Modern King James Version:
Luk 1:31-33 MKJV "And behold! You shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name JESUS. (32) He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest. And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David. (33) And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end."
Cebuano Version:
Luk 1:31-33 CEB "Ug tan-awa, magasamkon ikaw ug igaanak mo ang usa ka bata nga lalaki, ug siya imong paganganlan si Jesus. (32) Siya mahimong bantugan ug pagatawgon nga Anak sa Labing Halangdon; ug kaniya igahatag sa Ginoong Dios ang trono sa iyang amahan nga si David, (33) ug iyang pagaharian ang banay ni Jacob hangtud sa kahangturan; ug walay pagkatapus ang iyang gingharian."
Introduction
Let us continue our series of study of Luke. And we are here in the portion of Luke’s narrative the foretelling of the birth of Jesus by Angel Gabriel to Mary. Please read again the passage starting in verse 26 of the first chapter of Luke before you proceed to remind yourself of the background and the event itself.
Know that Luke writes so that we can know the truth about Jesus. We live in a world of relativism, where there is no truth or certainty, especially about Jesus and the word of God. However, Luke made a careful investigation of the facts, interviewing the eyewitnesses and servants of the word of God. Through the orderliness of the narrative and the careful, systematic presentation, Luke hoped to reassure Theophilus and those like him about the certainty of what the apostles taught about Jesus (Baker Exegetical Commentary).
As a review, we talk few weeks ago that the messenger was Gabriel, an angel who stands in the presence of God (v 19), so the message was from God. We also talked about who the receiver of the message was, and it was Mary, a virgin betrothed to Joseph at that time (v 26-27). We skipped the angel’s greetings or salutation to Mary in verses 28-30 so that we can jump right through the content of the angel’s message to Mary as our nation starts to address the threat of COVID19 in our country, that our knowledge and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ might grow and we’ll be strengthened as we continue to know Him and trust Him who is the Prince of Peace and sovereign Lord.
We learned, or we’re reminded in the angel’s message that the name to be given to the child that will be born is Jesus, a name in Hebrew that is very familiar to the Jewish people. It is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua which means Jehovah saves or Jehovah is salvation. Because the name Jesus means Jehovah is salvation, we can safely conclude that Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Thus, He is rightly called Immanuel, meaning God with us (Mat. 1:23). Further, this Jesus is the only Savior as affirmed by Peter in Acts 4:12.
In verse 32, Gabriel ascribed deity to Jesus by saying “He shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Highest.” Observe first that in verse 15 Gabriel said to Zechariah that John the Baptist, his son to be born, “shall be great in the sight of the Lord.” But here in verse 32 Gabriel only said of Jesus, “He shall be great.” It is because John the Baptist’s greatness or exalted position was attributed to Him by God and not inherent in himself. But Jesus is God in human flesh, so when Gabriel said that Jesus “shall be great,” Gabriel emphasized the deity of Jesus. Add to that, Gabriel also said of Jesus in verse 32, “shall be called Son of the Highest.” The Highest or the Most High is one of God’s titles which means nobody else is higher or supreme. Again this is very familiar to the Jewish people, a title used for God, and the Old Testament is full of it. The Hebrew equivalent of it is El Elyon or God Most High. It is a name for God that refers to sovereignty. It means no one is more powerful. No one is as sovereign as the God Most High. Son here refers to equality with the Father, see John 5:18. This means that in His being the Son is God as the Father is God. And this title is ascribed to Jesus by an angel who stands before God (v 19), who was sent from God (v 26). Therefore, we should have no doubt about the deity of Christ, and of His power or supreme authority over all things and over the events of our current age because He is the Son of the Highest.
Let us continue our study on what more angel Gabriel said about Jesus in verses 32c to 33.
C. The Royal Authority of the Incarnate Son – vs. 32c-33.
(32) … And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David. (33) And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.
Sometimes, we tend to focus on Jesus as Savior only. We should not forget that even before He was born as a man, the Old Testament is full of declarations/prophecies that the Messiah is a King. Seven hundred years before the angel Gabriel visited Mary to tell her this, Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:6-7, it says, “For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; … (7) There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.”
Back to our text in Luke 1:33, the angel Gabriel’s message to Mary is consistent with Isaiah’s prophecy. Gabriel said, “He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom there shall be no end.” And that hasn’t happened yet or is not yet fulfilled. If so, we can ask, in what way is Jesus king on the throne of his father David? What is the realm of his kingdom, spiritual or physical on earth? Who are his subjects? Are we living in the kingdom now as some would assert?
In Luke 32c-33 we have the divine declaration of the royalty and royal authority of the incarnate Son, Jesus.
1. The throne of the incarnate Son – v.32c
The throne of Jesus is the throne of David. That is why Matthew traces back the genealogy of Jesus from David, even from Abraham, in his first chapter to show that Jesus is the promised seed, the Messiah king, rightful ruler not just for Israel but for the whole world. This means that He will assume the royal authority as the heir of David. This announcement would have tremendous impact to the nation of Israel that one will be born who is a direct descendant of David, who will assume the throne which was established by David. The reign of David was the most glorious, most powerful era in the history of the nation of Israel.
The last time there was a legitimate king over the nation of Israel was during the time of Jeconiah (see II Kings 24:10-17). This was in the year around 586 B.C. But it was a divided Israel. This was only the kingdom of Judah. While Herod assumed the throne in 37 B. C. yet he was not a Jew, but an Idumean, a descendant of Esau. Herod was appointed by Julius Caesar, not by virtue of succession but by political intrigue and manipulation.
So at this point in time when the announcement was made to Mary, Israel had no legitimate king for more than 500 years. Therefore, this was great news to Mary, and there should have been rejoicing in Israel with such an announcement.
What have this got to do with us non-Israelites? Most Christians have a very shallow understanding of God’s kingdom. They tend to oversimplify the concept of the kingdom of God ending up with a partial and inadequate view and inadequate definitions. And typically most Christians, if you asked them about the kingdom of God, what does that really mean, they would say something like, “Well, the Lord wants to reign upon the throne of your heart.” Or say, “His kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.”
Well, certainly that is true. But it is so much more than that. So today I wish to give the big picture of Jesus as King. Let’s look at him this morning as king. And we will look at the kingdom. And in so doing we can increase our understanding of who Jesus is and what he is up to, where history is going, because ultimately history is His story.
In Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24, we have a prophetic declaration that in the future David will again assume his throne. In Ezekiel 34:24 David is designated a prince. The Hebrew word here is nasi, meaning chief. In Ezekiel 37:24 David is king and the Hebrew word is melek, which accurately means king. How would we reconcile this seeming contradiction: Jesus assuming the throne of David, but in the future David will reign as king over Israel?
There are those who would explain that Jesus will exhibit the character of David, but David will not personally reign over Israel( Lange’s Commentary). Jesus will be another David, says the New Bible Commentary, p. 680).
However, as a dispensationalist, Dr. Isidro and other scholars believe that David will again sit on his throne during the millennium. But he will reign under Jesus Christ. What is our basis for this interpretation? Turn to Revelation 19:16. Jesus Christ is designated with the title: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. This means that Jesus Christ will be the universal ruler. Under him will serve kings and lords. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. But there will be kings of the nations. They will administer the affairs of this world under Christ. These will be saints in their glorified bodies. These are not unbelievers. So David who already has been resurrected after the resurrection of Christ will return to reign as king over the nation of Israel. Jerimiah 30 verse 9 says, “But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.” See also Hosea 3:5, and Ezekiel 37:24.
If we are to accept all Scripture in its plain literal sense then king David will indeed sit on David's throne under the Lord Jesus Christ, whose throne is above, and who is LORD over David.
During the millennium, the type of government throughout the world will be one: theocracy. There will be no politics, no running for public office. The rulers and government officials will be appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ. And everyone appointed will be happy with his position. There will be no graft and corruption because every administrator is already sinless, living in glorified body.
So when Christ will sit on His throne starting in the millennial kingdom, there will be peace because He is the Prince of peace. Today, when Christ reigns in your heart, there will also be peace. See John 14:27. For the unbelievers, if they come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by believing Him then they will be declared justified and will have peace with God – Romans 5:1.
So when we share or tell the story of Jesus let us also include His reign of His coming kingdom on earth. The story doesn't end with the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and then our personal salvation; that's not the end of the story. The end of the story is the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and His kingdom will have no end. That's the end of the story. Don't leave the story until it ends and it ends with a glorious kingdom and Christ reigning on the throne of David over the nation Israel and establishing at that point what turns out to be an eternal sovereignty.
2. The subjects of the incarnate Son – v.33a
Our text states that the Incarnate Son, Jesus, will reign over the house of Jacob. Here are some pertinent points about this statement:
a. The meaning. To the casual reader, especially Gentiles, this statement that Jesus will reign over the house of Jacob does not carry much significance. The house of Jacob refers to the twelve tribes of Israel. This is enumerated in Genesis 49 beginning from the eldest to the youngest: Reuben – v3, Simon & Levi – v5, Judah – v6, Zebulun – v13, Isaachar – v14, Dan – v16, Gad – v19, Asher – v20, Naphtali – v21, Joseph – v22, Benjamin - v27.
These sons and their descendants belong to the house of Jacob. Why is the designation “house of Jacob” important to every Israelite?
b. The reason.
i. It was only during the time of David and of Solomon that there was a political unity among the house of Jacob. This is recorded in II Samuel 5:1-5. During the time of Saul, there was a division between the tribe of Judah which followed David and the rest of the tribes of Israel. But after the death of Saul, the rest of the tribes came to David and anointed him king over the “house of Jacob”.
ii. However, after the death of Solomon, there was a division of the “house of Jacob” into two nations: the northern kingdom which was composed of the ten tribes and the southern kingdom which was composed of Judah and Benjamin. This is recorded in I Kings 11:26-36; 12:16.
iii. This division continued for hundreds of years. Please take note that the cause of their division was idolatry – see Ezekiel 37:23.
iv. There is a prophecy in Ezekiel which looks forward to the day when the two kingdoms will once again become one under the rule of the Messiah. And this will start during the millennial reign of Christ when Israel will be restored. This is found in Ezekiel 37:15-28. The sign is the joining together of two broken sticks (referring to the two broken kingdoms, Israel and Judah) – vs. 15-17. The prophecy is explained in vs. 18-22 – Israel will once again be united into one kingdom and one king shall rule over them.
v. Why is it important to us non-Israelites for Christ to reign in the house of Jacob? The restoration of Israel to its position in the world as the primary witness to the existence and to the worship of the one true God is very important, if not the key, to the blessings of the world (Romans 11:12). When Christ will personally and visibly reign in this earth there will be universal peace, there will be abundance and prosperity all over the world. This time we will see the golden age of history. The world will almost become what God originally intended it to be. This is not yet the eternal kingdom, this is still the one-thousand-year reign of Christ on earth but it will lead to the eternal kingdom after the Great White Throne Judgement.
c. The line of authority during this time.
i. Jesus, the Son of David will reign over the house of Jacob.
ii. Serving under him is David who will be the king over the nation of Israel – Ezekiel 37:24.
iii. Serving under David are the twelve apostles who will administer the affairs of the 12 tribes. See Matthew 19:28. Some spiritualize the responsibility of the apostles as over the whole church. But the context points more to a literal statement of the role of the apostles during the millennial reign of Christ. The twelve apostles will literally sit on twelve thrones ruling the twelve tribes of Israel under David.
iv. What about us the church or the believers? We will also reign with Christ, we will be assigned as kings and priests. Revelations 5:10 says, “And You made us kings and priests to our God, and we will reign over the earth.” Who is the “us” here? Read verse 9, “…out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.” Peter also affirmed this in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;” Who is Peter referring here as a royal priesthood, etc? Please read verse 6 and 7 – “to you who believe.” Therefore, in Christ’s kingdom on earth, we too have roles. We will be assigned as kings and priests. And everyone appointed will be happy with his position.
d. The challenge to believers today. So what is our task as believers today as we look forward to the day of the personal and visible reign of Christ here on earth? During this time the main program of God is to call out of the people of the world a group of saved persons who will compose the church which is called the bride of Christ, the co-ruler of the eternal king. Romans 8:16,17 says, “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (17) And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
So let us not allow this COVID-19 threat and the situation of our world dim our hopes because as believers we have a glorious future with our Christ that was planned ahead by God and will be accomplished by God Himself. Luke 1:32c again, “And the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David." God’s action to be accomplished in due time.
3. The eternal authority of the incarnate Son- v.33b
“and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Contrast this with earthly rulers. Many earthly rulers lived long and yet they died. The oldest ruler of Israel, particularly of Judah was a very wicked king. He was Manasseh. He reigned for 54 years. See II Kings 21:1. No single earthly ruler reigned for more than one hundred years. They all died. Death of earthly rulers are followed with instability, and uncertainty. Many times, civil war erupted and will erupt.
Even with just change of administration, there will be mass courtesy resignations or layoffs. There will be new faces. Because many people are opportunists, they will show fake loyalties. They will change parties. This shameful practice is true even in our country.
But the Lord Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever. The simple and yet the most profound reason is that He is alive forever by virtue of his resurrection from the dead. The eternality of the ruler assures also the eternal stability of the kingdom. There will be no need for successions. The principles of the kingdom will also remain. This is truer with the kingdom of our Lord. He will reign in justice and righteousness forever and ever.
And because we will serve under the eternal king, so we will also be eternal in our appointed position.
We live in a very divided world, with devastating consequences. Tribal wars still rage around our globe. Many of our families are also divided. Siblings have turned to be bitter enemies. Why is there such a disunity in our country, in our community, in our churches and even in our families?
James has the answer. Read James 4:1. It is because of selfish pleasure in our hearts. The Greek word translated “lust” is hedune which means selfish pleasure. This is the source of our English word “hedonism”.
During our life here in earth, this hedonism, this lust for pleasure, will be greatly minimized when we accept the Lordship and the Kingship of Jesus Christ into our hearts. When we become born again, he will heal our divided heart, our divided homes and when He comes back to reign in this world, he will heal our divided world.
When Jesus comes back all believers will also be changed, from mortality into immortality, from corruption into incorruption. Forever no more tears or pain or difficulties or troubles. Forever we will be with the Lord reigning with Him in His kingdom. Again we're not talking about His spiritual rule. Of course that's true. He rules as our King personally, that's not what it says here. That's not the issue here. Of course His spiritual rule will go on forever because salvation is forever. But the kingdom, the rule from the line of David on the earth over Israel and extended across the world will take place. And once it's established it will never end. This is the Christ our Savior, the Jesus of Nazareth who died and rose again from the dead and one day will reign as King of kings and Lord of Lords. Is He your Savior and Lord today? Proclaim Him. We are called His witnesses while waiting for His return. Amen.
Note: Major portion of this material is taken from unpublished writings of Dr. Gadiel T. Isidro, Bishop of EL International Church Inc., Forest Hills, Banawa, Cebu City. This is used with permission.