Messianic restoration

The LORD’s Anointed

Old Testament references to Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ, are not always easily identifiable because the terminology that is used to distinguish him is sometimes applied to others. For instance, the Messiah is referred to as the king in Psalm 21, which was written by King David and could be applied to the writer also. Psalm 21 is one of the psalms referred to as Messianic (other examples of Messianic portions would include Psalm 34:20; 40:6-8; 41:9; 45:6, 7; 69:21; 72:8; and 118:22). Psalms are classified as Messianic based on one or more of the three following criteria. First, consider the testimony of the writers of the Old Testament. When other books, in the context of discussing the Messiah, contain quotes or wording very similar to lines from the psalms (e.g. Psalm 72:8, cf. Zechariah 9:10), it is a clear indication that a psalm is Messianic. Secondly, there are the citations from psalms that Christ applied to himself (e.g. Psalm 41:9, cf. John 13:18) or that New Testament writers identified as depicting Christ (e.g., Psalm 118:22, cf. Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7). Finally, there are statements in the psalms that, while never specifically identified as such in the Scriptures, clearly point to Jesus Christ, (e.g. Psalm 22:1, cf. Matthew 27:46). It should be noted that within the ‘Messianic’ portions of individual psalms, some passages refer exclusively to Christ while others seem to also address a situation faced by the human writer” (note on Psalm 22:1-31).

Psalm 2 is one of the psalms that is identified as Messianic. In this psalm, Christ is referred to as the LORD’s Anointed, as well as, my Son. One of the well-known lines in this Psalm is found in verse 7, “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in a message he delivered at Antioch. After reciting a brief history of the people of Israel (Acts 13:16-25), Paul stated:

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’” (Acts 13:26-33)

Paul’s comment about the good news that was promised to the Israelites had to do with their Messiah not being recognized as the Son of God. Paul said the Jews living in Jerusalem and their rulers did not understand the utterances of the prophets, in particular that the verse he quoted from Psalm 2 was Messianic.

The title of Psalm 2, The Reign of the LORD’s Anointed, points to an event that was expected by the Jews at the time of Christ’s birth, but was largely misunderstood because it didn’t apply to the nation of Israel. The book of Revelation tells us that Christ’s reign will take place after a worldwide system of government is established that requires allegiance to one man, Antichrist who will rule over all the earth (Revelation 13:1-8). At the end of Antichrist’s 42 month reign, Christ will return to earth and will, “strike down the nations, and will rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). Psalm 2 begins with the question, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2:1), referring to the rebellion against God that elicits Christ’s return. The psalmist states, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:2-3).

People’s attitude toward God when Christ returns will be one of complete disdain, which is why it will be necessary for him to rule with a rod of iron. In response to the world’s antagonism toward him, Christ will appoint judges to rule with him over the people on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-5), but when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be given one last opportunity to oppose Christ’s authority (Revelation 20:7-9). It says in Revelation 20:9 that fire will come down from heaven and consume Satan’s army. God’s rationale for a swift and decisive defeat of Satan is conveyed in Psalm 2:4-7. It states:

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.

A decree is an official order issued by a legal authority. God’s decrees must be observed and by virtue of his divine authority, are like the laws of nature which cannot be broken. God’s statement, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6) implies that a decision was made at a particular point in time that determined Christ’s sacrifice for our sins would result in him becoming the individual who was given the power and authority to rule over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:4-16). Before Jesus was born, God said of the coming Messiah, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” (2 Samuel 7:14).

The reign of the LORD’s Anointed is depicted as a period of harsh judgment. It says of the LORD’s Anointed in Psalm 2:9, “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” “The ‘rod’ mentioned here is not an emblem of a royal office but a rod of correction in the hand of the King. The fact that it is made of iron indicates the severity and harshness of the judgment that will be meted out by Christ at his return (Revelation 19:15). This harsh judgment is not inconsistent with the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Meekness does not exclude anger but simply means that one is angry for the right reasons and at the right time (John 2:13-17). Jesus could truthfully claim to be gentle without contradicting his claim to be the Judge (Matthew 11:28-30; John 5:26-30)” (note on Psalm 2:9). The Hebrew word that is translated break in Psalm 2:9, raʿaʿ (raw-ahˊ) means “to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces)…The root of the word indicates breaking, in contrast to the word tamam (8552), which means to be whole” (H7489). Tamam has to do with something being complete or finished, “to conclude. At its root, this word carries the connotation of finishing or bringing closure” (H8552).

Jesus told his disciples before he was crucified that he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:2). Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). In his Parable of the Ten Minas, Jesus explained that it was necessary for the LORD’s Anointed to go away in order for him to receive his kingdom. Luke tells us, “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately: (Luke 19:11). Luke 19:12-27 states:

He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Jesus indicated the citizens of the kingdom hated the LORD’s Anointed and did not want him to reign over them. At the end of the parable, Jesus spoke as though he was the one who was hated and said to those who were listening, “I tell you that everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me” (Luke 19:26-27). A couple of days later, in his Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Luke 20:9-18), Jesus revealed the people’s motive for being hostile toward the LORD’s Anointed. Jesus stated:

Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Luke 20:13-18)

When Jesus returns, he intends to judge those who have rejected him as the LORD’s Anointed. Jesus told his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). The Greek word that is translated new world, paliggenesia (pal-ing-ghen-es-eeˊ-ah) refers specifically to Messianic restoration. “In the sense of renovation, restoration, restitution to a former state; spoken of complete eternal manifestation of the Messiah’s kingdom when all things are to be delivered from the present corruption and restored to spiritual purity and splendor (Matthew 19:28)” (G3824).

God’s restoration of the world will be similar to the spiritual rebirth that believers experience when they are born again. Paul explained in his letter to Titus, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration (paliggenesia) and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7). Paul used the phrase washing of regeneration to describe the cleansing that takes place at salvation (G3067). This cleansing is done through Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Revelation 19:12-16 tells us that when Jesus, the LORD’s Anointed returns, “His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which his is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” The nineteenth chapter of Revelation concludes with the beast and the false prophet being captured and “thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” and the rest who made war against the LORD’s Anointed, “were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged on their flesh” (Revelation 19:20-21).

Psalm 2 concludes with a warning to the rulers of the earth to not contest the supremacy of the LORD’s Anointed. Psalm 2:10-12 states:

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The Hebrew word that is translated blessed, ʾesher (ehˊ-sher) is “used to describe a person or nation who enjoys a relationship with God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Job 5:17; Psalm 33:12; 146:5)” (H835). Having a relationship with God means that you have access to him on a continuous basis. After he told his disciples he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:3), Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus referred to himself as the way, “the way of access, e.g., into the direct presence of God (Hebrews 9:8)” (G3598). Christ’s sacrifice opened the way for everyone to enter into God’s presence. Because of this, all who take refuge in him will be blessed and Jesus will rule over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:4-16)

The kingdom of heaven

Israel’s demand for a king (1 Samuel 8:5) was a sign of their rejection of God and their desire to be like other nations. “God knew that the Israelites would someday desire a king. He had previously given guidelines that were to be followed by the people and by the kings that would reign over them (Deuteronomy 17:14-20)…The people were no longer satisfied with the system of judges that had been established. They improperly attributed the failures during that time to the system itself, not to their sin. They rejected God because they wanted to be like the other nations, not a peculiar people, set apart as the chosen ones of God. They wanted a visible deliverer in whom they could place their trust (cf. Judges 8:22). They wanted to walk by sight, not by faith” (note on 1 Samuel 8:5-7). Initially, God gave the Israelites the kind of king they were looking for. “From a human perspective, Saul fully satisfied the desires of the people. He was a man of great stature from the most military-minded tribe in all Israel and was considered capable of leading the people in battle against their enemies. Saul was also a man whose own spiritual life mirrored that of the majority of the Israelites; it was not long until he disobeyed the Lord (1 Samuel 13:8, 14)” (note on 1 Samuel 10:20-24). After Saul offered an unlawful sacrifice to the LORD, Samuel told Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the LORD your God, with which he commanded you. For then the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought a man after his own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:13-14).

Samuel anointed David king approximately twenty years before he began his thirty-three year reign over all Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 5:4-5). During Jesus’ ministry, “The Jews recognized that the Messiah would come from David’s descendants (cf. John 7:42). One of the titles applied to Jesus during his earthly ministry was ‘Son of David’ (Matthew 9:27; 12:23; 15:22), emphasizing his heirship of all David’s royal prerogatives as well as his fulfillment of the messianic promises to David (2 Samuel 7:8-16, cf. Matthew 22:41-45; Luke 1:32, 33, 69)” (note on 1 Samuel 16:13). The LORD’s covenant with David is recorded in 2 Samuel 7:8-16. Speaking through the prophet Nathan, God said:

“I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” (2 Samuel 7:12-16)

The statement God made about David’s son building a house for his name referred initially to Solomon but was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the ‘Son of David’ (Luke 1:31-33; Acts 2:25-35). Jesus told his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms: if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

Jesus’ departure from the earth is recorded in the gospels of both Mark and Luke. Mark tells us, “So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God” (Mark 16:19). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul elaborated on Mark’s statement and indicated that Jesus received God’s authority when he sat down at his right hand (Ephesians 1:20-23), but we know that his reign hasn’t yet started because he told his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). Jesus referred to the future kingdom that he would reign over as the kingdom of heaven and used numerous parables to describe it to his followers. Based on Jesus’ parables, the kingdom of heaven appears to be a place that is hidden from our view (Luke 17:21), but is a part of our current earthly existence (Matthew 6:33) and will be inhabited by both Old and New Testament believers at some point in the future (Matthew 8:11). Jesus indicated in his conversation with a ruler of the Jews named Nicodemus that “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3) and then, explained, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:6-8).

Jesus’ mother, Mary, was visited by the angel Gabriel and was informed about her son’s future kingdom. Gabriel said:

“Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:28-33)

The unique thing about the throne of David was that God promised him it would be “established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). David’s royal dynasty was intended to be built up or made sure by the eternal life that only Jesus could provide through his substitutionary death on the cross. The Hebrew word that is translated made sure in 2 Samuel 7:16 is ʾaman (aw-manˊ), which means “have belief” (H539). ʾAman is used in Genesis 15:6 where it says that Abraham “believed the LORD and he counted it to him as righteousness.” “This is one of the key verses of the entire Old Testament. It is an important witness to the doctrine of justification by faith and to the doctrine of the unity of believers in both Old and New Testaments. Abraham’s faith was credited to him for righteousness before he was circumcised and more than 400 years before the law was given to his descendants. Therefore neither circumcision nor the law had a part in Abraham’s righteousness. Abraham’s faith was not merely a general confidence in God nor simple obedience to God’s command; Paul stressed that it was indeed faith in the promise of redemption through Christ (Romans 3:21, 22; 4:18-25; Galatians 3:14-18)” (note on Genesis 15:6).

Jesus’ conversation with Pilate, the governor who gave the order for him to be crucified, ended with Jesus being asked the question, “What is truth?” John tells us:

So Pilate entered his headquarters again and called Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?” Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered you over 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 have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:33-38)

Jesus told Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. The world that Jesus was talking about was not the physical planet that we live on, but the kosmos (kosˊ-mos), “the present order of things, as opposed to the kingdom of Christ; and hence, always with the idea of transience, worthlessness, and evil both physical and moral, the seat of cares, temptations, irregular desires” (G2889). Jesus distinguished his kingdom from Pilate’s by pointing out to him that another world existed. The new world Jesus mentioned in Matthew 19:28 refers specifically to “Messianic restoration…In the sense of renovation, restoration, restitution to a former state; spoken of the complete eternal manifestation of the Messiah’s kingdom when all things are to be delivered from their present corruption and restored to spiritual purity and splendor” (G3824).

The reason why Jesus wanted Pilate to know that another world existed may have been so that he wouldn’t feel threatened by him being identified as the King of the Jews. When Pilate was told that Jesus had made himself “the Son of God” (John 19:7), “He entered his headquarters again and said to Jesus, ‘Where are you from?’” (John 19:9). It’s possible that at that point Pilate understood what Jesus was talking about when he said his kingdom was not of this world, but more than likely, Pilate assumed that Jesus was out of his mind. It says in John 19:10-11, “So Pilate said to him, ‘You will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have authority to release you and authority to crucify you?’ Jesus answered him, ‘You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore, he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.’” The phrase from above is “spoken of whatever is heavenly or from heaven, and since God dwells in heaven, it signifies from God, in a divine manner” (G509). Jesus clearly wanted Pilate to know who he was dealing with and didn’t hide the fact that God was allowing him to crucify his own Son. Perhaps, in an attempt to bring the people to their senses, Pilate said to the Jews, “’Behold your King!’ They cried out, ‘Away with him, crucify him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar.’ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified” (John 19:14-16).

Jesus’ final conversation was with a man who was hanging on a cross next to his. Luke tells us, “When they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left” (Luke 23:33). Luke went on to say, “One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, ‘Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’ And he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ And he said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise’” (John 23:39-43). The second criminal realized the Jesus’ reign over the kingdom of heaven was not going to be prevented by his death or more specifically, by his crucifixion. The expression kingdom of heaven “often embraces both the internal and external kingdom and refers both to its commencement in this world and its completion in the world to come…In this latter view it denotes especially the bliss of heaven which it to be enjoyed in the Redeemer’s kingdom, i.e. eternal life” (G932).