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August 6 - August 20, 2020
While Abraham is never called a king, these observations suggest he is one in all but name. Moreover, the Lord covenants with Abraham that kings will be among his descendants (Gen. 17:6; cf. 17:16).
His special relationship with God suggests he enjoys a status equivalent to that of a priest, although he is never designated as one.10
Like Abraham, Noah constructs an altar and offers sacrifices. While there is no record of Noah engaging with kings, he exercises dominion over birds, animals and creeping things by preserving them from the flood.
‘But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them’ (Exod. 1:7).
this extraordinary expansion prepares for the creation of Israel as God’s special, holy nation.
At the heart of God’s plans for the people of Israel is the idea that they will become priest-kings. They are to fulfil the role that God had originally allocated through Adam and Eve to all human beings.
the sweep of biblical history is about how divine kingship will be established on the earth,
The story of the exodus is about moving from one kingdom to another; it is about escaping corrupt human kingship and experiencing loving, divine kingship; it is about becoming priest-kings and entering into God’s sanctuary where he reigns for ever.
With the tabernacle at its heart, the layout of the Israelite camp resembled those of ancient Near Eastern kings when they embarked on military campaigns.16 The divine king’s tent was located in the centre with his army spread around him.
With the establishment of Israel as a theocracy and the construction of the tabernacle, the throne of God was set up on the earth.
The whole history of Israel as a theocracy witnesses to the fact that the Israelites continually challenged and undermined God’s sovereignty. The recurring theme of the prophets is Israel’s faithlessness to its sovereign God.
When we move to the New Testament, the theocracy of Israel is replaced by the kingdom of God, which is inaugurated through the coming of Jesus.
To comprehend the importance of the New Testament emphasis upon the coming of the kingdom of God, we need to appreciate that this involves the re-establishment of human beings as God’s viceroys.
‘The arrival of the reign of God is the reinstatement of the originally intended divine order for earth, with man properly situated as God’s vicegerent.’
This emphasis upon the human aspect of Jesus’ kingship is important, for it distinguishes his reign as king from that of God the Father.
the New Testament presents Jesus as fulfilling ‘OT expectations of the restoration of human vicegerency’.
(1) The concept of human vicegerency finds its origins in Genesis.28 (2) The restoration of human vicegerency is linked to the divine promises to the patriarchs. (3) ‘In the Davidic theocracy, a typological and imperfect human vicegerency was reinstated as partial fulfilment of the promise to Abraham.’29 (4) The concept of human vicegerency is reflected in various psalms (e.g. Pss 2; 8; 45) and the writings of the prophets (e.g. Isa. 9:6–7). (5) The restoration of human vicegerency is ‘effected by the anointing by the Spirit’.30 (6) ‘The restoration of God’s kingdom is the restoration of his
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Although Jesus’ ministry, death, resurrection and ascension initiate the kingdom of God, the parables of Matthew 13 indicate that for the subsequent phase of human history the citizens of God’s kingdom will coexist on the earth with the wicked.
By living in obedience to Christ, his disciples participate in the establishment of God’s kingdom on the earth.
In the light of these observations, it is unsurprising that the motif of priest-kings should be applied to those who acknowledge the reign of Christ. With good reason 1 Peter 2:9 describes the church as a royal priesthood, closely echoing Exodus 19:
But the time will arrive when we shall no longer need to pray this. As the final vision of Revelation 21 – 22 reveals, at the climax of history the divine kingdom will be established in all its glory and the citizens of the New Jerusalem will live in complete conformity to God’s will on a transformed earth.
Consequently, temple and kingdom are intimately connected concepts.
As divine revelation, the Bible exists to give us a deeper understanding of God. It is not designed to promote knowledge of the enemy, beyond what is necessary
While the Bible affirms beyond all doubt that God alone is all-powerful and his authority exceeds every other authority, it also indicates that Satan has dominion over the world in which we live, although that control is gradually being wrested from him.
Here John, as part of a fuller discussion, alludes to the fact that this world is in the grip of the evil one.
Secondly, on three occasions in John’s Gospel Jesus himself refers to Satan as ‘the ruler [or ‘prince’] of this world’ (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).
Thirdly, when Jesus is tempted in three different ways by the devil or Satan (Matthew uses both terms), one of these involves Satan offering Christ ‘all the kingdoms of the world and their glory’. Here is how Matthew records it:
Implicit in Satan’s temptation is the understanding that he possesses all of the world’s kingdoms.
Previously, we observed that when Adam and Eve obey the serpent, they concede to it the authority delegated to them by God.
Given the earth-shattering consequences of the serpent’s actions and the peculiar nature of the punishment meted out to it, a case can be marshalled in favour of the claim in Revelation 20:2 that the ‘ancient serpent’ is Satan or the devil.
Here we encounter the idea that human beings may by their actions be perceived as belonging either to the unrighteous ‘offspring of the serpent’ or to the righteous ‘offspring of the woman’.
As Psalm 2 illustrates, a significant and recurring theme in the Old Testament is the establishment of God’s kingdom on the earth in the face of sustained and violent opposition (e.g. Joel 3:1–21; Mic. 4:11–13; Zech. 12:2–9; 14:1–3, 12–19).11
Daniel foresees an eternal kingdom that will bring to an end various kingdoms associated with human rulers.
The spirit’s unusual outburst draws attention to the purpose of Jesus’ coming. He has come as a divine warrior to overthrow the evil one.
Implicit in Jesus’ remarks is the idea that he has come to bind the strong man, Satan, and plunder his house.
The contours of the story are of one sent from heaven to subject the cosmos to its Creator and Lord. Born of a woman (Gal 4:4) and taking human form (Php 2:7), he engaged the enemy, was victorious in an epochal battle (Col 2:15; cf. 1:12–14), and was exalted to God’s right hand, where he now reigns as cosmic Lord (1Co 15:24–26; Eph 1:20–22; Php 2:9; Col 3:1; 1Ti 3:16), building his new temple (1Co 3:16–17; 2Co 6:16; Eph 2:19–22), and receiving praise and obeisance (Php 2:10–11). He will come again at the end of the age and conclude his defeat of the enemy, who will have waged a final revolt
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The differences between these three approaches are considerable and should not be underestimated. Yet, all three views agree about the ultimate fate of the devil or Satan. Stripped of his power, he will no longer, as ‘ruler of this world’, be able to champion the cause of evil. Every vestige of Satan’s influence will be destroyed.
First, Satan’s greatest deception is to persuade us that we do not need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
Secondly, we need to be conscious that until he is finally thrown into the lake of fire, Satan’s evil influence continues to make its horrific presence felt in our world.
Thirdly, as Christians we are involved in a spiritual battle.
Fourthly, in this spiritual battle God has given us armour for protection.
Fifthly, as Christians we are called upon to persevere in this spiritual battle.
Jesus did what Adam should have done; he cast the serpent out of the garden.’
‘From an eschatological perspective, Jesus was carrying out a new Exodus and Conquest, routing the enemy that had occupied the land and held individuals in his thrall.’ In line with this, it is interesting to observe that the Gospels associate John’s baptism of people in the Jordan with the coming of a ‘Joshua’ who looks to repossess the land for God.
The image of Christ as a Lamb is highly significant in Revelation. Throughout the book the term ‘Lamb’ denotes Christ twenty-eight times.
In Revelation it is common for John both to ‘hear’ and ‘see’ certain things in close proximity. When this happens, a link is established between what is heard and what is seen, even when this may at first not seem obvious.
First, the phrase ‘by your blood you ransomed people for God’ is reminiscent of the divine deliverance of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.
Secondly, not only has the Lamb ransomed people for God, but he has also ‘made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth’.
We have already observed that the exodus from Egypt led to the creation of Israel as a theocracy and the construction of the tabernacle.
Although some differences in the details exist, there is good reason to believe that the Passover ritual is about consecrating the people as ‘priests’. The sacrifice of the animal atones for the sin of the people, the blood smeared on the doorposts purifies those within the house, and the sacrificial meat sanctifies or makes holy all who eat it. Understood in this way, the Passover ritual enables all of the Israelites to obtain a holy status, an important requisite for becoming a royal priesthood (Exod. 19:6).
