The Davidic Covenant-Part 4
| By: Dr. Renald Showers; ©2002 |
| So far we have learned that the fulfillment of God’s promises to David will be in the future, and that it will involve a political kingdom. This month Dr. Showers gives evidence that this kingdom will also be earthly in nature. |
Contents
Introduction
Our previous article presented biblical items that prompt two conclusions. First, Christ will fulfill God’s promises concerning David in the Davidic Covenant in the future. He will not sit on His throne and rule the world until He has returned to the earth in His Second Coming. Second, Christ will fulfill the Davidic Covenant by reigning over a kingdom which is political in nature.
This present article will present biblical items that indicate the kingdom over which Christ will rule in the future will also be earthly in nature.
The Earthly Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
The Amillennialists who assert that Christ fulfills the Davidic Covenant now believe that He does it in His present rule over the Church or over individual human hearts yielded to Him. According to this view, the kingdom over which Christ rules in fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is solely a spiritual kingdom. It is not an earthly kingdom involving rule over everything on planet earth.
Other Amillennialists who assert that Christ will fulfill the Davidic Covenant in the future believe that He will do it in eternity future after the present earth has been destroyed and history concluded in conjunction with His Second Coming. According to this view, the future kingdom of God which 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.
Although these two Amillennial views disagree with each other on some points, they agree that Christ will never reign over a literal, earthly kingdom on this present earth.
Contrary to this Amillennial agreement, several biblical items indicate that Christ will fulfill God’s promises concerning David in the Davidic Covenant by reigning over a literal, earthly kingdom on this present earth.
First, according to Zechariah 14:4 and 9, after the Messiah’s feet have touched down on the Mount of Olives at His Second Coming, He will be King “over all the earth.” Christ will rule, not just over the Church or individual human hearts yielded to Him, but over the entire earth (compare Psalm 72:8; Zechariah 9:10; Daniel 2:35, 44-45).
Second, Jeremiah 23:5-8 promised that when the Messiah, a righteous Branch of David, reigns as King, He will execute judgment and justice “in the earth.” During the days of His rule, the people of Israel will “dwell safely” and will “dwell in their own land.” The language of this passage implies an earthly kingdom rule of Christ.
Third, in Daniel 7 the kingdom which God will give to the Messiah, the Son of man, when He comes with the clouds of heaven in His Second Coming (vv. 13-14) is described as “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven” (v. 27). The expression under the whole heaven indicates that Christ’s kingdom will be on the earth (compare Revelation 11:15).
Fourth, the prophets foretold dramatic changes which are earthly in nature during the Messiah’s reign. Peter referred to these prophecies in Acts 3:21. Having used the expressions the times of refreshing and the times of restitution of all things for the period when Christ will be present on the earth after His Second Coming, Peter stated concerning that period, “which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”
Examples of the dramatic changes foretold by the prophets for the Messiah’s reign are as follows: wilderness and desert areas will produce abundantly (Isaiah 35:1-2; 41:18-20; 51:3); animals will be completely tame and vegetarian in diet (Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:25); diseases and deformities will be healed (Isaiah 29:18; 33:24; 35:5-6); longevity of life will be restored (Isaiah 65:20-22); a unique stream of water will heal other waters of their problems and will cause great productivity of animal life and abundant fruitage of trees (Ezekiel 47:1- 12); and food will be plentiful (Isaiah 30:23; Ezekiel 34:23-29; Joel 2:21-27; 3:18; Amos 9:11-15). Many of these changes which are to be characteristic of the Messiah’s kingdom rule are very earthly in nature.
Fifth, the chronological order of future events presented in The Book of The Revelation indicates that Christ’s kingdom rule is to be on this present earth before history is concluded. That order of events is as follows: (1) the Second Coming of Christ to earth (Revelation 19:11-21); (2) the imprisonment of Satan in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (20:1- 3); (3) the kingdom reign of Christ and His saints for 1,000 years (20:4-6); (4) the release of Satan from the bottomless pit after the 1,000 years of Christ’s reign are expired (20:7); (5) the revolt of Satan and the unsaved people of the earth against the righteous rule of Christ and His saints, and the divine judgment of that revolt (20:8-9)(in this revolt Satan will deceive the nations located “in the four quarters of the earth”; the rebels will go up “on the breadth of the earth”; and the divine judgment will come “down from God out of Heaven.” These items related to the revolt indicate that it will take place on the earth.); (6) the casting of Satan into the lake of fire and brimstone for his eternal judgment (20:10); (7) the appearance of a great white throne and the destruction of the present earth and heaven (20:11);
- the final judgment of the unsaved and their casting into the lake of fire (20:12-15); and
- the entrance of eternity future with the appearance of a new heaven and a new earth (21:1). It should be noted that this divinely revealed order of future events portrays the 1,000 year reign of Christ taking place on this present earth before it is destroyed, before history is concluded, and before eternity future begins.
Sixth, the Bible presents several characteristics of the Messiah’s kingdom which will not be true of eternity future. During His reign the Messiah will have dominion from sea to sea (Psalm 72:8; Zechariah 9:10). But the future eternal earth will have no sea (Revelation 21:1). Unsaved wicked people will be present during the Messiah’s reign (Isaiah 11:4; Revelation 20:8-9). But no such people will be present in the new eternal earth and heaven (Revelation 21:8—in eternity future all the unsaved will be in the lake of fire). Some people will die during the Messiah’s reign (Isaiah 11:4; Jeremiah 31:29-30—rebels will be executed). But there will be no death in eternity future (Revelation 20:14; 21:4). Children will be born during the Messiah’s reign (Jeremiah 30:19-20; Ezekiel 47:22). But no children will be born in the new eternal earth and heaven. In eternity future all the saints will have immortal bodies and will not marry (Matthew 22:30; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53); thus, no children will be born through marriage. In addition, all the saints of eternity future will be sinless; thus, no illegitimate children will be born. These contrasts require the conclusion that Christ will reign over a kingdom on this present earth before it is destroyed and before eternity future begins.
The Certain Fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant
God stated no conditions when He established His covenant with David. Thus, the Davidic Covenant is unconditional in nature. The fulfillment of its promises depends totally upon the faithfulness of God. It is not dependent upon the faithfulness of David or his descendants. This means that the promises are certain to be fulfilled.
The certain fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant is emphasized several times in the Bible. In Psalm 89:28-37 God declared that His covenant with David will stand fast, that He will fulfill its promises in spite of disobedience by David’s descendants, and that He will not permit His faithfulness to fail. To emphasize this all the more, God said, “My covenant will I not break, nor will I alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie to David” (vv. 34-35).
Psalm 132:11 asserted that God will not turn back from what He has sworn to David.
After David’s descendants had sinned grievously for centuries, God stated that just as humans cannot break the day and night cycle which God has established, so His covenant with David cannot be broken (Jeremiah 33:20-21). Again He asserted that He will set up a righteous descendant of David to rule as King (Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:14-17; Ezekiel 37:24- 25; Amos 9:11).
Later still God declared His intention to fulfill the promises of the Davidic Covenant in Jesus Christ (Luke 1:31-33). In all these assertions God stated no conditions and left no doubts concerning the covenant’s fulfillment.
Conclusions
In light of the biblical items related to the Davidic Covenant that have been examined in this and three previous articles, it can be concluded that Jesus Christ will fulfill God’s promises to David in the Davidic Covenant in the future (after His Second Coming to the earth). He will do this by establishing and reigning over a literal, earthly, political kingdom for 1,000 years on this present earth, just as His ancestor David reigned over a literal, earthly, political kingdom on this present earth. If Jesus were to reign over a different kind of kingdom than David did, He would not really be sitting on David’s throne exercising David’s ruling authority over David’s kingdom.
It also can be concluded that this fulfillment is certain to happen and that the Premillennial view agrees with the biblical items.
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).
