Does God Exist?

If you haven't asked it, you will.

If you haven't answered it, you will have to.

Does God exist?

It is a question that I am glad people are asking. It means that people still care. It means that people understand the weight of the answer to this question. If yes, then there is responsibility that we have to Him. If no, then there is no such thing as a standard for truth, morality, love, justice, or basically any other virtue.

But I won't be getting into all of that quite yet. This will be the beginning of a series on Christian apologetics. I will be dealing with things like the existence of God, God and evil, Jesus' deity, how we got the Bible, and other very common questions about God and Christianity. Today I want to discuss one of the foundational arguments for God: the cosmological argument or Kalam argument. It simply states:

1. Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
4. The attributes of the cause of the universe (being timeless, existing outside of space, and so on) are the attributes of God.
5. Therefore, the cause of the universe must be God.  

Now let's dive a little deeper into these premises.

1. Whatever begins to exist must have a cause for its existence.
This is the simple idea of "cause and effect." Everything that has ever been observed has had a cause. The only thing that has ever seriously challenged this theory has been quantum fluctuation. I am by no means a quantum physicist, but it is essentially a particle popping out of nothing. A particle will appear for a very small amount of time due to an increase of energy in a quantum vacuum. 

But the energy must have come from somewhere. The energy had to exist before we observed it in the quantum vacuum. In the case of the origin of the universe, nothing existed at all. Also, just because we do not know the cause of the energy does not mean that it doesn't have one.

This premise is intuitive and just makes sense. Look around you. Now go outside. Look around out there too. Does anything you see not have a cause? No. Your phone was built by the company that has its logo on it. That book on your desk was written by someone. The birds singing outside were given birth to. The noises you hear are caused by vibrations. The very fact that you can see and hear and understand these words are caused by several different parts of your body working together. Everything has come into existence had a cause.

 2. The universe began to exist.
This is a fairly new belief outside the religious sector. It was quickly embraced when first introduced and is now getting criticism again. Einstein's Theory of General Relativity made way for a belief that the universe had a beginning. Hubble's discovery and research of red shift gave even more evidence that there was a singular point in which space and time had started (that singularity, no matter how small, had to come from somewhere as well).

Opposing this premise, Stephen Hawking argues time is more like a sphere than a line. He states:

"Suppose the beginning of the universe was like the South Pole of the earth, with degrees of latitude playing the role of time. The universe would start as a point at the South Pole. As one moves north, the circles of constant latitude, representing the size of the universe, would expand. To ask what happened before the beginning of the universe would become a meaningless question, because there is nothing south of the South Pole."

He and others argue that the universe never began to exist, but it hasn't existed forever. In other words, he doesn't like the idea of the universe having a beginning or existing for infinity past, so he just doesn't believe either. This is not an option. His argument of a sphere has the same principles of a line. When you make your way around a sphere, you go in a line. So if time is a sphere, it still had a starting place, therefore the universe began to exist.

3. Therefore, the universe must have a cause for its existence.
If the first to premises are proven true, then the conclusion must be true. 

4. The attributes of the cause of the universe (being timeless, existing outside of space, and so on) are the attributes of God. 
For something to cause everything that exists to exist it must not have ever come to exist. That's a tongue twister. What I mean is whatever the cause of the universe was, it had to be eternal. William Lane Craig gives some attributes of a universal cause. They are: "uncaused, beginningless, timeless, spaceless, immaterial..." He goes on to say it must be a "personal being endowed with freedom of will and enormous power. And that is a core concept of God."

This point may be the hardest to grasp of all the others. A "personal" cause? A cause with "freedom of will?" Hawking has trouble with seeing it this way. His M-theory attempts to explain the universe altogether. Part of that theory is the the sub-theory that gravity caused the universe. I do not have his book The Grand Design so I do not know word for word everything he discusses in it. However, he does discuss the belief that the universe created itself from nothing by using gravity. He is illogically saying, "X created X out of nothing." I'm sorry, but things just don't work that way. 

The idea of the cause being personal can get complicated to explain. In my research I found a beautifully simple quote by British physicist Edmund Whittaker. He explains it this way:  

 "There is no ground for supposing that matter (or energy, which is the same as matter) existed before this in an inert condition, and was in some way galvanised into activity at a certain instant: for what could have determined this instant rather than all the other instants of past eternity? It is simpler to postulate a creation ex nihilo, an operation of the Divine Will to constitute Nature from nothingness."

Why would the universe create itself? Did the universe in its infinitesimal state decide to start changing one day? If so, what caused that change? This cause had to be personal, not a force.
 
5. Therefore, the cause of the universe must be God. 
End of story.

Well kind of.

One cannot deduct that this is the same God of the Bible. However, we will leave that for another. For now, rest in the fact that you are not by chance. You were not created by gravity. You were purposefully created by a personally God who has reason and chose to make you and the rest of the universe.
__________________________________________________________________________________

A few of the books that helped me with this blog were:

Buy them directly from here and enjoy!

What's Wrong with One of the Most Popular "Pro-Choice" Arguments?

Photo credit: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/oct/12/cancer-passed-from-mother-foetus

(Disclaimer: I don’t claim to fully understand the emotional anguish and life-altering psychological problems rape causes women. This post does not overlook them but attempts to keep them from getting even worse)

The statics have been quoted by almost everyone in every abortion debate ever.

1% of all abortions are from rape survivors.

Even though it is one one-hundredth of all abortions performed, it seems to be the most grey area of debate. Most people who consider themselves "pro-life" even believe abortion is okay when the woman is raped. The women who go through rape go through one of the most awful experiences this sinful world has to offer. I don’t want anyone to think I overlook that fact. The things I am about to say is because I love children and women, all while believing both have rights.

So what's wrong with this popular pro-abortion argument?  Killing children is killing children no matter how people try to rename or justify it.

Even well-known “pro-choice” advocates agree that the baby in the womb is a human being.

Some would argue that “the traumatic experience of rape may have left the individual with a mental health defect resulting in it being more humane for the mother to abort the baby.” This “mental health defect” is most likely depression or anxiety, which can be mild to severe.

Those are serious issues, but is abortion the cure of them? Does killing a child make the emotional effect of being raped better? How is murdering someone who had nothing to do with what happened supposed to keep the emotional toll from getting worse?

What if the woman decided to go through with the pregnancy, then decided the emotional effects were too strong, and killed the baby after he/she was born? The same child could have been legally killed just a few month before, so why not then? Because it is wrong to kill children no matter what kind of emotional stress they put on a woman.

Some argue the “pro-choice” argument, especially for rape victims. But think about why rape is wrong. The woman did not have a choice to have sex with the man or not. He forced something to happen to her that she did not want to happen. He didn’t ask. He didn’t give a choice.

Abortion is much more moral than rape because it gives the baby a choice, right? Right…?

David Platt argued against this idea of “pro-choice” in a recent sermon saying, “"You are not 'pro-choice' about rape… So why are you 'pro-choice' about killing children?"

I want justice to be served when a rapist attacks a woman. I want him in jail or dead, because of justice. The baby that is conceived because of the terrible act does not make the baby terrible. He/she should not be killed because of something they had nothing to do with. 

The "right" that a woman should exercise after a rape is pressing charges on the demented pervert who assaulted her, not sucking an innocent baby out of her womb piece by piece.

When a child is killed because he/she is the result of a rape, they are being treated like an STD. They are the unwanted effect of something that happened, therefore they must be terminated. Human life is not an STD, it is a gift from God. 

Every situation is different and I cannot say what a woman should do with her child once he/she is born. Rather, there are many options. 

1. Keep the child. This is the most ideal option. The child will come to know unconditional love from the mother.

2. Adoption. For those who feel the emotional effects of keeping a child that was a product of rape are too much, adoption is always an available option.

3. Foster Care. This can be a short-term or long-term option. Short-term could give the mother time to gather financial means to take care of the child or even give time to think about what it means to have a child.

Within all of these options, there are sub-categories of options like different kinds of custody for keeping the child and different types of adoptions. 

If you have been raped, seek counseling. At least talk to a friend or family member about it. Contact the police. Keeping it bottled up inside is the worst thing to do. Do not let this defeat you. Don't let the same man dominate you the rest of your life because of only a moment in time. But you can't rise above it all alone. 

The most important thing to remember if you have been raped is that you are still loved. 

What happened was not your sin. You had no say in what happened. God has not given up on you. 

The same goes for anyone who has had an abortion: you are still loved.

Jesus bore your penalty for the abortion. He loved you before He even made you, knowing that would happen. God has not given up on you.

God’s grace is sufficient to help anyone through anything; that even includes an unplanned pregnancy caused by raped.

2 Reasons Men Should Shave Their Beard

 Beards are not a new thing.

They have been celebrated by most cultures around the world. You may go to any historical museum or see old paintings of men, and most have burly beards and choppy sideburns that would get the average business man today fired. Men today oh and ah over the manliness of these manly men with manly beards.

So what's wrong with the beard?

Yeah, you're right. Nothing is wrong with beards.

Rather, it is an ideology that goes along with having a beard that I am concerned with.

There has been a recent resurgence of facial hair growth. It has been happening mainly among hipsters and younger men for a few years. Recently with Duck Dynasty, I am personally beginning to see more older men growing their beards out now. So across the board there is more and more men growing beards out?

Why?

Let me restate this: there is nothing wrong with beards. I grow mine out periodically. Beards are fine, but are they only a fashion statement or more than that?

Some men, I am afraid, find their identity in their beards. 

So, here are my two reasons men should shave their beards off.

1. To prove that you are a man and a beard is not what defines that fact.

Some men think having a beard makes them a man.

I believe this because I am picked on almost every time I shave my face clean. I know the jokes are only that, but they are spurred on by something. I would not receive jokes about having a clean face unless there was not something telling these other men that beards are a sign of masculinity.

God defines masculinity and no where in the Bible does it say that in order to be a man, you must have facial hair. (Side note: the command in Leviticus to not shave the beard or edges of the hair was strictly for ceremonial purposes and not defining masculinity).

2. To prove that you are more interesting than your beard.

Everyone I know that has a beastly beard get compliments on it all the time. They love the attention and it's a conversation piece. "Man, how long has it taken you to grow that out?" "Do you hide animals in that thing?" "How do you get a job with it?"

Some guys simply think it makes them cool. 

No. What you look like doesn't make you cool or interesting. Are more than just beard deep?

What's your personality like? If you think your personality is defined by how much hair you have on your face, then you have no personality.

Are beards bad? Of course not! Should you find your identity in them? Absolutely not. I challenge then men who have not shaven in a very long time to go baby-faced. For the simple fact of proving to yourself and the world that you can be an interesting, masculine man without it. 

After you shave it, then let the beardfest begin again! Because then you will know that you have a beard, not that the beard has you. 

Why the Gospel is Good News: The Substituted Messiah

This is part four in the series. Check out the first, second, and third parts as well.

**************************************************************************************************

I’m a ninja.

Okay, I’m not. Even if I was I couldn’t tell you. Or would I?

I can prove I’m a ninja. I can kill flies. Applaud me, I know you want to.

But what is the consequence of killing a fly? I may be (or may not be) a ninja who kills flies all the time, but who is going to punish me for murder? All I do is slap them and they die. Who will come to my house, arrest me, take me to court, and give me a sentence? No one. Not even PETA.

What would happen if I slapped a dog? PETA may get involved now, but still no outstanding punishment.

Now what if I slapped a child? There’s going to be an angry mom! Then I may only get child abuse, which looks really bad on my record (plus I’d lose my job as a minister).

Even more than that, what if I slapped one of the most important men on earth, President Obama? I didn’t ask if you wanted me to slap him or not, I’m just saying. I would get a much terrible punishment than all of the previous. Slapping him is a much bigger deal than slapping the common house fly.

Why? I’m doing the exact same thing, so why don’t I get the same punishment for them all?

The punishment of an action is determined by the value of the one offended.

A fly is not worth much, therefore my punishment is minimal. President Obama is one of the most valuable people on the planet (whether you see him as that or not), therefore any offense against him is liable of one of the most harsh punishments on the planet.

What if you have rebelled against, slandered, blasphemed, and metaphorically slapped the most valuable and worthy Being in the entire universe? That’s an important question, because you have.

“... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).

All. Every last person on earth who has ever lived. Every king, every peasant, every banker, every farmer, every prostitute, every preacher, every teacher, every, insurance salesman. All.

Every person has committed the greatest crime in the entire universe: rebelling against the most valuable Being.

Since God is eternally worthy, our punishment is just and right to be eternally severe. If God was but a mere human or dog or fly, then an eternal punishment is unjust and morally wrong.

God is also the most perfect judge, and He will judge all things and all people with perfect justice. That is scary.

Let’s say you get a really bad speeding ticket. I have gotten a few myself (I will not disclose how many), so I know they are awful. You go to court because you don’t have enough money to pay it. The judge looks at you and says, “You can either pay up now, or go to jail.” Those are your only two choices because this judge is just and knows that justice must be served. If he simply let you go, he would be unjust. You may want him to be unjust, but what if that person before him was Osama bin Laden? Would you want the judge to be unjust to him? Both of you broke the law and justice must be served for both.

God is even more just and righteous than this judge. So why would He allow injustice to rule as law? He will not and does not.

But what if someone stepped up behind you and gave the judge the exact amount you owed him?

That’s what Jesus did: He took our place on the cross.

“...[all] are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith” (Rom. 3:24-25a).

He paid the payment we could never pay. An invaluable price was paid to fulfill the insurmountable debt that we owed to an infinitely worthy God.  What you owed God was so much that it would take eternity to bring justice to it’s fullness. 

Saying that God made Christ a propitiation simply means that Christ took our penalty. All the wrath (penalty for sin) that was due us, He bore for us. Romans 5:9 says that Jesus saved us from the “wrath of God.” Justice had to be served, yet while we were still sinners, God made a way.

“This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:25b-26).

At the cross, God shows His justice and love at the same time. God the Father could not just let sins go unpunished. So God the Son stepped in and said “I will become sin for them so that in me they might become the righteousness of God” (paraphrase of 2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus swallowed up sin and all of it’s penalties for the one who is in Him, meaning those who have faith in Him.

So for those reading this who have not placed your faith in Christ to take away the eternal penalty that is due, trust in Him today. He is Savior and Lord. He is the Great I Am, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is salvation. He is the “Lamb of God who takes 
away the sins of the world!”

And that is good news.

************************************************************************************************** 

Here are a few books that helped me with this blog. Check them out and add them to your library!

Why the Gospel is Good News: The Manifested Messiah

This is part three of the series “Why the Gospel is Good News.” You can read the first two here and here.

I love Christmas. I’m the annoying kind of guy that will sing the songs wherever I am, talk about how much I love Christmas to those who are Scrooges, and decorate everything I can. I love saying “Merry Christmas!” to complete strangers. I love the food, presents, family time, music, movies, smells, and decorations. I could seriously write this whole blog on all the things I love about Christmas.

However, I will just write about the ultimate reason I love Christmas: God the Son became a man.

Most people, when asked how the Christmas story begins, will say something like, “Jesus was born in a manger,” or “Joseph and Mary couldn’t find any room in the inn,” or “An angel appeared to Joseph and Mary.” Well, I believe the Christmas story begins long before that.

I’m talking about before, “In the beginning…” I’m talking before the table of contents in your Bible. I’m talking about even before the cover of your Bible. I’m talking way before anything ever existed, except for God.

The Gospel of John begins, “In the beginning was the Word…” (Jn 1:1). Whatever this “Word” is, it is eternal. There is an obvious parallel to Genesis 1 here in John 1. John wants his readers to know that this “Word” has always been.

The Greek word for “Word” used here is logos. In Greek philosophy, the logos was the divine reasoning that gave order to the universe. In Jewish theology, the Word of God and God Himself were interchangeable. John was using this word to identify with the pagan cultures along with the Jewish culture. Their logos was merely a concept; John’s logos was a Person.

The Trinity is a difficult concept to grasp and this blog is not meant to explain all the mysteries and doctrines of the Trinity. However, a brief explanation is needed so you and I are on the same page. John 1:1 continues, “…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  Two observations can be derived from this: the “Word” is separate from God, yet it is God. That’s the doctrine of the Trinity in the smallest nutshell I know. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all one hundred percent God, yet they are separate from each other and have different roles. For the sake of this post, understanding that the “Word” is God here in the text is sufficient.

So this logos is God. Okay, but what does that mean for us?

Well the story doesn’t stop there. Jump down a few verses and you see the importance of the logos being God. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (Jn 1:14).

So let’s go back to the original question of the blog series: “Why is the Gospel good news?”

The Gospel is good news because God the Son became a man to save us.

The logos became flesh. This God who is eternal stepped into time, “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Phil 2:7), and remained a human being. That’s right. Jesus is still human. Granted, He is the “first-born from the dead,” meaning He is the first resurrected, glorified human body, but He is still one hundred percent human. His decision to come to earth and identify with humanity in every way was not a temporary decision. He made the decision to be human for eternity.

Why? I mean if I was God-- possessing all things, self-sufficient, could do anything I wanted-- why would I want to become a human being on this Earth? And not to merely live on the Earth, but come fully aware that ultimately I would be beaten, spit upon, and hung on a cross?

There are many specific, theological answers to that question, but there is one overarching reason: love.

If some random person walked up to you on the street and said, “I love you” (much like this girl) you would probably be freaked out and tell them to leave you alone. But if some random person said “I love you” and pushed you out of the path of an oncoming truck and took the hit for you, you would be more inclined to believe them, wouldn’t you?

God the Son did not just tell you He loves you from His throne in heaven; He came down in human form and took our place on the cross (which we will discuss more in depth next week). The most effective way that God could show us that He loves us was to come here and tell us Himself. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (Jn 15:9). God the Son compares His love for us to the Father’s love for Him. The inexpressible love of the Father was made manifest to us in the incarnation of Jesus. By this we know the love of the Father for us: while we were yet sinners, Christ (God incarnate) died for our salvation.

I don’t know of any better news than this, God has come as a man so that you can be saved. That is good news.

Boys Don't Cry. But Men Should.

Almost every boy has heard it some time in his life.

Almost every boy has told himself it every time something bad happened.

Almost every boy has made it a characteristic of what it means to be a male.

“Boys don’t cry. Boys don’t cry. Boys don’t cry. Boys don’t cry.” That’s what I remember telling myself over and over again whenever my first dog died. She was only a dog and why should I cry over that? I’m a boy, and boys don’t cry! I have seen this modeled in my life by the men closest to me. I believe many men reading this right now can identify.

There is this masculine lie that has arisen over the centuries that males are to be unsympathetic.

We are to not show that we have any emotions invested into any living thing. I say that last phrase because it is culturally acceptable (maybe even demanded) to be emotionally invested in sports, war, sex, work, and religion as long as those ominous concepts stay just that.

In sports, we are to root for our teams but show no sympathy for players when they make mistakes. In war, we are to do whatever it takes to take out the enemy without thinking about the people who we will affect. In sex, we are to live as we are conquerors instead of lovers of the person. In work, we are to get the job done without thinking about those working below or for us. In religion, we are to do our religious duties without thinking about the commands to love our neighbors, wives, poor, and needy.

I want to argue that men should cry. We need to cry. Crying means we are emotionally involved. More than that, I want to argue for the need for selfless sympathizing and empathizing within the male community.

Women have been said to not be as good of leaders as men because of “their emotions.” What the heck does that even mean? What kind of emotions? Because they are able to sympathize better than men? Are men scared that women might begin to think about actually people and not just a vague group?

Most women have empathy and sympathy built into them, men do not. They are naturally mothers, and men can learn so much from women in this respect. Men are scared of becoming emotionally attached to any person, and when we do, we feel less manly. The world needs more men to step up and be so empathetic towards people that they cry. A lot.

• Men should cry because sex slavery is one of the fastest growing underground industries in the world.

• Men should cry because there are approximately 125,000 abortions A DAY.

• Men should cry because divorce rates continue to climb and we are typically the ones causing the problems.

• Men should cry because most child problems are due to lack of a father.

• Men should cry because pornography is the biggest business in the entire world, and we are the main consumers.

• Men should cry because the church is shrinking, and the people group that is leaving at the largest rate is men.

There is much more.

Men should cry. But crying is not enough. The goal of emotional involvement is action. Action is the result of crying. So men, cry about something, then do something about it!

Why the Gospel is Good News: A Promised Messiah

This is part two in the series “Why the Gospel is Good.” You can read the first post here.

We all make promises. Even though you may not say, “I promise” after every little thing, you promise many times throughout the day, like: “I’ll be right back,” “I’ll see you tonight,” “I’ll talk to you later,” “I’ll get back with you on that” or the notorious “I have read the terms and conditions.”

Then there are more formal promises we often make: signing a contract to pay your car, phone, and house bills, or saying “I do.”

I haven’t done any research on broken promises, but I would assume everyone breaks at least one a day. If you live an average age of 80 years, that would be approximately 29,200 promises broken. So if you were having a good day, allow that to make you feel like a failure.

There is Someone who has never broken a promise. He always follows up on His word no matter how “insignificant” His promises may sound. He is totally trustworthy of all things. Not one thing He has uttered has failed to be completed.

The Gospel is good news because it is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.

For all the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ]. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory (2 Cor 1:20).

The Good News of a People of God

The first section of Genesis tells us of a God who is deeply personal with His creations. God needed no one to accomplish His tasks, but He chose men to be a part of His activities.

In Adam, God chose to create mankind.

In Noah, God chose to save mankind.

In Abraham, God chose to display His glory to all mankind.

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:2, 3b). This is called the Abrahamic Covenant. This was a promise made to Abraham by God that He would use him in the grand salvific storyline.

God could, at any time, appear in the sky and reveal Himself to everyone. That’s not how He works. He works through people. Mankind is such a favorite medium for Him that God the Son became one so that He could accomplish His work. To bless the nations, God chose to do it through a man. From that man would come a people that would bless every people group on Earth.

But they didn’t. Israel was not serious about their own psalm, “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” (Ps 96:3). They cared little, if at all, about declaring God among the nations. Israel was not the fulfillment of this promise.

“And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Gal. 3:29).

The Church is the people by whom God will fulfill His promise to Abraham. To us all the promises of Abraham belong. We are Abraham’s true children. Being a descendant of Abraham has nothing to do with his blood but his faith. That’s the argument Paul makes in Romans 4 and Galatians 4.

The good news is that we once were not a people, but now we are the people of God.

The Good News of Relationship with God

A few years passed after Abraham had left the scene and things didn’t look so great for the Hebrews. They had become enslaved by the Egyptians after Jacob had moved the whole family there because Joseph was in such good standing with Pharoah. The Hebrews were multiplying and getting very large in number. Most of whom had never heard the name of YHWH their Lord.

God led a man named Moses to free them from Egypt. Their first stop outside of Egypt was Mount Sinai. What happened here is called the Mosaic Covenant. God made a promise to the Hebrews to continue His relationship with them as long as they were obedient to the Law.

Most people today look at the Law as a bad thing. However, God reached out to the Hebrews time and again to show them His grace. He did not have to free them. He did not have to call them His people. All of it was done in grace and so was the law-giving.

This was not Him being a ruling dictator but a loving Father.

Once again, they could not hold up their side of the deal. They disobeyed continuously, and God forgave continuously. They failed to cherish their relationship with God.

Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt. 5:17). Jesus came to fulfill the Law. This means that He came to complete the purpose for them. He came to make them do what they were supposed to do, connect God with man.

The good news is that through Christ, we have a perfect relationship with God.

The Good News of a King from God

David had a rocky start to becoming king of Israel, to say the least. Despite all of his failures, God gave him a promise, the Davidic Covenant:

“You shall not lack a man to sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk in my law as you have walked before me” (2 Chro 16:6).

This was a conditional promise. Israel’s requirements were the same as the Mosaic Covenant: keep the law. As long as they keep the commands, a man from David’s lineage will sit on the throne. As we see throughout the Bible and as we discussed earlier, they did not. The Davidic line was cut during the Babylonian exile of Judah. Is God “legally” obligated to fulfill His side of the covenant then? Not at all. He has every right to leave the Israelites to their own demise.

However, He makes promise to another man, Ezekiel. He said, “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them” (Ez 34:23-24).

Whoa whoa whoa… This promise is given around 400 years after David died. So will he be resurrected to reign? No. Not David. But another One was.

Jesus said in John 10:11 and 16, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

This is why there are two chapters in the New Testament dedicated to the genealogy of Jesus. He is from the line of David. Just one problem though, is He reigning?

Someone who can say “All power and authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18) seems to be King. He was prophesied by Daniel saying, “To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed”  (Dan. 7:13-14). Jesus’ kingdom is not of this earth. It cannot and it will not be destroyed. Ever.

The good news is Jesus is on the throne of the universe and rules with perfect justice and love.

The Gospel is good news because it is the fulfillment of all of God’s promises. We would be foolish to keep these great truths to ourselves.