Awaiting The King: Why Christ’s Earthly Kingdom Is Still To Come
During the earthly ministry of Jesus, there was great expectation amongst His followers that He would restore God’s kingdom and remain on the earth as God’s representative to administer His rule. Indeed, it will be a wonderful day when Jesus rules the world as divinely anointed King. But that time had not arrived two thousand years ago and in our day, we also await its fulfilment. In fact, in the Old Testament, we see very clearly what specific condition needs to be fulfilled prior to the announcement of the Messiah’s reign. Psalm 110:1: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”
Psalm 110:1 is the verse that receives the most attention in the New Testament. It is directly quoted five times (Matthew 22:44; Mark 12:36; Luke 20:42-43; Acts 2:34-35; Hebrews 1:13) and is alluded to in at least seven other places (Acts 7:56; 1 Corinthians 15:25; Ephesians 1:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 12:2; 1 Peter 3:22). Since it is a verse that is directly and indirectly quoted so many times it must be very important!
Although it is a Psalm of David, we see very little of David in Psalm 110 except as the writer. This is a prophetic, messianic, royal psalm that describes a descendant of David who would be both king and priest, according to the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4). With that in view, note how Psalm 110 is a pivotal point amongst the first seven psalms of Book Five of the Psalter. Psalms 107-109 express anguished pleas for deliverance, while Psalms 111-113 overflow with praise for Yahweh. How did we go from pleading to praise? It is because of the promises of Psalm 110 and the announcement of a Messiah who gives victory to His people.
Those who hold to a postmillennial view argue that Jesus is exercising His authority as King from heaven right now. The proof text for many postmillennialists is Psalm 110 and they conclude that Psalm 110:1 supports a present Davidic reign of Christ where He is gradually subduing all His enemies during this interadvent period. However, a consistent, literal interpretation of Scripture leads us to reject such a view, particularly when we undertake an examination of the three-fold work of Christ. You see, when the Hebrew Scriptures provide details about the Messiah, we clearly see a three-fold office as Prophet, Priest and King. With the benefit of the completed canon of Scripture, we know that in the New Testament, Jesus is presented as the One who combines all three of these roles in His own Person.
During His earthly ministry, the Messiah came to this earth, not only to redeem, but also to proclaim the truths about divine revelation. This was His role as Prophet—one who declared God’s message. Deuteronomy 18:15 reads: “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” Deuteronomy 18:18 then goes on to say: “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” Peter boldly proclaimed Jesus as this Prophet-Messiah in Acts 3:22, and Stephen did the same in Acts 7:37. Jesus certified Himself as the promised Prophet-Messiah by faithfully predicting things that later took place. For example, He predicted the total destruction of the Temple, later fulfilled in 70AD (Matthew 24:1-2).
As we move onto the next phase of His ministry, Christ’s present session is not concerned with His role as King but in His role as Priest. The importance of the high priesthood of Christ cannot be overstated, yet it is one of the most understudied topics in the church today, leading many to overlook this important present session of Jesus. If you wish to study this topic for yourself, it is fully developed in the book of Hebrews, specifically Hebrews 4:14-10:25. In summary, the Bible informs us that Jesus ascended through the atmospheric (first heaven) and stellar heavens (second heaven) into the third heaven, to be seated at God the Father’s right hand where He intercedes for believers as an Advocate. Hebrews 4:14-16: “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The question of when Christ will reign as King comes down to your view of which seat of authority Jesus is currently occupying. Those who believe Christ is currently reigning as King from heaven will claim He is currently seated on David’s throne. However, David’s throne is an earthly throne, not a heavenly throne. The throne in heaven is God’s throne. When Jesus ascended to heaven, He did not sit on David’s throne, which is the prophesied throne He will rule from. He is seated at the Father’s right hand. Mark 16:19 says: “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
The fact that Christ has continued to sit at the right hand of God’s throne in heaven to this present time indicates that He has not yet taken His seat on David’s throne. Therefore, Christ is pictured as a King awaiting coronation and there is coming a day, perhaps very soon, when Psalm 110:2 will become a long-awaited reality: “The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!”
In those blessed millennial days, Christ will be an absolute monarch with supreme power and control. But first, God the Father has great plans of conquest and they involve making Christ’s enemies His footstool. It was the custom of victors in military conquests to put their feet on the neck of their enemies, which is the picture in view here. Joshua 10:24: “So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, ‘Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.’ And they drew near and put their feet on their necks.”
No enemy (human or angelic) will prevent God’s conquest and the establishment of theocratic rule for His Son during the Millennial Kingdom (Psalm 2). Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand, until the kingdoms of this world come under His judgment. Then will come the time for His glorious return. That day is approaching faster than most people realise. If you are reading this and you are not saved, do not delay, but come!
