The invincible Kingdom of God

In the days of the French Revolution, a political revolutionary stormed the Bastille in Paris. He desired to remove every reminder of law and order from the eyes of his countrymen. He scaled the Cathedral of Notre Dame and tore down the cross from atop its spire. He dashed it to pieces on the ground below. The cross, representing the authority of God, lay demolished on the ground for all to see.

Turning to a poor peasant the man boasted, “We are going to pull down all that reminds you of God!” From the crowd came the challenging reply, “Citizen, then you might as well pull down the stars themselves!”

God’s kingdom is invincible. Psalm 2 records the ongoing rebellion of a lost world against God and his son. Psalm 2 is a prophetic psalm. It looks ahead to the time of Armageddon. This psalm is the divine perspective on man’s final rebellion. All rebellion against God will falter and fail. All unbelievers are called upon by God to bow before Jesus before it is too late. Psalm 2 breaks down into four sections.

It begins, first, with the insurrection against God in verses 1-3. It begins with lost mankind crying out in defiance against God. The psalmist asks in verse 1, “Why do the nations rage and the people imagine a vain thing?” This conspiracy is the final rebellion of mankind against God. This final battle is known as Armageddon. The national and political leaders of the world will lead this rebellion.

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His Anointed,” verse 2 says. This rebellion will come together in the last days when the kings of the earth will stand against the Lord and against his son, Jesus. Their desire is clear. “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (verse 3).

This insurrection against God will lead to the indignation of God in verses 4-6. How will God the Father respond to this rebellion? God’s response will be one of mockery. “He that sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision” (verse 4). This is not the laughter of hilarity, but of derision, mockery and contempt. God will scoff at them. He will mock their puny attempts to destroy his reign.

God’s laughter will turn to fury, it says in verse 5. “Then He shall speak to them in His displeasure, and vex them in His great displeasure.” God is holy. He will not tolerate sin. Ultimately, a day of reckoning is coming. All sin will be punished. In response to man’s insane attempt to overthrow God’s eternal plans, God will thunder from heaven. “Yet I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion,” it says in verse 6. Jesus will return. This will result in the messianic kingdom. The focal point of history is the return of Jesus. These words anticipate the return of Christ to earth and his 1,000-year reign from Jerusalem.

The third section is the intention of God in verses 7-9. The speaker shifts in verse 7. This time God the son is speaking. “I will declare the decree the Lord said until Me, ‘You are My Son; this day I have begotten Thee” (verse 7). This verse is not saying that Jesus is a created being. Jesus was faithful to his father. As a reward for dying on the cross, God the Father will give to Jesus a vast inheritance. Jesus suffered a horrible death on the cross. He paid for our sins. This inheritance will be his reign over the earth. Jesus will rule with a rod of iron (verse 9) as a benevolent dictator.

The invitation of God is found in verses 10-12. Do not miss the invitation! The speaker is most likely the Holy Spirit. The invitation is, “Be wise now, therefore, O you kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth” (verse 10). Do not resist God. Do not rebel against him. Instead, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (verse 11). Do not serve yourself. Serve God. Submit to Jesus with deep reverence. Fall before him as your Lord and Savior.

Verse 12 says, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish from the way when His wrath is kindled but a little.” Kissing the Son is a sign of humble submission. While there is opportunity, sinners must turn from their wicked ways and embrace Jesus by faith. What will happen if you turn to Jesus by faith? Verse 12 promises, “Blessed are all they who put their trust in Him.” Kiss the son while God is speaking in grace. One day he will speak in wrath.

Caesar Julianus in 360 A.D. persecuted many Christians. With so many Christians dying, the emperor taunted one believer. “How is your carpenter of Nazareth? Is he finding work these days?” Without hesitating the man replied, “He is perhaps taking time away from building mansions for the faithful to build a coffin for your empire.”

Jesus is building mansions for those who love him. He is building coffins for those who reject the truth. Which will he build for you?

Ethan Hansen is pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake. Contact him at ethanchansen@gci.net.