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CHRIST ON DAVID'S THRONE

There is hardly a book in the Old or New Testament where the contents have not been disputed by the modern high critics, to raise doubt and create distrust among all who believe and accept the Bible as the word of God, all for the purpose of destroying its inspiration and credibility. The book of Revelation is the book around which the pre-millennial theories revolve, with the twentieth chapter being the pivot on which these theories turn. The misunderstanding surrounding the book in general has been responsible for such theories and has caused many good people to be misled into thinking that the pre-millennial theories are nailed down and proven. It is my purpose to disprove their theories.

It almost universally believed that the Bible actually says that Christ will reign on Earth a thousand years. The Bible does not teach, say or even imply this to be true. Pre-millennialism is a theory based on carnal thinking and does not contribute to spirituality in any respect. It would demote Jesus from his throne in heaven and put him on Earth, his footstool. It is a Christ-demoting, dishonoring doctrine which causes the Christian's hope to be lowered to a carnal basis and destroys the spiritual kingdom.

Near the end of his life, during his prayer to God, Jesus said, "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are," (Jn.17:11). In verse 4 of the chapter, Jesus plainly said that he had glorified his Father on Earth and had finished his Father's work. He also said, "I am no more in the world." The apostle Paul said, "Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more" (2 Cor. 5:16). Jesus was once known of men in the flesh, but as Paul said, "henceforth" and "no more" shall he be known in the flesh.

Jesus came into the world to fulfill the mission of the Son of God and having finished his mission, he said, "I am no more in the world." "Henceforth" means from here on and "no more" means never again. This should remove any doubt. There is nothing more for him to do on Earth. Jesus explained his mission, "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work," (Jn. 4:34). Also he said, "But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me," (Jn. 5:36). Throughout the ministry of Christ, he plainly said that he came to finish the plan of God and in John 17:4 while praying to the Father, at the end of his ministry, he said that he had finished the work.

The subject matter of the book of Revelation is said to be "things which must shortly come to pass," (Rev. 1:1). The book was addressed to the seven churches of Asia and it was evidently written for them as they were named in the first chapters of the book. The early church was facing immediate persecution and trial from the Jewish and Roman persecutors and this was written for their encouragement and comfort. The book of Revelation was written in code as a warning to the churches in that time period endangered by these conditions and facing persecution at that time; but if it is a book of future prophecy as some contend, then we are still in a regime of prophecy and living in an age of prophecy, but this cannot be true for two reasons:

1) In Hebrews 1:1-2, the Bible tells us Christ has become heir of all things spoken by the prophets. In the former dispensations, God spoke to the fathers by the prophets (the agents of divine revelation) and, in so doing, he employed many methods and revealed his will in various parts. Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things. Thus Christ is the fulfillment of all things. The apostle Paul used the same phrase "all things" in reference to the old and new dispensation, saying, "That in the dispensation of the fullness of the time, he might gather together in one all things in Christ..." (Eph.1:10). The telescopes of all the prophets were focused on Jesus Christ and all the types of the old dispensations pointed to him, who became heir of all things. Matthew was inspired to write the word of Christ, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled," (Matt. 5:17-18).

2) We are not living in an age of prophecy because Luke was inspired to write, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it," (Lk. 16:16). The phrase "until John" does not mean until John appeared, but until John's order ended. Then, at the house of Cornelius, Peter used the phrase, "after the baptism which John preached" (Acts 10:37). Jesus said, "until John" and Peter said, "after John." Obviously until John meant until the cross, and after John meant after the cross.

Acts 19:1-6 says, "And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." The baptism of John was terminated at the cross of Christ. The law and the prophets were until John. The word "until" is a preposition and expresses end or termination. After Jesus was crucified, the baptism of John was no longer valid. In talking with the people, Paul learned they were very deficient in their knowledge of the gospel. He asked them, "unto what were ye baptized?" They answered and said "unto John's baptism," which shows they had not been baptized with the full knowledge of the gospel. Paul had asked them, "have ye received the Holy Spirit since ye believed?" which evidently means the laying on of the hands of the apostles that would enable them to speak in tongues and prophesy. This was a supernatural or miraculous gift bestowed upon these disciples by the laying on of the apostle's hands, cf. Acts 8:16; 9:17.

To understand Christ on the throne of David it is imperative for you to realize the law and the prophets were fulfilled at the cross. They had completed the purpose God intended them to do. They were until the cross, which means John's prophecy ended exactly where the law ended. The word "until" expresses end or termination. The Bible says the carnal ordinances of the law were imposed until the time of reformation (point of termination) (Heb. 9:10). The cross of Christ fulfilled both the law and prophecy and since that time the kingdom of God is preached and every man presseth into it.

The Bible speaks of things signified (symbolized) in Rev. 1:1. These things were explained to the members of the churches to enlighten and warn them concerning the immediate events, which pertain to the persons and churches here addressed and would be fulfilled in that generation. If this were not so, the language addressed to them would have served no purpose. An angel, which means a special messenger sent the message and it was signified, indicating how it was communicated. It was transmitted in code by signs and symbols. It was a special message, delivered by a special messenger, in that special medium of code language.

As the military and the government make use of the code system in the communication of messages to its personnel to be withheld from the public, so the use of code language in the book of Revelation was for the purpose of withholding information from the Roman and Jewish persecutors. The reason for this code system is clear, for if John had named the rulers and their office, it would have brought immediate persecution against the church. Herein lies another evidence: for if the event of this revelation did not refer to that period, but to future centuries, there would not have been any danger involved and no more need for symbolic language than any other epistle in the New Testament.

A full understanding of all the signs and symbols of these visions is not required in order to know the general import and application of these persecutions. Also, it should be remembered that the objects of these visions were immediate and present with them, while they are separate and remote from us. We learn from 1 Cor. 12:28 and Eph. 4:11 that there were spiritually gifted teachers in each of the churches to impart the meaning to the members. John said, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand," (Rev. 1:3). This is a reference to the person whose task it was to explain the visions, designated as, "he that readeth," and second, "they that hear," as previously mentioned.

The spiritually gifted teachers in all the churches could read and decode the things signified to the seven churches of Asia, "for the time is at hand." There can be no other reason to assign a different meaning to this phrase "at hand" than what it meant in the announcement of John the Baptist, "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matt.3:2), or for Jesus, that "the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mk.1:14-15). If the things signified pertained to the distant rather than to the immediate future, there would not have been an application to the warning. They were certainly in a better position to know the many signs and symbols and how to apply them than anyone could today.

Due to their association with pagan and Jewish persecutors, the evidence is in favor of the period during the reign of Nero before the destruction of Jerusalem for the date of this revelation, as we shall show later. The exhortation for them in Rev. 2:10 to "Fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer," is more than a general admonition for faithfulness in ordinary trial. The warning, "that ye shall have tribulation ten days," can have no other meaning that they themselves were to pass through this period of tribulation. The further exhortation, "...be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life," indicates that this period of tribulation would come upon them. The repeated use of the phrase, "he that overcometh," stated in six of the seven letrters written to the seven churches of Asia is a forecast of a momentous struggle. When we open the book, we find inscribed on its pages evidence that indicates at the time it was written, Jewish enemies of the church were still active and the city where our Lord was crucified and the temple and altar in it were still standing. Secular history will bear out the date and time so the author himself did not need to inform us specifically that he wrote before the year A.D. 70.

With this in mind, let's consider what the revelator tells us: "And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space," (Rev.17:9-10). The seven kings of verse 10 were the imperial Caesars, of which Nero was the sixth in succession from Julius. The text states that, "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come." Julius Caesar was the head of the Roman Republic. It merged into the empire and the Roman emperors derived the official title "Caesar" from Julius. The seven kings, five of which had fallen, followed the count from (1) Julius Caesar, (2) Augustus, (3) Tiberius, (4) Caligula, (5) Claudius, the five which had fallen and Nero was referred to in the phrase, "and one is," i.e., the present reigning emperor. It is further stated that the other or the seventh, "is not yet come." Five Caesars had passed before John wrote this book and Nero, the sixth Caesar, was reigning at the time it was written. The reign of Nero extended from A.D. 54-68 and somewhere between these dates we must assign the composition of the book of Revelation.

These are the facts of history and they identify the time of the writing with the reign of Nero Caesar. Domitian was the seventh Caesar and the text specifically states that he had not yet come. This will automatically correct the future prophecy theories, which are so full of misconceptions. No book of the New Testament has more passages which clearly have respect to the time it was written than the book of Revelation. The question, whether it was written at an early date or at the close of the century has an important bearing on the interpretation of the book. A true exposition depends largely upon the knowledge of the existing conditions of things at the time it was written, i.e., of the true point in history occupied by the writer and those whom he originally addressed.

In order to support the theory of a future millennial reign of Christ, efforts are made to connect Rev. 2:25-28 and 3:21-22 with Rev. 20:1-6 as referring to the second coming of Christ, when he shall then give the saints power over the nations and shall then rule them with a rod of iron in the millennium. Such an interpretation charges that the Lord deceived the church at Thyatira into believing that his second coming would be during the lifetime of the church at Thyatira.

It should be observed that the coming of Christ is mentioned in several senses in the New Testament and especially in the book of Revelation. Jesus spoke of his coming saying, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory," (Matt. 24:30). The sign of the Son of man in heaven was a signal, the evidence of divine visitation and intervention, the downfall of the Jewish authorities and in all the transpiring events.

The mourning of all the tribes of the Earth refers to the lamentations of the Jewish families all over the world becasue of the destruction of their city, temple and state. The coming of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven is not a referrence to the second coming of Christ, but to the coming foretold by Jesus to Caiaphas, "...Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven," (Matt.26:64). Jesus told Caiaphas he would see it and he would be a living witness to these things.

The reference to the Son of man coming with power and great glory and sitting on the right hand of power is emphasis on the magnitude of the things, which actually occurred. The Son of man came in the transpiring events. "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other," (Matt. 24:31). Here is the announcement of the worldwide success of the gospel, the universal expansion of Christianity after the destruction of Jerusalem. The angels of this verse were messengers of the gospel. The gathering of the elect from the four winds meant that these messengers would carry the gospel to the four corners of the inhabited world.

With the downfall of Judaism, the greatest enemy of the church was removed and the path was cleared for a universal sweep of Christianity. Matt. 24:29-34 speaks of the signs of Christ's coming in these events and Christ said, "So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors," (Matt. 24:33). To say that the expression "it is near" refers to the end of the world, the end of time or the rapture is contrary to the context of Matthew 24. When these signs appeared, the Lord said, "...let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains," (Matt. 24:16). If it meant the end of the world, why flee to the mountains? These verses clearly show that the whole thing is a description of the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ also said, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled," (Matt. 24:34).

To the churches at Ephesus, Pergamos, Sardis, and Laodicea, Christ said he would come, i.e., he would come in the events named, promised or threatened. To Thyatira he said, "Hold fast till I come," which obviously did not refer to his second coming. Also, the expression in Rev. 2:26-28 indicated that these things would come during the life period of the church at Thyatira. On the same erroneous promises is has been said that Rev. 3:21-22 makes a distinction between the Father's throne upon which Christ is asserted to occupy now, and Christ's own throne which it is claimed he will occupy when he returns.

We know from Eph. 5:5 the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ are one kingdom, and from Heb. 1:8 the throne of God and the throne of Christ are the same throne. We are taught in Lk. 22:29-30 Christians share Christ's kingdom now, and from Rev. 3:21-22 we know they share his throne now. In Matt. 19:28 it is stated that in the regeneration Jesus would sit on the throne of his glory and it is also stated that the apostles would occupy the thrones of authority in the same dispensation of regeneration. Clearly, in this dispensation, Christ is occupying the throne of his glory.

In Matthew 6:10, Jesus was teaching his disciples how to pray. He said, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in Earth, as it is in heaven." This was the kingdom Jesus promised in Matt. 16:18-19, which was established on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two. Sometime later, after Jesus had repeatedly announced the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it is recorded in Lk. 17:20-21, "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." That describes its nature and territory: it is spiritual in character and its realm is within the heart of men. Lk. 23:50-51 says that Joseph of Armathaea who attended the burial of Jesus was waiting for the kingdom of God. In Mk. 9:1, Jesus said, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." Some of the disciples standing there would live to see the kingdom and witness its coming.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus said to his disciples, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you..." therefore, the descent of the Spirit came upon Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2:1-4. the Spirit, the power and the kingdom came at the same time. That is the meaning of thy kingdom come as recorded in the disciples' prayer in Matt. 6:10. Col. 1:13 says the Colossian Christians had been translated into the kingdom of his dear Son. In Heb. 12:23-28, the text states all those who composed the church of the firstborn had also received the kingdom. When they received one, they received the other. When they entered the church they entered the kingdom.

The twentieth chapter of Revelation was but a climax of an imagery that began with a scene of defeat in chapter 6:9-10 and ends in a scene of victory in chapter 20:4. John said, "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:1-2). The angel was Christ as a messenger of the gospel. The key of the bottomless pit was held by an evil angel in chapter 9:1. It had been taken by Christ showing his power over death and the grave, as stated in chapter 1:18. The chain represented the purpose of the gospel to prevent the devil from deceiving men. "And laid hold on the devil and bound him a thousand years." A thousand years in this passage as in all other places where the phrase is used, denotes completeness. The thousand years was the representation of saints reigning with Christ in a complete victory. The is nothing said in the text or context of the reign of Christ, but rather the reign of the saints with Christ, which represents the spiritual state after the victory over the persecutions. The words "reign" and "reigned" in Revelation 20 denotes the same spiritual state as the same words do in Rom. 5:17, 1 Cor. 4:8 and 2 Tim. 2:12. All are used in a sense of spiritual reign with the sacrifice and service of our fellowship with him. The word “thousand” is mentioned in the Bible several times, and is a perfect number. “Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations” (Deut. 7:9). Also, in a song of praise, David said, “Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations” (1 Chron. 16:15).

God does not count to a literal thousand generations and then no longer remembers his covenant. It means God’s memory of and faithfulness to his covenant is perfect and complete. “...he hath commanded his covenant forever: holy and reverend is his name” (Psa.111:9). The figurative term “thousand” can only mean that God’s recollection of his word and his covenant is infinite, perfect and complete. They lived and reigned in complete victory over their persecutors.

The resurrection of the twentieth chapter of Revelation was a figurative or spiritual resurrection, and of the same character described by Ezekiel concerning Israel in captivity. The prophet Ezekiel was in Babylon with exiled Israel, and prophesied their return from Babylon in the vision. He said, “. . . So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, o my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, 0 my people, and brought you up out of your graves, And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord” (Ezek.37:1-14).

Here was a description of a resurrection, extraordinary indeed! Taking Israel out of the land of their captivity and bringing them back to their own land was called a resurrection. They were in the graves of captivity in Babylon, yet they were a living people. God said that he opened their graves and brought them out and caused them to live. Their return to Judea and restoration to their own land and religion was a figurative resurrection. Now that was exactly the kind of resurrection pictured in Revelation 20. One was the description of the persecuted Israel in the Old Testament; the other was the persecuted church in the New Testament. The principle was the same.

Another example of a resurrection is found in Rom.11:15. Paul said, when the Jews were converted to Christ under the gospel, it was the receiving of them “as life from the dead.” That is another figurative or spiritual resurrection. When John saw the souls of the martyrs, slain for the testimony of Jesus and the word of God “under the altar” in Revelation chapter 6, then saw the same souls “on thrones” in chapter 20, it was a vision of victory. Taking the souls from under the altar and elevating them to thrones was called a resurrection in exactly the same sense that bringing the people of Israel out of bondage in Babylon was opening of their graves and causing them to “live” a figurative death and a figurative resurrection.

In conversation with a denominational preacher, you might hear him say, "The Bible plainly states, we shall reign with Christ on earth a thousand years." When the assertor is asked for the passage that so plainly says it, he will just as confidently refer his listeners to Rev. 20:4, a much-quoted but widely misunderstood passage cited as the proof text. The passage reads, "And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev.20:4).

It is true that Christ reigns; but the reign in the twentieth chapter of Revelation was not the reign of Christ. It was a special reign of certain souls with Christ. It does not mention nor refer to the reign of Christ on earth. The reign mentioned was a special use of the word, applied to a special incident of the Revelation vision. There is a vast difference between living and reigning with Christ and a millennial reign of Christ. So let’s be true to the facts in the case. Not only did they reign with Christ, they also lived with him. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. The verbs, “lived” and “reigned” were both limited by the thousand years. Hence, if the expression denotes time, when the reigning is over, and they ceased to reign, the living would be over and they would also cease to live. That would be quite a hopeless millennial.

Rev. 20:1-6, does not mention a bodily resurrection, or the second coming of Christ, the throne of David, or any other throne on earth. It does not mention Jerusalem, Palestine or Christ on the earth and it does not mention us. Is it not possible for souls to live and reign with Christ, without being in an earthly millennium? Can those advocating a literal millennial reign consistently say, “although it mentions none of these things, it teaches them all?” Rev.20:1-6 as a text, is too inadequate to sustain the pre-millennial theory, but it is the only text that makes mention of the thousand years, hence, there is no text to defend the pre-millennial theory. None of the apostles has ever mentioned in any epistle such a period of time, such a dispensation, nor such an age of hope. It does not belong to the apostolic doctrine or to the Christians hope. Jesus Christ has ascended to the only throne he will occupy, according to the scriptures. The throne of David has been transferred from earth to heaven, and transformed from temporal to spiritual.

It seems that all should appreciate by this time the meaning of types and antitypes in the divine order. The throne of David in the Old Testament was a type of Christ’s throne in the New Testament. Thus the Apostle Paul told the Jews that Jesus Christ was the promised seed of David. “Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus” (Acts 13:23). The promise mentioned here is found in 2 Sam. 7:12-14, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men.”

The statement, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son,” (Heb. 1:5) referred to Christ. But some have said that to apply this prophecy to Christ would make him a sinner, for the passage says, “if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and the stripes of the children of men” (2 Sam.7:14), but when we compare the statement with Heb. 1:5, 2 Cor. 5:21, and Isa. 53, the objection looses its force. In foretelling the suffering of Christ, Isaiah said, “But he was wounded for our transgression, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6).

Thus in his suffering, our Lord was "chastened with the rod of men and with the stripes of the children of men." The statement, “if he commit iniquity,” does not refer to acts of iniquity which he would commit, but to his becoming sin for us. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Heb. 1:5, together with 2 Cor. 5:21 and Isa. 53, should eliminate any doubt that 2 Sam.7:12-14 is a prophecy that God would set Christ on David’s throne while David was still in the grave. When the Holy Spirit, through the inspired apostle, says that it meant Christ, the case is closed.

Jesus Christ is the seed of which God said to David: “I will set up thy seed after thee.” When does the Bible say that this would be done? “When thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (2 Sam. 7:12) God said he would set Christ on David’s throne while David sleeps with his fathers. David is in the grave sleeping with his fathers now; but when Christ comes again, David will not sleep with his fathers. David, with all the righteous dead, will come forth from the grave. Then David will not sleep with his fathers after Christ comes. But God said that the Son would occupy David’s throne while David was in the grave, sleeping with his fathers. Therefore, Jesus Christ cannot possibly occupy the throne of David after his second coming. It should not be difficult for anyone to see this truth! The throne of David in the Old Testament was God's throne and David simply occupied it. God assigned it to him and he sat upon it, and it was called the throne of David. David's throne was physical but after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, it was transformed into a spiritual throne located in heaven. This was the only throne Christ was ever promised and if he is not on it now, he has no promise of another. Christ will sit on his throne at the right hand of God until the last dead person is raised. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:24-26). As long as the grave holds a single body captive, death is not yet destroyed.

In reference to this which God had promised to Christ, Peter said on the day of Pentecost, “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne” (Acts 2:29-30). In these scriptures God said while David slept, Christ would sit on his throne, and Peter said that God foreseeing this, spoke of the resurrection of Christ, not his second coming. God said he would raise him up to sit on David’s throne, but those teaching the pre-millennial theory have him coming down to Earth to sit on David’s throne. The trouble with many people is that they can’t distinguish between up and down. In conclusion, Peter said, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool. Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:33-36). If Christ is not on the throne now, these scriptures are meaningless. It would mean he was raised to one thing and exalted to something else.

Advocates of the pre-millennial theory admit that the kingdom the prophets foretold was the kingdom of Christ. This kingdom was at hand when John the Baptist was preaching. He called it the Kingdom of heaven, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2). Jesus preached the approaching of this same kingdom and he called it the Kingdom of God in Mark 1:15. One phrase said the kingdom of heaven, the other, the kingdom of God; whose kingdom is it to be? Are there two kingdoms, with Christ reigning over one and God reigning over the other? Certainly not! Ephesians 5:5 tells us the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ are one kingdom. Why then, cannot the throne of God and the throne of Christ be one throne? Where then goes the distinction that is made between the throne of the father, and the throne of the son? It goes the way of the whole future kingdom theory. One might as well argue that Christ cannot sit on his own throne, because he is to sit on David’s throne. How can it be his and David’s? The same way Solomon sat on his throne and his Father’s throne at the same time. “Then sat Solomon upon the throne of David his Father; and his kingdom was established greatly” (1 Kings 2:12). “Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as King instead of David his Father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him” (1 Chron. 29:23). It should not unduly strain one's mind to see this.

I think most people will admit that the church which Christ said he would build has been established. Whose church is it? Christ said, “Upon this rock I will build my church . . .“ (Matt. 16:18). It is indeed the church of Christ, and in Rom. 16:16, we find congregations are called churches of Christ, but in 1 Cor. 1:2, it is also called the church of God, and 1 Thess. 2:14, says churches of God. If we can see that the church of Christ and the church of God are one, and not two institutions, and the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Christ are one, and not two kingdoms, then the throne of God and the throne of Christ are one, and not two thrones.

In Acts 15:13-17, in a speech before the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, James quoted from Amos 9:11-12 concerning the tabernacle of David. “And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this will I return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things” (Acts 15:13-17). James said that this prophecy of Amos, concerning the setting up of the tabernacle of David, was fulfilled in Acts chapter 2 after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and with the establishment of the church, and the Gentiles could receive admittance into it.

Peter said in Acts 2:29-36 that David’s prophecy in Psa.132:11 concerning the setting up of the seed of David to occupy his throne, was fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ.  Then Paul said, in Acts 13:34, that Isaiah’s prophecy in Isa.55:3 on the sure mercies of David, was fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ. What is the difference between the throne of David, the tabernacle of David, and the sure mercies of David? They are all three the one and the same. According to Peter, Paul and James, all these prophecies have been fulfilled in the resurrection of Christ, the establishment of the church (his kingdom) and the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. James said that God would build again and set up the tabernacle of David, and that the residue of men might seek after the Lord and all the Gentiles upon whom his name is called. The residue of men in this passage means the rest of the people, or the people who were not included in the first covenant, the Gentiles. If the tabernacle of David has not been rebuilt, the residue of men cannot seek after God, and the Gentiles cannot enjoy the blessings of salvation. Would anyone be willing to accept this conclusion and consequence? I think not! James declares that the Gentiles have a right to the blessings of salvation and uses the above prophecy to prove it.

Christ has the key of David, “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth; I know thy works; behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name” (Rev. 3:7-8). The word “key” conveys the meaning of authority, control, and possession. In Isaiah’s prophecy of the one who would possess the house of David, the prophet said, “And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none shall open” (Isa. 22:22). The Lord’s statement to the church at Philadelphia, was a direct reference to this prophecy, which was fulfilled in Christ.

The key of David was laid upon his shoulder which means the burden of government. The Bible says, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isa.9:6-7). This prophecy gives the reason Jesus Christ told the church at Philadelphia, in Rev. 3:7-8, that he had the key of David, for he possessed the throne of David, and its government was upon his shoulder, with authority to order it and establish it. An angel made reference to this scripture to Mary before Jesus Christ was born. “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk.1:31-33).

In Acts chapter 13, Paul quotes from the second Psalm and declares that God had fulfilled the promise in giving to them the sure mercies of David. He said, “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David” (Acts 13:33-34). In Eph.2:12-16, Paul declared that Christ has broken down the middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles and made them one “...and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby.”

If the remnant of the Jews and the Gentiles alike can seek after God, then it follows that Christ has set up the tabernacle of David. Adding to these prophecies and their fulfillment, Peter declared that God would raise up one to sit on David’s throne, and it was fulfilled in the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Peter said the prophecies meant that, "God would raise up Christ to sit on David’s throne, and that he seeing this before, spoke of the resurrection of Christ." Then Peter concluded by saying, “This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:29-33).

In summation, Jesus Christ has the throne of David, the tabernacle of David, the house of David, the sure mercies of David, and the key of David, in every spiritual sense, and there are no more prophecies or promises concerning Christ and David to be fulfilled. According to these scriptures the house of David was fulfilled in the coming of the kingdom of Christ (his church). The theory that Jesus Christ will return to the earth and establish an earthly kingdom, occupy the throne of David in an earthly millennium, and reign on the earth one thousand years, is a false theory.

This study was presented by our dear brother, Emery M. McCallister.