Possibly the most famous question ever asked of Jesus was voiced by Pontus Pilate when he demanded to know if Jesus was really a king. Jesus’ response was:
“…for this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” John 18:37-38a (emphasis mine)
Pilate did not realize that his sarcastic question was asked of the very One who embodies all truth! Matthew’s gospel presents us with an added detail to the story:
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.” Matthew 27:19
The subject of “truth” is controversial today, but hasn’t it always been? The Deceiver has always lied. Jesus Himself said so. Satan’s deceptive relationship with mankind began in the Garden of Eden when he questioned Eve, “Did God really say…?” In this conversation with Eve the Deceiver presented his first “Satanic sandwich”; truth, and the distortion of truth, layered as bait for Eve to swallow. As we know, Eve took the bait and bit into the poisoned sandwich! Adam, when he saw what she had done, with full knowledge of the consequence of sin being death, joined her in eating of the fruit. They ate off the one tree God had instructed them to stay away from. As a result, they sinned and “sin” became a genetic problem for all descendants thereafter.
The reason for the above explanation, which some readers may not be totally familiar with, is because Psalm 2 has within it some very powerful declarations by the sovereign God, not forgetting that it is HE who embodies ALL truth. We are the created and He is the Creator. We must take heed, and listen carefully. There are no appeals beyond Him. He is the ultimate sovereign authority!
The Truth of God’s Word is being cast aside in today’s culture like yesteryear’s outmoded fashions. The limits of morality are being pushed to absurdity in our generation. Things that would never have been considered allowable just a short time ago have now become mainstream. And we condemn Sodom and Gomorrah? What we call the ‘new morality’ today is in truth just the ‘old morality’ on steroids!
Psalm 2, which was written about 3,000 years ago, describes our today—total depravity of the human race. Mankind is raising its fist in God’s face! This is not just in seedy hell-holes found in mega-metropolises like Calcutta, São Paulo, Lagos, or Singapore. It is also all over the West; London, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Amsterdam, and in American cities such as Hollywood, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, Boston, and many more. The sexual revolution which took the western world by storm in the early 1960s continued onward in time, unabated. God offered the great “Jesus Movement” spiritual revival during the same time period but Satan continued offering his counterfeits. Psalm 2 is so contemporary it presents us an accurate picture of our world today.
Incidentally, King David wrote exactly half of the psalms and he was the author of Psalm 2. The psalm predicts two fulfillments, one that directly affected David in his day, and also a fulfillment which at the time of the writing, was a long distance of time in the future and has to do with the Messiah’s return to take total control of His kingdom as God/King.
Psalm 2 was not the second psalm written. The 150 psalms we have in the book of Psalms are not in chronological order. The first psalm was written by Moses in about 1400 BC; we know it as Psalm 90. The last psalm written was Psalm 126, about 1000 years later in 400-450 BC. But it is worth noting that the first two psalms have been placed together by those who had the responsibility of compiling all 150 of them. The first and second psalms have been described as gatekeepers, with Psalm 1 beginning with the words, “Blessed is the man…” and Psalm 2 ending with the words, “Blessed are those…”
Psalm 1 shows us two ways to live; the way of the wicked, and the way of the righteous. Jesus begins His Sermon on the Mount with: Blessed are the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, those who are merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted for righteousness sake.
Psalm 2 makes it abundantly clear that we had better choose carefully which direction we are going to go in life, because in the end, the wicked will be shattered / crushed for eternity. The time to bow the knee before the living God is while there is time to do so!
Some theologians have divided Psalm 2 up into four sections of three verses each. I will divide the psalm up a bit differently for this study. If we read the psalm carefully, we can see that we have been let in on a very private discussion between the three personages of the Godhead; the Holy Spirit begins the discussion, the Father and the Son each individually speak in the middle verses, and the Holy Spirit gives the closing statements.
It is at this point that a few comments on the subject of the “Trinity” are in order for those that may struggle with the concept. I cannot go into the entire doctrine of the Trinity which warrants its own subject, but in brief:
The Trinity is a genuine non-negotiable doctrine in the Scriptures. The word Trinity is not found in the Scriptures but the doctrine itself is scattered throughout the Bible and is one of the central affirmations in Christianity about God. The Trinity, speaks of the complete unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three personages in one Godhead. God has revealed Himself in a threefold figure: (1) as Creator, Lord of the history of salvation, Father, and Judge, as revealed in the Old Testament; (2) as the Lord who, in the incarnated figure of Jesus Christ, lived among human beings and was present in their midst as the “Resurrected One”; and (3) as the Holy Spirit, whom they experienced as the helper or intercessor in the power of the new life.
The Holy Spirit Begins the Three-Way Discussion
“Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?” (verse 1).
That is a good question! Why?? Why the rage? Why the rebellion, the insurrection, the corruption, the total revolt against God and His ways?
It is the Holy Spirit who is asking this question, and notice, He says “nations” in the plural. The madness today is all around the world. He then accuses the people of the nations of plotting a vain thing. Are they really going to challenge GOD and try to outwit Him? It is a vain thing because it is doomed to fail. It is an intentional rebellion. It is senseless, moronic, hopeless, and utterly foolish! The answer to the question, “Why?” is because sin makes men stupid, and it shows the total depravity into which the human race has fallen.
The Holy Spirit’s monologue continues…
“ The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us.’” (verses 2-3)
Amazing! The kings of the earth dig in their heels in defiance as they take counsel together. The leaders of the world can’t agree on economics, politics, or basic international concerns, but they do agree that they want nothing of God and His moral law! As they pool their ignorance, they agree to reject the rulership of the Almighty or His Anointed, Christ the King. Behind all the thin-skinned hypocrisy, we hear the flowery talk of tolerance, affirmation, gender equality, and open-mindedness. They are really saying, “Let us break their chains and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.”
I am reminded of a passage of Scripture found in Isaiah 65. This is what Isaiah penned under inspiration of the Holy Spirit:
2 “I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, according to their own thoughts; 3 a people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face, who sacrifice in gardens, and burn incense on altars of brick; 4 who sit among the graves, and spend the night in the tombs, who eat swine’s flesh, and the broth of abominable things is in their vessels; 5 who say, ‘Keep to yourself, don’t come near me, for I am holier than you!’ These are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all the day. 6 Behold, it is written before Me: I will not keep silence, but will repay—even repay into their bosom—7 your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers together,” says the LORD, “who have burned incense on the mountains and blasphemed Me on the hills, Therefore I will measure their former work into their bosom.” Isaiah 65:2-7
In my Bible, I have a handwritten notation next to these verses with the descriptor “the gall of man.” “Gall is defined as: “bold and imputent behavior.” In other words, who does man think he is? It doesn’t matter what position of power or wealth he may hold in this world, he cannot think he can face off with the God who created the entire universe and keeps it running by the power of His Word!
This, however, is how the history of the human race reads from the very beginning—and will be so right on through to the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Note: We hear the myth that mankind is ever ascending to greater heights of knowledge, wisdom, morality, and terrestrial responsibility. Really? Not true! It is a deceptive lie. The reality is exactly the opposite. The entire world system is in a death spiral—just as it was in the days of Noah and the days of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah and surrounding towns.
The demand today is for freedom from all moral restraint from God. All one has to do is watch news footage of protests around the world. The violence of many who demand abortion rights (the murder of unborn children in the womb) is stunning! Then there are the demands by the LGBTQ++ activists. Many of these protests are raunchy, vile, and disgusting! People are demanding the right to determine their own destiny, their own gender, marry whatever gender they choose, define the family however they wish—rejecting the boundaries God has set in place for our own good. Man sees God’s moral boundaries as chains and wants freedom from His fetters.
In verses 4 and 5, the Holy Spirit expresses God’s indignation…
4 “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. 5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure:
There are several passages in the Bible which describe God’s throne room. The prophets Isaiah and Daniel were both given a detailed vision of it but the most detailed description of his vision of God’s throne room was given by the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation. In the first chapter of the book, John came face to face with the resurrected Jesus Christ in all of His sovereign power and glory. It had such a powerful effect on him that he fell on his face like a dead man! Jesus reached down and laid His right hand on him, saying:
“Do not be afraid, I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. Revelation 1:17b-18
In Revelation 4 and 5, John is placed in God’s Throne Room as an observer. John, just as prophets in the Old Testament, saw God the Father, in all His glory, power, and majesty. That Throne Room is the epicenter of the universe. Incidentally, no matter what is going on in the universe, God is never pacing, wringing His hands, or panicking over something going on anywhere, certainly not because of a rebellious outcry from ignorant, pompous, pretentious human beings who have no concept of the GOD they dare to challenge!
The feeling we get from God’s response in those two verses might be something like this: “You, man, would rise up and challenge ME? When all the nations of the world are but a speck of dust, you are making demands of Me? You would rise up against the Almighty? Are you going to restrain Me?”
I am reminded of the story of the patriarch, Job. Mind you, Job was a righteous man and nothing like those being described by the Holy Spirit in Psalm 2. However, after having suffered unfathomable catastrophes and misery for which he could not find a reason, Job began challenging God to come and explain Himself, face to face. Eventually, God responded. In Job 38:1-3 we have God’s first response:
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.”
Those who have read the Book of Job know that the next several chapters contain God’s monologue in which He reveals His Omnipotence to Job. In chapter 40:1-8 we find an interchange between God and Job. This is how it reads:
1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said: 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” 6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you; and you shall answer Me; 8 “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?
God then spoke again for the next two chapters of the book, revealing even more of His Omnipotence and total sovereignty over the entire universe. At the beginning of chapter 42, the the last chapter of the book, Job speaks one last time:
1 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 2 “I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ 5 I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
The rest of Job’s story of course is that, due to his humility and repentant attitude, God restored all he had lost and he lived another 140 years before his death.
I went to some length to share the interchanges between Job and God in order to show how you and I, puny humans, have no concept of how powerful God really is. We live in this three dimensional bubble and are more like ants who only know the world consisting of their anthill and however far they can crawl to gather food. We humans see ourselves as complex living beings who grow from infants to mature adults. We go to school, become educated, get married and live out our lives on this blue planet of ours. To us our world is big. In comparison to the size of the universe, however, our little planet isn’t even a distinguishable dot! Yet, the GOD who created everything and keeps it functioning as it was designed has chosen to pay us mind! Amazing!
It is important for us to understand that the government of Heaven is not a democracy. There are no caucuses, no primaries, and no voting. Heaven is a Theocracy—It is the rule of One! GOD, by Himself, nullifies the counsel of the nations and its pompous, arrogant leaders. In Heaven, there is never a “Plan B”. Man changes his mind and plans but God never does. He is not only All-Powerful (Omnipotent), but also All-Knowing (Omniscient), and Ever-Present Everywhere (Omni-Present).
After laughing and mocking defiant men, He speaks to them in His great anger. We humans don’t like the thought of a wrathful God, but the Old Testament prophets warn that wicked men will eventually face the severe side of God. We would much rather hear how God loves us and has a wonderful plan for our lives (and He does), but we forget that God is GOD and we need to respond to Him in genuine humility and possess a respectful and proper awe for Who He is. There is no one else like Him!
Psalm 5 gives us an accurate description of God’s attitude toward wickedness:
4 “For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, nor shall evil dwell with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity, 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. Psalm 5:4-6
The word for anger in Hebrew is a description of the “flaring of the nostrils.” It is a description of “fury”, “set ablaze.” Do we think God is emotionless? Absolutely not! I have heard it said,” If God did not respond to man’s anarchy, He would be a neutered God.” Psalm 2 provides us a description of genuine Divine Anger.
Verse 6, God The Father, interjects a statement:
“Yet I have set My King on my holy hill of Zion”
It was through the sovereign plan of the Trinity, that the second member of the Godhead would insert Himself into the human race in order to provide salvation and an eternal inheritance—for those who accept the free gift. Part of that plan was for Jesus Christ to return to earth as the resurrected Messiah and take His position, and rule this planet as GOD/KING.
The thing that many people don’t understand is that it is impossible for God not to be sovereign! He always was, is today, and will always be sovereign. Man’s rebellion will only be tolerated so long. The time is fast approaching when God will no longer allow His sovereignty to be rebelled against. A good picture of mankind’s reaction when God’s judgments begin to come down on a wicked, Christ-rejecting world is found in Revelation 6:12-17:
12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come and who is able to stand?”
There is a point when man’s arrogant defiance is shaken—at least temporarily. Here we have the sun and moon acting totally abnormal, the greatest earthquake in history—at least to this point—is shaking the entire planet, there is a meteor storm pounding the earth, and then the atmosphere is split apart (or possibly the thin veil between our three dimensional world and that of God’s Throne Room is temporarily opened up) so people can catch a glimpse of the Ancient of Days on His Throne with the Son of God standing at His side. Notice that it is very clear to earth’s inhabitants at that time that the Day of God’s wrath has arrived and no one on earth has any way to avoid it.
In Verse 7, The Second Member of the Trinity (the Son) speaks out:
“I will declare the decree; The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’”
The Son of God makes it quite clear in this verse that He is indeed the “Anointed One”, and He was appointed by the Father. Within the above verse we find a word spoken by the Father, “begotten”, which has been misinterpreted by nearly every cult belief system, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christian Science, Unitarianism, The Way Ministries, and too many others to list in this writing. One common denominator found among most all religions, including western cults, is that they refuse to accept the divinity of Jesus Christ—as is even the case with Judaism. The use of the word “Begotten” does not mean that there had ever been a time when Jesus did not exist. Rather, this has to do with the Son’s coronation, which the New Testament relates to Jesus’ resurrection. The word “Begotten” is also translated as “unique, the only one of a kind.” It is the Father who, through the eternal plan of the Trinity, has installed the Son on His Throne. Jesus took His place next to the Father right after the ascension in Acts 1:9. He is there today as He waits for the rest of God’s plan to unfold so that all that has been foretold can come to pass. Note the words found in a teaching by the Apostle Paul as He referred to John the Baptist in Acts 13:
25 “And as John was finishing his course (his sermon), he said, ‘who do you think I am? I am not He (the Messiah). But, behold, there comes One after me, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to loose.’ 26 Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to you the word of this salvation has been sent. 27 For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. 28 And though they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. 29 Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb. 30 But God raised Him from the dead. 31 He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His witnesses to the people. 32 And we declare to you good tidings—that promise which was made to the fathers. 33 God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten you.’ 34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.”
The passage above is a bit lengthy but the whole sermon that Paul was preaching, one way or another, had to do with the divinity of Jesus Christ. Further on in the 13th chapter of Acts Paul goes on:
38 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 40 Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the prophets come upon you: 41 ‘Behold, you despisers, marvel and perish! For I work a work in your days, a work which you will by no means believe, though one were to declare it to you.’”
In these few verses, God lays down two non-negotiable facts: Through the Man Christ Jesus, forgiveness of all sin is available as a free gift; as with any gift, it cannot be forced upon anyone, but rather must be accepted as a gift freely given and freely received. That gift is the sacrifice by the Lamb of God for the sins of the world, without which there is no forgiveness, and therefore no relationship with God—which leads to an eternity without God.
The warning in verse 41 above is very strong and should cause anyone not accepting the plan God has devised for man’s salvation, to pay special heed. It describes those who refuse God and the price paid by the Messiah Jesus—even though told about God’s requirements. Those who “despise” as it says in verse 41, in essence choose to reject God’s love and forgiveness. For those, there is no remedy, for eternity! Psalm 2 is referring to those who demand God’s restraints upon them to be broken. The sad reality is that in the end, God will not torture them with a life in God’s Heaven which they have no desire for, and will allow them to spend eternity in hell. Most tragic!
In Verses 8-9, We Find the Father Speaking Once Again:
8 “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Here again, many commentators have taken the words spoken by the Father, to the Son, and misinterpreted the true meaning. Just because the Father told the Son that He would give Him the nations as an inheritance and possession for the asking, does not indicate that the Son is inferior to the Father. As briefly explained earlier in this writing, there is only one God, but He manifests Himself in three separate, yet co-equal personages. Here in Psalm 2, we are being allowed to briefly “eavesdrop” on a private conversation between the three members of the Trinity.
Question is, why would the Father need to promise the nations to the Son in the first place? Doesn’t God already own everything? Yes, of course. God owns the entire universe and has absolute sovereignty over it. The fall in the Garden of Eden however has a part to play in this story. When God created Adam and Eve, He gave them dominion over not only the Garden, but the whole earth. Here is what we find in the Genesis account:
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-28
What happened afterwards changed everything. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, not only did they die spiritually as God had warned they would; and not only did their physical bodies begin the death process at the same time (and genetically passing this on to all their descendants); but Adam and Eve also forfeited their dominion over the earth, handing their rightful dominion into the hands of the Deceiver, Satan, effectively allowing him to claim the title, “god of this world.” So, when Jesus was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness after his baptism by John the Baptist, one of the temptations recorded had to do with the rightful dominion over the earth:
8 …the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘you shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:8-10
Notice that Jesus did not argue the question of dominion with the devil. The argument that Jesus offered against the devil’s claims is that only the LORD God is to be worshipped. This makes it clear that when God the Father offered the nations of the world to God the Son, He was referring to the fact that the god of this world, Satan, would be relieved of his dominion over the earth which he achieved by deceit. That time is coming nearer every day!
Another important point to understand from Scripture is that God, even before the foundations of the earth were laid, determined that He would make Himself known to mankind by entering into mankind’s realm, being born of a woman but without the genetic sin nature passed through a human father. By the plan of the Trinity, Jesus was not the genetic son of Joseph. It was the Holy Spirit who provided the miracle necessary for Mary to carry Jesus as a baby in her womb, yet without having had any physical relations with a man. This is why Jesus was both fully Son of Man as well as fully Son of God. In essence, God interjected Himself into the human race, bypassing the inherited sin problem which is passed to every child born through the blood of every human father since Adam. Jesus was the only “human” ever born sinless in all of human history. This is how He could qualify as “The Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of the entire world.”
In verse 9, we find the Father making it clear that the Kingdom of the Son, His Messiah, will be a victorious rule. No enemy would be able to rise up in rebellion without immediately being brought into subjection. The Apostle Paul details the rule of the Kingdom of God by Jesus the Messiah during the Millennium, as well as the total victory over all evil forever.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:20-24
In the coming Millennial Kingdom, mankind will be ruled in the authority of the Messiah Jesus Christ, as God/King. He promises that His people will reign with Him, executing judgment but also administering mercy and direction. We find these words in Revelation 2:26-27:
26 “But hold fast what you have till I come, and he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, in him I will give power over the nations—27 ’He shall rule them with a rod of iron, they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also received from My Father.
The authority of absolute rule was given to the Son of God by the Father, and the authority to rule “with a rod of iron” is delegated to the resurrected believers under the authority of Jesus Christ. On that day, righteousness will be enforced, and those who rebel will be punished.
The Third Member of the Trinity Concludes the Psalm in verses 10-12
10 “Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.”
Here the Holy Spirit is telling those on this earth who have set themselves against God and His Anointed King, Jesus, that they need to wise up, accept some instruction, and respond to God’s warning!
In the Old Testament Book of Daniel, we read an interesting story about the Persian King Belshazzar. Belshazzar provided a feast for 1,000 of his top lords, their wives and concubines. As he tasted his wine, he decided to call for the gold and silver temple vessels his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had brought to Babylon from Jerusalem. As they drank from the temple vessels and praised their pagan gods, the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote a message on the wall which scared him so badly that his hip joints loosened and his knees knocked together. It was Daniel the prophet who interpreted the message:
“God has numbered your kingdom and has finished it. You have been weighed in the balances and been found wanting. Your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and the Persians…That very night King Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans was slain.” Daniel 5:26
That story is a very small example of what it is like when God calls someone to judgment. Belshazzar was king of the most powerful nation in the world at that time and was so prideful he had no fear of insulting the God of Heaven. He had no answer for God when he was confronted—just as the kings, judges, and others of this earth will have no answer when confronted by the Almighty when their time comes.
The Holy Spirit provides a remedy in verse 11: “Serve the LORD with fear and trembling.” This requires a recognition of who “The LORD” truly is! He is the Almighty! Who is the Almighty? God the Father. Who is the Almighty? God the Son. Who is the Almighty? God the Holy Spirit. Yet, there is only one God! The three are ONE and the ONE manifests by the THREE. Notice the words spoken through the writer of Hebrews by the Holy Spirit:
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…Hebrews 1:1-3
Continuing a little further down in the chapter, the Holy Spirit continues to inspire the writer of Hebrews about the Son:
8…to the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions. 10 And; You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment; 12 like a cloak You will fold them up. And they will be changed, but You are the same, and Your years will not fail. 13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”?
Who is the Son of God? The Father addresses Him as GOD! The Father said He laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens. The Father said The Son was the brightness of His glory, the express image of His own person, and the upholder of all things. Only the ”Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End” could make such statements! Yet, this is the way the Father described the Son! Who is this Person? The Almighty, the Ancient of Days, YHWH of the Old Testament.
The last phrase of verse 13 shows the Father saying to the Son: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” No wonder the Holy Spirit is advising the human race to serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling in Psalm 2:11. What kind of fear is this? It is a reverent fear, a genuine recognition of Who He is that brings an “awe” that demands worship. How does one rejoice when trembling? By genuine humility and with a contrite heart. Psalm 51:17 says, “…a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
This brings us to Psalm 2:12: “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way…”
This has mostly to do with the kiss of submission, where a dignitary receives the humble kiss of an inferior. It also hints at the affection God wants in His relationship with His people. We must recognize our proper place before Him, but also rejoice in Him and be affectionate in our relationship. Kissing in middle-eastern culture was both a token of subjugation and friendship.
Where is Jesus Christ, the Son of God today? After the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus presented Himself to the Father before His Throne. We find these words in Revelation 5:
5 “…Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals. 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb… Revelation 5:5-8
Most of us are familiar with what Jesus said on the cross before He died: “It is finished.” The actual translation is: “Paid in full.” What was paid in full? The ransom price to purchase mankind out of the grip of Satan. All that is required is that we recognize who He is and accept the free gift of salvation. Once we have done this, all of our sins are removed “as far as the east is from the west”, in other words, not just covered as they were in the Old Testament, but totally eradicated!
When we look at the world’s religions, including the many cults of the Western world, there has only been One Person who has ever been sinless; only one whose sacrifice could be counted as worthy to pay for the sins of the whole world. This was Jesus Christ! The devil has deceived multitudes over millennia, mostly through ‘religion’, convincing people that He was just a great prophet, a world-class philosopher, that He will return second in command to the Muslim Mahdi, that He is the spirit-brother of Lucifer, or the arch-angel Michael…ad nauseum. Yet, He came as the MESSIAH straight from the very Throne of God! He is the God-Man who came to suffer and die as a sacrifice made to atone for the sins of the whole world! To give Him any other title than the Name He is known by at the epicenter of the entire universe, the Throne Room of the Almighty, is blasphemous and the highest insult. It also carries the gravest eternal consequence!
This same MESSIAH is returning, and very, very soon—but not as a suffering Messiah as was the case 2,000 years ago when He came the first time. He is coming back as the All-Powerful KING of Kings and LORD of Lords! All His enemies will be defeated and He will rule unchallenged. Just as the Father promised, His enemies will be His footstool. He is coming soon! Praise God!
The Psalm ends as Psalm 1 begins, “Blessed is the man” (Psalm 1); “Blessed are those…”— Those who put their trust in Him!! (Psalm 2). From one cover of the Bible to the other, God gives the choice to man: “Choose you this day whom you will serve!”
Forever in His Service,
Jake Geier