Tag: reign

Isaiah: The Holy One Who Rules The World (XLVII)

“Our God Reigns” (52:1-15)

Neal Pollard

Chapter 52 is a dramatic call for the southern kingdom (and Jerusalem specifically) to awaken themselves at the deliverance and assurance of a God who is on their side. As we see this brief chapter, which leads in the better known 53rd chapter, there are a few significant details which build hope. Why? Because it centers around the God we serve.

God, The King, Values Us (1-5). Protectively, God calls to His people to be clothed in strength and beauty (1). It is a call to arise from captivity, having been bound by Egypt and Assyria (4). God arises like an advocate, pleading the case of His people (5). He does so from the standpoint of the personal cost He feels and the blasphemy it brings on His name (5). He does not want to see His people enslaved or humbled another moment.

God, The King, Redeems Us (6-10). This section is by far the most familiar to not only Bible readers, but those who recognize its words in a song we sing in worship. Especially note verse seven: “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” God anticipates the day when His people would know His name and recognize His voice (6). That would be possible through the heralding of His messengers (7-8). The result would be celebration–shouts of joy (8-9), comfort (9), redemption (9), and salvation (10). But, by God’s might (10), it would be a salvation accessible to all nations (cf. Mat. 28:19; Acts 1:8). 

God, The King, Challenges Us (11-12). The call is for separation and purification. As they left captivity, they were not to take its spiritual influence with them. Despite the terror they faced going into bondage, they would come out with peace and security. God not only calls for righteousness, He pledges His help as they pursue it. 

God, The King, Visits Us (13-15). These verses actually seem to begin the fourth and final “Servant Song” that continues through the next chapter. Each song begins, “Behold, my Servant” or a similar phrase (42:1; 49:1; 50:4). While chapter 53 will focus on His suffering, the Messiah is introduced with His being “high and lifted up and greatly exalted” (13). Philippians 2:9-11 says that glory would follow suffering. Here, we are reminded of how glorious this one who came to be the Servant is. These verses are a prelude to the awful picture of suffering that follows, especially verses 14-15. Notice that this Servant will astonish many with what He suffers, just as the Jewish nation suffered in the captivity. He would be marred and disfigured beyond human likeness (14). Oh, how the gospels will portray that on the day of His crucifixion. This servant will also atone for many by His sacrifice, implying His blood by the mention of “sprinkling” (15). This servant will disclose the truth of His identity to those in high places (15). Paul quotes Isaiah 52:15 and applies it to Jesus, when he reveals in Romans 15:21 that he shared Jesus in places where he had not been. This verse is cited as biblical defense for such. The Jews rejected or minimized Old Testament passages that portrayed the Servant as sufferer rather than sovereign. But, the message of Scripture is that we must Christ, all of Him, as the one exalted but first executed, as the one triumphant but only after He was threatened, tortured, and terminated. 

The Kingdom Is Here Today

Brent Pollard

The author of Hebrews uses the example of the Melchizedekian priesthood to establish the priesthood of Christ. Jesus belonged to the tribe of Judah, which Moses did not mention regarding the earthly priesthood. Therefore, there was a need for a covenant change to allow a non-Levite to serve as a priest. The writer of Hebrews spends chapters eight and nine explaining how the New Testament replaced the Old Testament in line with prophecy (see Jeremiah 31.3–14). In summary, the Holy Spirit confirmed that it was God’s will for Jesus to be a priest, but since He could not serve as a priest on earth because of Moses’ Law, Jesus instituted the New Testament so that He could be our High Priest in heaven.

Some believe that Jesus will reign as King from David’s throne in a future Jerusalem-based kingdom. However, there is an obstacle preventing Jesus from doing so on earth. God cut off David’s seed from sitting on David’s throne, as mentioned in Jeremiah 22:30, making it impossible for any of Jeconiah’s (or Jehoiakim’s) descendants to reign in Judah. This fact is relevant because Jeconiah was an ancestor of Joseph, Jesus’s foster father. Matthew traces Jesus’s legal lineage through Joseph in Matthew 1:12. Since Jesus is a descendant of Jeconiah, he cannot reign as an earthly king even though it was God’s will for Christ to be King. If God had not taken away the right of Jeconiah’s descendants to reign in Judah, Jesus could have certainly been an earthly king.

So, how is Christ a king? Jesus promised to establish a kingdom (Matthew 16:18–19). When Pilate pressed him, Jesus admitted to being a king (John 18.37). However, consider how Jesus qualified the nature of His kingdom in John 18.36. “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (NASB 1995). This truth means that Christ’s kingship is spiritual rather than earthly, as is His priesthood. It is worth noting that Jesus also accomplished this through His New Testament.

Many people misunderstand the truth and think that the apocalyptic language of a millennial kingdom in Revelation 20.6 refers to a future earthly kingdom that Christ will rule in Jerusalem. This misunderstanding is because they do not understand the interchangeability of the terms “kingdom” and “church” in Matthew 16.18–19. The word “church” is a Latin loanword that does not appear in the Bible. The actual word for church is “assembly.” Thus, the church represents the people. The word for “kingdom” is “basileia,” which means a kingdom or realm over which a king has sovereign authority. Therefore, God’s will was for Christ to choose a group of people from all over the world willing to submit to his authority.

According to the Book of Daniel, God showed King Nebuchadnezzar a prophetic dream about the future (see Daniel 2). In the dream, a cut stone struck a large image at its feet, causing the entire image to shatter and signifying the end of all worldly authority. Different materials comprised the image’s body parts, representing different empires. Babylon was the head of gold, Persia was the chest and arms of silver, Greece was the belly and thighs of bronze, and Rome was the legs of iron and feet of iron and clay. The feet mingled with clay represented the internal weakness of Rome. Commentators are familiar with this dream’s timeline. However, some believe that the Kingdom of God, symbolized by the cut stone, is yet to appear. However, according to Daniel, the kingdom emerged during the reign of the Roman emperors, referred to as “those kings.”

Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (Mark 9.1 NASB 1995). For those who refuse to believe that Jesus established His kingdom as He intended, there must be more than one person of advanced years who can prove they are older than two millennia! We understand that the power to which Jesus referred was the Holy Spirit, who descended on the apostles on the day of Pentecost, around 33 AD (Acts 2.4). As a result, Jesus reigns as King today and will continue to do so until His return. Following His return, Jesus will hand over His authority to the Father and the redeemed from all ages (1 Corinthians 15.24).

Combining biblical texts and prophecies creates a deep understanding of Jesus Christ’s position as King and High Priest, which goes beyond worldly limitations. Jesus fulfills the roles God has designated for Him, not as a political leader or a member of the old priesthood, but in a heavenly and everlasting sense through the New Testament and His heavenly kingdom. This understanding challenges traditional beliefs about a future earthly kingdom, instead emphasizing Christ’s spiritual reign, which began during His ministry and continues today. As Christians, we have the honor of living in this heavenly kingdom that Christ, our eternal King and High Priest, rules over in a merciful and benevolent manner. Recognizing this broadens our spiritual understanding and strengthens our faith in the eternal truth of God’s word and His ultimate plan for redemption.

Understanding The Parable Of The Mustard Seed Through The Story Of Kudzu

Brent Pollard

I found an old commercial promoting kudzu for groundcover while researching my family’s history on Newspapers.com, an Ancestry.com extension. Given the plant’s current status as an invasive species plaguing the southeastern United States, this revelation made me laugh. This year, particularly, has seen a remarkable increase in the kudzu crop.

Looking through historical documents, I discovered that kudzu first appeared on American soil in 1876 during the Centennial International Exhibition. This exotic vine proudly displayed in the Japanese pavilion at the World’s Fair in Philadelphia, captivated spectators so much that it was quickly renamed the “Jack and the Beanstalk vine.”

Early twentieth-century newspapers like The Boston Globe recommended kudzu for backyard gardeners, praising its rapid growth, pleasant aroma, and low maintenance requirements. By the 1950s, however, the federal government was forced to acknowledge the drawbacks of kudzu’s rampant spread, a species they had promoted for decades for erosion control. The USDA designated kudzu as a weed in 1970 and was redesignated as a “noxious weed” in 1997.

This story of kudzu—initially celebrated, then reviled—resembles the Parable of the Mustard Seed, which appears in Matthew 13.31–32, Mark 4.30–32, and Luke 13.18–19. Jesus uses The mustard seed in this parable to demonstrate the profound potential that can emerge from humble beginnings. 

In the parable, Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven, God’s divine rule, to a mustard seed. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, when planted, it grows into the largest of garden plants, even becoming a tree. This tree then becomes a haven for birds, providing shade and a place for them to nest in its branches.

The mustard seed’s growth, from small to great, signifies how God’s kingdom begins as a tiny seed in our hearts and develops into a powerful influence. Similarly, kudzu started as a tiny seed in the United States and grew into a major ecological force. Instead of providing a haven, it became an uncontrollable pest, engulfing large areas of the southern United States.

So, what can we learn from the Parable of the Mustard Seed and the story of kudzu? Both teach us about the potential consequences of small beginnings and remind us to consider the possible long-term impact of our actions. We have the free will to choose our efforts. Let’s aim to plant excellent seeds that enrich our environment through activities that align with the divine and benefit the world (as taught in Luke 8.11).

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C-C-Courage!

Tuesday’s Column: Dale Mail

blond man with goatee smiling at camera with blazer on
Dale Pollard

“I’m afraid there’s no denyin’
I’m just a dandy-lion
A fate I don’t deserve
I’m sure I could show my prowess
Be a lion, not a mouse
If I only had the nerve”

– Cowardly Lion

I shiver when I think back to the times that me and my younger brother would collect spiders from the backyard and put them all in a container. Sometimes we would take it up to our bedroom! At night we would put a flashlight behind the clear cage and watch all the spiders make their webs— occasionally fight each other.

 I don’t believe mom ever discovered this little secret. Despite the many creepy gladiator wars that my brother and I hosted, for some reason as I grew older (more mature) I developed a fear of spiders. 

Fears can be funny like that. They can come from bad experiences or just somewhere in the back of our minds. There’s a lot of fear in the world today! One of my favorite psalms in the Bible is Psalm 46. We read about what seems to be those worst case scenarios, but God still reigns over all. What if the earth gives way? What if the mountains are thrown into the sea? What if the wrong man becomes our new president? What if this virus never goes away? Even so, we have no reason to fear. God is bigger than our fears. We serve a Being with that much power and it should fill us with courage. What are you afraid of?