The Davidic Covenant-Part 2

By: Dr. Renald Showers; ©2002

In 2 Samuel 7:16 God made several promises to David regarding his line of descent and his kingdom. Have these promises already been fulfilled, as some believe? Or is there a future fulfillment yet to come?

Contents

Introduction

In our previous article we noted three major promises that God made with regard to David in the Davidic Covenant. First, God promised that David’s line of descent would endure forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Second, God pledged that David’s kingdom would never pass away permanently, even though it might not function at all times (v. 16). Third, He pledged that the ruling authority that David exercised as king would never pass away permanently, even though it might not be exercised at all times (v. 16).

We also noted that the Davidic Covenant is unconditional in nature. The fulfillment of its promises depends totally upon the faithfulness of God to His word. Nothing that David or any of his biological descendants would do could ever nullify the covenant’s guarantee that a royal descendant of David would always be available to exercise his ruling authority when circumstances would so permit.

The Major Issues of the Davidic Covenant

Luke recorded the biological genealogy of Jesus Christ that indicated that He is a physi­cal descendant of David (Luke 3).

The angel Gabriel announced that God would give Jesus the throne of His ancestor, David, that Jesus would reign over the house of Jacob forever, and that Jesus’ kingdom would never end (Luke 1:31-33).

The apostle Peter declared that God had sworn with an oath to David “that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne” (Acts 2:30).

Isaiah prophesied concerning the Messiah, “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 justice and with righteousness from henceforth even forever” (Isaiah 9:7).

In light of these significant items, both amillennial Bible scholars (those who claim that Christ will not reign over a literal, earthly, political kingdom on this present earth) and premillennial Bible scholars (those who say that Christ will reign over a literal, earthly, political kingdom on this present earth after His Second Coming) agree that God’s three major promises concerning David in the Davidic Covenant are fulfilled ultimately in Jesus Christ. But Amillennialists and Premillennialists disagree concerning when and how those promises are fulfilled in Him. This disagreement indicates that the major issues related to the Davidic Covenant are when and how God’s promises concerning David are to be fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Premillennialists believe that Christ will fulfill these promises in the future when He returns to earth in His glorious Second Coming and then establishes and reigns over a literal, earthly, political kingdom for 1,000 years on this present earth and for eternity on the new eternal earth.

By contrast, some Amillennialists believe that Christ fulfills these promises now (during this present age before His Second Coming) in His present rule over the Church or human hearts as He sits at God’s right hand on the throne of God in heaven. According to this view, the kingdom over which Christ rules in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is solely a spiritual kingdom. It is not a literal, earthly, political kingdom. In addition, in order to be consistent, this view must equate the throne of David with the throne of God in heaven.

Other Amillennialists believe that Christ will fulfill these promises in eternity future after the present earth has been destroyed and history has been concluded in conjunction with His Second Coming on the last day of this present earth’s existence. According to this view, the future kingdom of God that is foretold in the Bible and over which Christ is to rule will not be present at any time during the present earth’s existence.

The Distinctiveness of the Throne of David

Contrary to one of the amillennial views, the throne of David cannot be equated with the throne of God in heaven. Several biblical items demonstrate that such an equation is incorrect.

First, it is a fact of history that several descendants of David have sat upon his throne, but only one descendant of David ever sits on the right hand of God’s throne in heaven. That descendant is Jesus Christ (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 8:1; 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22).

Second, David’s throne was not established until his lifetime. By contrast, since God has always ruled over His creation, His throne in heaven was established long before David’s throne (Psalm 93:1-2).

Third, since God’s throne in heaven was established long before David’s throne, and since God’s throne certainly was established forever (Psalm 93:2; Lamentations 5:19), then it was unnecessary for God to promise to establish David’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16), if they are the same throne.

Fourth, in Revelation 3:21 Jesus drew a clear distinction between His throne and the throne of God in heaven where He presently sits with His Father. Jesus said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” Since Jesus drew a distinction between His throne and God’s throne in heaven, then they must not be the same throne. Since it is the throne of David which God has promised to give to Jesus (Luke 1:31-32), it would appear that David’s throne is the one that Jesus calls “my throne” in His Revelation 3:21 declaration.

Fifth, God’s declaration to His Son, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8), seems to indicate that God also recognizes Jesus’ throne to be distinct from God’s throne in heaven.

Sixth, it is a fact of history that David’s throne was on the earth, not in heaven. David and his descendants who sat on his throne exercised an earthly ruling authority. Never did they exercise ruling authority in or from heaven. By contrast, the Bible indicates that God’s throne is in heaven. In fact, the Bible declares that heaven is God’s throne. Isaiah 66:1 states, “Thus saith the LORD: The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool” (compare Psalm 103:19: Matthew 5:34; 23:22; Acts 7:49).

These biblical items prompt the conclusion that, while Jesus sits on the right hand of God in heaven, He is not sitting on David’s throne. This means, then, that Jesus’ present ministry in heaven is not the fulfillment of God’s promises concerning David in the Davidic Covenant.

For a comparison of Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology obtain the follow­ing book: Renald E. Showers, There Really Is A Difference! (The Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. Telephone: 800-257-7843. Mailing address: P.O. Box 908, Bellmawr, NJ 08099).

Contents
Read Part 3