Saturday, January 1, 2011
Eighth Christmas Day
2 Samuel 7:12-13 When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
AN ETERNAL KINGSHIP
When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to rescue them from the final consequences of sin (death and hell). It was really that simple. Just how that rescue would occur was the question. From Genesis 3:15, it was clear that the rescue would be effected by a single individual. But what would this individual be like? Prophecies sprinkled throughout the Old Testament help answer this question.
In the 2 Samuel passage above, the Savior is described as being a king from David's family. He would build a special house of worship for God and God would establish his kingdom forever.
This individual who would reign over an eternal kingdom springs up repeatedly in Old Testament prophecy. The very idea of an "eternal kingship" is a thread that ties many traits of the Savior together for us. The concept of an eternal kingship helps readers to realize the person talked about in Isaiah 9:6 (For to us a child is born, to us a son is given ... Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace ...) is the same "son of man" being that is worshipped in Daniel 7:13-14.
This king was the same one that the Wise Men sought in Matthew 2. They asked king Herod, " ... Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2 NIV).
The kingdom this infant would establish is the kingdom of salvation through His Cross. The Temple he founded for the praise of God is still being built today. Dear Christians, you are its bricks -- the church of all who trust in him as their Savior from sin. (See 1 Peter 2:4-6).
