IS JESUS CHRIST YOUR KING?
It is apparent that most people who called themselves Christians, have probably accepted Jesus Christ as Savior, Redeemer, Advocate and High Priest, to whom they are grateful and thankful for delivering them from sin, and to whom they can go to make intercessions on they behalf for the forgiveness of sins, but they have not necessarily accepted him as their Lord and King.
The reason for thinking this way is because, very little or no regards is being shown to Jesus Christ as Lord and King.
To show reverence to Jesus Christ as Lord, the scriptures plainly says, “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence my sanctuary: I am the Lord” (Lev.19:30; 26:2). And Jesus referring to Himself said, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mk.2:28).
Now how does one show reverence to Jesus Christ as King?
It is evident that Jesus Christ holds the dual office of King and Priest, for thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH! From his place he shall branch out, and he shall build the temple of the Lord; yes, he shall build the temple of the Lord. He shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule on his throne; so he shall be a priest on his throne, and the counsel of peace shall be between them both [offices]” (Zech.6:12-13).
Even those who are being trained, those who are overcoming this world, will be given the dual office of kings and priests. As it is written; “You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For you were slain, and have redeemed us to God by your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:9-10).
Those called by God are, “A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation: his own special people, that they may proclaim the praises of him who called them out of the darkness into his marvelous light.” The darkness from which they were delivered is the power [kingdom] of darkness.
At conversion, when we received Jesus Christ by believing in him, we are given the right or authority to be called children of God, and we should give thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Because, “He has delivered us from the power [kingdom] of darkness and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love” (Col.1:12-13).
The reign of Jesus Christ as King is it currently in force?
The reign of Jesus Christ as King is undoubtedly currently in force, otherwise, God would not have transferred us from the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of the Son of his love. And furthermore, his kingdom was established from the time if his birth even forever. For it is written; “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government will be upon his shoulder. And his name 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, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa.9:6-7).
There is absolutely no doubt that Jesus Christ was highly regarded and honored as a King from birth. The wise men from the east after seeing his star came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him” (Matt.2:2).
When Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Then Herod when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared, he sent the wise men to Jerusalem and said, “Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when you have found him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also”(Matt.2:8).
When the wise men heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to him: gold [in honor of a king], frankincense [in honor of God], and myrrh [in honor of a man]. (Matt. 2:9-11).
When brought before Pilate during his trial, Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered him, “Are you speaking for yourself on this, or did others tell you this about me?
Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priest have delivered you to me. What have you done?
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here” (Jn.18:35-37).
On several occasions he indicated to his disciples that he was not the ruler of this world {age]. In predicting his death on the cross, his soul was troubled and he said, “Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice was heard from heaven saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore, the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of me, but for your sake. “Now is the judgment of this world: now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself” (Jn.12:27-32).
On another occasion Jesus again old his disciples, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me” (Jn.14:30).
In explaining to his disciples the advantage of him going away and sending the Holy Spirit, Jesus said; “I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged” (Jn.16:7-11).
Jesus in praying to the Father on behalf of his disciples said, “I have manifested your name to the men whom you have given me out of the world. They were yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” ‘I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.’ ‘I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (Jn.17: 6, 9, 14-16).
When Jesus Christ perceived that the people were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he departed again to a mountain by himself alone (Jn.6:15).
The kingdom of Christ and his saints is not of this world, not in this era or age, but it is certainly current and has jurisdiction over the lives of His saints, just as the Lord was, and is King over the nation of Israel, when they rejected him, and asked for a king like the nations that were around them. Despite the fact that they were warned saying; “According to the doings of the land of Egypt, were you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances. You shall observe my judgments and keep my ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God” (Lev.18:3-4).
According to the scriptures, “The Lord sits as king for ever and ever” (Psalms 10:16; Ps.29:10).To Jesus Christ the Lord says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness: therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions” (Heb. 1:8-9).
Since the Lord sits as King forever and ever, are Christians duplicating the wickedness committed by the children of Israel?
ManyChristians do not see eye to eye, and are in total disagreement when comes to politics and Christianity. Many share different views and opinions despite the plea made by the apostle Paul saying, “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1Cor.1:10).
The problem with our society is that, most people do not believe in absolute truth, absolute authority, they rather the system which allows every man to walk after the imagination of his own heart. Every man doing what seems right in his own eyes. Unfortunately most people do not realize, or are completely ignorant of the fact that there are only two ways that regulates man’s life. One is the straight and narrow way, the absolute way, the way of the Spirit. And the other is the broad and wide gate, the way of the flesh, where everyone does what seems right in his/her own eyes.
To truly understand the veracity of this subject one must start from the very beginning.
God provides for His subjects
From the beginning of creation God created man to be His subjects. Man was supposed to look upon God as his Creator, his Provider, his Sustainer, his Healer, his supreme King and Lord.
At the beginning God provided Adam with everything. It is written, “The Lord planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads” (Gen.2:8-10).
This period of time epitomized the 23rd Psalm which reads, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”
But as soon as Adam and Eve rejected the authority of God over them, by being disobedient to God, and choose to believe the devil, and partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God instructed him not to eat; Adam had to start defending, and providing for himself.
Partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, gave Adam the power of worldly wisdom to choose for himself what is right and what is wrong. For, “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen.3:6).
It is as this juncture God said to Adam, “Because you have heeded the voice of you wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (Gen.3:17-19).
What has eluded the minds of most people is that, when Adam disobeyed God, and obeyed the devil, he cut himself off from God’s sovereignty, and placed himself under the sovereignty of the devil. For, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slave whom you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness” (Rom.6:16).
Satan is the god and ruler of this world [age]
Sin, lawlessness, rebellion is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning (1Jn.3:8). He was the anointed cherub who covered the throne of God, and was in Eden, the garden of God before Adam and Eve were created. The two symbolic trees in the Garden of Eden represented two different ways of life.
The tree of life represented God’s way of life, Godly wisdom and the Holy Spirit.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented Satan’s lawless way of life, worldly wisdom, and the sinful nature of Satan.
Concerning Satan who originally was Lucifer, the prophet Ezekiel wrote; “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels, and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers; you were on the holy mountain [kingdom] of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain [kingdom] of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones”(Ezek.28:12-16).
The cause of Lucifer’s downfall is pride. It is written; “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor, I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings that they might gaze at you. You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; therefore I brought fire from your midst; it devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; you have become a horror, and shall be no more forever” (Ezek.28:17-19).
The prophet Isaiah also wrote; “How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars [angels] of God; I will sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High: Yet you shall be brought down to sheol, to the lowest depths of the pit” (Isa.14:12-15).
Jesus confirmed Satan’s outcast by saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk.10:18). Satan is the god of this of this world [age], the whole world lies under the sway [control, rule] of the devil (1Jn. 5:19). Hence we are told, “If our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those, who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age [world] has blinded those who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them”(2Cor.4;4).
The main reason why our Lord Jesus Christ gave himself for our sins is, “To rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen” (Gal.1:4).And we have the assurance that, “He has not put the world [age] to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels” (Heb.2:5).
When Satan led Jesus to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he [Satan] said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours” (LK.4:5-7). Jesus did not refute Satan’s claim of authority. On the contrary, Jesus substantiated Satan’s claim, during a conversation with his disciples. He said to them, “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in me” (Jn.14:30).
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM
Since mankind cut themselves off from God: and was under the ruler-ship of Satan the devil; God called Abram and entered into an everlasting covenant with him. The lord said to him, Get out of your country, from your kindred and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen.12:1-3).
After Abram’s faithfulness was proven and tested by God, by his willingness to offer his
son Isaac to God when asked to do so, the angel of the lord called Abraham, whose name was now changed and said to him, “By myself I have sworn, says the Lord because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, “In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea shore; and your descendants shall possess the gates of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:15-18).
This same everlasting covenant was made with Isaac and Jacob. To Isaac the lord said, “Do not go down to Egypt: dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands: and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws” (gen. 26:2-5).
To Jacob the lord said, “Your name is Jacob; our name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. Also God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you: and to your descendants after you I give this land” (Gen. 35:10-12).
JOSEPH IN EGYPT
Joseph was sold to Egypt, and God used him to save the land of Egypt from a severe famine which affected the whole earth. It is written, “The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to but grain, because the famine was severe in all lands” (Gen.41:56-57).
Among those who came to buy grains from Joseph in Egypt from the land of Canaan, were his brothers the sons of Israel. After revealing himself to them, the Lord spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob!” And he said, “Here I am” And he said, I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt for I will make you a great nation there” (Gen. 46:2-3).
All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy (70) and the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons (Gen. 46:27; Deut.10:22).
The children of Israel left Canaan and dwelt in the land of Goshen (Gen. 47:4-6). After the death of Joseph and all his brothers along with the generation which came to Egypt; the children of Israel became fruitful and increased abundantly, they multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was full with them.
Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph, and he said to the people, look, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it happen, in the event of war, that they also join our enemies and fight against us, and so go up out of the land. Therefore they set task masters over them to afflict them with their burdens. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were in dread of the children of Israel. So the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor, and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage.
The King of Egypt also said to the Hebrew midwives, “When you help the Hebrew women in child birth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live. The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?
The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live”(Exo.1:15-22).
It was from this incident that Moses who later on delivered the children out from Egypt was born.
The children of Israel stayed exactly four hundred and thirty years in Egypt. It is written, “Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the lord’s divisions left Egypt. Because the lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt” (Exo.12:40- 42;).
GOD’S COVENANT WITH ISRAEL
At the end of the four hundred and thirty years of Egyptian bondage, God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt through Moses and said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: I am the Lord your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the Lord your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord” (Lev. 18:1-5).
Moses reminded them to remember the Lord their God, by saying, “Every commandment which I command you today you must be careful to observe, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land of which the lord swore to your fathers. And you shall remember that the lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. So he humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers knew, that he might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. So you should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the lord your God chastens you” (Deut.8:1-5).
The Lord was everything to the children of Israel. The scriptures confirms that, “The Lord is king for ever and ever”(Ps.10:16; 29:10).
But from the day God delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, they began forsaking God, and serving other gods, and when they saw that Samuel was old, and his sons did not walk in his ways, and Nahash, king of the Ammorites came against them they said to Samuel, “Now appoint a king to lead us, such as the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the lord. And the lord told him; “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king”(1Sam.8:4-7).
Although they were solemnly warned of the consequences of having a king ruling over them, and what the king will do, they refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we shall be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king” (1Sam.8:19-21).
THE ALTERNATIVE
God sanctioned the appointment of a human king over his people, when they rejected him as King, and He appointed Saul as their king. Now this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, “I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you. But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said. ‘No, set a king over us.’ So now present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and clans” (1Sam.10:17-19).
Rejecting God as King and appointing a human king is not a substitute for God’s Kingship. God has never relinquished His supreme authority as King. The Lord says, “I am the Lord, that is my name; and my glory I will not give to another” (Isa.42:8).
A substitute is a replacement of something which is not presently available, or someone acting in the place of another. But God never gave the children of Israel a king as a substitute for Himself.
He gave them an alternative, which is a choice between himself who reigns for ever and ever, and another human being. The reason why God gave the children of Israel this alternative/choice was according to Samuel; “For the sake of His great name the lord will not reject his people, because the lord was pleased to make you his own” (1Sam. 12:22).
The Lord said through the prophet Isaiah, “For my name’s sake I will defer my anger, and for my praise I will restrain it from you, so that I do not cut you off. Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. For my own sake, for my own sake, I will do it: for how should my name be profaned? And I will not give my glory to another” (Isa.48:9-11).
The Psalmist, Nehemiah, Ezekiel, all echoed the same sentiment. For example the Psalmist wrote; “But He, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them. Yes, many a time He turned His anger away and did not stir up all his wrath, for he remembered that they were but flesh a breath that passes away and does not come again. How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. They did not remember His power: the day when he redeemed them from the enemy” (Ps.78:38-42; Neh.9:29-31; Ezek.20:9, 14, 22, 44).
The alternative which God gave to the children of Israel is conditional and very clear. It is written, “Even though the lord your God was your king. Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the lord has set a king over you. If you fear the lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the lord your God – good! But if you do not obey the lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers” (1sam.12:12-15).
The condition is simple. “If both you and the king who reigns over you follow the lord your God – good! But if you and your king do not obey the lord, and you rebel against His commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the lord will not hear you in that day (1Sam.8:18).
Did the people do a good thing, when they rejected God as their King, and asked for a king like the other nations?
At the coronation of Saul, when they gathered together and saw the great sign that was manifested before them, because the lord had send thunder and rain at the time of the wheat harvest, they realized that they had done evil in the sight of the Lord, when they asked for a king. Then all the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” Samuel replied, “Do not be afraid, you have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless” (1sam.12:16-20).
ARE WE AS CHRISTIANS DUPLICATING THE WICKEDNESS OF ISRAEL?
There are only two ways of life. One is called the way of the Spirit known as the straight and narrow way. It is the way of life and blessings, where God rules supreme. He is the Shepherd, and we are the sheep of His pasture.
The other way is the alternative way which God allows, and sanctioned for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the lord to make you his people” (1sam.12:22).
This way is the way of man. It is the wide gate and broad way, which leads to destruction and curses. This way of life is conditional. If those who are placed in God’s position be it as king, healer, advocate, provider, etc. are God fearing people who serves him in truth, we will reap the benefit. But if they act wickedly as in most countries, it is to our destruction. As it is written; “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Prov.29:2; Prov.28:12).
This alternative way however, although sanctioned by God does not invalidate the one and only true way. It is as wicked as during the time the children of Israel said to Samuel, “No, but a king shall reign over us, when the Lord their God was their King” (1Sam.12:12).
The situation remains the same as in the time of Samuel, and the resolution remains the same. Which is; “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart” (1Sam.12:20). And like Samuel, those who are striving to walk the straight and narrow way, and uphold Jesus Christ as their King, Healer, Advocate, Protector, Provider: should avoid sinning against the Lord by ceasing to pray for those who have embraced the alternate way: and should continue to teach them the good and right way (1Sam. 12:23).
We are admonished to; “Submit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. We are to honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king (1Pet.2:13-17).
“Every soul is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God: and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Rom. 13:1-2).
THE MOST HIGH, RULES IN THE KINGDOM OF MEN
In order to impress indelibly in the mind of every living being that, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever he will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Dan.4:17). He caused Nebuchadnezzar, the first king whose greatness had grown and reached to the heavens, and whose dominion had reached to the end of the earth, to be driven from among the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and he made his dwelling with the beast of the field, and was made to eat grass like oxen. His body was wet with the dew of heaven for seven years, until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws; until he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses” (Dan.4:25, 32, 5:18-21).
Because of Israel’s continuous rejection, and disobedience of God, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon went to Jerusalem and besieged it. Now in the second year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he had dreams; and his spirit was troubled that his sleep left him. He gave command to call the magicians, the astrologers, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. But none could tell the king his dreams. For this reason, the king was angry and very furious, and gave a command to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them. (Dan.2:2, 11-13).
With counsel and wisdom, Daniel went in and asked the King to give him time that he might tell the king the interpretation of the dream. So Daniel and his companions seek mercies from the God of heaven concerning this secret, so that he and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.
Then the secret was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. So Daniel blessed the God of heaven and said, “Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever. For wisdom and might are his. And he changes the times and the seasons; he removes kings, and raise up kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding” (Dan.2:21).
Both Nebuchadnezzar’s first dream of a great image whose head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs or iron and partly of clay; And Daniel’s visions of four great beast which came up from the sea, each different from the other, reveals clearly that they represented four successive kingdoms, which were to rule the earth beginning with Nebuchadnezzar who represented the head of gold, and the first beast like the lion (Dan. 2:37-38; Dan.7:17).
Nebuchadnezzar reigned over the kingdom of Babylon or the Chaldean Empire. The Kingdoms which followed were, the Persian Empire, followed by the Grecian Empire or the Grecio-Macedonian Empire, and the Roman Empire.
The Apostle John in the book of Revelation saw in a vision, a beast rising up out of the sea, and this beast had all the characteristics of the first three beasts which Daniel saw in his vision. The beast which he saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon [the devil] gave him his power, his throne, and great authority (Rev.13:2).
It is during the reign of the fourth beast [kingdom], will the God of heaven established His kingdom, as alluded to by the stone that struck the image, became a great mountain [kingdom] and filled the whole earth. For, “In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever”(Dan.2:35,44).
Daniel was grieved in his spirit, within his body, and the visions troubled him. So he went near to one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told him, and made known to him the interpretation which is this. “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings [kingdoms] which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever” (Dan.7:17-18).
Until then Jesus said, “I have given them your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world” (Jn.17:14-18).
This is the way love has been perfected, in that, “We may have boldness in the day of judgment. Because as He [Christ} is, so are we in this world” (1Jn.4:17). Therefore, let us heed the voice from heaven which says; “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues” (Rev.18:4).
“The Lord sat enthroned at the flood, and the Lord sits as King forever. The Lord will give strength to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace” (Ps.29:10-11). Let us not duplicate the wickedness of the children of Israel, choosing a king for ourselves, when the Lord our God is our King.
With God’s richest blessings.
Lucius Joseph