Meditation

06/23/2021

“And now you plan to resist the kingdom of the Lord, which is in the hands of David’s descendants. You are indeed a vast army and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made to be your gods.” (2^nd Chronicles 13:8)

The earthly kingdom of David was the earthly Old Testament expression of the kingdom of the Lord. David was the anointed, and his kingdom was God’s design. The New Testament ushered in new dimensions of God’s kingdom. His kingdom is eternal and one day will be established in its fullness.

During Old Testament periods the earthly kingdom was resisted. Today people continue to resist the spiritual one. Nonetheless, God’s kingdom is present and will come as promised.

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Precious Abba, it saddens us that there are still people who resist the concept of Your eternal kingdom, and we know its impact is felt by you, as well. We need Your continued strength to reach out to all people with the truth of Your promises and that there will be a time, when You send Christ back in all His glory, to establish the new kingdom once and for all times. It is in this that we praise Jesus’ precious name and that we pray Your will is done. Amen

THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

“There are no non-believers in hell!”

KNOWING GOD:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

The representative government of the house of David, the earthly kingdom during the Old Testament period, gave birth in time to the hope for a messianic kingdom. That hope beloved, looked for a future king who would bring about the reign of God and the redemption of His people.

This passage describes the hoped for messianic ruler to reign on the throne of David. His kingdom would be established on the basis of justice and righteousness. It would be a lasting kingdom, taking the Lord Almighty Himself to accomplish it. The New Testament recognized Jesus as the fulfillment of this hope, the Inaugurator of God’s ideal reign, who will return to consummate it.

I AM:

“Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‘has put everything under his feet.’ Now when it says that ‘everything’ has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God Himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” (1^st Corinthians 15:24-28)

Beloved, as God’s rule in human hearts, the kingdom of God was inaugurated at Christ’s first coming. Those who receive Him as Lord come under the rule of God in their own lives. In its present sense, the kingdom has come to every person who accepts the rule of God in faith. The kingdom of God will be fully established only in the future. What Jesus inaugurated at His first coming, He will consummate at His second coming. The established, consummated kingdom is to be handed over by the victorious Christ to God the Father. Such final establishment requires the conquest of all enemies under the rule of God. The final enemy is death. The ultimate goal is the glory of God in the final and total establishment of His rule.

SECOND THOUGHT of the DAY:

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.’” (Revelation 11:15)

The declaration of loud voices in heaven announces an establishing of God’s kingdom through conquest of the kingdom of the world. The world will ultimately come under the universal government of Christ, who will reign eternally.