Godly Kingship Is Coming

Well, God's scripture provides clear instructions about many things that are vital for us to know in our walk with Christ, and we are headed towards the time of Christ's kingdom coming. And among his instructions, God provides us instructions and expectations for kings. For kings especially who rule over his people, the people of Israel, and these rules would apply to those who, children of Abraham through faith, Abraham being the father of the faithful is how we oftentimes state it. And so God's word provides the standard for leadership. It provides a standard for leadership for those who would be godly leaders now, which we are all striving to be. Some of us may not feel like we're leaders, but you are, and you're certainly a leader in training, and he gives us directions for those who would be kings.

And again, that's part, that's all part of the calling. We are called to be kings. God's instructions about kingship helps us understand how Jesus Christ will reign on the earth. And also, his instructions help us understand how God will expect us, his saints, to serve and reign under Christ in his kingdom. And so I think you would agree with me, it'd be very wise for us to know God's expectations of kings. And then even wiser, not just to know it, but to follow it, to strive to do it, to follow God's instructions regarding kingship, as we are to be learning to be more like Jesus Christ. As we're learning to be more like Jesus Christ, brethren, we are we are kings in training. We are kings in training. I've entitled today's message, Godly Kingship is Coming. Godly kingship is coming. Now, it's very important to understand that God is by no means opposed to kings or kingship. God is the one who created authority. Let's turn to Genesis 17. Let's turn Genesis 17 in verses 5 through 7. We see that long ago, God foretold that kings would be among the descendants of Abraham. And that reference to Abraham the father of the faithful, I did jot it down in my notes, it's Galatians 3-7. We are the sons in faith of Abraham. And while making his covenant with Abraham, God declared this, Genesis 17 verses 5 through 7. God told Abraham, No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham. For I have made you a father of many nations, and I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And of course, we can pause there and think, yes, there would be descendants of Abraham who would be kings, kings on earth, physical kings. But we can also understand rather readily, I believe, that spiritually speaking, there will also be kings. And these kings would refer to us as well. Continuing in verse 7, And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your descendants after you, and their generations for an everlasting covenant, and to be God to you and your descendants after you. Now let's turn to Exodus 19 verses 4 through 8. Establishing again that God is not opposed to kings or kingship. He has great plans for kings, and a wonderful plan for true kingship. Exodus 19 verses 4 through 8, and after delivering the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, God made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai. In verse 4 he says, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings, figuratively speaking, and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all people, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. And then continuing down in verse 8. And so this is a covenant, this is agreement he's making with them. And then in verse 8, jumping down, the people's response, the children of Israel's response, verse 8. And then all the people answered together and said, All that the Lord has spoken, we will do. We will do. That's the commitment they made. Israel agreed to be a kingdom of priests and holy people. They agreed to be unlike any other nation. If we turn next to Deuteronomy 26. Deuteronomy 26, as we follow this thread, particular thread.

Deuteronomy 26, verse 17 through 19. Moses, of course, now it's in the timeline of what happened. They're speaking to them 40 years later after he spoke to them at Mount Sinai, roughly 40 years. And before they cross over the river Jordan into the promised land, the land he had promised to them, the God had promised to them, Moses pauses to remind Israel of their covenant. And so here it is 40 years later, Deuteronomy 26, verse 17. Today you have proclaimed the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice. Also today the Lord proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you. So it's a reminder of these agreements. And that you should keep all His commandments, and that He will set you high above the nations which He has made in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the Lord your God, just as He has spoken. And so indeed Israel was set apart. God, in other places, makes very clear they were they are not the greatest of most numerous of people. They were not perhaps the brightest of people, but He had made a promise to Abraham. He had made a promise to Abraham and to their forefathers, and God keeps covenant. He is the only God, and He is a God who keeps covenant. He keeps His Word. And so Israel was a special people, a holy nation among the nations of the world. And God required the kings of Israel to live according to His law, according to His commandments. He required them to serve God and their people. And God's kings were not to be self-willed. They were not to be self-serving. They would be serving God and God's people. And God's instruction and expectations appear rather early in Israel's history. So let's now look and see what sort of instructions He gave to their kings. And this pertains to us, too. The same principles we see in these instructions to Israel's human kings are instructions that apply to us now as leaders and also as kings in training. So we see some of these instructions. Let's turn to Deuteronomy 17 back a few pages. Deuteronomy 17 verses 14 through 20. Deuteronomy 17, 14 through 20.

And again, we're in Deuteronomy, so these are part of the words that Moses gave them before they crossed the Jordan. And these instructions would then have been given roughly 400 years, roughly four centuries before King Saul, the very first of Israel's kings, would even be born or excuse me, would ever be anointed to be king. So this is roughly four centuries, and it's pretty amazing. King Saul, many scholars think, or near it down, he reigned probably 1051 to 1011 BC. And here we are, 1400, four, something like that, BC, four centuries earlier, and yet God expected them to keep these laws.

His laws are timeless. God expects us to keep these principles, his laws, today, and we're even farther down on that timeline. And so in these verses, we're going to read through these, and I'll be pausing off and on to elaborate a little bit, but in these verses, Deuteronomy 17, 14 through 20, we can also identify then what we might call God's rules or laws for kings and kingship.

These might be called God's rules for kings and kingship. So let's begin and read a little bit in this section what he says. In verses 14 through 15, Moses reported to them words of God. He says, When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me. You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you.

You may not set a foreigner over you who is not your brother. And so we can pause here. This we might pull from here one of the first rules. One of the first rules of God's kings and kingship is that God chooses who will be king. God chooses who will be king. Scripture records if we remember what we've been reading in the histories of the Old Testament. I guess we're studying Deuteronomy right now, many of us, but we've also had our Bible reading program.

We've got a lot of Bible reading programs going on. It's okay, I don't mind. It's just hard to keep up. But we'll recall, probably in our readings, how there were a lot of troubles caused in Israel by kings and Judah as well when kings took reign whom God did not choose. And I'm not going to turn back and refer to a lot of these, but there's one example.

Second Kings 15 verse 13, you can jot that down, but there's a king named Shalom, S-H-A-L-L-U-M, King Shalom, who reigned in Israel for one month. He set himself up as king, and it did not turn out well for him. I think he was followed by another king who reigned for about a month. These are not kings that God had selected.

Or perhaps you remember the queen mother, Athaliah. Athaliah, who tried to wipe out all the royal heirs in Judah. You can read about that in 2 Kings 11 verse 1. The queen mother established herself as king, and she was wicked, and she was a wicked king. She was related to, I want to say, Ahab. And so the point here is that turmoil will occur when God's people dismiss God and take king-making upon themselves. God said, when you want a king, I will be the one that chooses your king.

God needs to choose the leaders. Let's continue on verse 16 through 17. But he, the king, shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. God did not want them going back there. He delivered them from slavery.

He did not want them to go back in that direction. For the Lord has said to you, you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he, the king, multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Now, so all this is for himself.

Wives for himself, gold for himself. Multiply horses for himself. There's a lot of emphasis on what the king is doing. For whom? For himself. There lies the problem. And so rule number two, the rule number two we might state is don't be obsessed, you kings, don't be obsessed with power and wealth. Don't be obsessed with power and wealth. Multiplying horses, least kings to trust in military might rather than in God. Nations today multiply missiles, both offensively and missile defense systems. They spend billions and billions, trillions of dollars over the year multiplying horses and trusting in their military might.

God says they should trust in me. Multiplying wives in that ancient culture was a means by which kings would guarantee peace treaties. It was a means of certifying, guaranteeing peace accords, economic accords between nations, trading accords. It was also believed, and it was practiced, that the more wives you had, the better, more powerful you were as a king and enhanced your stature as a king to have more wives.

One, people would look at you and think, well, you must have a lot of money to be able to take care of all these wives and the children. Oh, the children too. And of course, we also understand that multiple wives had a devastating effect on Solomon, and if we follow that narrative, we also know it had a devastating effect on Israel after him. Solomon followed the idol worship of his wives. He eventually, through time, turned his back on God.

Multiple wives for himself was not a good thing for Solomon as wise as he was. And of course, multiplying wealth will typically increase a king's pride.

More wealth doesn't always seem to be satisfied. There's always a want for more. There's always this greed that can creep in. A king that was multiplying wealth could also become more prone to bribery, letting people pay him to bend a judgment, to twist judgment, justice in a certain way. These are dangerous things. God did not want his kings doing these things for practical reasons. In contrast, God wants his kings to focus on serving God and God's people, not on enriching themselves, himself as a king with the fleeting riches and fame of the material world. And finally, let's look at verses 18 through 20. Also it shall be when the king sets on the throne of his kingdom that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one from the book before the priests, the Levites. This is very good practical advice for all of us as well. And it shall be with him, that copy of God's law shall be with him. And he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, and be careful to observe the words of this law and these statutes, and that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

From these verses, we might draw three more rules for kings. A third rule we can draw from these verses for kings would be that a king must know God's law. A king must know God's law, and not just know it, but faithfully keep it. We've heard many a time, and we're going to keep hearing it, it's not enough to know God's law in way. God's law defines kingship as God intends it to be, and it still does to this day. Kingship was to be according to God's righteousness, God's law, righteousness defined by God's law. A rule number four, this is interesting, the kings were to know that a king is not morally superior to another person of his own nature, of his own self, there is nothing superior in the king to another person.

Kings are just as prone to sin as is any man, woman, child, any human being. A king, just like anyone else, must be humble and repentant and submissive to God. And this becomes an important rule because, as we'll see in a little bit, Israel's kings and human kings, human leaders, well, let's just say every human being has a problem with thinking himself superior, herself superior, to others. That was not to be the way of God's kings. In rule number five, a king rules under the authority of God.

A king rules under the authority of God because God is the king over all.

God is the king over all.

And so what that, those verses with this rule reminds us is that kings are ultimately God's representatives on earth. Kings are ultimately God's representatives on earth, and they're to exemplify God's way of life, they're to exemplify God's way of love and giving by service to God and service to the people, and especially God's people. And in Israel, that would mean that special nation, those holy people. And so, Deuteronomy 17, verses 14 through 20, this little section here, it conveys God's instruction for kings regarding godly kingship. And as we're going to see here in just a bit, it's going to be a huge contrast to the ways of worldly kings and kingship. Again, we get this contrast over and over again in Scripture. We have a contrast between good and evil, blessing and cursing, right and wrong, left and right. It's there.

And we see it, we're going to see it again in what God's instructing us about kingship. And so, God's laws for kings still provide sound principles for kings and kings in training unto our present day. And once again, Moses recorded these laws, these things we've just read, four centuries before Israel's first king, King Saul. And being aware of God's laws about kings and kingship, which he gave to his special people, to his holy nation, recorded in his law for four centuries. It's been around four centuries. That will help us to understand something about Samuel's anger. Let's be turning to 1 Samuel chapter 8, because it's in 1 Samuel chapter 8 that we learn what happened at the time when Israel desired for itself a king. And Samuel's reaction is going to be one of displeasure, what we might call anger. Let's turn to 1 Samuel 8, and we're going to be reading verses 1 through 6. And this is an account where Israel makes clear to Samuel, they want a king. First Samuel 8. Let's read. Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. Of course, Samuel was a judge. He was one of the last judges and his sons after him, but that would be the end, because shortly after that there would be a king in Israel. Verse 2 gives us the names, and they were judges. Let's go to verse 3. But his sons did not walk in his ways. It's the ways of Samuel. Samuel walked in God's ways. And they turned aside after dishonest gain. They took bribes, and they perverted justice. Of course, all of this is reminiscent of what we just read, how kings are supposed to be, how leaders are supposed to be. We can expand that a little bit. Here we see Samuel's old sons are breaking those rules that we have just read about. And you're on me 17. And so then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, look, face the facts, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. And perhaps those last words, well, I know those last words bear a lot of weight. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us. And so Samuel prayed to the Lord. And so Samuel's displeased by their request, but he does the right thing. A little lesson here for us, a little side note. He went to God. He took the problem to God. He didn't rant and rave. He didn't call them you rebels and declare war on them. He took the issue to God. Surely you see Samuel knew who the real kingmaker was in Israel, according to the law. It is God. Of course, Samuel's displeasure was not due only to the elders' rejection of him and his sons as leaders, although that surely stung. He also objected to their desire to have a king like the nations around them. What kind of nations were these? These were godless nations. These were nations who did not know God.

And Samuel knew God's law. He knew what it said. He knew what it said about kings. The kings would come. He knew that only God had authority to choose their king. Now let's notice God's response continuing on verses 7 through 9. And so then the Lord said to Samuel, Samuel prayed to him. God responds, God told Samuel, heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. You see, ultimately, God was their king. He's the king over all. He's the king of all creation.

And they didn't seem to recognize how in desiring a human king, Israel didn't seem to recognize how in desiring a human king, they were indeed rejecting God as their king. But of course, it's in human, it's a human nature, it's in their nature to resist God.

Continuing on verse 8, according to all the works which they have done since this day, that I brought them up out of Egypt, God said, even to this day with which they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they are doing to you also. It's almost as if God is commiserating a little bit with Samuel. Samuel had a very close and strong relationship with God. Verse 9, Now therefore heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.

So God, as always, wants to make sure the people he's working with understand his expectation. He wants them to understand, well, I guess we would say he wants them to count the cost. He wants them, as he wants us today, to understand what we have committed ourselves to, what we are doing, what we need to keep doing. Now before we read these next verses, it's helpful to understand that part of what Samuel is going to warn them about is about the great propensity for worldly kings and frankly for every human being and that propensity is to be self-centered, to be self-willed, to put one's will even before God. Clark's commentary in the Bible defines a self-willed person as one who is determined to have his own way in everything and even setting his own judgment above that of all others. And that's what Samuel is going to show Israel, forewarn them, this is what your kings will do. This is what kings do, sadly and too often. And it's interesting, the requirements for an elder in the church of God include that he be not self-willed. It's something godly leaders are not to be. That reference is tied to chapter 1 verse 7 verse 9 with all the other requirements. It's listed requirements for elders or bishops in the church, but as we should understand, those are attributes of godly leaders that we are all striving to be as well. So let's go ahead and read verses 10 through 18. Samuel is going to warn them about the behavior of worldly kings. And as I read through this, you might, if you know what a pronoun is, you might notice the pronouns. And I'll add a little emphasis as I go along, because I think you'll hear part of the tone that Samuel has in his warning. And so Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. So that's an important thing to notice. He's just not speaking from his heart. He's speaking the words of the Lord. This is what God had placed upon his heart. And so verse 11, he forewarns them. He said, this will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen. And some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties. Will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest. And some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. You hearing the pronouns? Yeah. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants and your female servants, your finest young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep and you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day —why?—because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.

And I probably shouldn't say this, but I can't help replacing kings with leaders in general, political leaders of all types.

God's kings were to be kings. They were not to be tyrants. There is a distinct difference between the two in God's definition of kingship. In what was Israel's response to God's words? What would we do? Would we say, okay, no thanks, I'm sorry, I'm wrong, not going to do that now? What was Israel's response? Yep, they were not dissuaded. Verse 19, Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations. There's that phrase again. Keep going back to that. And that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles. And so what they're doing, whether they're fully aware of it or not, Israel was disregarding. They were disregarding their covenant to be God's special nation. They wanted to be like all the nations. Verse 21, And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. You just had to take it to God, even though God had heard it himself. And so the Lord said to Samuel, Heed the voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Every man go to his city. We've heard you, we understand your decision, now go back to your homes. Now God, as we know, did choose for them a king. God chose a king for them, for it would obviously served his greater purpose and plan. God had always told them that there would be kings. They would have kings. They had planned for it, four centuries before the rules he gave them, the laws he gave them in Deuteronomy. And so God chose for the king at that time. It fit his plan. And Israel accepted that king. He was a tall and handsome Benjamite named Saul, the son of Kish. And if you haven't read that account for a while, you can read it back in 1 Samuel 10. Saul was Israel's first king, but as scripture will sadly record, he was not steadfast to obey God. What happened to Saul, to summarize it, he increasingly became self-willed.

He became self-willed, and he soon became like the kings of the nations around him. In fact, there came a time when Saul rejected God's instruction in law, and he even rejected God himself. And what did God do? God rejected Saul. It's cause and effect. God then chose for Israel its second king, David, the son of Jesse. What's wonderful about David is that David would become the best of Israel's ancient kings. He became the best. He was not flawless. We know he had sin. He was human. But he became the best of ancient Israel's kings because far more than any other king of Israel or of Judah, he knew to submit to God. He did submit to God, and he sought God's righteousness, righteousness which comes through humility and repentance and faithful obedience to God. And David, David then would come to typify the far greater king to come, a king that would be the epitome of kings and epitome of kingship according to God's way. One of David's descendants would be that greater king. God foretold that through Nathan the prophet, and that his descendants throne would be established forever. Would you like to read that prophecy of Nathan? Me too. Let's turn to 2 Samuel verse 7. 2 Samuel, I'm going to take you there anyway. 2 Samuel verse 12 through 9. 2 Samuel 12 through 9. Imagine how, think about how David may have felt knowing that he'd have a descendant of this nature. So the prophecy is found. 2 Samuel, I don't know why I can't get there. 2 Samuel 7 verse 12 through 19.

This is Nathan the prophet, God speaking through Nathan. And what's interesting about this prophecy is that it is amazing in its duality. There is, in many ways, we could see where this prophecy was fulfilled by King Solomon, the descendant of David. But on a spiritual level, it's being fulfilled and will be fulfilled by that greater king, Jesus Christ. Verse 12. To David, when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. Of course, that's true of Solomon and it will be true of Christ. He shall build a house for my name. Solomon built a temple. What is Christ building? Church. We're part of the body. And yes, he's going to be building a kingdom.

Christ is building that spiritual temple, the church. Continuing, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. Now, Jesus Christ did not commit sin, but he was chastened of men for our sins.

He was chastened of men for the sins of humanity, even though he was without sin himself. He was that perfect Lamb of God. Verse 15, prophecy continues, God says, but my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. In your house, in your kingdom, shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. Verse 17, according to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. David knew, especially understood, what God had planned. Of course, again, historically, King Samuel fulfilled much of this prophecy historically, but only Jesus Christ has and will fulfill its meaning spiritually, and he's doing so even now. And so, Jesus Christ is the prophesied descendant of David. Jesus Christ is the descendant of David. He is the Son of God, and God has chosen him to be king. God's to choose the kings, and Jesus Christ will fulfill true kingship. Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 9. Isaiah 9, 6 through 7. The prophecy in Isaiah 9, 6 through 7, one will probably be reading these verses many times of the days ahead. It's wonderful because we need to be reminded of these things, these promises, prophecies, the earth's promises. Isaiah 9, 6 through 7 reveals that God sent Jesus Christ to be the Savior and King over all humanity, ultimately. Verse 6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. That is hard to grasp, and that's where faith steps in. We believe it. And upon the throne of David and over his kingdom to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward and even forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this. What does that mean? The zeal of the Lord of Hosts? New English translation puts it this way, the Lord's intense devotion to his people will accomplish this. The Lord's intense devotion to his people will accomplish this. God has a plan, and he is fulfilling it. Now let's turn to Luke chapter 1. Luke 1 verse 30 and 33.

Luke 1, 30-33. When the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would bear Israel's anointed one, the Messiah, the Christ, his announcement to Mary is filled with references to Christ's kingship.

Verse 30. And then the angel Gabriel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God, and behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. And he will be great, and will be called the Son of the highest, and the Lord God will give 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. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the highest. And the Lord God will give 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.

We connect the dots. We connect the prophecies. We connect these announcements God has sent so his people would understand Jesus is the promised King chosen by God, and his kingdom shall never end.

Now, several times Jesus acknowledged, he acknowledged that he was the Messiah. He was the Son of God. He now acknowledges that several times recorded in scriptures. Luke 22, he spoke of it to the Sanhedrin. John 10, he talked about it with the Samaritan woman at the well.

But I want to turn to John 18, where he spoke of his responsibility as his coming as King, what he said to Pilate. Let's look at John 18. It's here that Jesus admitted to Pilate that, yes, he was a king. He was not confused about why he was there. He knew specifically well that he had been sent by the Father and that he had been sent to be king. Verse 33, John 18, verse 33.

And there we see that Pilate asked towards the end of that verse, he called Jesus and said to him, Are you the king of the Jews? In verse 36, let's go ahead, go down there. And Jesus said, 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. And Pilate therefore said to him, Pilate was a very inquisitive man, Pilate therefore said to him, Are you a king then? And Jesus said, look at this admission, You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth, and everyone who is of the truth hears my voice. Now ultimately, we know that Jesus was rejected by his own people. He was crucified. Like their ancestors before him, the people saw a king like those of other nations. They saw a king who had toppled Rome's domination over them. Rome was an occupying power. They wanted the physical political kingdom of Israel to be restored, and that's what they thought the Messiah would do. They understood the Messiah to come one time. They did not understand, as his disciples would later, and as we understand now, that he would come two times. In this misunderstanding of Christ's kingship influenced the thinking of his disciples as well. And even after his resurrection, even after he'd been resurrected and teaching them and talking with them, they still had the concept that he would bring the kingdom of God on earth then, at their day at that time. Let's look at Acts 1, verse 6 through 7. It was a very powerful expectation they had. Acts chapter 1, verse 6 through 7.

And here we see it, prior to Christ's ascending into the clouds, Acts 1, verse 6 through 7. They're gathered around. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, they asked Jesus, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put into his own authority.

Again, it's reminiscent that God chooses kings. God chooses when kingdoms arise. Now, of course, they didn't understand the Scripture, but they would after they received God's Holy Spirit. Continuing on in verse 9.

This same Jesus, and this is important, this same Jesus who has taken up from you into heaven will so come in the like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Now, again, they did not grasp what was being said until later, that Jesus had come that first time to announce the good news, the glad tidings of the coming kingdom of God. And that he would come a second time, and when he comes the second time, he will establish that kingdom on earth. And so Christ will return, and he will be king of kings just as Isaiah prophesied. Let's also look at Daniel. There's also his Daniel and his vision, the vision that troubled Daniel, but Daniel confirmed what God through Isaiah says. Let's look at Daniel 7 verse 13 through 14.

Daniel 7 verse 13 through 14. And so Jesus will come the second time, and he will conquer all kings and kingdoms of the earth. And Daniel, reading the words here, And I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. Then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages would serve him. In his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, in his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. And of course, there are other visions. Nebuchadnezzar had vision of this great image and representing four kingdoms of men, of men, and this stone cut without human hands comes down and smashes its feet, and it collapses. This is that one kingdom that shall not be destroyed. Let's also look at verse 27, a few more verses down, verse 27. And this pertains to us.

And then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. And so we understand that Jesus Christ will reign for all eternity in the kingdom of God. This is part of what God so much wants us to understand. We review these truths every year annually during his holy days, in the fall holy day season, in particular about this coming kingdom of God. But it's all interconnected, of course. So Christ will reign for all eternity in the kingdom. And the saints, his faithful holy people, it's what we've been called to be, brethren, the first fruits of salvation, they'll be resurrected at Christ's return. They'll be resurrected as immortal spirit beings. And as Daniel tells us, and they will reign in his kingdom forever. And if there's a reference, you can jot down Revelation 5.10. He has made us kings and priests to our God, and we shall reign on the earth. We're not going to reign in heaven. We're going to reign with Christ where Christ is, and Christ will be on the earth. Let's also look at Zechariah 8. Zechariah 8.

And we're going to hear much more about these prophecies in the days ahead as we draw near to trumpets in atonement, in the Feast of Tabernacles. We'll hear more during the feast, and it's so important, and it's so good to be reminded of these things because these are the things that give us hope. These are the things that give us the vision. These are the things that help us get through the difficult times we experience. And so in Zechariah 8, we read about as Jesus Christ's reign on earth begins. And of course, this will be after his vanquished humanity's armies, after his bound Satan, his millennial reign begins. It's at that time he will bring the remnant of Israel. God has never forgotten about his people Israel, those descendants of Abraham, physical descendants of Abraham and his promises to them. He will bring the remnant of Israel to him at Jerusalem. Jerusalem will be the seat of his throne, will be the capital of the kingdom on earth. This is not the new Jerusalem that will come later. Reading verse 3, and thus says the eternal, the Lord, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem shall be called the city of truth. Won't that be a change? It shall be called the city of truth, the mountain of the Lord of hosts, the holy mountain. Of course, mountain is symbolic of governments and kingdom. Let's look at verses 7 through 8. And thus says the Lord of hosts, Behold, I will save my people from the land of the east and from the land of the west. I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness. It's going to be a totally different beginning of a totally different world. And it's interesting, unlike their ancestors, at that time, this future time, this will be after the great tribulation, after millions, billions of people have died and all have suffered, Israel suffering terribly among them. Israel will at that time no longer desire a worldly or self-willed king. They'll no longer want leaders who are mainly concerned about themselves, leaders to whom they serve as if enthralled them. They will be so eager to accept the true king. They will be so welcoming of true kingship, even as described for us in Deuteronomy 17 and other prophecies we've read as well today. And Israel will have a change of heart, and not all by themselves. They'll be ready for it. But Israel will be repentant, and they will willingly serve God. Let's look at Jeremiah. Hold your place here in Zechariah, and let's turn to Jeremiah 31 and just read a few verses here, important verses. Israel will be repentant, and they will willingly serve God, even as Jeremiah prophesied. Or God through Jeremiah prophesied.

Jeremiah 31 verse 33.

But this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Eternal. And I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

And so this remnant of Israel, survivors of this future great tribulation, they will be gratefully repentant, and they will submit to Christ our King. And God's law will be in their hearts and minds, and God will forgive them. And how would that be possible? It's because God will open their minds. He will open the minds of Israel and humanity in a way, in a breath, in a broad way to many people, unlike any time before. They will have their minds and hearts opened with the help of God's Holy Spirit. They will come to understand Christ's sacrifice, they'll come to understand why He came the first time.

They will begin to know these things, and their rejoicing, their joy, will be so great that they'll eagerly repent, and they'll be converted. They'll be converted. They'll seek God's forgiveness for their sins through faith in Christ's sacrifice. They will choose to be converted to God in His way. Now let's go back to Zechariah 8.22.

And of course, what I'm talking about here is the descendants of the physical nation of Israel, and having them directly broached, what about the rest of humanity? We'll hear more about that and other messages. Let's look at Zechariah 8.22.

One final scripture here, Zechariah 8.22. Israel will finally live up to its covenant, will finally live up, be able to live up to God's expectation, because Israel, as we read here, will become an example in light of God's way to all the nations. They'll become a tool in God's hands to teach His way of life to many peoples who have never known about God, those who will live on into the millennium. In Zechariah 8.22, And yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of Host in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. Again, the contrast between what we see now is staggering. Verse 23, And thus says the Lord of Host, In those days, this future time, ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you. And if you can just pause and think how very different from what is happening today. The anti-Semitism of our age, of the time you and I are living with, the books I read as a kid said it would never happen again. The sort of anti-Semitism that began there in Europe and Germany in the 30s, 20s, and 30s. It seems to be coming back. We pray not, but we know prophecy. But how different from today. They'll be seeking out a Jewish man. These could be also symbolic of descendants of Israel. They'll want to know God. The world want to know God. How unlike today. And the wonderful thing, and there's so much more to be said, but I will not say it. Not today. But what we're reading here is just the beginning. This is just the beginning of the millennium. And then we have all eternity. All eternity.

And so, brethren, these things are important to remember. These things about God's ideas, His laws regarding kings. Jesus Christ, our Savior, the true and chosen King, is returning. It's not a story. It's not a Hallmark movie. It's not fantasy. It is true. It is coming. And if sometimes it seems to us a little fuzzy and hard to believe, then we need to be like the man we read about in the New Testament. We told Jesus, I believe.

Lord, help my belief. We find that all the time in our lives. The world doesn't want us to believe.

God says, believe, and He will help us. And so Jesus Christ, the King, is returning. And He will establish God's kingdom on earth. He will reign with righteousness and power. The Father has called us to be in the church, to be of the body of Christ. We are to be holy, and we are to serve as kings and priests in His kingdom. We are kings in training today. Let's never forget that. And so we must therefore continue in repentance and obedience and faith. In the words of Colossians 1-23, we must continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which we have heard. And we have heard much of that gospel message today. And so, brethren, I pray these words have been a good reminder. I pray that they've been encouraging for us. Some of us are going through tough times. We have brothers and sisters that are going through tough times. And so, brethren, let us hold fast in our hearts the vision of our coming King, Jesus Christ in His kingdom. And let us persevere ever onward to the kingdom.