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It is time for a FIRST Wild Card Tour book review! If you wish to join the FIRST blog alliance, just click the button. We are a group of reviewers who tour Christian books. A Wild Card post includes a brief bio of the author and a full chapter from each book toured. The reason it is called a FIRST Wild Card Tour is that you never know if the book will be fiction, non~fiction, for young, or for old...or for somewhere in between! Enjoy your free peek into the book!
You never know when I might play a wild card on you!
Today's Wild Card author is:
and the book:
Charisma House (July 5, 2011)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Apostle John Eckhardt is overseer of Crusaders Ministries, located in Chicago, Illinois. Gifted with a strong apostolic call, he has ministered throughout the United States and overseas in more than eighty nations. He is a sought-after international conference speaker, produces a weekly television program, Perfecting the Saints; and has authored more than twenty books, including Prayers That Rout Demons, Prayers That Break Curses, and God Still Speaks. Eckhardt resides in the Chicago area with his wife, Wanda, and their five children.
Visit the author's website.
SHORT BOOK DESCRIPTION:
The Kingdom of God Is Near
During His ministry on earth, Jesus repeatedly talked about, explained, and defined the kingdom of God. When He announced that the kingdom was at hand, it was the turning point in human history. But what did He mean? And how does it apply to our families and our communities today?
In The Invisible King and His Kingdom, John Eckhardt presents the good news about God’s promises for our world and how to obtain them. Challenging the negative worldview of many Christians, he explains the realities of the kingdom of God that is here now and gives answers to important questions such as…
What are the signs of the kingdom of God?
How do we walk in and access this kingdom?
How do we live in this kingdom?
How do we operate in the power and the authority of this kingdom?
The kingdom of God has been forcefully advancing since the days of John the Baptist, and it is still advancing today! Discover how to seize the kingdom for healing, deliverance, and faith and how to demonstrate authority over the powers of darkness.
Product Details:
List Price: $15.99
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Charisma House (July 5, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616382791
ISBN-13: 978-1616382797
AND NOW...THE FIRST CHAPTER:
A Kingdom Without Observation
Jesus did not submit to Israel’s desire for an earthly king. He told the Jewish leaders that His kingdom does not come with observation.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation.”
—Luke 17:20
The Pharisees were looking for an observable kingdom. These Pharisees expected a visible, temporal kingdom. They were looking for a worldly kingdom. They could not understand the nature of the kingdom that Jesus preached. They were carnal and earthly; Jesus was spiritual and heavenly.
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The In visible K ing a nd His K ingdom
The kingdom was in their midst, and they could not discern it. Healing and deliverance were signs that the kingdom had come nigh.
The reason mortal man finds it difficult to absorb this subject is because of the limited perception we have for the world of the unseen. The world of the unseen is a spiritual dimension, and we have only the five senses of human nature (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting). These senses are the physiological methods of perception. The word perception is derived from the Latin words perceptio and percipio and means “receiving, collecting; action of taking possession; apprehension with the mind or senses.”1
Jesus understood this human limitation when He walked on Earth. When Nicodemus asked Jesus to explain the kingdom of God, Jesus replied, “If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?” (John 3:12, The Message). Later, When He was speaking to the disciples about His imminent departure from them, He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23, nkjv).
When Jesus stood before Pilate after the Pharisees captured Him and Pilate asked Him if He was indeed the King of the Jews, Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be deliv- ered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).
Jesus did not come to Earth to establish a worldly kingdom. The kingdom would not be established in a worldly way. There would be no earthly armies needed. The kingdom would be advanced through the preaching of the gospel.
There were some in Israel who believed in bringing in the kingdom of God by force. They were called zealots. They hated the
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A Kingdom Without Observation
Romans and the fact that the covenant people lived under Gentile rule. Many of them believed in taking up arms against the Romans. They believed that when the Messiah came, He would do the same. Some believed they could hasten and force the coming of Messiah through armed rebellion.
But the kingdom would not come this way.
The Kingdom of God—Earthly or Heavenly?
The kingdom of God came to Earth through the suffering and death of the Christ. Most in Israel did not understand this, even though it had been spoken of by the prophets. How could a suffering Messiah bring the kingdom? Suffering and death were pictures of defeat, not victory.
They were looking for an earthly kingdom. They did not under- stand the kingdom or the prophets. The carnal mind cannot com- prehend the things of the spirit. Earthly people understand earthly kingdoms. Earthly kingdoms are advanced through earthly means, usually warfare and bloodshed. Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God is a heavenly kingdom.
The kingdom they were looking for did not arrive. For a gen- eration after Jesus’s death and resurrection, nothing changed; the Romans were still in control. What had happened? At the end of that generation, the Romans came in force and destroyed the city and the temple. Thousands of Jews perished, and thousands more were scattered to the nations. What happened to the kingdom? What happened to the hope? There was no earthly messiah sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. Jerusalem had become a burning heap. The Romans were victors, and the Jews were defeated.
Was Jesus just another false messiah? Was He just another deceiver? Was His announcement of the kingdom a lie? Did He give false hope to Israel? There certainly was no earthly kingdom. There
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certainly was no earthly throne. There certainly was no physical deliverance.
Could they have misinterpreted the message of the kingdom? Did they misunderstand the prophecies of the prophets? Was the message of the kingdom hidden from their eyes?
This is exactly what Jesus taught; He taught that the kingdom was a mystery. It was hidden from the eyes of the disobedient and rebellious and was revealed only to the humble. Many could not see the kingdom and would not be allowed to enter into it. The kingdom would not be given to a rebellious people. It was not an earthly kingdom and would never be apprehended by earthly people. The door would be shut to them but opened to those who humbled them- selves and believed the gospel.
Entrance into the kingdom would not be determined by phys- ical birth. Physical birth was very important to the Jews. Abraham is the first person in the Bible identified as a Hebrew. Paul identified himself as a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5). The Jews considered themselves the descendants of Abraham and therefore the elect of God. Many depended on their physical descent rather than on faith in God.
Although Abraham was called a Hebrew, he was a Hittite. There were also Gentiles in the genealogy of Christ (Rahab and Ruth, Matt.
1:5), which shows that God always honored faith. To replace faith with physical descent was pride and abominable to God. God’s choice of Israel had nothing to do with them; He chose Israel because of the covenant He made with Abraham. (See Deuteronomy 7:6–8.)
The proud would not enter the kingdom.
The rebellious would not enter the kingdom. The immoral would not enter the kingdom.
Only a remnant would enter the kingdom, and the rest would be judged.
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A Kingdom Without Observation
Worldly kingdoms are full of earthly pomp. They are defended by armies engaged in war. In Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament we read:
The charge on which Jesus was arraigned was that of laying claim to the office of a king. He here substan- tially admits that he did claim to be a king, but not in the sense in which the Jews understood it. They charged him with attempting to set up an earthly kingdom, and of exciting sedition against Caesar. In reply to this, Jesus says that his kingdom is not of this world. That is, it is not of the same nature as earthly kingdoms. It was not originated for the same purpose, or conducted on the same plan. He immediately adds a circumstance in which they differ. The kingdoms of the world are defended by arms; they maintain armies and engage in wars. If the kingdom of Jesus had been of this kind, he would have excited the multitudes that followed him to prepare for battle. He would have armed the hosts that attended him to Jerusalem. He would not have been alone and unarmed in the garden of Gethsemane. But though he was a King, yet his dominion was over the heart, subduing evil passions and corrupt desires, and bringing the soul to the love of peace and unity.2
Jesus never took upon Himself any earthly power. He did not raise up an army to gain control of an earthly kingdom. Matthew Henry gives the following account of Christ’s introduction of the kingdom of God to His followers:
He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his kingdom. Its nature is not worldly; it is a kingdom within men, set
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up in their hearts and consciences; its riches spiritual, its power spiritual, and it glory within. Its supports are not worldly; its weapons are spiritual; it needed not, nor used, force to maintain and advance it, nor opposed any kingdom but that of sin and Satan. Its object and design are not worldly.3
The earthly city of Jerusalem was a type of the heavenly Jerusalem. Jesus wept over the city because the people of Jerusalem missed the time of their visitation. Jesus did not establish an earthly kingdom there but instead pronounced judgment upon the city. The earthly hopes of many in Israel were dashed to pieces. Their hope of a glorious, earthly kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem, did not come to pass.
The prophet Daniel saw the rise and fall of earthly king- doms before the arrival of God’s kingdom. He saw the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome being replaced and falling. The kingdom would come and be an everlasting kingdom that filled the earth.
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
—Daniel 2:34–35
Notice that the stone becomes a mountain that fills the earth. The mountain is Zion, and Zion fills the earth. This is because Zion is a people and no longer a geographical location.
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The kingdom is not earthly but is cut out without hands. There were many who heard about the kingdom but did not understand it. They were looking for the earthly and could not see the heavenly. Jesus spoke of these people when He said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside” (Matt. 13:19). They were looking for the earthly and could not see the heavenly.
It was hidden from the eyes of many in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them con- cerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among them- selves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, “Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’”
—Acts 28:23–27
Heavenly Zion
The revelation of heavenly Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, is one of the most important for us to take a look at if we are going to understand
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the kingdom. God rules over heavenly Zion. We have come to the heavenly city, not the earthly (Heb. 12:22). Our citizenship is in heaven. We are born from above, from the heavenly city, by spiritual birth. This is the place of the rule of God, the place of the kingdom. God’s rule is over Zion, the heavenly people, the church.
In his commentary, Adam Clarke makes several important observations about the text of Hebrews 12:22:
[But ye are come unto mount Sion] In order to enter fully into the apostle’s meaning, we must observe,
1. That the Church, which is called here the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and mount
Sion, is represented under the notion of a city.
2. That the great assembly of believers in Christ is here opposed to the congregation of the Israelites assem- bled at Mount Sinai.
3. That the innumerable company of angels is here opposed to, those angels by whom the law was ush- ered in, Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19.
4. That the Gospel first-born, whose names are written in heaven, are here opposed to the enrolled first- born among the Israelites, Ex. 24:5; 19:22.
5. That the mediator of the new covenant, the Lord Jesus, is here opposed to Moses, the mediator of the old.
6. And that the blood of sprinkling, of Christ, our High Priest, refers to the act of Moses, Ex. 24:8: “And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.”
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A Kingdom Without Observation
[The heavenly Jerusalem] This phrase means the Church of the New Testament, as Schoettgen has amply proved in his dissertation on this subject.
[To an innumerable company of angels] To myriads, tens of thousands, of angels. These are represented as the attendants upon God, when he manifests himself in any external manner to mankind. When he gave the law at Mount Sinai, it is intimated that myriads of these holy beings attended him. “The chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place;” Ps. 68:17. And when he shall come to judge the world, he will be attended with a similar company. “Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou- sand stood before him;” Dan. 7:10. In both these cases, as in several others, these seem to be, speaking after the manner of men, the body guard of the Almighty. Though angels make a part of the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, yet they belong also to the church below. Christ has in some sort incorporated them with his followers, for “they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salva- tion,” and they are all ever considered as making a part of God’s subjects.4
God brought Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness into the land of Canaan. He planted them in the mountain, earthly Jerusalem, earthly Zion. This was a type of the heavenly. God now brings us into His mountain, heavenly Jerusalem, heavenly Zion. The Lord will reign forever and ever. This is the eternal kingdom, con- nected to the eternal city, heavenly Zion.
Zion is the mountain of God. The Lord’s house was established
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at the top of the mountain (Isa. 2:2). The Lord’s house, the church, is where we come to learn the ways of the Lord and be taught. It is a place of teaching. In speaking of the future house of God, Isaiah the prophet said:
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
—Isaiah 2:3
The word of the Lord comes through the church, the moun- tain of the Lord’s house. Zion is a mountain that has an ensign to which the nations gather. The nations come to be taught the ways of God. The word of the Lord came from Jerusalem. The church began in Jerusalem. The apostles taught from Jerusalem. Zion began in Jerusalem and spread throughout the earth.
Those who put their trust in the Lord inherit the holy moun- tain. Those who believe the gospel are those who put their trust in Him. We come to Zion, the mountain of God, the place of God’s rule, by faith. There were many who did not put their trust in the Lord but put their trust in the Law and in their good works. They did not trust in the grace of God and did not inherit the holy mountain.
Those who put their trust in the Lord and believed the gospel were brought by God to the holy mountain. We come to this moun- tain by faith. Zion, the mountain of God, the place of God’s rule, is also the place of prayer (Isa. 56:7). The earthly house (temple) was no longer a place of prayer but a den of thieves. God created a new house of prayer, the church. In Acts 4:24 we read, “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said:
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A Kingdom Without Observation
‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.’”
God’s rule is over Zion. Zion is a people. Zion is the dwelling place of God (Ps. 76:2). We are now God’s dwelling place through the Spirit.
Jesus is the foundation of Zion, the church, the new creation. The foundation for earthly Jerusalem was in the mountains. The foundation for heavenly Zion is in Christ.
Earthly Zion Versus Heavenly Zion
The revelation of Zion is one of the most important in the Word of God. There was an earthly Zion, and there is a heavenly Zion. The earthly was a type of the heavenly. The heavenly is greater and is the reality of which the earthly was simply a symbol. One day heavenly Zion will cover the earth with the rule and reign of our invisible King. God reigns in Zion. When His rule and reign are established over all the earth, each of the following characteristics will be a part of His kingdom in Zion:
• Glory
• Salvation
• Righteousness
• Praise and worship
• Dominion and power
• The knowledge of God
• Deliverance
• Blessing
• The prophetic
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The In visible K ing a nd His K ingdom
• Elders (the apostolic) as part of the government
• The government of our King, Christ Jesus
Earthly Zion was the holy place, the place chosen by God. This was often emphasized by the psalms, because there were other holy places set up for worship that were not chosen by God. Jeroboam set up holy places in Bethel and Dan. The Samaritans worshiped in Mount Gerizim. These rival holy places were not legitimate. Zion was the only place chosen by God as His resting place.
The following factors about Zion demonstrate its importance above any illegitimate holy places:
• The Lord loves Zion more than any other place (Ps.
87:2).
• The Lord chose Zion for His habitation (Ps. 132:13).
• Zion is the joy of the whole earth (Ps. 48:2).
• Zion is the perfection of beauty from which God shines (Ps. 50:2).
• The tribe of Judah was chosen by God because He loves it (Ps. 78:68).
Earthly Zion as a type of heavenly Zion was limited to earthly
Jerusalem. Heavenly Zion will be global and will cover the earth (Ps.
47:2, 7). All the earth will worship our invisible King, the Lord God
(Ps. 66:4).
In Romans 10:18, Paul quotes from Psalm 19 in the context of the gospel, stating the prophetic words of verse 4: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” The gospel has gone out to all the earth, and people have responded with
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salvation and praise. In his commentary on Psalm 19:1–7, Matthew
Henry adds this:
The sun in the firmament is an emblem of the Sun of righteousness, the Bridegroom of the church, and the Light of the world, diffusing divine light and salvation by His gospel to the nations of the earth. He delights to bless His church, which He has espoused to Himself; and his course will be unwearied as that of the sun, till the whole earth is filled with his light and salvation.5
The kingdom of God is advanced through the preaching of the gospel. Those who hear and believe are brought to Zion, the moun- tain of God, the place of salvation, praise, worship, teaching, and glory. They come into the kingdom, the place of God’s rule, Zion. They come to the ensign, the banner of the Lord, and submit to His rule.
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
—Psalm 9:11
This praise will someday be worldwide and not limited to an earthly place. What happened in earthly Zion was only a type of what is now happening around the globe.
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.
—Psalm 24:1
God’s ownership is not limited to a place in Palestine but is global. This is fulfilled in the church.
Zion is the stronghold of God. Zion was the city of David. It was a type of the city of the greater David, Jesus the Son of David. It is the joy of the whole earth. It is the city of the great King.
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The In visible K ing a nd His K ingdom
As the people of God, we are the redeemed, a holy people who dwell in a city set on a hill that is not forsaken (Isa. 62:12). We are a city set on a hill. We are the redeemed, the holy people, a city not forsaken.
The uncircumcised cannot be a part of this city. Only the cir- cumcised and clean can be a part of this city (Is. 52:1). We are cir- cumcised with the circumcision of Christ, in the heart and not in the flesh. We can enter Zion because of this circumcision. We are cleansed through the blood of Christ and by walking in His light (1
John 1:7). The Lord rules over a holy people.
Zion is a chosen place and a chosen people. Zion is the habita- tion of God. We are chosen in Christ, and we are the habitation of God through the Spirit. God inhabits our praise.
The People of Zion
When we have accepted the redemption of Christ, we are no longer strangers but have become fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God (Eph. 2:19). We have a right to enter and abide in the city.
This is the kingdom, the eternal reign of God (Ps. 146:10). Zion is the habitation of God through all generations. Zion exists from generation to generation, just as the kingdom exists from generation to generation. The saints speak of the glory of the kingdom from generation to generation.
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations
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—Psalm 145:10–13
Every generation of the church praises God for His salvation and mighty acts. Like Zion and the kingdom, the church exists from generation to generation (Eph. 3:21). Isaiah 9:7 confirms: “Of the increase of His government [dominion] and peace there will be no end.”
Jesus is the Foundation of the new covenant people, Zion. We are Zion; we are the place of God’s rule. Old Testament prophecies are filled with expressions of the glories of our heavenly Zion. It is truly a glorious dwelling, and it will cause the saints to sing praises to our King continually and to declare His works to all people (Ps.
9:11).
Unlike the biblical kingdoms of Israel, or even our modern-day earthly kingdoms, the kingdom is filled with joy and peace. There will be no reason for any weeping, and the moment we cry to the Lord, He will hear and answer us (Isa. 30:19). He will put His own words in our mouths and will cover us in the shadow and protection of His own hand (Isa. 51:16).
What a transformation for the children of God. Chosen and loved by God, the Israelites were brought out of Egypt by the blood of a lamb and delivered from Pharaoh through the sea and the cloud. Though they wandered for forty long years in the wilderness, God brought them finally to the Promised Land and established Jerusalem as the city of God. But that was only a type of His marvelous future for the people of God. Just so, the people of God—Jew and Gentile alike—have been delivered out of the bondage of a spiritual Egypt by the blood of the Lamb of God. We have been cleansed by the living water of the new birth and led to our heavenly Zion by the cloud of God’s Holy Spirit. We have entered the kingdom of God—heavenly Zion on the mountain of God. This is our journey to Zion.
Many people are looking for Zion. In Jeremiah 50:5 we read,
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“They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying,
‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that will not be forgotten.’” Can you direct them there?
A mountain is a symbol of power and strength. A mountain is an elevation, a high place. It is a place of safety, security, a place easily defended. In Zion we are protected from the enemy. Heavenly Zion cannot be invaded, conquered, or defeated. Isaiah 33:15–16 says, “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly . . . will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.” The King Himself ensures our eternal defense.
Whoever holds the high place has power and authority. Mountains represent kingdoms, or strong, powerful governments. The mountain of Zion is symbolic of the kingdom, the powerful government of God. When you come to Zion, you come into con- tact with the authority and power of God. The kingdom is the gov- ernment of God, and the mountain is symbolic of that government. Those who come to Zion submit to the King.
Those who hate Zion cannot prosper. The enemies of the kingdom will be put to shame and turned back (Ps. 129:5). The kingdom and Zion were established in spite of the opposition of kings of the earth. Psalm 2 says that “the nations rage” and “the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed,” but “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath . . . ‘Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion’” (vv. 1–2, 4–6). The psalmist ends the Psalm with this good advice: “Now therefore, be wise, o kings . . . Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (v. 10, 12).
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The Enemies of the Kingdom
There were enemies of the earthly kingdom. David experienced much opposition on his way to the throne. David’s sufferings fore- shadowed the sufferings of Christ. The Spirit of Christ used David’s sufferings to speak prophetically through him concerning the future enemies of Christ and His kingdom. God used David’s prophetic judgments to decree judgment against the enemies of Christ. These are called imprecatory psalms. These psalms have been misunder- stand and somewhat controversial; however, they must be under- stood in a kingdom context.
The imprecatory psalms contain serious words against the enemies of the kingdom. Theopedia, an encyclopedia of biblical Christianity available online, gives the following information about the imprecatory psalms.
[The imprecatory psalms] contain curses or prayers for the punishment of the psalmist’s enemies. To impre- cate means “to invoke evil upon, or curse.” Psalms 7,
35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 all contain prayers for God’s judgment on the psalmist’s enemies. Example imprecatory statements from the Psalms follow:
Psalm 55:15—Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave.
Psalm 56:6—O God, break the teeth in their mouths. Psalm 69:28—May they be blotted out of the book of
life and not be listed with the righteous.
Psalm 109:9—May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
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Psalm 137:9—How blessed will be the one who seizes your infants, and dashes them against the rocks.6
Theopedia clarifies that these psalms were not a matter of per- sonal revenge. The writer did not have a personal vendetta against his enemy. Instead they were “utterances of zeal for the kingdom of God and his glory. To be sure, the attacks which provoked these prayers were not from personal enemies; rather, they were rightfully seen as attacks against God and especially his representatives in the promised line of the Messiah.”7
There was a level of wickedness in those upon whom these imprecations fell. They were the enemies of the kingdom and were used by Satan to attempt to stop the kingdom from being estab- lished. These enemies were unaware of what they were up against. They were up against prophetic utterances that had been uttered through David and others. The enemies of Christ were destroyed, and His kingdom was established.
The imprecatory psalms contain curses upon those who fought against the promised line of the Messiah, especially against David, in an attempt to abort the coming of Messiah and the kingdom.
Paul quoted Psalm 69:23 as evidence that it had been fulfilled in his day through a remnant that God had preserved. (See Romans
11:10.) In this way, the imprecations in Psalms were judgments coming against those who fought against the kingdom. They were against the wicked who had opposed the kingdom from the time of David to the coming of Christ.
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Jesus did not submit to Israel’s desire for an earthly king. He told the Jewish leaders that His kingdom does not come with observation.
Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation.”
—Luke 17:20
The Pharisees were looking for an observable kingdom. These Pharisees expected a visible, temporal kingdom. They were looking for a worldly kingdom. They could not understand the nature of the kingdom that Jesus preached. They were carnal and earthly; Jesus was spiritual and heavenly.
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The In visible K ing a nd His K ingdom
The kingdom was in their midst, and they could not discern it. Healing and deliverance were signs that the kingdom had come nigh.
The reason mortal man finds it difficult to absorb this subject is because of the limited perception we have for the world of the unseen. The world of the unseen is a spiritual dimension, and we have only the five senses of human nature (seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting). These senses are the physiological methods of perception. The word perception is derived from the Latin words perceptio and percipio and means “receiving, collecting; action of taking possession; apprehension with the mind or senses.”1
Jesus understood this human limitation when He walked on Earth. When Nicodemus asked Jesus to explain the kingdom of God, Jesus replied, “If I tell you things that are plain as the hand before your face and you don’t believe me, what use is there in telling you of things you can’t see, the things of God?” (John 3:12, The Message). Later, When He was speaking to the disciples about His imminent departure from them, He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23, nkjv).
When Jesus stood before Pilate after the Pharisees captured Him and Pilate asked Him if He was indeed the King of the Jews, Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be deliv- ered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here” (John 18:36).
Jesus did not come to Earth to establish a worldly kingdom. The kingdom would not be established in a worldly way. There would be no earthly armies needed. The kingdom would be advanced through the preaching of the gospel.
There were some in Israel who believed in bringing in the kingdom of God by force. They were called zealots. They hated the
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Romans and the fact that the covenant people lived under Gentile rule. Many of them believed in taking up arms against the Romans. They believed that when the Messiah came, He would do the same. Some believed they could hasten and force the coming of Messiah through armed rebellion.
But the kingdom would not come this way.
The Kingdom of God—Earthly or Heavenly?
The kingdom of God came to Earth through the suffering and death of the Christ. Most in Israel did not understand this, even though it had been spoken of by the prophets. How could a suffering Messiah bring the kingdom? Suffering and death were pictures of defeat, not victory.
They were looking for an earthly kingdom. They did not under- stand the kingdom or the prophets. The carnal mind cannot com- prehend the things of the spirit. Earthly people understand earthly kingdoms. Earthly kingdoms are advanced through earthly means, usually warfare and bloodshed. Jesus preached about the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom of God is a heavenly kingdom.
The kingdom they were looking for did not arrive. For a gen- eration after Jesus’s death and resurrection, nothing changed; the Romans were still in control. What had happened? At the end of that generation, the Romans came in force and destroyed the city and the temple. Thousands of Jews perished, and thousands more were scattered to the nations. What happened to the kingdom? What happened to the hope? There was no earthly messiah sitting on the throne in Jerusalem. Jerusalem had become a burning heap. The Romans were victors, and the Jews were defeated.
Was Jesus just another false messiah? Was He just another deceiver? Was His announcement of the kingdom a lie? Did He give false hope to Israel? There certainly was no earthly kingdom. There
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certainly was no earthly throne. There certainly was no physical deliverance.
Could they have misinterpreted the message of the kingdom? Did they misunderstand the prophecies of the prophets? Was the message of the kingdom hidden from their eyes?
This is exactly what Jesus taught; He taught that the kingdom was a mystery. It was hidden from the eyes of the disobedient and rebellious and was revealed only to the humble. Many could not see the kingdom and would not be allowed to enter into it. The kingdom would not be given to a rebellious people. It was not an earthly kingdom and would never be apprehended by earthly people. The door would be shut to them but opened to those who humbled them- selves and believed the gospel.
Entrance into the kingdom would not be determined by phys- ical birth. Physical birth was very important to the Jews. Abraham is the first person in the Bible identified as a Hebrew. Paul identified himself as a “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5). The Jews considered themselves the descendants of Abraham and therefore the elect of God. Many depended on their physical descent rather than on faith in God.
Although Abraham was called a Hebrew, he was a Hittite. There were also Gentiles in the genealogy of Christ (Rahab and Ruth, Matt.
1:5), which shows that God always honored faith. To replace faith with physical descent was pride and abominable to God. God’s choice of Israel had nothing to do with them; He chose Israel because of the covenant He made with Abraham. (See Deuteronomy 7:6–8.)
The proud would not enter the kingdom.
The rebellious would not enter the kingdom. The immoral would not enter the kingdom.
Only a remnant would enter the kingdom, and the rest would be judged.
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Worldly kingdoms are full of earthly pomp. They are defended by armies engaged in war. In Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament we read:
The charge on which Jesus was arraigned was that of laying claim to the office of a king. He here substan- tially admits that he did claim to be a king, but not in the sense in which the Jews understood it. They charged him with attempting to set up an earthly kingdom, and of exciting sedition against Caesar. In reply to this, Jesus says that his kingdom is not of this world. That is, it is not of the same nature as earthly kingdoms. It was not originated for the same purpose, or conducted on the same plan. He immediately adds a circumstance in which they differ. The kingdoms of the world are defended by arms; they maintain armies and engage in wars. If the kingdom of Jesus had been of this kind, he would have excited the multitudes that followed him to prepare for battle. He would have armed the hosts that attended him to Jerusalem. He would not have been alone and unarmed in the garden of Gethsemane. But though he was a King, yet his dominion was over the heart, subduing evil passions and corrupt desires, and bringing the soul to the love of peace and unity.2
Jesus never took upon Himself any earthly power. He did not raise up an army to gain control of an earthly kingdom. Matthew Henry gives the following account of Christ’s introduction of the kingdom of God to His followers:
He never took upon him any earthly power, never were any traitorous principles or practices laid to him. Christ gave an account of the nature of his kingdom. Its nature is not worldly; it is a kingdom within men, set
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up in their hearts and consciences; its riches spiritual, its power spiritual, and it glory within. Its supports are not worldly; its weapons are spiritual; it needed not, nor used, force to maintain and advance it, nor opposed any kingdom but that of sin and Satan. Its object and design are not worldly.3
The earthly city of Jerusalem was a type of the heavenly Jerusalem. Jesus wept over the city because the people of Jerusalem missed the time of their visitation. Jesus did not establish an earthly kingdom there but instead pronounced judgment upon the city. The earthly hopes of many in Israel were dashed to pieces. Their hope of a glorious, earthly kingdom, headquartered in Jerusalem, did not come to pass.
The prophet Daniel saw the rise and fall of earthly king- doms before the arrival of God’s kingdom. He saw the kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome being replaced and falling. The kingdom would come and be an everlasting kingdom that filled the earth.
You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
—Daniel 2:34–35
Notice that the stone becomes a mountain that fills the earth. The mountain is Zion, and Zion fills the earth. This is because Zion is a people and no longer a geographical location.
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The kingdom is not earthly but is cut out without hands. There were many who heard about the kingdom but did not understand it. They were looking for the earthly and could not see the heavenly. Jesus spoke of these people when He said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside” (Matt. 13:19). They were looking for the earthly and could not see the heavenly.
It was hidden from the eyes of many in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.
So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them con- cerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening. And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved. So when they did not agree among them- selves, they departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers, saying, “Go to this people and say: ‘Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.’”
—Acts 28:23–27
Heavenly Zion
The revelation of heavenly Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, is one of the most important for us to take a look at if we are going to understand
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the kingdom. God rules over heavenly Zion. We have come to the heavenly city, not the earthly (Heb. 12:22). Our citizenship is in heaven. We are born from above, from the heavenly city, by spiritual birth. This is the place of the rule of God, the place of the kingdom. God’s rule is over Zion, the heavenly people, the church.
In his commentary, Adam Clarke makes several important observations about the text of Hebrews 12:22:
[But ye are come unto mount Sion] In order to enter fully into the apostle’s meaning, we must observe,
1. That the Church, which is called here the city of
the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and mount
Sion, is represented under the notion of a city.
2. That the great assembly of believers in Christ is here opposed to the congregation of the Israelites assem- bled at Mount Sinai.
3. That the innumerable company of angels is here opposed to, those angels by whom the law was ush- ered in, Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19.
4. That the Gospel first-born, whose names are written in heaven, are here opposed to the enrolled first- born among the Israelites, Ex. 24:5; 19:22.
5. That the mediator of the new covenant, the Lord Jesus, is here opposed to Moses, the mediator of the old.
6. And that the blood of sprinkling, of Christ, our High Priest, refers to the act of Moses, Ex. 24:8: “And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.”
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[The heavenly Jerusalem] This phrase means the Church of the New Testament, as Schoettgen has amply proved in his dissertation on this subject.
[To an innumerable company of angels] To myriads, tens of thousands, of angels. These are represented as the attendants upon God, when he manifests himself in any external manner to mankind. When he gave the law at Mount Sinai, it is intimated that myriads of these holy beings attended him. “The chariots of the Lord are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place;” Ps. 68:17. And when he shall come to judge the world, he will be attended with a similar company. “Thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou- sand stood before him;” Dan. 7:10. In both these cases, as in several others, these seem to be, speaking after the manner of men, the body guard of the Almighty. Though angels make a part of the inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, yet they belong also to the church below. Christ has in some sort incorporated them with his followers, for “they are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that shall be heirs of salva- tion,” and they are all ever considered as making a part of God’s subjects.4
God brought Israel out of Egypt through the wilderness into the land of Canaan. He planted them in the mountain, earthly Jerusalem, earthly Zion. This was a type of the heavenly. God now brings us into His mountain, heavenly Jerusalem, heavenly Zion. The Lord will reign forever and ever. This is the eternal kingdom, con- nected to the eternal city, heavenly Zion.
Zion is the mountain of God. The Lord’s house was established
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at the top of the mountain (Isa. 2:2). The Lord’s house, the church, is where we come to learn the ways of the Lord and be taught. It is a place of teaching. In speaking of the future house of God, Isaiah the prophet said:
“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
—Isaiah 2:3
The word of the Lord comes through the church, the moun- tain of the Lord’s house. Zion is a mountain that has an ensign to which the nations gather. The nations come to be taught the ways of God. The word of the Lord came from Jerusalem. The church began in Jerusalem. The apostles taught from Jerusalem. Zion began in Jerusalem and spread throughout the earth.
Those who put their trust in the Lord inherit the holy moun- tain. Those who believe the gospel are those who put their trust in Him. We come to Zion, the mountain of God, the place of God’s rule, by faith. There were many who did not put their trust in the Lord but put their trust in the Law and in their good works. They did not trust in the grace of God and did not inherit the holy mountain.
Those who put their trust in the Lord and believed the gospel were brought by God to the holy mountain. We come to this moun- tain by faith. Zion, the mountain of God, the place of God’s rule, is also the place of prayer (Isa. 56:7). The earthly house (temple) was no longer a place of prayer but a den of thieves. God created a new house of prayer, the church. In Acts 4:24 we read, “So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said:
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‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them.’”
God’s rule is over Zion. Zion is a people. Zion is the dwelling place of God (Ps. 76:2). We are now God’s dwelling place through the Spirit.
Jesus is the foundation of Zion, the church, the new creation. The foundation for earthly Jerusalem was in the mountains. The foundation for heavenly Zion is in Christ.
Earthly Zion Versus Heavenly Zion
The revelation of Zion is one of the most important in the Word of God. There was an earthly Zion, and there is a heavenly Zion. The earthly was a type of the heavenly. The heavenly is greater and is the reality of which the earthly was simply a symbol. One day heavenly Zion will cover the earth with the rule and reign of our invisible King. God reigns in Zion. When His rule and reign are established over all the earth, each of the following characteristics will be a part of His kingdom in Zion:
• Glory
• Salvation
• Righteousness
• Praise and worship
• Dominion and power
• The knowledge of God
• Deliverance
• Blessing
• The prophetic
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• Elders (the apostolic) as part of the government
• The government of our King, Christ Jesus
Earthly Zion was the holy place, the place chosen by God. This was often emphasized by the psalms, because there were other holy places set up for worship that were not chosen by God. Jeroboam set up holy places in Bethel and Dan. The Samaritans worshiped in Mount Gerizim. These rival holy places were not legitimate. Zion was the only place chosen by God as His resting place.
The following factors about Zion demonstrate its importance above any illegitimate holy places:
• The Lord loves Zion more than any other place (Ps.
87:2).
• The Lord chose Zion for His habitation (Ps. 132:13).
• Zion is the joy of the whole earth (Ps. 48:2).
• Zion is the perfection of beauty from which God shines (Ps. 50:2).
• The tribe of Judah was chosen by God because He loves it (Ps. 78:68).
Earthly Zion as a type of heavenly Zion was limited to earthly
Jerusalem. Heavenly Zion will be global and will cover the earth (Ps.
47:2, 7). All the earth will worship our invisible King, the Lord God
(Ps. 66:4).
In Romans 10:18, Paul quotes from Psalm 19 in the context of the gospel, stating the prophetic words of verse 4: “Their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” The gospel has gone out to all the earth, and people have responded with
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salvation and praise. In his commentary on Psalm 19:1–7, Matthew
Henry adds this:
The sun in the firmament is an emblem of the Sun of righteousness, the Bridegroom of the church, and the Light of the world, diffusing divine light and salvation by His gospel to the nations of the earth. He delights to bless His church, which He has espoused to Himself; and his course will be unwearied as that of the sun, till the whole earth is filled with his light and salvation.5
The kingdom of God is advanced through the preaching of the gospel. Those who hear and believe are brought to Zion, the moun- tain of God, the place of salvation, praise, worship, teaching, and glory. They come into the kingdom, the place of God’s rule, Zion. They come to the ensign, the banner of the Lord, and submit to His rule.
Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion! Declare His deeds among the people.
—Psalm 9:11
This praise will someday be worldwide and not limited to an earthly place. What happened in earthly Zion was only a type of what is now happening around the globe.
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness.
—Psalm 24:1
God’s ownership is not limited to a place in Palestine but is global. This is fulfilled in the church.
Zion is the stronghold of God. Zion was the city of David. It was a type of the city of the greater David, Jesus the Son of David. It is the joy of the whole earth. It is the city of the great King.
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As the people of God, we are the redeemed, a holy people who dwell in a city set on a hill that is not forsaken (Isa. 62:12). We are a city set on a hill. We are the redeemed, the holy people, a city not forsaken.
The uncircumcised cannot be a part of this city. Only the cir- cumcised and clean can be a part of this city (Is. 52:1). We are cir- cumcised with the circumcision of Christ, in the heart and not in the flesh. We can enter Zion because of this circumcision. We are cleansed through the blood of Christ and by walking in His light (1
John 1:7). The Lord rules over a holy people.
Zion is a chosen place and a chosen people. Zion is the habita- tion of God. We are chosen in Christ, and we are the habitation of God through the Spirit. God inhabits our praise.
The People of Zion
When we have accepted the redemption of Christ, we are no longer strangers but have become fellow citizens with the saints of the household of God (Eph. 2:19). We have a right to enter and abide in the city.
This is the kingdom, the eternal reign of God (Ps. 146:10). Zion is the habitation of God through all generations. Zion exists from generation to generation, just as the kingdom exists from generation to generation. The saints speak of the glory of the kingdom from generation to generation.
All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, And Your saints shall bless You.
They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power,
To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations
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—Psalm 145:10–13
Every generation of the church praises God for His salvation and mighty acts. Like Zion and the kingdom, the church exists from generation to generation (Eph. 3:21). Isaiah 9:7 confirms: “Of the increase of His government [dominion] and peace there will be no end.”
Jesus is the Foundation of the new covenant people, Zion. We are Zion; we are the place of God’s rule. Old Testament prophecies are filled with expressions of the glories of our heavenly Zion. It is truly a glorious dwelling, and it will cause the saints to sing praises to our King continually and to declare His works to all people (Ps.
9:11).
Unlike the biblical kingdoms of Israel, or even our modern-day earthly kingdoms, the kingdom is filled with joy and peace. There will be no reason for any weeping, and the moment we cry to the Lord, He will hear and answer us (Isa. 30:19). He will put His own words in our mouths and will cover us in the shadow and protection of His own hand (Isa. 51:16).
What a transformation for the children of God. Chosen and loved by God, the Israelites were brought out of Egypt by the blood of a lamb and delivered from Pharaoh through the sea and the cloud. Though they wandered for forty long years in the wilderness, God brought them finally to the Promised Land and established Jerusalem as the city of God. But that was only a type of His marvelous future for the people of God. Just so, the people of God—Jew and Gentile alike—have been delivered out of the bondage of a spiritual Egypt by the blood of the Lamb of God. We have been cleansed by the living water of the new birth and led to our heavenly Zion by the cloud of God’s Holy Spirit. We have entered the kingdom of God—heavenly Zion on the mountain of God. This is our journey to Zion.
Many people are looking for Zion. In Jeremiah 50:5 we read,
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“They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces toward it, saying,
‘Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that will not be forgotten.’” Can you direct them there?
A mountain is a symbol of power and strength. A mountain is an elevation, a high place. It is a place of safety, security, a place easily defended. In Zion we are protected from the enemy. Heavenly Zion cannot be invaded, conquered, or defeated. Isaiah 33:15–16 says, “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly . . . will dwell on high; His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks; bread will be given him, his water will be sure.” The King Himself ensures our eternal defense.
Whoever holds the high place has power and authority. Mountains represent kingdoms, or strong, powerful governments. The mountain of Zion is symbolic of the kingdom, the powerful government of God. When you come to Zion, you come into con- tact with the authority and power of God. The kingdom is the gov- ernment of God, and the mountain is symbolic of that government. Those who come to Zion submit to the King.
Those who hate Zion cannot prosper. The enemies of the kingdom will be put to shame and turned back (Ps. 129:5). The kingdom and Zion were established in spite of the opposition of kings of the earth. Psalm 2 says that “the nations rage” and “the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed,” but “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath . . . ‘Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion’” (vv. 1–2, 4–6). The psalmist ends the Psalm with this good advice: “Now therefore, be wise, o kings . . . Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him” (v. 10, 12).
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The Enemies of the Kingdom
There were enemies of the earthly kingdom. David experienced much opposition on his way to the throne. David’s sufferings fore- shadowed the sufferings of Christ. The Spirit of Christ used David’s sufferings to speak prophetically through him concerning the future enemies of Christ and His kingdom. God used David’s prophetic judgments to decree judgment against the enemies of Christ. These are called imprecatory psalms. These psalms have been misunder- stand and somewhat controversial; however, they must be under- stood in a kingdom context.
The imprecatory psalms contain serious words against the enemies of the kingdom. Theopedia, an encyclopedia of biblical Christianity available online, gives the following information about the imprecatory psalms.
[The imprecatory psalms] contain curses or prayers for the punishment of the psalmist’s enemies. To impre- cate means “to invoke evil upon, or curse.” Psalms 7,
35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 79, 109, 137 and 139 all contain prayers for God’s judgment on the psalmist’s enemies. Example imprecatory statements from the Psalms follow:
Psalm 55:15—Let death take my enemies by surprise; let them go down alive to the grave.
Psalm 56:6—O God, break the teeth in their mouths. Psalm 69:28—May they be blotted out of the book of
life and not be listed with the righteous.
Psalm 109:9—May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
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Psalm 137:9—How blessed will be the one who seizes your infants, and dashes them against the rocks.6
Theopedia clarifies that these psalms were not a matter of per- sonal revenge. The writer did not have a personal vendetta against his enemy. Instead they were “utterances of zeal for the kingdom of God and his glory. To be sure, the attacks which provoked these prayers were not from personal enemies; rather, they were rightfully seen as attacks against God and especially his representatives in the promised line of the Messiah.”7
There was a level of wickedness in those upon whom these imprecations fell. They were the enemies of the kingdom and were used by Satan to attempt to stop the kingdom from being estab- lished. These enemies were unaware of what they were up against. They were up against prophetic utterances that had been uttered through David and others. The enemies of Christ were destroyed, and His kingdom was established.
The imprecatory psalms contain curses upon those who fought against the promised line of the Messiah, especially against David, in an attempt to abort the coming of Messiah and the kingdom.
Paul quoted Psalm 69:23 as evidence that it had been fulfilled in his day through a remnant that God had preserved. (See Romans
11:10.) In this way, the imprecations in Psalms were judgments coming against those who fought against the kingdom. They were against the wicked who had opposed the kingdom from the time of David to the coming of Christ.
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1 comment:
Wow I'm first this late at night!
Ok posted with a review.
http://splashesofjoy.wordpress.com/2011/08/20/first-wildcard-tour-the-invisible-king-and-his-kingdom-by-john-eckhardt/
Blessings......Joy
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