2 Samuel 7:16, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”

This passage, originally part of God’s covenant promise to David, carried a great deal of Messianic expectation for the Jews of Jesus’ day. It was believed that Messiah would come to re-establish the nation of Israel, that He would physically reign on the throne of David forever. Naturally, the concept of a suffering Messiah (as prophesied in Isaiah 53) would have been particularly foreign to a 1st century Jew. Jesus’ prophetic utterances regarding his impending crucifixion in Jerusalem would no doubt have been even more baffling. Thus we find Peter rebuking Jesus for speaking such things (Matthew 16:22). A Messiah doesn’t talk about suffering & death; a Messiah speaks of victory & conquest! How difficult it must have been for those disciples to see Jesus taken away by Roman guards. How agonizing it surely was for Peter to be in the courtyard, hearing the accusations the Sanhedrin were hurling at his Lord. What misery it must have been as John, the beloved follower, watched the bruised & bloodied Christ die on the cross. Imagine the confusion, the doubt, the fear those men lived with prior to the Sunday that changed the world.

Yet, though Friday & Saturday were dark indeed, Sunday did come. And even though it didn’t happen the way anyone expected, the Messiah was victorious. He conquered sin & death; the grave had no hold on Him! As the stone was rolled away, a new era began: the reign of Messiah, God’s Anointed over all creation. The Messianic expectation has now been fulfilled through Jesus. He has liberated us, establishing a new Israel of God’s chosen people – not a physical kingdom but a spiritual one. Through His death, He made a public display of the forces of evil, victoriously triumphing over them (Col. 2:15). Just as He promised, even the gates of Hell cannot stand up to His Kingdom (Matthew 16:18). He now sits on the throne of David for all eternity, reigning in the hearts of His followers, those who crown Him the Lord of their lives.

May Christ reign in you this day. May He bring you out of the bondage of sin and into the promised land of redemption. May you grant Him lordship that He might reign in you for all eternity.

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever (Revelation 11:15).”