A MESSAGE FROM HEAVEN

7 POWERFUL REASONS FOR WHICH WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST STILL DOESN’T REIGN IN THE WORLD

By Mario A Olcese

Key Text

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:31-33).

Most of Christians has heard the announcement of the archangel Gabriel about the miraculous conception of the Savior Jesus Christ in virgin Mary's belly, His mother. But these Christians have not realized that the angel Gabriel's announcement included the fact that this Savior would sit on David's throne, his father on the flesh, and that He would reign on Jacob's house forever. Surprisingly, only the minority of Christians know this last promise, and the ones that know it, do not completely understand it.

Also it is well known that Jesus Christ talked about reigning in this world with His glorious and triumphant Church for a millennium (Revelation 3:21; 5:10). The Bible students still dispute if Christ is now reigning or not in the way as it was prophesied, that is, in the throne of David and on Jacob's house. Certain Christians affirm that Christ is right now reigning on his Church (His “Kingdom”) from His throne in heaven, which, according to his interpretation, is David's throne. That is to say: a) Christ is the king, b) The throne of God is David's throne, and 3) the Church is His kingdom.

This a-millenarian school of interpretation keeps out a coming millennium of justice, and neither expects a Davidic Kingdom in the land of Israel. In other words, for the opponents to millenarianism, Christ reigns right now over his faithful and consecrated followers (the church) from His heavenly throne (David's throne). Besides, for the amillenialists, Jesus fulfilled all the messianic prophecies concerning His reign when His Church was established or founded in Pentecost. It can be said that, for example, the Catholic Church is amillenialist and contrary to the belief of the reestablishment of a Jewish national kingdom (David's true throne) in the land of Israel (or Jacob’s house). The Catholics believe that their church is Christ's kingdom, and that she is already enjoying his millenarian rest with Christ.

But amillenialists Catholics and Protestants should remember that there are many indisputable passages that prove that Christ not yet reigns on the Church, and less still, on the nations. Let's remember than Christ's kingdom implicates His command over all of the nations (Daniel 2:44, Psalms 72:8, 11). We will at once examine 7 key passages:

1. - In Mathew 25:31, 34 Jesus says: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.

Comment: This passage is clear and convincing. Here Jesus Himself is saying that he will take seat in his throne of glory — not when he is resuscitated and taken to heaven but rather for when he come back to the world for a second time. If the ammilenialists affirm that Christ is right now sitting in his throne of glory over His Church, then necessarily the second coming of Christ was already fulfilled two thousand years ago, in Pentecost; occasion according to them, that became established or founded Christ's kingdom.

It’s obvious that from these two verses is extracted the teaching that the church, or the blessed of God, will inherit the kingdom for that opportunity or occasion. But, did Paul —the posthumous apostle of Christ— that already had already turned in the 33 E.C? Take note that Paul, back in the year 65 AD, tell Titus that Christ's coming is still the faithful's blessed hope (Titus 2:13). This would refute any affirmation of a Second Advent in Pentecost.

2.- Mathew 19:28: “Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (NIV).

Comment:

This second passage has to do with the first. Both talks that Christ will take a seat in His throne of glory: The first, in his parusía or second coming; and the second one, in the regeneration. And it is that the re-generation of everything will take place in the second coming of Christ to the earth. This has to do with His kingdom or the overtaking of His throne. And also Peter affirms in Acts 3:21: “whom (Jesus Christ) heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began”. Peter talks about the restoration (regeneration) of everything here. Jesus is in heaven expecting the time of the regeneration or restoration of all things. Everything will be regenerate as it was at the beginning with the beneficial presence of the king Jesus Christ on earth. He will be the universal king that will take David's throne in Jerusalem, the great king's city (Matthew 5:33-35). Look for yourself in a dictionary the definition of the word restoration.

If Christ is now seated in David's throne, then that would mean that right now everything has been regenerated or reconstructed on the earth. However, we see that in the earth nothing has changed and is worse. There is more corruption, violence, impiety, atheism, indifference, insensibility, lack of respect, lack of love, divorces, child abuses, sexual depravation, satanism and occultism, etc. Without a doubt Christ has not yet taken David's throne (His human father) to regenerate the world of today that you are in chaos and disorder.

3.- Revelation 20:1-5: “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a[a] thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (NKJV).

.

Comment:

This passage describes the previous events to Christ's reign. First, the devil and his angels must be tied at the abyss for ten centuries. Then John receives the revelation that Christ and His martyrs proceeded to reigning during that lapse of ten centuries without the devil's and his demons presence. Now then, if we say that Christ is reigning since He ascended to heaven two millennia ago, then the devil continues tied at the abyss in order that he can not more deceive the nations. But, ¿will you believe that this world is not deceived by the devil at all? ¿From where originates so much crime, perversion, violence, materialism, atheism, witchcraft, occultism, Satanism, etc, etc? ¿doesn't it comes obviously from the devil? (see John 8:44). And John, some decades after Pentecost of 33 AD, affirmed that the entire world still lay under the devil's power (1 John 5:19). This proves that Christ could not begin to reign from heaven when the church was founded in Pentecost a little after His ascension to the Father, as ammilenialists affirm.

4.- Acts 1:6,7: “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (NKJV).

Comment:

These verses are interesting, because there are those who believe that Christ will never again restore the Davidic kingdom in Israel, and that rather he is already reigning today from heaven over His church. If this is truth, Jesus would carry two thousand years reigning, that is, a thousand years over of what it was prophesied. But Jesus never said that He would go to heaven to take David's throne, and reign from heaven. Rather in Acts 1:6,7 Jesus tacitly confirms the truth of the restoration of the Davidic kingdom in Israel by means of giving a suggestive answer in the verse 7. See that Jesus did not correct them (to His disciples) to suppose the possibility of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. He did not say something like this: “You are wrong, because never more it will be a restoration of the Davidic Kingdom to Israel”. What really Jesus told them is that they must not be finding out the exact time for that so longed and fair messianic hope.

These verses of Acts of the Apostles confirm that Christ will come to restore David's throne (his father’s throne) in order to retake his throne and scepter promised. That he had already expressed in Matthew 25:31, 34 and in Matthew 19:28.

But there still are Christians that believe that the question of the disciples in Acts 1:6 was the result of their misunderstanding of God's kingdom. But as I said before, Jesus did not reprehend or corrected them for that misinterpreted supposition. And besides, it turns out strange for all disciples to have apparently asked the same thing. Were they all clumsy people? Impossible!

5.- Revelation 11:15-18: “15 Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sat before God on their thrones fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, The One who is and who was and who is to come, Because You have taken Your great power and reigned. 18 The nations were angry…” (NKJV).

Comment:

Take note that the seventh angel announces Jesus Christ's reign, which makes that this world's kingdoms be His, and get under His command. But the nations won't keep the crossed arms waiting to be dominated by the Messiah. They will get angry because of the establishment of the messianic kingdom and will oppose fierce resistance, but they will be neutralized and subdued. Can it be said that this has already happened in the earth? Can it be said that nations have gotten angry for the supposed establishment of Christ's kingdom in the earth? No! Mostly, the church lives in relative peace and without persecutions. Even in Russia there is bigger opening to Christian religion and parishioners can meet without fear to be chased as it happened under Marxism.

Also you are interesting to indicate that Christ's kingdom will be made evident when had been fulfilled the others six preceding trumpets that announce: hailed and fire mixed with blood in the earth that burnt the third part of the green grass, and also the third part of the sea became blood, dying the third part of the maritime beings, and the third part of the ships. The third angel announces the destruction of the third part of the rivers and water sources, causing the death of many people. The fourth trumpet announces the injury of the third part of the sun, the moon and the stars, in order to shorten the daylight in a third part. The fifth angel trumpeter announces lobsters' plague with caning of scorpions to wound the impious. The sixth angel trumpeter announces the death of the third part of men by fire, smoke and sulphur. And the seventh angel, as we said, announces the establishment of Christ's kingdom and his worldwide regime. ¿Can the ammilenialists say that all six trumpets have right now come true before the supposed establishment of Christ's kingdom 2000 years ago?

6.- Psalms 72:7,8: “In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (NKJV).

Comment:

Here there is a prophecy relating to Christ's reign. It’s announced that it will flourished in His reign justice and abundance of peace until there be no moon, and that He will have the control sea to sea, and from the river to the boundaries of the earth. But it is unlikely for this prediction to have come true today, because there are not justice neither peace in the entire world. Still China, a country that lodges 20 % of the worldwide population, does not know Christ, and less still, belong to His church. It is common knowledge than only 0,5% of Chineses have heard the gospel of the kingdom due to the prevailing Communism. Obviously Christ still not reigns at China. And if He does not reign in China, in the Islamic countries, etc, ¿how is that there are Christians who think that Jesus is right now reigning all over the world?

But, ¿why does there be no peace and justice in the world? It is simply because Christ has not yet taken David's throne in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Only when he return glorious and powerful from heaven the transformation of the human society will become reality. That was already mentioned by Peter in Acts 3:19-21, and the same Jesus Christ in Matthew 25:31, 34.

7.- 2 Samuel 23:3: “The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God” (NKJV).

Comment:

This is a messianic prophecy that predicts the Government of a Righteous among men. Take note that the prediction does not say that a righteous will reign on the men, or from the heights, or from heaven. What it clearly says is that a righteous will govern among men, that implies that his Government's throne will be located in the earth the.

The campbelites, for example, owe an explanation to us, because they press the point that David's throne is in heaven, and not in Jerusalem. Besides, the ammilennialist interpretation twists the prediction carrying the reign of the righteous to a cosmic and no earthly sphere.

www.yeshuahamashiaj.org

digg it | del.icio.us