The Finished Word

The conspiracy to unseat the Messiah is applied by the New Testament to the plot to destroy Jesus – Psalm 2:1-6. The Second Psalm is a key passage that the New Testament applies to Jesus, but when were the Psalm’s predictions fulfilled? Is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne or is the world waiting for his enthronement at a future date? What is the revolt of nations and kings against the Son of God?

Jesus calls us to proclaim the Good News of his Kingdom to every nation and inhabited part of the Earth . The Message proclaimed by Jesus Christ is not about reforming civil society or governments. He summons all men to repent and join a radically new social order and a very different political reality, namely, the  Kingdom of God . His message is contrary to the political ideologies of this world. We must respond positively to his invitation since the end of the age is approaching when the existing order will disappear forever.

The Good News announced by Jesus of Nazareth offers salvation and life to the men and women of every nation . After his resurrection, Jesus declared that “ all authority in heaven and on earth is given to me; therefore, go and make disciples of all nations !” Thus, he sent his disciples to announce his lordship and salvation to “ the ends of the Earth .” Christ’s  life-giving  message must be announced to all men and in every nation under heaven.

The gift of the Spirit is part of the covenant promises made to Abraham, including blessing the nations of the Earth . The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is the son of Abraham. Thus, this gospel account connects the Nazarene to the Abrahamic Covenant, for the Messiah of Israel came to complete the covenant and all its promises.

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. There is salvation in No Other Name . Foundational to the biblical doctrine of redemption is the Covenant that God made with Abraham, and with his “ seed ” after him, including the promises to bless all nations and to grant the Patriarch innumerable descendants. But how and when are the nations blessed? And who is Abaham’s “ seed ” destined to inherit the promises?

With the new era inaugurated by Jesus, circumcision is no longer the required sign of membership in the covenant community . Circumcision is an obstacle to any claim that disciples of Jesus are required to keep the regulations of the Mosaic Law. In the  Book of Genesis , circumcision was the entrance rite of the covenant with Abraham, the identifying sign of the covenant. Moreover, it is mandatory under the Law given through Moses at Mount Sinai. Therefore, if circumcision is no longer required for membership in the covenant, then the jurisdiction of the Law has changed .

The foundation of redemption in the Bible is the covenant God made with Abraham. It included the promise that “ all the Nations of the Earth would be blessed ” in the Patriarch, and that he would have innumerable descendants. His offspring would include “ Kings ” and “ Nations .”

The “ Son ” portrayed in the twelfth chapter of the Book of Revelation is the Messianic figure of the Second Psalm destined by God to “ Shepherd the Nations .” Following his enthronement, Heaven declared, “ Now is come the Kingdom of God and the authority of His Messiah .” His reign began following his “ faithful testimony ” in death and his victory through resurrection, the “ firstborn of the dead .”

Is the Gospel of the Kingdom a message for only some nations, or is it Good News for all nations and peoples of the Earth? The Gospel of Jesus Christ is often perverted into  Good News  for some nations, but  bad news  for others. This twist occurs whenever representatives of the church of the same Jesus who gave his life for all men associate and even identify his name and   message with specific nations, races, cultures, and political ideologies.

Jesus is the Son of Abraham, the heir of the promises, and the Messiah who implements the inheritance for his people . The Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is “ the son of David, the son of Abraham .” He is the descendant who inherits the promises made to the Patriarch, and this introduces the theme of fulfilment that characterizes Matthew – (“ For thus it becomes us to fulfil all righteousness ” – Matthew 3:15).

The equality of Jews and Gentiles before an impartial and just God is pivotal to Paul’s Gospel. They stand or fall before Him on the same basis . Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans with two purposes. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Secondly, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers. In the Letter, Pual explained his Gospel, and he then discussed the status of the Jewish people and the conflicts troubling the Roman Church.

Jesus is the Seed of Abraham, the heir of the covenant promises, and receipt of the inheritance is based on faith in Him . As the  Gospel of Matthew  declares, Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. He brings the covenant promises to fulfillment. He is  the covenant heir, and our receipt of the inheritance is based on his faithful “ obedience unto death ” and our faith in him. Neither  ethnicity nor nationality  has anything to do with it.

The mission of the Church is to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom to all nations until the moment Jesus arrives  – Matthew 24:14. Jesus commanded his true followers to announce the same message that he preached, which he summarized as the “ Good News of the Kingdom of God .” His Church would spread this message  to all nations without exception  and in unexpected and paradoxical ways. Christ’s sovereignty over humanity must be established! Until his return, we are commanded to proclaim his Gospel to the “ ends of the Earth .”