The Crucified Messiah

The Gift of the Spirit is one of the Covenant promises for blessing the Nations of the Earth through Abraham and his “Seed,” Jesus Christ . When Matthew’s Gospel declares Jesus to be the “ Son of Abraham ,” it links the man from Nazareth to the  Abrahamic Covenant . The New Testament is filled with scriptural citations and apostolic teachings demonstrating that Jesus came to fulfill the Covenant. He is the promised “ Seed of Abraham ” and the true Heir of all the promises, including to “ bless all the Nations ” in the Patriarch.

The kings and nations of the Earth are found in New Jerusalem because of the Lamb’s redemptive work . The Apostle Paul describes the proclamation of “ Christ crucified ” as “ God’s wisdom and power .” The proposition that God overthrew Sin, Satan, and Death through the execution of a lowly man from the small village of Nazareth is “ foolishness ” to men and contrary to this world’s “wisdom” and ideologies. Even the spiritual “ powers and principalities ” did not understand what God was doing and sealed their fate by crucifying the “ Lord of Glory .”

Jesus Christ fulfills God’s promise to bless all nations through His Covenant with Abraham. There is salvation in No Other Name . Foundational to the biblical doctrine of redemption is the Covenant that God made with Abraham, and with his “ seed ” after him, including the promises to bless all nations and to grant the Patriarch innumerable descendants. But how and when are the nations blessed? And who is Abaham’s “ seed ” destined to inherit the promises?

Jesus, the Faithful Witness, now reigns supreme over the Kings of the Earth, and he is shepherding the nations to the Holy City of New Jerusalem . Jesus is called the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth ” in the Prologue of  Revelation . This declaration is made in the  present tense  since his sovereignty is based on his Death and Resurrection. He does not rule by hereditary right, economic power, or military might, but because of his redeeming death. The slain “ Lamb ” is the one who sits on the Throne, and his authority extends even over “ Death and Hades .”

Paul wrote his Letter to the Romans with at least two purposes in mind. First, to prepare the ground for his visit to the city and his planned missionary trip to Spain. Second, to deal with conflicts between Jewish and Gentile believers in the assemblies of Rome. In the Letter’s first half, he explains his Gospel. In the second, he addresses the status of the Jewish people and the specific conflicts in the congregation.

The Lamb’s reign began with his Death and Resurrection. Since then, he has been shepherding the nations toward New Jerusalem . The  Book of Revelation  declares Jesus is the “ Ruler of the Kings of the Earth .” When it describes how he reigns over the “ nations ,” it presents a King of an entirely different nature than Caesar or the political rulers of this evil age. Christ is the “ Lamb ” who was slain to redeem men from every nation, and now, he is “ shepherding ” the “ nations ” so that the city of “ New Jerusalem ” will be fully inhabited.

After his resurrection, Jesus declared: “ All authority in heaven and on earth is given to me, therefore, go and make disciples of all nations! ” He then dispatched his disciples to announce his Lordship and salvation to the “ ends of the Earth .” The Age of Salvation commenced with his Death and Resurrection; therefore, his life-giving message must be announced to mankind.

Paul described the proclamation of “ Christ crucified ” as the “ wisdom and power of God .” The proposition that God overthrew Sin, Satan, and Death through the execution of a lowly Nazarene was contrary to the “ wisdom of this world .” Even the spiritual “ powers and principalities ” did not understand and sealed their doom by crucifying the “ Lord of Glory .”

As the Gospel of Matthew declares, Jesus is the “ son of Abraham .” The lowly man from Nazareth is the Messiah and King of Israel, the promised “ Seed ” of the Patriarch. He brings the covenant promises to fulfillment. He is the covenant heir, and our receipt of the inheritance is based on our faith in him.

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)?

The introduction to the Gospel of Matthew declares that Jesus is the “ Son of Abraham ,” the descendant destined to fulfill the covenant promises made by God to the Patriarch, Abraham. His identification as the son of Abraham in Matthew stresses the theme of fulfillment. Through Jesus, the promises become reality.