Luke 1:32, 33


He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end” ~ Luke 1:32, 33

How misread were the prophecies of the Old Testament about the Messiah! They concentrated on the words, “reign”, “kingdom”, and “great”, but did so in earthly terms. For the Hebrew/Jewish people, the Saviour would tear down the tyranny of the oppressor through battle and victory of the physical nature. One land, one kingdom, one King, would lead their people to end forever their subjection to Gentile leaders. Mary may have understood this differently, for as I wrote yesterday, the name Jesus emphasizes the moral and spiritual purpose of God, pointing away from any earthly and literal kingdom. David’s throne was feeble, and it was defeated when leaders disobeyed their God. Jesus would not rise to power through military power, or political change, nor by earthly favor. He would conquer by raising from the grave on the third day, by tearing the curtain of separation from the people and God, by overcoming the evil desires of Satan! His conquest would be over the spiritual realm. His victory would be to arrest fear, sickness, sin, death, and pain. His reign would be forever on the spiritual throne of David, superior in every way to that of David’s feeble and limited earthly reign. He is the Son of the Most High, Amen and Amen!

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