” . . . He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” Luke 1: 32, 33.
Dear God and Father, today we thank You for the opportunity to study Your Word once more. Please stay with us and help us to learn the lessons that You have in store for us today. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Our Scripture for today is taken from Mary’s Song. When the angel came to tell Mary of the high honor that God had bestowed upon her, that she should become the mother of the Savior of the world, He left no doubt, that this child, was God’s Child! He also told her that He would reign over a “kingdom that will never end[!]”
Every earthly kingdom that we have known, have been temporary. The song-writer puts it this way: “Crowns and thrones have perished, Kingdoms rise and wane” (Sabine Baring-Gould). But the kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will never come to an end! As we saw yesterday in our devotional, “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever” (Isaiah 9: 7).
But that is not the only outstanding characteristic of Christ’s kingdom. One Sabbath day as He entered the synagogue, and preached a sermon from the words of the prophet Isaiah, He spoke to the congregation about the nature of His mission, which was also a picture of what His kingdom would be like. It will be the ideal kingdom! Listen to what happened that memorable day: “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘ “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” ‘ ” (Luke 4: 16-19, emphasis provided). The year of Jubilee began with the birth of Christ! Praise God!
His kingdom will represent the continuation of God’s eternal Year of Jubilee! Hallelujah! For millennia, we have been oppressed by the Adversary; but when the “Son of the Most High” sets up His kingdom, all oppression shall cease! His kingdom will be a kingdom like no other, “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35: 10, emphasis provided)! Although this prophecy was intended for the children of Israel, when, in obedience to God’s commandments, they would be restored to the place of honor as God’s chosen people; Jesus came and opened the door to all people, as we have been seeing these past few days in our devotionals. That includes you and me!
Aren’t you glad that the Baby Jesus, who came to earth more than two thousand years ago, is going to return as King Jesus, to establish an everlasting kingdom of peace and righteousness? I am! During this season, do not forget to give your best gift, to the coming “Prince of Peace!” Your best gift is you!
NOTE: To our darling daughter Dirma, who today is celebrating another milestone in life; we wish you a very Happy, and Blessed, Birthday! We love you so much, and are so very proud of you! Remember: Jubilee has begun, and will continue! Best wishes from all of us!