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Jesus Christ is God’s anointed King over the creation. Rejecting this reality will not help your case when He returns to judge His enemies. However, the Lord of Heaven is mercifully delaying judgment and offers an opportunity to repent. Rather than foolishly resisting Him, you can humbly recognize His sovereignty and submit to His lordship. Happy are those who turn to Him before it is too late.

You see, there is no place for rebels in the kingdom of God because it is a kingdom of righteousness. You cannot have all the blessings of God while remaining in opposition to Him. Only repentant sinners can receive the gift of eternal life.

It is for this very reason that Jesus Christ came to die on the cross, since it is there that God dealt with the sins of the repentant. Christ stood condemned in our place and suffered the wrath of God for our iniquity. Then God raised His Son from death to verify Him as Savior and establish Him as Lord. Now God can pardon and bring into His kingdom any and all who will confess their sins and humbly trust His Son. The only other option is to suffer eternal death in hell as a defiant sinner.

This is the emphasis as we continue our study of the second psalm, which deals with God’s sovereign kingdom. As the earthly representative of heaven’s throne, King David of Israel was very familiar with human rebellion. The resistance of sinners in the nations around him was a continual reminder. He also understood that God would ultimately send His Son into the world as the anointed King to fulfill all righteousness. In fact, God had promised David that the Christ would be one of his descendants (cf. 2 Sam. 7; Ps. 132:11).

For this reason, the Holy Spirit gave David insight into the final days of the rebellion when Christ would utterly destroy His enemies and establish the throne on earth. Psalm 2:1-6 explained that, although the nations will take a final stand to resist heaven (vv. 1-3), God’s kingdom is nonetheless sovereign. And Jesus Christ, the Great King, will most certainly reign in Jerusalem.

In part two of our study, which comes from Psalm 2:7-12, we will see that this is not mere conjecture on David’s part. Rather, it is a heavenly mandate — a divine decree — that Christ should rule the nations in power and glory. And God’s call to the people of the world is to repent before the time of judgment comes.

God’s Sovereign Kingdom – Part II Christ’s Reign (vv. 7-9) Revelation 19:6 proclaims: “…the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!” That declaration is made just as Christ begins His procession from heaven to earth at the end of the Great Tribulation. And despite Satan’s opposition through Antichrist and the nations of the world, the rebellion will be entirely crushed. The Lord Jesus will Himself deliver the final blow at the Battle of Armageddon (Rev. 14:14-20; 19:17-21) and establish His throne on the holy hill of Zion (v. 6; cf. Ps. 132:13-18).

The divine decree is recounted for us here in verses seven through nine by the Christ Himself. Evidently, upon God the Son’s incarnation, God the Father made this declaration that His Anointed (v. 2) would reign forever with all authority (cf. Matt. 28:18). The Father will mock His enemies in righteous indignation for their foolish resistance (vv. 4-6). It appears as though God the Son “will declare the decree” when He arrives in Jerusalem at His Second Coming. That is, He will recite at that time the mandate which “the LORD” His Father earlier gave (“said”) to Him (v. 7; cf. 1 Cor. 15:24-28).

The Father’s declaration is that the Christ would be His “Son.” That is, heaven’s anointed King would be the incarnate second Person of the Trinity. He was “begotten” in that He was “brought forth” into humanity (Heb. 1:5) to die as Savior and then “brought forth” into glory by resurrection to God’s right hand (Acts 13:33-34). In the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4), He came to fulfill the role of Savior and Lord (Phil. 2:5-11).

The messianic title, Son of Man, reflects His humiliation and His exaltation (cf. Dan. 7:13-14; Rev. 1:13; 14:14). He is completely identified with the human race, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). As the sinless Son of God, He is qualified to receive the everlasting throne of His heavenly Father. He is also qualified to complete the royal line of David as the ultimate King — David’s greater descendant.

The heavenly agenda, determined in eternity past, is for the Son to glorify the Father by bringing His sovereign kingdom to the rebellious world of men and to redeem the saints for the kingdom (Col. 1:9-18). The kingdom is Christ’s for the taking because the Father desires to give it to Him. Therefore, He says to His Son:

Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession (v. 8a).

In other words, He will be given the supreme place over the human race and dominion over the earth as it was intended for mankind (Gen. 1:28). His reign will be righteous, and the earth will be restored to Eden-like glory in the Millennial Kingdom (cf. Pss. 72; 96; 110; Is. 11). Then He will rule the new heavens and the new earth where only righteousness will exist (2 Pet. 3:13).

When Satan tried to offer Jesus the kingdoms of this world in return for worship, our Lord refused. For He knew they were His without question. The Father had already declared this decree to Him, and He would worship and serve the Father in complete obedience (Matt. 4:8-10; Heb. 5:8). He humbled Himself even to endure the cross, since He knew the glory that awaited Him by the Father’s right hand (Heb. 12:2).

Christ will not only inherit the human race and possess the ends of the earth, but He will reign with absolute, unchallenged power. Verse nine initially explains that He “shall break [i.e. rule] them with a rod of iron.” The “rod” refers to both a shepherd’s staff and a king’s scepter. Both are probably in view here to describe Christ as the Great Shepherd and King of kings (David was a shepherd/king). It is a “rod of iron,” meaning that He will rule with an unwavering righteousness that cannot be resisted. Every act of lawlessness will be dealt with swiftly and justly according to God’s righteous standards. He will “dash to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (v. 9b) all unrepentant rebels.

Man’s Repentance (vv. 10-12) So the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ was already declared before He suffered and died on the cross. But the cross was necessary to provide a way for sinners to be made saints in the kingdom. Now, having endured the cross, He has been resurrected and glorified as Lord. He presently waits in heaven until the Father orders His return to earth (Rev. 14:14-16). Until then, sinners are afforded time to repent.

That is the message to rebellious mankind represented in verse 10 by its leaders — the “kings [and] judges of the earth.” These are called upon to “be wise [and] instructed” regarding God’s decree about Christ’s reign. If they are wise, and if they learn anything from the truth of God’s sovereign kingdom, then they should respond with repentance.

True repentance is reflected in the final two verses by:

– A willingness to “serve the LORD with fear.” That is, a person will obey God with reverence. – A desire to “rejoice with trembling.” That is, a person will humbly praise God for His mercy and grace in salvation. – A commitment to “the Son” as God’s anoointed King. To “kiss” (perhaps “embrace”) Him is a symbolic act of submission and allegiance. It is a recognition of His omnipotence.

The last portion of verse 12 gives us the only two options one has in response to Christ before His glorious return — resist or repent. If you fail to embrace Him now “when His wrath is kindled but a little,” then the LORD will be “angry” with you, and “you [will] perish in the way.” That is to say, you will die in your sins (Jn. 8:24) because you have not sought His forgiveness. This seals your eternal damnation. Unless and until you repent, you remain under the condemnation of God’s Law, which demands the sentence of death for rebels (Rom. 3:9-20). His wrath is temporarily restrained against you by mercy, but you still face certain judgment without repentance.

There is the promise of blessing for “all those who put their trust in Him.” These are happy (“blessed”) because forgiveness and eternal life are theirs in His kingdom. They have believed that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and they have life in His name through faith (Jn. 20:31). There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1). They are no longer under the law’s sentence of death because, in grace, God provides an atoning sacrifice in His Son’s death. The blessedness of the saints is that they no longer have to fear the Lord’s wrath. They are, instead, reconciled to Him and adopted into His family with a full pardon (Rom. 8:14-17).

Psalm 145:8-13 speaks of the astounding opportunity people have in this present time to repent and submit to Christ as Lord and Savior. It also tells of the believer’s opportunity to bear witness to God’s kingdom.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy. The LORD is good to all, And His tender mercies are over all His works.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.

God’s sovereign kingdom is a reality. It is not some idealistic notion to be considered as if we were watching a movie or reading a novel. No, it is a matter of life and death for each and every one of us in every generation.

Although the rebellion is permitted to continue for the time being, it will be crushed when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to fulfill God’s decree. Until then, the call to repentance continues. Have you repented of your sin and placed your trust entirely in the Son of God? Do you reverently obey Him, humbly praise Him, and embrace Him as your King? If that is the case, then you are truly blessed!

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