.

(f) The restoration of Israel and the establishment of the kingdom are connected with an advent of the Lord, yet future (Dt 30:3-5 Ps 2:1-9) (Zech 14:4)

(g) The chastisement reserved for disobedience in the house of David (2Sam 7:14 Ps 89:30-33) fell in the captivities and world-wide dispersion, since which time, though a remnant returned under prince Zerubbabel, Jerusalem has been under the overlordship of Gentiles. But the Davidic Covenant has not been abrogated (Ps 89:33-37) but is yet to be fulfilled. (Acts 15:14-17).

Summary

David's kingdom will be here - in a literal sense. The prophets of old didn't know how long that kingdom would last, that revelation was given to John (1,000 yrs). Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy - the Son who will rule and reign - from Jerusalem - over the earth. If you can understand this - Israel's place in prophecy, the times of the gentiles, pre-Trib - it all makes sense. Jesus is coming back to fulfill Scripture - to save His chosen people and establish His kingdom on earth and rule from Jerusalem. Hallelujah!