Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One. “Let us break their chains,” they say, “and throw off their fetters.”
The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, “I have installed My King on Zion, my Holy Hill.”
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to me, “You are my Son. Today I have become your father. Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Because of the language employed, we think about armed rebellion here. But what about civil or social or spiritual rebellion? Haven’t our leaders on earth waged these kinds of warfare as well? Think of the laws written to insure freedom of religion that are now interpreted as guaranteeing freedom from religion. What about the public schools who ban even silent prayer, courts who prohibit a display of God’s Law, and officials who are trying to remove the words “under God” from our Pledge of Allegiance? And that’s just in the US, that bastion of personal freedom. Are not these also attempts by the rulers of this world to break the ties between man and his Creator?
It’s said that as the bonds between God and man are broken, the bonds between man and man can fare no better. We certainly see the truth of that observation. Lying, cheating, stealing and defrauding often seem the order of the day. But remember God laughs at these puny attempts at rebellion as we laugh at a two year old who thinks if his eyes are covered so he can’t see us, then we can’t see him either.
The Lord scoffs at our Godless leaders now, but soon He will rebuke them. You see, they don’t make the rules, He does. He’s installed His King over the earth. They can’t impeach Him and He’s not going to resign.
One thousand years before the first Christmas David “saw” through the eye of inspiration as the Father gave His Son the authority to become sole heir to Planet Earth. He’ll rule the nations as one who oversees his personal property, brooking no interference and accepting no criticism. The first will indeed become last as the Kings of the Earth are warned to serve Him with the fear reserved for one who in the blink of an eye can be stirred to wrath. Is this the “Gentle Jesus, meek and mild” we were taught about in Sunday School? I think not. This is not the Lamb of God but the Lion of Judah.
Once before mankind committed a grievous error by failing to recognize Who they were dealing with, and it’s destined to happen again. The Jews wanted the Lion of Judah to throw off the Roman yoke, a Warrior King Who would defeat Israel’s enemies. But refusing to admit the sin problem that first required the sacrificial Lamb, they rejected Him.
The mainline Church looks for the Lamb of God, that sandal shod social worker Who walked the paths of the Galilee patting little children on the head and telling everyone to turn the other cheek. Forgetting that he’s promised to return like a roaring Lion with the armies of Heaven to defeat His enemies and take possession of that which He’s purchased, they fail to see the signs of His coming.
At the end of the age when the sign of the Son of Man appears in the sky, all the nations of the Earth will mourn (Matt 24:30). For those who’ve rejected Him it will be a sad day indeed when the Lord returns, but for we who believe, it will be the culmination of history, the beginning of Heaven on Earth. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
Prayer: Lord please make us ever mindful of the times in which we live. Help us prepare our hearts and minds for the life that’s coming, the one we were created for, the one we long for. Give us peace as we consider leaving this one. Let us not be like Lot’s wife, who turned to look back, but like Paul who said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:12) Amen.