Mike Bickle discusses the prophetic significance of Psalm 2, emphasizing the escalating global conflict against Jesus' leadership as foretold by David 3,000 years ago. He outlines the four acts of this psalm, where earthly kings oppose God's anointed, the Father reassures His sovereignty, Jesus intercedes, and David warns the rulers to submit to God's authority. Bickle highlights the urgency of recognizing the current acceleration of hostility towards God's ways and the importance of believers standing firm in their faith. He calls for a response of service and reverence towards God, encouraging the faithful to engage actively in their relationship with Him amidst societal opposition.

prophesied by David about 3,000 years ago. And David prophesied a time when the kings of the earth would be in fierce opposition against the leadership of the Messiah, the Christ. And the word Christ is the same word Messiah, that they would be in fierce opposition to the greater Son of David, not just his natural son in the next generation, Solomon, but generations down the road, the ultimate son of David that would be God's king set and established on his holy hill in Jerusalem. Now this conflict reaches its pinnacle in the generation the Lord returns. For 3,000 years since David prophesied, in his own generation, this conflict was was breaking forth and and it was noticeable and identifiable. But it's accelerating in this hour of history on a global scale. Paragraph B, Psalm 2 has four parts. It was a Charles Spurgeon, the famous preacher in the 1850s, 60s in London, that he first described this as a four-act drama. You know, pastoring there that vast, I mean that famous church in London, London being the drama or the theater capital of the world at that time, that he likened, he compared Psalm 2 to a four-act drama. First, each one of these acts is described by David in three different verses. First, the kings of the earth, they come on the stage, so to speak, and the curtain opens and they declare their fierce determination to cause the influence of the Word to be completely removed out of culture. That's in essence what they say. So the kings of the earth, they take their stand and we don't want the God of Israel. We don't want His Messiah. We don't want His ways. We want His ways driven far away from our society and from the culture. Well, the curtain closes and then it opens again, Act 2. This time the father is the central figure on the stage, and he responds to the hostility of these kings. And God the Father, in essence, says, He goes, I'm not troubled at all by your threats and accusations, for I have already determined in my sovereignty to exalt my Son and to put Him as my King on my holy mountain, my holy hill in Jerusalem. Well, then the curtain closes, so to speak, opens again. Now Jesus comes, and He's the central actor in the third scene. And He now responds to the hostility of the kings in Act 1 and to the words of the Father in Act 2. And the response of Jesus, He takes the place of prayer, or the place of intercession. He reveals Himself as the great intercessor in this third act. And He declares the decrees of His Father. He says back to God what God the Father has declared over the nations, and even over Jesus' ministry. Then the curtain closes again, and then the final scene, the final act, King David comes on the scene and on the stage. And he gives an exhortation. He says, O kings of the earth! He goes, If I was you, I warn you, lay down your offense, lay down your hostility and your opposition to the great King. Rather serve Him in the fear of the Lord. Serve Him with gladness. Throw your whole strength into honoring Him and paying the homage that's due His name. So that's a quick snapshot of this four act drama that we find in Psalm chapter 2. Let's look at each one of these parts, these acts, one by one. We'll just draw out a few principles in each one. And there's many implications far beyond one message or even a series of message. There's many layers to this simple psalm of only 12 verses. Well we start with act 1, part 1 of Psalm 2. The kings of the earth, they display their fierce opposition to the Messiah's leadership, to Jesus' leadership. It says in verse 1, David is now, I mean speaking all the way through this. He says, Why are the nations raging? They're so angry. Why are they so angry? And he makes a point in a moment that they're angry at God. They're angry at the God of Israel. They're angry at His Christ or His Messiah. Again those are interchangeable words. Why are the nations raging in anger? And it doesn't take a lot of discernment to see that there's an acceleration in the nations of anger against God in His ways. And that acceleration, that hostility is, I mean that hostility is accelerating very observable on a global scale. David asked the question, Why are the people, the common people, I mean the masses, why are they plotting a vain thing? And the idea is it's vain. It won't succeed. It may appear for a moment to be successful, but it will come, it will fall to the ground. It's a vain plan. It's born in the heart of darkness. It's born in the heart of Satan and his accusations against God and His Christ. It will not succeed even though for a moment it will appear to gain great momentum in the nations. And I believe we're in that time frame where the acceleration of this unholy momentum is, is observable right now. Now David in verse 2 he describes the hostility. He says the kings of the earth, they set themselves. I mean they come in unity together. They're set together. And the rulers of society, they take counsel together against the Lord, again the God of Israel, and against His anointed. And the word anointed, the Hebrew word would be translated Messiah. The Greek word would be translated the Christ. So if you take the Hebrew translation, it would be they set themselves against the Messiah. You take the Greek translation, they would set themselves against the Christ. Or here it says against His anointed. Those words are interchangeable. Now we know through the lens of the New Testament Revelation, it's Jesus of Nazareth. That is God's anointed. That is the Messiah. That is the Christ. Verse 3, here's what the kings of the earth want to do. Here's what the rulers of society have determined together to do. They want to break God's bonds into pieces. And they want to cast away God's cords from them. Now that's figurative language showing their hostility. In verse 3 they're talking about casting aside the Word of God. And when they view the Word of God, they review it through a lens of distortion and anger and rage. They see the Word of God, here in verse 3, as bonds that restrict them from entering into their full liberty as human beings. They don't see the Word of God, the truth, as that which liberates. They see the Word of God as that which holds them in bondage and restricts them, keeps them enslaved to God's moral standards. And they say in verse 3, let us cast away God's cords. Again they see the Word of God as cords that restrict. Not the Word of God. The truth is that which truly sets free and crowns the human race with dignity and all the glory that God's ordained for His people and His children. Well let's look at each one of these phrases, or just a few of these phrases. First it says in verse 1, the people plot together. So this is not just an issue of the leaders and the heads of state and the leaders of society. It's the, the common people of society. They plot together. They come up with deceptive strategies to mobilize one another, to incite one another, to resist God's leadership. We saw in the Arab Spring, back in 2011, when this great resistance rose against an oppressive government in Egypt. We saw how through social media masses were mobilized and incited to stand up and resist evil. So my point being is that through social media today the masses are being all in, have a capability to plot and to work together to incite one another with their plans and their thoughts. And in this case here in Psalm 2, the plans are evil. But it's not just the rulers from their presidential palaces or courts, but it's the, the masses of society participating in the plot. The Word of God calls it a plot. They'll twist and turn. I mean they'll twist and pervert the Word of God along with their leaders. Deceptive ways to present what the Word of God says, but in a way different than the Word of God is meant. So the masses are responsible, not just the rulers of society. Paragraph D. It goes on after David mentions the people plotting. He says it's not just the masses of, of population, but it's the rulers. I mean it's the kings. It's the, it's the heads of state. They're meeting together. Verse 2, the kings of the earth set themselves together against the Lord. Now as a rule the kings of, I mean the heads of state, whether it's a prime minister or a king or a president, whatever title that is being used, they normally don't come together to plan in the way that they're coming together to plan now. Some, I mean they have all kinds of councils so they can help a better economic environment or to stop an aggressive nation. But mostly the kings of the earth, they gather together to, to, to present their case so their own nation gets a better deal. That's what they typically gather with. What is in view is what they can get from the other nations that would better their own nation. And I'm guessing that most the kings don't really trust each other. They probably don't really like each other. But they gathered to convene in order to find ways to gain an advantage from their nation, from some kind of alliance. But this is different here. They're coming together with an energy because they have a common enemy. And the enemy is the God of Israel. And they're not just plotting for their nation and, and, and, and coming to set themselves to see how they can be bettered as an individual nation. But together, how can we cast off the God of Israel and His leadership away from the earth? Well we're, we're watching that right now. Though they would present themselves and as in a, in a certain presentation of dignity and fighting for human rights, there's this growing theme of hostility against the Word of God that the heads of state are even embracing. Now not all of them by the grace of God. God has His men and women in key places of government around the earth. And we're believing for more and more of them. So it's not all the kings of the earth, but the trend of the kings of the earth buying into that which is hostile to the Word of God is increasing rapidly in this day. It says in paragraph D that the rulers, they take counsel together. The rulers. Now this speaks of the rulers of society, not just the heads of state. Talking about the rulers of economics, the rulers of military, the rulers of education, agriculture, even the, the primary decision-makers in society. I mean it's the rulers of economics in the economic realm. They're the ones that put the kings in power. And at least in a democratic context. The kings have to keep the rulers of, of, of economics, they have to keep them happy. So in many ways the, the heads of state are the puppets of the ones that put them in office. And it's the masses of the people, and it's the people, it's the rulers of, of, of the marketplace that have the power of economics behind them. Paragraph F. David says, let's be clear. They may present themselves initially as being for human freedom and human dignity, but he goes by the Holy Spirit. Let's look at the core matter, the core issue. They are against the Lord. They are against His Christ. They're against specifically the God of David, who's the God of Israel. It's not just the generic God. A lot of leaders will talk generically about trusting God, or praying to God. As long as it's not the God of the Bible, they're not too troubled by references to God. But the God of the Bible is the God of Israel. And His Son is Jesus of Nazareth. He's a Jewish king who's coming back to rule the nations from Jerusalem. And this is troubling even to people in the church, that God has a plan even for that nation, and for His Son to rule the earth from that nation. David says, don't be confused by any rhetoric at all. They are against God. They are against the Lord, and they are against His Christ. That is the energy behind the surface that's motivating them. Paragraph G. Here's their, here's their cry. Here's their rallying cry. Let's break God's bonds and cast away His cords. I've already mentioned that. They want to remove the influence of the Word of God out of society entirely. That's their goal. They want to move it out of the education process. They want to remove it out of the media. They don't want to endorse God's ways with economics. They are against God's moralities. I mean God's moral standards. They are against God's purposes for the nation of Israel. They are against the claims of Jesus. I mean His bold, unqualified claims. He is the only way of salvation. He is the only one that is capable in love and power to judge the nations. They don't like this. They don't like His ways. Again, they see His words as bonds of chains that enslave them. They see the Word of God as restricting human potential, quote-unquote. They want to explore the full boundaries of their sexuality, which means, translates perversion and darkness to the deepest levels they can, to be free, to be in bondage to perversion is really what they're saying. They don't know that, but that's their rallying cry. Don't limit our human potential. Give us the freedom to be all that we can be. And of course we know the truth of God's Word is the only way we can be all that we can be is in that free mercy of God, that empowering grace of God as defined by the glorious liberties that are set forth in the written Word of God. That's the only place there's liberty. It's the only place of salvation. It's the only place of human potential and dignity is in context to the Word of God through Jesus magnifying the grace of God through Him. You know, you'll hear people talk about God today. You'll hear famous athletes or famous just leaders of society and they'll thank God. And I appreciate that. But I want them to thank Jesus, not the generic God. I want the athlete not just to say, God help me score the touchdown. I give glory to God. Jesus, that is my Lord and Savior. Some of them do and I go, yes, that's what I like. I mean, I appreciate the generic reference to God. I mean, I really do. I do appreciate that. But I go, no, there's something more to be said. Not that they have to say everything every time they're interviewed. That's not my point. But I always get excited when they tell the truth about who God is. God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit. One God in three persons. The great blessed truth of the Trinity. Well, let's look at top of page two, paragraph H. Before the Lord returns, sin will reach its greatest heights ever in history. There's several passages of the Scripture that make this quite clear. I'll highlight just two of them. One is in Daniel chapter 8. The angel Gabriel appears to Daniel and says this to him. Verse, this is the angel Gabriel, verse 23 of Daniel 8. In the latter time, when sin has reached its fullness, when transgressions come to the place of full expression like no time in history, is the idea. At that time a king will arise. And it's clear in Daniel 8 he's talking about the Antichrist. He will understand sinister schemes. And he goes on to describe this king for the next two, three verses. And it's a Old Testament description of a real man that's coming on the global scene the Bible calls the Antichrist. There's an Antichrist spirit that's been operating for generations. But there's more than an Antichrist spirit. There's a literal man, a single man that will emerge on the world scene that the Bible calls the Antichrist. And in the, in the, in the time frame that he appears, that, what will be happening society, is sin will reach its fullest heights ever in history. And I believe we're moving rapidly towards that time frame. Nobody knows when the Lord will return. No one knows the day or the hour. And people that pretend to know that, it's foolishness. It's not biblical to have that information. But we can know, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 24, He said when you see these signs, and He gave the signs with His own mouth, you can know, He says know that that generation, there's a generation that will know they're in a prophetic time frame that's accelerating. And the way they will know it is by the signs that Jesus gave. Well there's more signs of the times than the one Jesus gave. The Apostles gave a number of the signs, a number of signs of the times, a number of the indicators, timing indicators. Well the Old Testament prophets gave some of the timing indicators. I've put some time over the years and some energy in studying what Jesus, the Apostles and the Old Testament prophets gave as biblical signs of the times. And there's quite a list. It's not three or four. It's quite a, it's, it's quite an extensive list of what God through the Spirit in the written Word has given the body of Christ as timing indicators of the time of the Lord's return. And we can't know with certainty, but I can tell you this, many of those signs are escalating on a global level for the first time. I mean escalating together on a global level for the first time in history. So I don't know how long, how long that escalation will go. It may stretch out a generation or two. It may not. I can't tell. I don't think anybody can tell. But I can tell you this, if you study those biblical signs of the times, those indicators that were never meant to be ignored by the people of God, if you study them with a little bit of attentiveness, I believe you'll come to the conclusion that the majority of them are escalating on a global level together for the first time in history. And Jesus said when you see all of them, not some of them, I'm talking about most of them right now, but He said when you see all of them, then you can know that generation will not pass away before I come back. All of them aren't happening, but most of them are right now. Enough to where I'm paying attention. And it's time to begin to, to highlight prophetic scriptures and connect the prayer movement with what the Bible says. I don't mean just a, a self-styled prophet here and there. I'm talking about what the written Word of God says by the mouth of Jesus and the Apostles. Beloved, I believe that things are escalating and it's, it's not too soon to start talking about those places in the Scripture that give this description. Again, I don't know when the Lord's returning. May not happen in my lifetime. It may, it may be in my children, their grandchildren. Maybe after that. Maybe before that. But one thing is sure, certain, the signs are escalating rapidly on a global level. Sin is escalating rapidly on a global level. The leaders of society are walking out the Psalm 2 drama that we're looking at. They're taking a public stand against God's ways. I mean the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of sex, and many other things. The way of salvation, the, the, the truthfulness of the Word of God, its final authority are, these issues are being challenged in many pulpits. I mean pulpits that name the name of Jesus. These truths are being challenged like no time before. I've been in ministry forty years and this last five or ten years, this last two or three years, the escalation is, is breathtaking. What's going to happen in the next 10 or 20 years? And nobody knows. The Lord may come sooner. He may come later. But things are escalating. The drama is unfolding. I believe we're in the Psalm 2 drama. Of course we have been for, since David gave it 3,000 years ago. But we're in a special time frame right now of acceleration. 1st Timothy chapter 4. Paul talked about, he said the Holy Spirit expressly says that in the latter times, or you could say in the end times, in the last days, some will depart from the faith. They will give heed to deceiving spirits. They will pay attention to doctrines of demons. We're talking about people that are in the faith paying attention to doctrines of demons. People in the faith departing from the faith. Some say, well I don't know if they're really in the faith or they just think they're in. I said, well I don't want to debate that point at this time. But I'm talking about people professing the name of Jesus boldly at one time, paying attention to doctrines of demons, and abandoning the faith as the confession over their life. Verse 2, they will speak lies. They will turn and twist the Scripture. They'll speak it in hypocrisy because they'll know that the secret agenda of their heart is they want to walk in sin. They don't want Jesus' leadership. He says they'll lie on purpose. They'll twist and turn the Bible passages. They'll distort situations that happen. They do it in hypocrisy because the cry of the heart is they don't want to come under the leadership of Jesus and His Word. He goes on and says their conscience will be seared like with a hot iron. Where it's seared and it won't respond to the Word like it used to is the idea. Look at verse 3. This is very, very telling. They will even forbid marriage. Two thousand years ago Paul prophesied of a time in the end times where marriage would actually be forbidden. That marriage would be forbidden whether legally or, or in other ways of society or several different ways possibly. Beloved we're on this, we're on the, on the very verge of seeing this. There's dialogue right now, open dialogue about because of all the confusion with marriage and defining it, why don't we just lay aside marriage and just institute another way forward. Paul the Apostle saw this two thousand years ago. And I'm sure there'll be a number of different expressions of this in different cities or nations. Doesn't say everywhere in the world they'll do it. But marriage will be forbidden. And this prophecy is actually a foreseeable right now. I remember reading this and having a Bible study group with a group of friends about 10 years ago. I mean I remember just 10 years ago. We looked at this and they asked me, what do you, what do you think that means, forbidden marriage? And I remember saying, 10 years ago only. I said, well it says forbidden marriage. I think that's what it means. But I said, I can't picture it. I can't picture with that, I mean forbidden marriage. I mean I'm sure it means what it says, but I can't picture it. That was 10 years ago. I can picture it really clear right now. And though it might have an application that's different than I would, than the details I would think. But beloved we're in that time frame where these things are happening in accelerated way. Let's go to Roman Numeral 3. Well the father, he's not silent in the midst of this drama. The father has something to say. So the curtain closes on the kings. They made their case. They made their opposition known. They're rallying the masses of the nations. They're using their position as heads of state to determine the legislation to back up their opposition to the Word of God. I mean it's happening right in front of us. Paragraph A, Psalm 2, verse 4 to 6. The father comes on the stage, so to speak. Act 2 of the great drama. He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. He shall hold them in derision. Then he shall speak to them in his wrath. He will distress them in his deep displeasure. In verse 6, his proclamation. I've already said my king upon my holy hill of Zion or Jerusalem. So let's look at that. He that sits in the heavens laugh. God is enthroned in power, in sovereignty as described in Revelation chapter 4. There's a rainbow around His throne and 24 elders and this glorious scene. He's enthroned, sitting in all the confidence of sovereignty. And he looks at those kings on the earth and he laughs. He goes, you've got to be kidding. You think because you've rallied more people than any group of leaders in history has rallied, because you have bigger armies and more economics, that you are a threat to me and my kingdom and my determination to exalt my son? He goes, you've got to be kidding me. And he laughs at them and mocks them. For the Lord will hold them in derision. And the He will hold them in contempt and scorn. And the them are the leaders and the people that are permanently established in their rebellion against the Lord, His Christ and His Word. We're not talking about those that are caught up in deception and lost their way and we're preaching the grace of God to them. They're amongst the masses of unsaved people. There are more and more of those. And we don't know who's who. And we don't need to know who's who. But there's more and more of those that are being established in a permanent way in their opposition against the Lord, His Christ and His Word. That's the them that God's talking about. He goes, I hold them in derision. I have contempt against their permanent, unmovable stance against my son. He goes, I take this very, very personally. He goes, and I hold them in derision. Now it is truth. We hold in truth. We hold in tension the two truths. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He's offering free grace to the nations. But in the midst of the free grace that He's offering to the nations, there's more and more that are getting settled in their permanent resistance against Him. And again, we don't know which who's who. We always offer grace. We always pray for salvation. That's the posture of a New Testament believer. But we know this. There's a hostility that's growing that's clear to the Father that we don't fully understand or see the depth of it or the nature of it. It says in verse 5, He will speak to them in His wrath. Now here's the problem. That God's going to speak to this company of people, this vast company. Again, I don't believe most unbelievers are in this company. But that company of permanent rebellious determination to stand against God. Again, we don't know the number. But God's going to speak. He's got a message for them. And the bad news is, the message that He speaks, He speaks through the lips of His messengers on earth. Meaning He's not going to speak audibly to most of them. He's going to speak through your lips. He's going to raise up people like you and me. I mean just weak and broken folks like us and the grace of God that we receive freely. He's going to say, here's my message. Say it. Say, Lord, I don't want to say that. I want to say, God so loved the world. He says, well say that too. But give both dimensions of the message. But I want you to make clear my deep displeasure of this stance. That's not very popular. The Lord says, well they're against me. You stand with me. Many of them will be against you. So the Lord will speak to them. But the bad news, He might use your lips. And we don't have to choose between the message of the wrath of God and the message of the grace of God. God so loved the world. Both of them are one message that flows from one heart of God without any contradiction in Him. Because His wrath is to remove everything that hinders love. His judgments are not a contradiction to His love at all. His judgments are an expression of His love. He's going to remove everything that hinders love. That's what His judgments are about. But in verse 5, He shall speak to them in His wrath. Like, oh Lord. I like being liked. This doesn't look like very good job security. Popularity ratings will surely go down. God says, David says, He will distress them in His deep displeasure. God says, David and many of the prophets, He's going to distress the nations. And out of that distressing of the nations, Haggai chapter 2 says, God will shake the nations. And out of the shaking of the nations a great harvest will come forth unto salvation. But the, the great harvest of Haggai chapter 2 verse 6 and 7 comes out of the great harvest of the nations. The multitudes were believing God with many others for a billion souls coming in the great harvest. But it will come in context to God distressing the nations. Lord, I would prefer just to have the great harvest. Everybody be happy. Everything be easy, okay. I like happy and easy. How about you? I mean in the flesh. But in my spirit, man, I want the will of God. And I agree with Him. And I stand with Him by the grace of God. He says, let them know I will distress them in my displeasure. I'm not happy about that company. And don't portray it as though I am. Like, oh Lord. I don't know if I'm ready for that message. Beloved, are we true messengers of the grace of God? Or is Jesus being revealed, the Scripture makes clear in the generation He returns, He will be revealed as a bridegroom, king, and judge. He's a king with power, a bridegroom with desire, but a judge with zeal to confront everything that hinders love. Bridegroom, king, and judge. I like the king. I like the king with power. Let me just preach on the power. That, that works. Well, I'm not only a king. I'm a bridegroom, king. I have deep desire. I want the full abandonment of my people in relationship with me, okay. I could preach the power of God, and I could preach wholehearted dedication. I could preach bridegroom, king. But bridegroom, king, and judge, the one that has zeal to confront everything that hinders love, I don't know. I don't know. Sometimes we take Jesus, the judge, and we kind of lock Him up in the back room, you know. So when the neighbors come over, we don't have to, you know, bring out that kind of disturbing family member, you know, and lock Him away so nobody sees. But beloved, there is no contradiction. Bridegroom, king, and judge, it's one God who's filled with wisdom and filled with love. There is no contradiction in Him. And He will distress the nations. He's very displeased with this growing core. Again, many of the core will get saved and be, encounter the grace of God, and many will not. We just don't know who. We offer the free grace of God, but as John the Baptist, we warn them about wrath to come. Heard over the years, I don't want to be a doom and gloom preacher. I said, well, the Bible has a message of doom and gloom. If you're going to be a faithful to the Word of God, you preach the free love of God, the free grace of God, and those that persist in rejecting, there is serious gloom and doom coming, and there's shaking of the nations coming alongside of a great end time revival. If you're a faithful witness of the Word of God, you'll preach both dimensions of the one kingdom plan. Well, some of us are running off for a, on a popularity contest. The Lord, the Lord's looking for faithful witnesses. He's not looking for men and women on a popularity contest. How can I get more people in my church service on Sunday morning, or at my conference? That's not what this thing's about. Verse 6, yet I've set my king on my holy hill of Zion. Let's go down to paragraph F, the bottom of the page. The primary message, it isn't the deepest pleasure of God. That's a means to an end. The primary message, I have a king. He's a human king. He's fully God, but he became man. The perplexing message to the nations, or the unusual message, isn't that God is king. That's no problem with God being king. It's that God's Son became a man, and a man is king of the nations. That's troubling. A Jewish man is king of the nations. That's doubly troubling. For real. Nobody has trouble with God being king, but it's a man. One man is king of all the nations, and the Father says, I've determined it. I've established it in the eternal counsels of the Godhead. Nobody will overthrow this plan. He's my king. He's installed in heaven right now at the right hand of the Father, but the day is coming, at the time of the second coming, He will be enthroned on the earth in Jerusalem. Not Washington D.C., not London, not Beijing, not Frankfurt or Berlin or Johannesburg. In Jerusalem. That's where He will rule, and He will make known His laws to all the nations of the earth. I mean as a man on the earth. He's doing that right now as a man at the right hand of the Father through the Spirit. He's doing it now. He's doing it in an increasing way, but there's a day coming where that installment of kingship will be on the earth, not just at the right hand of the Father. Well the animosity is against God's ways, His morality. They don't like God's ways. They don't like His views on sexuality. They don't like His views on economics. They don't like His views on lots of things. Well the other thing in opposition is His way of salvation. They don't like one man being the only way of salvation. That's way too intense. They don't like His plan for the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel. They don't like it. He has a plan. And I, I, I, I tell people, I say, I am committed to God's purpose for Israel. Israel doesn't fully, many in Israel don't understand that purpose. They think that God is just for Israel. No. God is for God's purpose for Israel. And there's a lot of folks in Israel that aren't for God's purpose in Israel. So I'm not just talking about, I'm just blanket for Israel. I'm for God's purpose in Israel. I've got a lot of friends in, in Middle East countries and, and they say, well I can't really do the Israel thing. I go, no it's not that Israel wins, or Egypt wins, or Iraq wins. God wins. Jesus wins. And whoever's for His plan, they win. And His plan though is in the city of Jerusalem. And it has a people called the Jewish people that He's going to bring to salvation through the, through His own blood. They will be born again believers. There's no other way of salvation. And there will be a one new man made up of Jews and Gentiles under the headship of Jesus Christ, all in the kingdom of God. But he will still have a purpose in that day coming out of a land with the people in that land. Well let's look at top of page three. Top of page three here. Now Jesus responds. Part three. The Father now is, the curtain closes. And one of the reasons of David revealing the Father is so that folks like us, I mean all around the world I'm talking about, believers that want to go all the way with the Lord. We're not intimidated by the threats of the kings. Because right now many believers are backing away in intimidation. Because there's a momentary momentum the kings have. And it looks like they're going to win. But I promise you it's a vain thing they're plotting. Won't win. It's going to fall to the ground. But I see a lot of believers getting real quiet about the issues of the Word of God right now. It's not a time to get quiet. It's a time but with tenderness, with love, with humility, with patience. But to be bold faithful witnesses of what the Bible says. And we bear the reproach with our King. We bear the reproach with Him. Well part three, Roman numeral four here in the notes. Top of page three. Jesus now comes on the stage. And Jesus says something very interesting. He's revealed as the great intercessor. He's not presented as the great Savior. He's not presented as the healer. Although He is the great Savior and the healer and, or the shepherd of the flock. I mean these are many faces of Jesus that are very, very important and prominent in the Scripture. But He's presented in this drama as the great intercessor. I find that very, very significant. He says verse 7, I will declare the Father's decree. Because I have one response. I'm going to tell God what God tells me to tell Him. I'm going to say back to the Father what the Father decreed to me. Beloved that's really the essence of prayer. We tell God what He tells us to tell Him. We don't pray to give God information. He has all the information. He has more information about you than you have about you. He doesn't say pray because, oh I overlooked one of the key points. We don't pray to show Him our sincerity. Like if we really pray long and cry and throw in some fasting. He'll say, well I mean, I mean if you've gone that far I'll just give in. He's not, you know, He's not the parent that if you cry long enough they'll give in and give you what you want. That's not, He's not proving our sincerity and finally God can't take it anymore and He gives in. That's not why we pray night and day. We're not informing Him of anything. We're not proving our sincerity. We're not earning anything. Prayer is dialogue. He wants the conversation. When we tell Him what His Word tells us to tell Him, we're in the conversation. We're speaking back to Him and our heart is getting connected to Him and our hearts, our lives are being transformed and while He's releasing His power, He does it and the conversation grows deeper and deeper between us. He can rule the nations without using us, but He wants to release His power in dialogue with His people. He goes, no, I want you to come night and day. Now I mean one person night and day, but collectively make talking to me about my heart, my promises premier in your life, not secondary. Everybody will do that in a different way, in a different season of their life of course, but He wants the conversation between our heart and His heart to be the premier issue. We're talking to God about what He said and that's what Jesus models here. He comes on the stage, so to speak, the great third act of the drama. He goes, I will declare whatever my Father decreed to me. That is my stand. He goes, the Father said to me and it's a five-part decree. Number one, you're my son. Number two, today I've begotten you. Number three, ask of me and I'll give you the nations of your inheritance. Number four, I'll give you the ends of the earth as your possession. Number five, you will break the nations with a rod of iron. Jesus said, I will declare the decree the Father gave me. So in the great crisis hour of history and the great unfolding unfolding drama that's going to lead up to Him becoming installed as a king on the earth in Jerusalem, Jesus shows Himself as the great intercessor right here. Again, that doesn't minimize Him as the Jehovah Rapha, the God who heals our diseases. Doesn't minimize Him as the Savior that forgives us of our sins. Or the shepherd who cares for the flock. There's many, many important faces of Jesus. But here in the great drama, He emphasizes Himself as the great intercessor. He's in essence calling the body of Christ, do what I do. Join me in making the decrees to my Father that I am making. In each one of these five decrees, or really it's five parts of one decree if you want to be technical about it. Paragraph C, David identified five decrees or five parts of one massive decree that Jesus uses in prayer before the Father. Now notice paragraph C, these five decrees give insight into how Jesus responds to the Father's words to Him. When the word, the verse before the Father said, I'm determined to make you my king. I've already set you. I've already determined that you will be at my right hand in heaven and on and ruling from Jerusalem when you return to the earth. So it gives insight into how Jesus responds, but it also gives insight into how the body of Christ is to participate with Jesus. D, each decree has two applications. The one that Jesus says and the one the body of Christ echoes, but with our own particular application, because what He says is unique to Him. But the body of Christ, we're joined together with Him. Romans 6, 5, we've been joined, united to Him in His death and we're united to Him in His resurrection. We're united to Him in all of these things. The benefit of His death, death and resurrection is fully ours. Roman, I mean, paragraph E. He starts off decree number one. He says, you, the Father says to the Son, you are my Son. Jesus proclaims His Sonship before the Father. And the great drama, even while He was on the earth, as this hostility was mounting, Jesus proclaimed His Sonship before the Father. I think it's very, very significant that two times, two of the most dramatic times in Jesus's ministry, the Father bowed over the balcony of heaven, so to speak, and He uttered audibly, you are my beloved Son. He's actually stating this decree to the Lord right before He went into the wilderness, temptation, and Satan would appear and tempt Him and right before He went to the cross. Two times, the Father gives the first decree, Jesus, I want to strengthen you. You are my beloved. You are my beloved. And so Jesus, even in His earthly ministry, He would declare the decree, I'm the beloved Son. And beloved, you and I today, we enter into that decree in a different way, but we declare our Sonship. Now we have confidence before the Father. We have a place of intimacy. We are heirs of His power. We are part of the family destiny. That is a decree number one for, and that is a foundational decree for an intercessor. We are your beloved sons and daughters, but this, you know, we're all the bride of Christ, and we're all the sons of God, the born-again community around the earth. As the bride of Christ, we have access to His heart. As sons of God, we have access to His power. But it's the revelation of Sonship is foundational to the intercessor. I have more on this, but I'm going to go on to paragraph F, the second decree. Jesus decreed, today you have begotten Me. Today I have been begotten by the Father. To be begotten, this is an unusual word. I mean, it's an unusual idea. It's the idea that He's been brought forth in a unique way by the Father. To be begotten of the Father, Jesus is the only begotten Son. He was brought forth in a unique way by the Father. Of course, He became man, so it has reference to His incarnation, but it has particular reference in the Bible to His resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God the Father where He's enthroned. Matter of fact, Paul the apostle clarifies this for us in Acts chapter 13 verse 33. I have it in the notes. I won't go through it, but in Acts chapter 13, Paul clarifies. I mean, he quotes Psalm 2. He goes, back in Psalm 2, the reference that today I've begotten you, when the Father said that to the Son, it was a reference to Jesus's earthly, I mean human resurrection in the future. That today in God's economy was the day when Jesus was raised from the dead as a man with a physical body and enthroned at the right hand of the Father. That's a reference to that unique place of honor and power at the right hand of the Father, ascended at the Father's right hand by the resurrection. Paragraph 1 under there, as believers, this truth relates to the fact it is we are heirs of the power of God. We participate in the resurrection with Jesus. Romans chapter 6 verse 5, we're united to Him in His death and we're united to Him in the likeness of His resurrection. Ephesians 2, 6, we're seated with Him in heavenly places, meaning we are participating with Jesus by His grace in His resurrection power, having access to the Father's throne. That's what the phrase begotten of the Father is pointing to. We have a place before the Father's throne and the power of the resurrection. That is foundation point number two for intercessors. Jesus spoke that before the Lord. He knew where He was going. He was bearing the humiliation of His days in the flesh. He knew that He was destined as a man to be raised from the dead and to be at the Father's right hand throughout church history. He knew that would happen. Top of page 4, paragraph G, His third declaration that the nations are His inheritance. He would declare that for the, before the Father, that the Father's highest priority, the Father's master plan for human history is that Jesus, a man, would have, would be the heir of all the nations, the rightful king. One man would be king of all nations. The passage I don't have written here, Philippians 2, verse 9 to 11, you know it, Philippians 2, Philippians 2, 9 to 11, that God promised that every knee would bow, every tongue would confess, and He would be exalted above every name. He would be the heir of all the nations, everything in the earth, all the people, all the nations, all the wealth, everything was His and the Father's plan. You know, we find that passage in Revelation 5, 12, worthy is the Lamb. They will say to Him that day, I mean through all the nations throughout the millennial kingdom, they will say openly on the earth, all the wisdom is yours, all the power, all the riches, all the glory, all the honor, all the blessings, everything of value in the nations is His inheritance. It's His. He has that premier position as heir of all the nations. And the way that we apply that, we know that we rule and reign with Him now. And we, of course, it's in part now and fullness in the age to come. But not only that, we know that we can only find our inheritance by seeing the priority of His inheritance. Beloved, God has given you an inheritance. You'll only enter into the fullness of what God has ordained for you as you understand that there's a higher priority that you exist for, and that is the inheritance of Jesus over all the nations. When I see myself and my calling and destiny under the, in the light of His premier inheritance, then I don't get so quickly disturbed when things don't go my way. Because I'm, my inheritance is a subunit of a far greater inheritance, the inheritance of the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth. I'm part of His inheritance. And I want to see my inheritance in that light. Paragraph H, Jesus will possess all the ends of the earth. Not only will He possess the land, He'll possess the people, all the infrastructures. And again, He does, He has that possession now. The right hand of the Father, it's His. But there's a day coming when He returns, this will be fully His openly manifest before all the nations of the earth. Having that confidence, having that hope that one day all the wrongs will be made right, all the injustices will be reversed, all of our prayers will be fully answered one day. Paragraph I, the fifth one, again the politically incorrect one. He will dash and break the nations. Even when Jesus walked on the earth, He knew Psalm 2. He knew that His inheritance was to openly confront everything that resisted the will of His Father. He knew that He would deal with rebellion on an open global level one day. He understood all of that, even when He was walking the earth in the days of His flesh. You can read more about that. Let's just take the next minute or two, bring this to a conclusion. The fourth part, David's exhortation. He goes, oh, I call you to serve the Lord. He says in verse 10, David looks at these kings that are wanting to cast away the Word of God, back in verse 3, that I have hostility. He goes, oh kings, be wise. Honor the Word of God. Submit to it. That is your liberty. He goes, forsake this, this distorted way. And I would say this to the kings of any leader of society, any ministry leaders, forsake this popular way of compromise by distorting the Word of God. Be wise. It's a vain thing. It's a futile thing. It's not going to succeed. He says, be instructed. Oh, you judges of the earth. Now the way that David meant for them to be instructed is by what the Father and the Son said in verse 4 to verse 9. He's saying, being instructed, see what the Father says. See what the Son does and imitate it. Line up with it. Embrace it. Throw yourself into it. Then he goes on and he says, serve the Lord. Verse 11. Basically in the spirit of the fear of the Lord. That's the idea. Serve the Lord. I mean engage with God. Don't be on the sidelines. You know how many people on the sidelines. I'm just burnt out. I didn't get treated right. Nobody listened to me. I didn't get what I deserved. The Lord says, rise up, engage with the Lord, lay that other mindset down, be actively, diligently serving the Lord all of your days. Everyone in this room's been treated wrong somewhere in the body of Christ. Jesus was treated wrong by his people, has been for 2,000 years. This whole burned out doctrine point of view. I'm on, you know, that's how they treat me. David said, be wise, rise up and engage. Serve God and do it in the fear of God. Not in your self-pity and not on your own terms. Do it in the fear of the Lord. Engage with all of your heart. Be wise. In a moment your life will be over. And all your self-pity arguments and who should have done it better to you, none of it will hold up at the judgment seat of Christ. None of it will. Be wise. Rise up. See that you got the deal of your lifetime when you receive the free grace of God. Everything after that is secondary. He says, rejoice with trembling. Oh rejoice with trembling. See that doesn't mean just be happy at a worship service. I wish that only meant, I mean it'd be nice if it only meant that in terms of our flesh. It means be, have a spirit of gratitude in your relationship with the Lord. Lay aside all your complaints. It's too hard to walk with God. My ministry is too small. Nobody pays attention. He says, I want a spirit of gratitude. That's what rejoice means. It doesn't just mean get happy at a worship service. That's cool too. But you can be happy at a worship service and complain all day long about how you don't like the assignment the Lord has given you in your life, in your place in the kingdom. He says, with the spirit of rejoicing, the spirit of gratitude. See the privilege that you have to serve this king. Yeah but the anointing is so small. Nobody pays attention and only three people respond and two of them betrayed me. Serve the Lord with the fear of the Lord. Rejoice for the privilege of whatever stewardship He's given you. And do it in the fear of the Lord, not in a spirit of complaining. And also I find that some of the camps that really emphasize rejoicing, and they mostly, and I'm talking about the camps that rejoicing particularly at the worship services, which I like. I think that's fantastic actually. But I know some camps that emphasize rejoicing and the ones that get real happy and that's what they're about getting happy. I find some of them are pretty shallow on obedience. They're pretty casual about it. And so David says, do the happy thing. But do it with the spirit of fear of the Lord. Don't reduce the importance of obedience because you're rejoicing. So don't complain but rejoice. And don't minimize obedience because you're in the rejoicing camp, of which I'm in the rejoicing camp by the way. But I want to rejoice. I want to get happy but in the fear of the Lord too. I don't want to have a happy version of Christianity that's a little bit slack on the word of God. I want to do things on God's terms by the grace of God. Then in verse 12, kiss the son lest he be angry. And that idea of kiss the son is pay homage to the conquering king. It was a very common picture in David's day when the conquering king came in. I mean when you conquered a nation, the defeated king would bow down and kiss the son. I mean kiss the king that conquered them. And the idea they were supposed to be declaring their loyalty and affection. I mean it was a, it was a politically correct statement. But the idea is sincerely I am yours. I will serve you with affection. That's what the kiss of the king meant. And what the David's saying goes, do this for real. Pay homage to this great king with deep affection. Don't just serve him at a distance, but interact with him from the heart with affection and genuineness and sincerity. And then David ends and he says, blessed are all those who put their trust in the Lord. Blessed are all those who engage with the Lord and respond in the way I just described in verse 10 to 12. Well amen and amen. Let's stand. We'll end with that. Well I want to,