Thomas Williams

“ The Messianic Restoration of the Kingdom of Israel and Throne of David
Inasmuch as the twelve tribes of Israel are to be restored to the land of Canaan, and to regain their nationality, the question arises, Under what arrangement or constitution of things is this to be effected? We have seen that God is to establish His kingdom in all the earth, and the question now naturally arises, What is to be the dynasty of the Kingdom? Who is to be the King?--in short, what are the elements of this great and universal constitution of things which is to effect the world’s redemption? ”

“ If there was, it was useless for Him to teach His disciples to pray that God’s will might be done in the earth, as it is done in heaven. God’s will being done to perfection in heaven, peace and happiness prevail, and it was quite to the point that He should teach His disciples to pray that God’s will be done here as in heaven. Where is a prince of peace needed? Here surely, and here only, so far as the Bible and facts reveal to us what is needed. The Bible is not a revelation to us of war and peace upon other planets. ”

“ Here is the focalization so far as the historical phase up to this time is concerned.
Out of all nations one nation is first selected; out of this nation, one tribe; out of this tribe, one family; out of this family, one man—David. Now from him, according to the flesh, must all kings descend till the one who is the pith and pivot of all God’s workings is reached. Hence David recognizes the proper line of descent when he says, "And of all my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons) he hath chosen Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel." ”

“ In making the Mosaic covenant, God promised Israel as follows: "The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. ”

“ Seeming to anticipate modern methods of applying these Scriptures to spiritual Israel and Jerusalem to the church, he adds, "And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations, and strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the alien shall be your plowmen, and your vinedressers. But ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord: men shall call you the Ministers of our God: ye shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves. ”

“ Therefore, in blessing his sons, Isaac said to Jacob, "Let people serve thee; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s son bow down to thee; cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee" (Gen. 27: 29) . Here is the father of the twelve tribal nation given that power and prestige that should descend upon the nation. So that to begin with we have a royal nation with a divine right to rule all others.
For a nation to rule the world of nations there must be a focalization of its kingly power in order that its rulership might be practicable. ”

“ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David ”

“ Notwithstanding they have been many days without a king, and without a prince, he declares that a time is to come when "David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; neither shall the priests the Levites want a man to offer burnt-offerings and to kindle meat-offerings, and to sacrifice continually." ”

“ For whatever is true of David, a man after God’s own heart, is certainly true of all the ancient worthies, and if David did not go to heaven, but still lies in the dust awaiting his salvation and his desire, surely we have no right to expect to go there or to enter upon our salvation before David does. ”

“ The song will he "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5: 9, 10) . As kings and priests, associates of the King supreme, they will reign with Christ a thousand years (Rev. 20: 4) . ”

“ That David understood this to refer to Christ, we need have no doubt whatever, because the matter is settled positively by Inspiration. Why try to get rid of the Messianic application of such prophecies by saying that they found their fulfillment in the history of Solomon? But how can one satisfy himself with such a claim, when David says of the matter, "Thou hast spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come." And according to his dying words he saw in the promise "all his salvation." ”

“ And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. 2: 2-4) . All this is said concerning Judah and Jerusalem (verse 1) . Thus will Christ be the King of the kingdom of Israel on David’s throne to rule over the house of Jacob specially and the whole world generally. ”

“ The fact of the generations of Israel in the past failing to live up to the requirements of the covenant can no more frustrate the purpose of God than the fall of Adam could prevent the carrying out of that eternal plan, which God had arranged from the beginning, centering in Christ. ”

“ Christ did not see corruption, but was raised from the dead and went to heaven, but David having gone to corruption, had not gone to heaven and there is no promise that he will ever go there. What! asks the astonished inquirer, David not gone to heaven? We have always been taught, some will say, that every good man goes to heaven when he dies, and surely David was a good man and would go there. ”

“ The objection here raised is that Christ being made the one great offering, "once for all," no sacrifices can be offered in the age to come. But Israel’s laws in the past required offerings to be made pointing to Christ, and those offerings were intended as a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. While this was fulfilled to a limited extent, it fell short of absolute fulfillment, for Israel, as a nation, did not receive the instructions of the schoolmaster, and were, therefore, not led to Christ, and therefore did not recognize Him. ”

“ It is through the kingdom proper that advantage or disadvantage must accrue to the empire. If it can be said that India has been blessed by England--and indeed it has to a certain extent--then we have a parallel case. ”

“ The fulfillment of this promise necessitates the restoration of the twelve tribes; and not the return of the apostles from heaven, but their resurrection to receive all the honor and blessings it involves at the hands of Christ as their "righteous Judge." When the song of redemption is sung by all the redeemed at the return of Christ, all who participate will be "kings and priests" to reign with Christ. In that song there will be no discord. No one will be permitted to join who would attempt to sing a "title clear to mansions in the sky." ”

“ Produce a man with a better claim if you can. They could not, and they knew better than to dispute His right to the throne by the law of heredity; for that he was the seed of David according to the flesh could not be denied. ”

“ In the famous passage of Isaiah’s prophecy, chap. 9: 6, we have the words, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders." Here we have words which are universally admitted by "orthodox" people to apply to Christ the child that was to be born and the son that was to be given, and the government was to be upon his shoulders. He was born; He appeared among men and He disappeared. He has not yet exercised the authority with the government upon His shoulders, and the question arises here, What government is this? ”

“ A tribe could not well rule without focalizing its royal power in a man or men of its selection, and subsequent developments show that this was the purpose the Divine plan had in view, for, as we shall see, a single family out of this tribe is selected and then a single man as the head from whom all legal rulers must descend. ”

“ For a more elaborate and clearer prophecy of this memorial system of offerings, in the rebuilt and beautiful temple which is to adorn the land of Israel, the reader is referred to the prophecy of Ezekiel, where a description of the temple and the Divine Service is given, which has never yet found its fulfillment in the history of the world. The description is there by inspiration. It is there to be fulfilled. ”

“ Men are very apt to stretch out their hands to fill up what seems to their shortsightedness deficiencies in God’s workings. Abraham and Sarah seem to have thought that God had failed to provide for carrying out the fulfillment of his promise to raise up from them a seed that would bless all nations ”

“ Whether other planets are inhabited or not is only a matter of curiosity so far as we are concerned. It is our own planet that we are concerned about, and it is to our planet that the Bible has come to reveal to us what is God’s purpose here now and hereafter. ”

“ Then it is that "He will break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel" (Psa. 2: 1-9) . Associated with Him in this work of destroying the world’s oppressors will be the saints, for it is written, "Praise ye the Lord, Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of the saints. ”