Is Jesus The Only Begotten Son Of God? : Part Two

IS JESUS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD? : PART 2

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

Strong Meat, Jesus's Unique Status, False Children Of The
Kingdom, The High Priest Of Melchizedek, Our Eternal High
Priest, Abraham And Melchizedek, Meanings Of King Of Peace,
King Of Salem, King Of Righteousness And Jerusalem, 'Before
Abraham Was, I Am', The Levitical Priesthood, Annulment Of
The Old Priesthood And The Mosaic Law, The Only Son Of God?,
Christ Rules During The Millennium With A Rod Of Iron

While we have firmly established that Jesus Christ is indeed
the very Son of God, there is still very much which remains
untold. In His Epistle to the Hebrews, the Apostle Paul
delves even deeper into the Origin, Nature, Status and
Inheritance of Jesus Christ in the Heavenly Realm. Some of
these things are very difficult to understand. As I have
stated in other articles such as 'Biblical Cafeteria, Or The
Whole Course?: Part One', unlike some of the Early Disciples
who learned the Christian doctrine at the feet of the Lord's
Apostles, it appears that the Lord revealed a number of deep
truths to Paul through direct revelation. This is confirmed
by Paul himself when he says in his Epistle to the Church at
Galatia:

"But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was
preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it
of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ." (Galatians 1:11-12)

Because of the profoundness of some of these topics, and due
to the possibility of their being misunderstood by those who
are young in the Faith, that is, the spiritual babes, Paul
only mentioned some of these things lightly in his letters;
for as he also said:

"But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age,
even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised
to discern both good and evil." (Hebrews 5:14)

In the very first chapter of this same Epistle, Paul clearly
tells us that Jesus Christ is unique and set above all of
the rest of the Spiritual Creation, save for God the Father.
While it is a bit lengthy, please read the following
fourteen verses so that you can see that this is indeed
true:

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these
last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who
being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of
his person, and upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much
better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a
more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels
said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I
begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he
shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the
firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the
angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who
maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of
fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord,
in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and
the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish;
but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a
garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they
shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall
not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time,
Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth
to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"
(Hebrews 1:1-14)

Notice the key points that Paul emphasizes in the previous
disseration. These primary elements establish the foundation
for the wonderful truths which Paul reveals in the rest of
this amazing letter to the Hebrews:

1. Jesus is the sole heir of the Kingdom of God
2. Jesus created all things
3. Jesus is the express image of God
4. Jesus purged sin from the world by His Sacrifice
5. Jesus sits on the Right Hand of God
6. Jesus is much higher than the angels who minister to Him
7. Jesus is the Son of God

In the following chapters, Paul describes how Jesus Christ
willingly left His Heavenly Estate and became lower than the
angels so that He might take the sins of the world upon
Himself and become the Captain of our Salvation. Consider
what he wrote in the second chapter to confirm these very
things:

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the
angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for
every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and
by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to
make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are
sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed
to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto
my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise
unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again,
Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death
were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he
took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the
seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to
be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful
and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succour them that are tempted." (Hebrews 2:9-18)

Jesus spoke of this very same thing in one of His parables
found in the Gospel of Luke. In this particular story, He
compared Himself to the beloved Son who was sent by the
Owner of the vineyard to gather the fruits of the Harvest.
As you will see later in this series, these fruits are known
as the firstfruits, from the Greek word 'aparche', which is
pronouced ap-ar-khay'. Jesus then explained how the Kingdom
would be taken from the unbelieving Jews who had killed the
Son, and be given to others who were more worthy than
themselves:

"Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A
certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to
husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And
at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they
should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the
husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he
sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated
him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a
third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out. Then
said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send
my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they
see him. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned
among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us
kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. So they cast him
out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall
the lord of the vineyard do unto them? He shall come and
destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to
others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And
he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written,
The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall upon that stone
shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will
grind him to powder." (Luke 20:9-18)

These very same thoughts are revealed in the Gospel of
Matthew where we are also told that the Kingdom of Heaven
will be taken from those false Jews who erroneously claim to
be the true Children of the Kingdom:

"And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and
west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom
shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be
weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:11-12)

We will take another look at these prophecies later on in
this series. You might also want to read such articles as
'Is God A Racist?' where I provide a preponderance of
Scriptural evidence to further confirm this truth. Returning
to the book of Hebrews, it is in the third chapter that Paul
introduces us to Jesus as the eternal High Priest of God
after the order of Melchizedek, not by His own doing, but
rather by His Father's command:

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly
calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus;...Seeing then that we have a great
high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
of God, let us hold fast our profession...So also Christ
glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that
said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.
As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for
ever after the order of Melchisedec...And being made
perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey him; Called of God an high priest after the
order of Melchisedec...Whither the forerunner is for us
entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the
order of Melchisedec..."
(Hebrews 3:1, 4:14, 5:5-6, 9-10, 6:20)

What is particularly interesting about this topic is that
over a thousand years before the Apostle Paul wrote the
above words, King David wrote another Psalm, similar to
Psalm Two, in which he not only described the coming Battle
of Armageddon, and the Millennium in which Jesus would rule
with a rod of iron, but he also described the Lord as a High
Priest after the order of Melchizedek:

"<<A Psalm of David.>> The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou
at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion:
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be
willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness
from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy
youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a
priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at
thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the
places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over
many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way:
therefore shall he lift up the head." (Psalms 110:1-7)

As I mentioned earlier, Paul was somewhat hesitant to share
these deep truths with those to whom he ministered, because
he knew that they were not capable of understanding them
just yet. Following then is the full context of what he
wrote:

"Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye
ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are
become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth
to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of
use have their senses exercised to discern both good and
evil." (Hebrews 5:11-14)

Paul then continues his discourse by stating that it is time
to leave behind the well-established elements of the Faith,
in order to explore the deeper truths of the Spirit, God
permitting:

"Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ,
let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the
foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of
hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. And this will we do, if God permit."
(Hebrews 6:1-3)

It is later in chapter seven that Paul reveals more to us
concerning this mysterious priestly order referred to as
Melchizedek, of which Jesus Christ is the High Priest. In
fact, from the following verses, it seems rather clear that
Paul is saying that Jesus is Melchizedek; and that He is the
very one who appeared to Abraham thousands of years before,
following the Patriarch's victory over the Babylonian kings
when he freed his nephew Lot:

"For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most
high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of
the kings, and blessed him; To whom also Abraham gave a
tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is,
King of peace; Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually." (Hebrews 7:1-3)

There are a number of interesting points I would like to
emphasize regarding the previous verses. As Paul states
above, the name 'Melchizedek' means 'King of Righteousness'.
It is derived from the Hebrew phrase 'Malkiy-Tsedeq' which
means 'my king is Sedek'. The Hebrew word for 'king' is
'melek'. In the New Testament, in the Gospel of John, we are
told that the name of the servant of the high priest, whose
ear Peter cut off during Jesus' arrest, was called Malchus:

"Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high
priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's
name was Malchus." (John 18:10)

This name is derived from the Greek word 'malchos', which
also means 'king' or 'kingdom'. The challenge then is to
discover how we derive the word 'Righteousness' from the
Hebrew word 'Sedek'. The answer is rather simple. During the
reign of King David, there was a priest by the name of
Zadok. This is the very same priest who anointed Solomon as
the new king of Israel at Gihon just prior to the death of
his father, King David:

"So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah
the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the
Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king
David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. And Zadok the priest
took an horn of oil out of the tabernacle, and anointed
Solomon. And they blew the trumpet; and all the people said,
God save king Solomon." (1 Kings 1:38-39)

You will notice the similarities between 'Sedek' and
'Zadok'. The name 'Zadok' is derived from the Hebrew
'tsadowq' which means 'righteous'. Additionally, 'tsadowq'
is derived from another Hebrew word, 'tsadaq', which means
righteous, just, justice, or righteousness. Thus it is that
Melchizedek, or 'Malkiy-Tsedeq', means 'my king is Sedek',
'my king is righteous', or 'King of Righteousness'; exactly
as Paul has stated in his Epistle.

Regarding the fact that Paul also calls Melchizedek the
'King of Salem' and the 'King of Peace', there is also a
very simple explanation. The Greek word 'Salem' is derived
from the Hebrew 'shalem', or 'shalam', which means 'peace'.
However, there is more to this mystery that what at first is
apparent. Salem is also believed my most Jewish commentators
to be one of the ancient names of Jerusalem. The name
'Jerusalem' is derived from the Hebrew 'Yeruwshalaim', or
'Yeruwshalayim', which means 'teaching of peace'; the word
'teaching' being derived from the Hebrew 'yarah', or 'yara'.
I personally believe that when Paul calls Jesus, (that is,
Melchizedek), 'King of Salem', he isn't referring to the
Earthly Jerusalem in Israel whatsoever, but rather to the
Heavenly City from which Melchizedek originated. After all,
it is from there, from the Holy Mount Zion of God, the
golden pyramid-shaped New Jerusalem, that we are told by the
Prophet Micah, that the law, or the teaching, shall go forth
in the last days:

"But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the
mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the
hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall
come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the
law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from
Jerusalem." (Micah 4:1-2)

You will also find 'the mountain of the house of the LORD'
discussed in some of my Endtime articles as well. The rest
of Paul's description of the High Priest Melchizedek makes
it even more clear that he is telling us that Melchizedek is
none other than Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God. Notice
that Paul states 'Without father, without mother, without
descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;
but made like unto the Son of God'. If we turn to the Book
of Genesis and read the actual story of Abraham's encounter
with the mysterious Melchizedek, we discover some very
interesting similarities between the actions of this ancient
High Priest, and the events which occurred during the 'Last
Supper':

"And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine:
and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed
him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high
God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And
he gave him tithes of all." (Genesis 14:18-20)

In order for you to clearly see these parallels, here then
is the short account of the 'Last Supper', taken from the
Gospel of Luke:

"And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve
apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have
desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer: For I
say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be
fulfilled in the kingdom of God. And he took the cup, and
gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among
yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the
fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come. And
he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto
them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this
do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is
shed for you." (Luke 22:14-20)

Thus we see that just as Jesus had done with His Disciples,
so likewise He had done with Abraham several thousands of
years before. It is my belief that it is because of this
event found in the Book of Genesis, that the Lord made the
following mysterious comment to the unbelieving Jewish
Elders:

"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it,
and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet
fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto
them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I
am." (John 8:56-58)

In his old age, Abraham was indeed blessed to see Jesus
Christ ruling as the eternal Melchizedek; the King of Salem,
and the High Priest of God. Only four chapters later, in
Genesis chapter eighteen, we again discover that the Lord
appeared to Abraham with two of His Angels in the plain of
Mamre, just prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
You will find this incident discussed in more detail in such
articles as 'Homosexuality And Lesbianism: To The Point!'.
Returning to Paul's Epistle to the Hebrews, Paul then goes
on to explain the unique status of Melchizedek; for you see,
He was a Hight Priest when as yet the Levitical priesthood
had not even come into existence! That event wouldn't occur
until three generations later when the twelve sons of Jacob
would be born; which of course would include Levi, the
Patriarchal Father of the Levitical priesthood:

"Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the
patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. And verily
they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of
the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the
people according to the law, that is, of their brethren,
though they come out of the loins of Abraham: But he whose
descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him that had the promises...And as I may so say,
Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec
met him." (Hebrews 7:4-6, 9-10)

It is following the previous explanation that the Apostle
Paul finally reveals the gist of the matter; that of course
being that the Levitical priesthood, and the keeping of the
Mosaic Law, is by no means a sufficient cause for making us
worthy of Eternal Salvation:

"If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
(for under it the people received the law,) what further
need was there that another priest should rise after the
order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of
Aaron? For the priesthood being changed, there is made of
necessity a change also of the law." (Hebrews 7:11-12)

Paul then provides us with an answer and a solution by
saying that the Levitical priesthood and the Mosaic Law were
simply foreshadows of better things to come; those things
being a new High Priest with a New Covenant, which would
disannul, or void, the former priesthood and the Old Law:

"And it is yet far more evident: for that after the
similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest, Who
is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but
after the power of an endless life. For he testifieth, Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. For
there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going
before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof. For
the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a
better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God."
(Hebrews 7:15-19)

Further on in this same chapter, Paul again emphasizes that
our new High Priest, Jesus Christ, has introduced a better
Testament, or Covenant; and an unchangeable, or immutable,
Eternal Priesthood; and that by offering up Himself as the
Ultimate and Final Sacrifice, He has voided the need for any
further sacrifice for sin; for through belief in Him alone,
we can now inherit Eternal Life:

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.
And they truly were many priests, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death: But this man,
because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them. For such an high priest became us,
who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and
made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as
those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own
sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when
he offered up himself." (Hebrews 7:22-27)

To sum up the main points of his discourse concerning
Melchizedek, the Eternal High Priest of God, Paul then
offers the following comments:

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We
have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of
the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;...But now hath he
obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is
the mediator of a better covenant, which was established
upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been
faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the
days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the
land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant,
and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after
those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their
mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them
a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not
teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother,
saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least
to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I
remember no more. In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath
made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old
is ready to vanish away." (Hebrews 8:1, 6-13)

Having revealed these wonderful truths to us, in the ninth
chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, Paul continues to
reiterate the fact that the Mosaic Law and the old Levitical
priesthood have been done away with, and replaced by the
final Blood Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Eternal High
Priest of God, who is the Mediator of the New Testament, or
agreement, between God and man:

"For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying
of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to
God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new
testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the
transgressions that were under the first testament, they
which are called might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of
necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is
of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength
at all while the testator liveth...Nor yet that he should
offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the
holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he
often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but
now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put
away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed
unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them
that look for him shall he appear the second time without
sin unto salvation." (Hebrews 9:13-17, 25-28)

Having now firmly established without a shadow of a doubt
the Divine Sonship of Jesus Christ, and the Priestly Office
which He holds, we are now going to leave aside the issues
of Melchizedek and the Sacrifice of Christ, and discuss
another issue which is directly related to some of the
Scriptures and topics I have already covered in this series.
While we have proven that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of
God, we have not yet addressed the question of whether or
not He the ONLY Son of God? There are some people, and not
a few, who have interpreted some of the previous verses as
meaning exactly that; that is, that Jesus Christ is the only
Son that God has. As we will see shortly, this is most
definitely not the case. In order to validate this claim, we
are going to delve into yet another theme which has been
widely misunderstood by many modern-day Christians. Let's
begin by taking a look at some verses regarding the children
of Abraham. In the Book of Genesis, we read the following:

"And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name,
which Hagar bare, Ishmael." (Genesis 16:15)

"And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did
unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare
Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God
had spoken to him. And Abraham called the name of his son
that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac."
(Genesis 21:1-3)

In the previous verses we witness the birth of Abraham's two
sons; his firstborn, Ishmael, by Hagar the Egyptian handmaid
of his wife Sarah, and Isaac, the child of faith given to
him by his wife Sarah in their old age. However, notice what
the Apostle Paul tells us in his Epistle to the Hebrews:

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and
he that had received the promises offered up his only
begotten son," (Hebrews 11:17)

If Genesis tells us plainly that Abraham had two sons, why
does Paul refer to Isaac as Abraham's 'only begotten son'?
Is Paul contradicting the writings of the Old Testament?
Definitely not! As you probably already aware, this term
'only begotten' is also used to describe Jesus Christ in a
well-known verse from the third chapter of the Gospel of
John:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

The above verse is actually a fulfillment of one of many
prophecies uttered by King David in his Psalms regarding our
Saviour, and His future reign on the Earth during the coming
Millennium, when He will rule the rebellious world with a rod
of iron subduing all nations for the glory and honour of His
Father:

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain
thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his
anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast
away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then
shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his
sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill
of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto
me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of
me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance,
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash
them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now
therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the
earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way,
when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they
that put their trust in him." (Psalms 2:1-12)

In the above Psalm, I believe that the word 'LORD' is
actually referring to God the Father who is speaking to His
Son, Jesus Christ, who is referred to as 'his anointed', 'my
Son', and 'the Son'. Notice also the phrase 'this day have I
begotten thee'. As we have already seen, these are some of
the very same phrases we find being used in the four Gospels
to describe Jesus Christ. Thus in this prophetic Psalm, we
witness the glorious reign of the Father and Son team during
the Millennium. As I have mentioned in some of my Endtime
articles, the Prophet Daniel also spoke of these coming
events. In the second chapter of the book named after him,
the Prophet interprets a wonderful night vision given to
King Nebuchadnezzar, in which the Babylonian king sees a
great image composed of different types of metal and clay.
This towering statue is then struck in the feet by a rock
which causes it to go crashing to the ground. In his
interpretation of this particular part of the vision, the
Prophet Daniel states the following:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)

As we saw earlier, in the Gospel of Matthew, while speaking
to the chief priests and the Pharisees, Jesus refers to this
very same prophecy, in order to make a point with these
self-righteous rulers of ancient Israel. You might also want
to take note of the similarities in the verse references:

"Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures,
The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is
marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The
kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever
shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever
it shall fall, it will grind him to powder."
(Matthew 21:42-44)

The spiritual unity between the Old and the New Testaments
is truly amazing. Although written hundreds, and possibly
thousands of years apart, they fit together like a hand in
a glove. Similar to King David, Daniel and Jesus, the
Apostle John likewise mentioned the Lord's coming rule of
iron three times in the Book of Revelation:

"And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels
of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I
received of my Father." (Revelation 2:27)

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne." (Revelation 12:5)

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:15)

Returning to the phrases 'Thou art my Son' and 'only
begotten', in Acts chapter thirteen, when the Apostle Paul
preached in the synagogue in Antioch of Pisidia, he also
made mention of the prophecies found in Psalm Two when he
said:

"God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that
he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the
second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten
thee." (Acts 13:33)

This prophecy has much greater significance than most people
realize. The fact that it is mentioned in the Psalms, in the
Gospels, in the Book of Acts and in the Epistles, certainly
attests to this fact. Exactly what is it that the writers
were trying to tell us by using this phrase? Have we truly
understood their message? In the final part of this series,
I will presenting the shocking, exciting and wonderful
conclusions at which I have arrived after performing a
thorough study of the Holy Scriptures. I trust that you will
join me.

Go To Part Three . . .