End-Time Insights

Jesus means ‘Yahweh saves.’ In this Man of Nazareth, the Salvation promised by the God of Abraham and Israel has arrived for all men . The child carried by Mary was “ begotten of the Holy Spirit .” The angel instructed Joseph to name the child ‘Jesus’: “ Call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins .” His name pointed to the saving act of God for humanity that was about to unfold. Men and women would behold the long-promised  Salvation of Yahweh  in Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus is revealed as the Savior of Mankind in his sufferings and self-sacrificial death for others, including his enemies . The inability of men to recognize Jesus as the Son of God until after his crucifixion is a central theme of the  Gospel of Mark . Ironically, the first man to do so is the Roman centurion on duty at his execution. His self-identification as the suffering “ Son of Man ” made him unrecognizable to unregenerate men.  He was the Savior no one expected or wanted .

The reign of Jesus began with his exaltation to the Throne following his Death and Resurrection and it will continue throughout the present age  – Psalms 110:1. The New Testament links the enthronement of Jesus to his Resurrection and Ascension by applying key Messianic texts from the Hebrew Bible to him. He qualified to reign because of his faithful “ obedience unto death ,” and this was confirmed when God raised him from the dead and seated him “ at His right hand ” where he rules over all things and provides his Assembly with the Gift of the Spirit.

The saints overcome the Dragon through the death of the Lamb and their faithful witness even unto death  – Revelation 12:11.  In Chapter 12 of the book of  Revelation , the “ sign of the Great Red Dragon ” appears in the heavens, signifying that the “ war ” has commenced between his forces and those of the “ son ” who is destined to “ shepherd the nations .” But the result of Satan’s attempt to destroy the “ son ” is his expulsion from “ heaven ,” and the proclamation of the victory of the “ brethren. ”

The figure of the Son of Man in the Book of Daniel is the source of Christ’s self-designation, the Son of Man . The term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” All the tribes of the Earth will mourn when “ they see  the Son of man  coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

The reign of Jesus on the Divine Throne is based on his sacrificial death and resurrection, the unshakable basis of his universal authority . The Death, Resurrection, and the Exaltation of Jesus are all linked in the  Book of Revelation . Christ reigns supreme over the Earth because of his obedient death and subsequent resurrection, and he therefore is authorized to reveal and put the contents of the “ Sealed Scroll ” into action. He does not tyrannize his subjects; instead, he is “ the Shepherd of the nations ” who redeems men and women from every nation.

The conspiracy by the Earth’s kings to unseat the Messiah is applied in the New Testament to the plot to destroy Jesus  – Psalm 2:1-6. The  Second Psalm  is a key passage applied to Jesus by the New Testament. When were its predictions fulfilled, and is the Messiah reigning now on David’s Throne? Is the world still waiting for his enthronement at a future date? What about the “ revolt ” of nations and kings against the Son of God? Is it a prediction of a coming war between Jesus and earthly governments -  (Psalm 2:1-6)?