God’s King

GOD’S KING

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The history of the world is composed largely of a struggle for power. Wars are fought because people desire to govern other people. Sometimes in a democracy the struggle is not as obvious, but it assuredly is present.

Only God, our Creator, is our rightful Sovereign. God has given to the Lord Jesus Christ all authority in Heaven and on earth. All resistance to the rule of Christ is vain and foolish. In due time God will put all of Christ’s enemies under His feet. Every knee, angelic and human, will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.

Introduction
Psalm Two
Verse one
Verse two
Verse three
Verse four
Verse five
Verse six
Verse seven
Verse eight
Verse nine
Verse ten
Verse eleven
Verse twelve
Conclusion

Introduction

On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:16)

The Book of Psalms is a manual for war. Why is this? It is because the major issue of creation is that of rebellion and the overcoming of rebellion.

Let’s think about what is included in the concept of rebellion. The idea is that someone is in a place of authority and there are other personages who are attempting to exert their own will rather than being willing to obey the rightful ruler.

Originally there was a rebellion in Heaven against the rule of the Father. The creation of man is God’s response to the heavenly rebellion. God has chosen in His infinite wisdom, to introduce a new race, the race of human beings, into the universe. Among these human beings there will be some who, through the Lord Jesus Christ, will be willing to obey God no matter what the cost to them personally. To these obedient ones will be given the authority and power to put down all rebellion against God and to govern the works of God’s hands for eternity.

The desire to exert his own will is found in the personality of Satan. The desire to exert their own will is found also in the personalities of people until God teaches them obedience through suffering.

The desire to exert their own will was revealed as the disciples argued about who would be the greatest, that is, who would rule the others.

The lust to rule other people accounts for most of the world’s troubles, it seems to me.

The Lord Jesus Christ was made perfect in obedience. Now it is time for the saints to choose to obey Christ rather than to follow their own religious paths.

It is not always pleasant when God begins to deal with the source of our self-will. Healthy organisms will fight to preserve their life. But die we must to our self-will, to the most intense desires of our heart. Until we are willing to die in the Lord we cannot be trusted to serve as one of Christ’s kings.

Those who will permit God to abase them will be exalted in due time, as was Joseph.

But those who insist on preserving their own way, whether or not they profess faith in Christ, will never govern with Him. I do not say they all will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. But no self-willed person, Christian or not, will be given authority over the creatures of God.

Psalm Two

Verse one.
Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? (Psalms 2:1)

Today America is at war with the Taliban government in Afghanistan. There may be other nations involved before the issues are resolved. There is much conspiring among the nations of the world. We do not know of the secret alliances that have been made. There is plotting on the part of those who seek supremacy. There have been wars and rumors of wars throughout history.

But all the conspiracies and plots are in vain. God alone will decide the outcome, even though each nation has striven for victory to the best of its ability.

Verse two.

The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against his Anointed One. (Psalms 2:2)

The president of the United States is a professed Christian, and prays and reads his Bible. He has asked the Christians of our country to pray for him, and we do. However there are many leaders in our government as well as people in our country who are seeking their own advantage without regard for God and His Christ.

It appears the basic motivation of the Muslim terrorists who have attacked the United States is to bring all people under subjection to the religion of Islam. Thus the present war has a strong religious element.

But all who do not obey Christ will fail eventually. God has given Jesus Christ all authority in the heavens and upon the earth. God permits various conflicts to take place from time to time, with differing results. But in the end, all angelic and human personages will bow the knee to Christ.

The Christian warrior needs to understand no matter how circumstances may appear, the final victory is His. Christ will prevail over all.

Verse three.

“Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.” (Psalms 2:3)

This is what it is like in America today. The present generation is feeding on the moral filth that is coming from Hollywood. The idea of a person serving God and seeking for righteousness is often scorned.

There is little fear of God in the land, and sometimes in the Christian churches. We Americans are at ease, being taught that man is his own god and ought to be in control of his life. Perhaps we are about to be taught differently.

Verse four.

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. (Psalms 2:4)

The Lord’s warriors need always to laugh with God. God is not laughing over the pitiful condition of His creation but over the idea of the dust of the ground seeking to cast off His restraints and guidelines.

The saints never are to worry about the outcome of the seemingly unending conflicts and commotions in the world. Jesus Christ sits as King of the flood—always and in every situation. There is nothing to be concerned about. Let us laugh with God. We yet shall sing and dance in the heights of Zion though the world be in flames.

This may seem like a heartless attitude to take. The truth is, however, that we cannot help people to any great extent when we ourselves are bowed down with concern and fear.

God remains in control of all people, all things, and all circumstances. God permits the wicked to express themselves in order to teach angels and people the desirability of doing God’s will. When God is finished using the wicked to perfect His Kingdom He will remove them from the presence of Himself and His children.

Reveal your faith by laughing with God. In so doing you will show yourself to be more than a conqueror.

Verse five.

Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, (Psalms 2:5)

After God gets through laughing at the spectacle of the dust of the ground shaking their fists at Him, God becomes angry. He rebukes and terrifies those who at one time were so sure they could defy God and prosper.

We in America are not accustomed to threats against our homeland. Our previous wars for the most part (except for the Civil War) have been fought on foreign soil.

Many Americans do not know the Lord and are terribly frightened at the thought of dying. There is much fear being expressed. People are upset because of the danger.

Prior to this time numerous Americans have spent a considerable part of their time gazing at the antics of the Hollywood performers. Everything seemed safe and cozy (except for those poor unfortunates who were raped, or shot, or crashed into by a drunken driver).

Now America no longer is safe and cozy. We are joining those other countries in which the populace lives in fear, such as Israel and some of the African countries. The world has changed as far as we are concerned.

Where is God? God is rebuking us because we have worshiped the gods of this present world rather than the God of Heaven.

God is not attacking us. Rather He has lifted His hand of protection, allowing the enemies of our country to harm us.

Instead of loving and nourishing our children, many of us (citing our reproductive rights) have aborted their development. (But how about the rights of God and the child?)

We cannot expect God to protect and bless us when we are defying the moral laws He has written in the Bible. And our military forces will not prevail when God is not assisting us.

We are boasting of our military technologies instead of turning away from our wicked behavior. Thus we will fail until we are willing to humble ourselves and turn away from our wicked behavior.

All of our military might, all the courageous actions of our men and women in the armed forces, will not prevail if God is permitting us to be chastised. As long as we condone the aborting of children, and sexual perversions that are condemned in the Bible, the Lord will not assist us.

I think it will not be too long before the American people are terrified because of the expression of God’s anger toward us. Hopefully the terror will cause numerous Christians to humble themselves, confess their sins, and turn from their wicked behavior.

But if we keep on with our national silliness, if we insist on scheduling athletic events so they conflict with Sunday worship, then we can be sure the present war will continue for an indefinite period.

The days of beer, television, and the late-night mocking of Bible values must turn into seasons of seeking the Lord for the strength to do what Christ and His Apostles have commanded.

Verse six.

“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.” (Psalms 2:6)

God already has determined the Lord Jesus Christ, the righteous One, is to govern the works of God’s hands. “Zion” is holy because it is the place God has chosen. Zion is in Heaven today and will enter the earth at the coming of the Lord.

All who would be saved from destruction must accept the lordship of Jesus Christ. All who reject His lordship, His right to govern our every action, will perish, whether or not they profess to be members of the Christian religion.

The issue from the beginning is that of whose will is to be performed. Because the Lord Jesus surrendered His will to God, God has made Him King and Lord. All must obey Christ. Every ruler, every government in the spirit realm or on the earth, must obey Christ. There are to be no exceptions.

Even today God is training people who have within themselves the fiercest of desires to do God’s will. When they are given authority and power they will go through the universe commanding obedience to God and His Christ.

This is the army of God, described in the second chapter of the Book of Joel and in several other passages in the Bible.

Make no mistake: God’s Kingdom shall come to the earth. God’s will shall be done in the earth. All who refuse to obey will be removed from every desirable relationship, thing, and circumstance. They shall dwell in a dry land indeed!

Verse seven.

I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.” (Psalms 2:7)

There is no more startling, no more profound, nor more mysterious and inscrutable, no more significant passage in the entire Bible than verse seven of the second Psalm.

First of all, who is the “I”? The I is the Logos, through whom God created all things.

Who is the “Lord”? The Lord is the Father.

The Logos proclaimed the decree: God said to the Logos, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.”

We do not know too much about the Logos. We do understand the Logos was in the beginning with God and that the Logos was God. How can it be that the Logos, the Word, was with God and at the same time was God? It is that the Word is the eternal Expression of God. The Word is not a written or spoken word. The Word is the exact representation of God’s Being, having come forth from all that God is.

We can see that although the Word, the Logos, is God, yet there are two Persons. We know this because the Father said to the Word, “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” If the Father and the Word were the same Person, the above sentence would make no sense at all.

God the Father never said to an angel “You are my son. Today I have become your Father.” God through the Word created the angels. But the Word has inherited a better name than the angels, the name of Son.

Perhaps there never was such a thing as a son until man was created. In any case, this obviously is a new role, a new relationship, for the eternal Word. Otherwise, why the decree?: “Today I have become your Father.”

On what day did the God of Heaven become the Father of Christ? Perhaps on three occasions:

When Christ was born of Mary.
When Christ was baptized by John the Baptist.
When Christ was raised from the dead.

Remember, we are speaking of God making Christ King of all kings and Lord of all lords. God is preparing the supreme Ruler of His creation by changing Him from the Logos to a Man; for the Scripture refers to man as the son of God, and to man as the ruler of the works of God’s hands. Man was created to be God’s king and judge, and the chariot in which God rides.

Thus the first Man was announced; no longer the Logos, the Word, but now the Son of God. The Logos is to become flesh and live among the other people who are to become sons of God.

What an awesome event! The thundering God of Sinai is to become a helpless baby. There is no greater mystery in the universe. This mystery so far outstrips other religions that they by comparison pale into insignificance.

Verse eight.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. (Psalms 2:8)

Now we come to an enlargement of the supreme mystery. The Father is inviting the Word, now the Son, to pray for that which He has been destined to inherit.

This is so astonishing, because it was the Word who had created the nations and the ends of the earth. Why is He required to pray for them?

It is because the Son, Christ, could never inherit people except by Himself becoming a person.

Dictators think they can govern people by force. But this is an empty inheritance. It is true they can compel the behavior of people. But they do not have the hearts of their subjects. Therefore they possess nothing but intelligent dust. And the rulers are never free to enjoy themselves because of the problems involved in governing people.

No, the Word, the Logos, the Son, had to become a human being. He had to experience what we experience. He had to gain our hearts as one of us.

The reason the inheritance of people is of value is that there is joy in shared love. It is the love of Christ for us that motivates Him to do all He has done and yet is doing for us.

The supreme end of all of God’s working in His creation is to bring us to perfect, complete joy. Perfect, complete joy is not possible apart from love. This is why God invited the Creator of all creatures and things to ask God to make the nations His inheritance and the ends of the earth His possession. God is the only one who could conceive and put into operation the plan that would unite Christ, the Creator, with His own creation in a satisfying manner.

It is true also of us who are to be coheirs with Christ. We must be dealt with until we are experiencing the love of Christ. We will govern the nations with a rod of iron, but not until we love our subjects. God will have it no other way.

Verse nine.

You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. (Psalms 2:9)

If the highest good is love, why then the rule of iron? It has to do with the nature of man. Those who have taught children know there is nothing quite as rewarding as to be a teacher in a class of children who love their teacher.

But in order to develop this kind of classroom environment, the teacher must be strong, wise, and experienced enough to gain control. As long as the classroom is out of control, a loving environment is not possible.

The children must understand they are not permitted to disobey the teacher.

So it will be in the thousand-year Kingdom Age. The nations will first have to be brought under control. Because of the thousands of years of rebellion among God’s creatures, such control can be gained only by measures sufficiently harsh to force obedience.

Once the obedience has been gained, then love can be developed.

The Lord Jesus Christ has no desire to smash people. What kind of inheritance is this? It would be more pleasant to sit beside a stream and enjoy the beauties of nature.

The reason people have to be treated so roughly is that they are little gods. They will follow their own will until a superior power prevents them from doing so.

God the Father requires total obedience. His is the only legitimate will in the universe. Until we agree with this, submitting our own will to Christ, God’s chosen King, we will remain unable to inherit the riches of the new creation.

In fact, it is the issue of stern obedience to the Father that is in the forefront of God’s dealing with His saints in the present hour.

We have been saved through the blood atonement; we have received God’s Spirit; now we must learn stern obedience to the Father. This is the Kingdom of God and the issue facing the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Verse ten.

Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. (Psalms 2:10)

Those who govern people are wise if they will bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. All who govern, govern with His permission.

The purpose of government is to enforce God’s rules of morality. The government that refuses to enforce God’s rules of morality, regardless of the reason for its refusal, will not remain in control.

This is how I know the great nations of the West will not continue to rule for much longer. They are not enforcing God’s rules of morality. No nation of history has survived after having become morally decadent.

God will look for rulers who will enforce the rules of righteous, moral behavior. This is the only reason a government has for its continued existence.

Verse eleven.

Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. (Psalms 2:11)

The fear of God has been removed from the Christian churches, and from the secular population as a result. In America, God is pictured as a kindly grandfather who wishes people would be nice, but who certainly is not going to punish them if they are not nice.

How little we understand the Consuming Fire of Israel!

The idea that the God of the Old Testament was harsh and the God of the New Testament is gentle and loving is totally false. The Lord Jesus warned us that His return would be as in the days of Noah, showing us that the God who slew the peoples of the earth with a flood has never changed.

God restrains His wrath because of the Virtue of Calvary. But God has not changed. The Lord Jesus and His Apostle warned us again and again that if we continued to live according to our fleshly lusts we would suffer at His coming.

Yet the Christian preachers of our day continue to placate their listeners with the concepts of unconditional love, eternal security, no Christian will suffer loss at the Judgment Seat of Christ, lawless grace, an imminent rapture into Heaven, and so forth. Here we are, facing the outer darkness for not using our gifts to build the Kingdom of God, and our preachers are lulling us to sleep.

Well, we can continue in our unscriptural teaching but spiritual reality is spiritual reality. We Christians are going to suffer because we have not denied our willful desires, have not taken up our cross, and have not followed the Lord each day.

The believers are sitting in church listening to athletic events on their transistor radios. Yet they are being told that at any moment they are going to be caught up to Heaven where they will “rule and reign with Christ.” Whom they shall govern is not always made clear.

We Christians are in doctrinal chaos. We have been burned and do not realize it.

Verse twelve.

Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalms 2:12)

Judas kissed the Son, but with the wrong motive. His punishment is beyond comprehension.

No, the Lord Jesus is not a feeble do-gooder who cannot exercise wrath when it is called for. He is more loving than any other person. He is more capable of wrath than any other person. This last fact has been concealed from the current generation of American churchgoers.

One tiny flaring up of the wrath of Jesus Christ and continents are destroyed. He is God and the Son of God. He is the King of all. He is not a president who has been voted in but an oriental monarch possessing absolute authority.

Those who are blessed and wise will take refuge in His compassionate Personality.

Those who are cursed and foolish will maintain their own way before Him.

There is no other god who is worshiped who can stand up against the Lord Jesus Christ. They will crumble at His feet in the days to come.

Conclusion

We understand therefore that those who would rule the people of the earth are pursuing the wind. They live in a state of vexation because of the problems of rulership. They can never possess what Christ possesses, the hearts of the people. And it is the hearts of the people, not their bodies, that are the true riches of the inheritance.

The wisest action any human being can take is to come to Christ in total submission, seeking His will in every detail in life. He is a loving Savior and is interested in all we are and do.

But those who are foolish will come to a bitter end. They will not find Christ to be a cooing dove who flutters about when people resist Him. From His Throne will issue eternal judgments against those who rebel against Him. He is absolute Lord of Heaven and earth. Those who think otherwise have been deceived.

May God’s Kingdom come to earth. May His will be done in all of our hearts. Only then will we find the righteousness, peace, and joy that we desire.

(“God’s King”, 3309-1)

GOD’S KING

Table of Contents

Introduction

Psalm Two

Conclusion