New Revelation About God’s Covenant

Westminster Abbey in London, England, holds the bones of the men and women who have ruled from the British throne. The abbey is a memorial to the British belief that a good king or queen can only be made through understanding the history of the throne. History comes alive when you walk through Westminster. No other nation on Earth holds such a monument! No other nation has such a precious view of history.

But today, it is only written in the memorial, not in the minds of the British people.

The key of David vision teaches us a similar belief. To be a good king or queen for God, we must understand the history and prophecy of David’s throne.

The world and many British people wonder why Britain clings to its throne. The amazing answer to that question can only be understood by God’s people: Jesus Christ is keeping the British throne alive.

Many people, including God’s people, wonder why the Philadelphia Church of God is so successful. Many wonder how we are operating on a such a royal level. There is only one reason. As with the throne in Britain, Jesus Christ, the son of David, is behind the pcg.

How real is this truth for God’s Philadelphians? Do we see the royal Christ behind us? This fact should be more real to us than the royal family of Britain is.

How well do we know the history and prophecy of David’s throne? We should know the details of this throne intimately. Why? God’s very elect are destined to share this throne with Jesus Christ.

Son of David

Jesus Christ was a physical Jew. More importantly, He was a spiritual Jew. “And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us” (Matthew 9:27). The expression “Son of David” is used 16 times in the gospels. Fifteen of these refer directly to Jesus Christ. He was of the physical house of David, who was one of Israel’s most important kings. Christ was a son of David. The Bible shows that He devoted His ministry to His fellow Jews. For 31/2 years, He took God’s message to that one family.

Even while He walked the Earth, Jesus Christ’s primary concern was on the spiritual. His gospel message focused on the time when David’s spiritual Family would govern the Earth and the universe. The expression “Son of David” contains the most hope-filled vision in all the Bible! Why wasn’t Christ referred to as the son of Joseph? Because that would have concealed the truth about God’s plan for man.

Jesus Christ personally taught that the Messiah was to be called the Son of David. “And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy [Spirit], The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly” (Mark 12:35-37). These verses have deep meaning. Let’s analyze them carefully.

David said, “The Lord said to my Lord.” Who was David’s physical Lord? Nobody. What is David talking about then? He is telling us that the Father was speaking to Christ. The Father promised Christ that He would sit at His (the Father’s) right hand, “until I make your enemies your footstool.” Christ will sit at God’s right hand until Christ becomes King of kings. In Mark 12, Jesus Christ was speaking of the future time when He will rule the Earth. In verse 37, He raised the question, how can the King of kings be David’s son? Part of the answer lies in David’s physical genealogy. There are some 40 generations listed in Luke’s Gospel demonstrating that Christ emerged from the physical line of David. But Christ’s question was focused more on the spiritual. How can the King of kings be a son of David? To fully understand this question, we must include Christ’s spiritual genealogy as well.

Son of the Highest

Jesus Christ is a spiritual Jew. He is destined to rule from David’s throne forever. Let’s look again at the great prophecy concerning Jesus Christ in Luke 1:31-33.

Those verses describe Jesus Christ’s spiritual genealogy. The angel Gabriel brought an astonishing message to Mary. Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit she was to conceive a son (verse 35). Her son was to be the Son of the Highest—the King of the universe. Can you imagine how this must have impacted Mary’s mind? Her son was to be the Son of the one who is the Highest forever. God the Father will always be in charge, ruling over the God Family, forever.

The key of David vision has much to say about Jesus Christ’s relationship with God the Father. Jesus Christ came to Earth to reveal the Father. “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him” (Matthew 11:27). Do we know God the Father? It is Jesus Christ’s job to reveal the Father. He did this when He walked on Earth. He is doing that same work even now—today. Otherwise it is not God’s Work! If we don’t have the Father revealed to us, then the Family portrait is shattered! God the Father is the central figure in Christ’s message (John 1:18).

Jesus Christ didn’t come to exalt Himself—He came to reveal the Father. Christ is the Son of the Highest! God the Father is the living Head of the entire Family. Jesus Christ came to make this fact known.

We will never understand the key of David vision if we don’t understand the role of the Father! God the Father is the Head of His Family. (Request a free copy of my book The God Family Vision.) If we become guilty of pushing the Father out of the Family picture, it shows that we have a serious government problem. God wants to teach us family government. One man should always head the physical family. This is the kind of family government that will be in force for eternity! God will not use collegial government. He will not use a republic. He will not use a democracy. He will use family government. God the Father will rule over His Family forever. And that Family will rule the universe forever.

The truth that God is a Family is so clear in Scripture. “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy [Spirit] descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21‑22). Jesus Christ was God’s beloved Son. God the Father and Jesus Christ shared a perfect family-type relationship before Christ became a man. And they shared a perfect father-son relationship when Jesus lived on Earth as a human. Christ always does those things that please the Father (John 8:29). We must get this point clearly, so we can remain in a close relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Never forget that within God’s plan there is a Father, there is a Son, and there is Family.

The fact that Christ is a Son of David and a Son of the Highest reaffirms that He is the one who gives us the key of David vision. The Father gave Him that responsibility. It is a vision which Christ will give only to spiritual Jews.

King of Kings

The prophecy in Luke 1 shows that the Father, the Highest, plans to give Christ the throne of His father David. This is a throne on Earth today. Christ is not returning to a nonexistent throne!

But the beauty of the prophecy in Luke 1 does not end with Christ. We must see that these verses also contain prophecies about the greatest royal Family in the whole universe.

Our future is tied directly to Jesus Christ and David’s throne. Revelation 17:13-14 describe Christ as being “Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” The familiarity of this scripture could cause us to overlook its deep, deep meaning. Jesus Christ is going to be the King of the firstfruits, who will become kings under Him. He will be Lord of the firstfruit lords. Can we envision Jesus Christ and the firstfruits ruling on the throne of David?

This prophecy does not apply to just anybody. It is only for the spiritual Jews who are willing to follow Christ before His Second Coming.

In the World Tomorrow, the firstfruits will be ruling with Jesus Christ as kings and lords—ruling both Church and state. We will rule it all! God the Father plans to bestow upon us awesome power, because we will have a big job to do. This is the vision of the Bible.

Throne That Unites

In the near future, at Christ’s return, a momentous occasion will occur. “And I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first” (Jeremiah 33:7). Before God can build, He must destroy. That is what modern business people would call creative destruction. After punishing Israel in the Tribulation, God plans to reunite all of Israel into one powerful nation. The physical nations of Israel are extremely divided today. In fact, most nations of Israel have lost their identity.

Anciently, at the death of Saul, the nation fell into civil war. The nation of Israel was seriously divided. David was crowned king in Hebron and ruled Judah from there for seven years. He was finally able to unite the nation, and he moved the capital to Jerusalem. He ruled from Jerusalem for 33 years, making his total reign 40 years.

When His Kingdom is set up, Christ will reunite the nations of Israel first. “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 [Jesus Christ] to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land” (verses 14-15). God will use Christ, sitting on the throne of David, to shower blessing after blessing upon Israel. Remember that this is God the Father speaking. He is the “I” of verse 15. He is establishing a family throne.

“In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The Lord our righteousness” (verse 16). When Christ returns, He will go to work immediately. Judah will be saved. Jerusalem, the capital of ancient Israel and a biblical symbol of all Israel today, will dwell safely. Can we see the wonderful parallels here?

David, a Jewish king, used his throne to unite all of Israel. Jesus Christ, the spiritual Jew, will take David’s throne and unite the whole world!

Christ will accomplish this unity by grafting all of the Gentile nations into Israel. This is spoken about in principle by Paul in the book of Romans. “And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree” (Romans 11:17). Paul applied this scripture to the Church—the spiritual nation of Israel (1 Peter 2:9). Christ’s Church is not just for natural-born Israelites, it is for all people whom God calls—no matter what nationality or race. All members of God’s Church are citizens of spiritual Israel. What is happening in the Church today is a type of what will happen globally in the World Tomorrow.

From David’s throne, Jesus Christ will start uniting the whole world beginning with the nations of Israel. God focuses on Christ being a Son of David because of this truth. Jesus Christ, while sitting on the throne of David, will make all men spiritual Jews. To be in God’s Family, all men must become spiritual Jews—a spiritually Jewish Family. This is the kind of unity only God can give—the unity God and the Word have had for all eternity! What a mind-opening time that will be for mankind. This glorious unity will then expand into the Gentile nations and, later, into the limitless universe. Can we see the incredible future just ahead of us?

Some will be repulsed to think that God expects them to become Jews. But all men will be taught to look beyond this carnal life. Christ will ensure that the focus is not on the flesh but on the spirit. And at that time, no one will be able to lie about being a spiritual Jew. Both David and Christ were physical Jews. And both were spiritual Jews while in the flesh. We must learn to emulate their spiritual example.

Paul even taught this truth to the Philippians. He wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). What unites spiritual Israel today? It is the mind of Christ. That exciting truth will be taught to the entire world from David’s throne! Understanding the key of David vision is the only way to achieve unity.

Christ’s mind will be extended to the whole world after His return. That is how the world will be united. All people who turn to God will become spiritual Jews. What fantastic unity! The prophecies concerning David’s throne hold many wonderful promises for our nations of Israel and this world.

Revealed—Two Covenants!

How well do we understand the covenants made concerning David’s throne? “For thus says the Lord, David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, and the Levitical priests shall never lack a man in my presence to offer burnt offerings, to burn cereal offerings, and to make sacrifices for ever” (Jeremiah 33:17-18; Revised Standard Version). These two verses reveal that God made two distinct covenants concerning David’s throne. Verse 17 discusses the covenant concerning David’s descendants on his throne. God promised that David’s throne would be in existence perpetually. This represents a phenomenal covenant from God. Someone would always be sitting on David’s throne. His throne exists even today (more on this later).

Notice carefully. The Levitical or ministerial covenant is made with a man. God promised that there would always be one leading minister proclaiming His message about the eternal throne of David!

Just as there is one man at a time sitting on David’s throne, there is one minister at a time whom God covenants with to teach about that throne. Of course, that minister urgently needs the help of God’s ministers and God’s people. The message cannot be delivered by one man alone. Nevertheless, the covenant here is made specifically with one man alone.

Certain as Day and Night

A covenant is an official agreement between two parties. When God makes a covenant with man, no man can change or stop what God plans to do. “And the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, saying, Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; Then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers” (Jeremiah 33:19-21). God tells us that we can rely on His covenants about David’s throne and a minister who will always be there to proclaim the message about that throne. They are as certain as day and night. No one but God could change the day from being day or the night from being night. The same applies to God’s covenants concerning David’s throne and God’s leading minister.

It is vital that God’s physical leader remains focused on this vision, since it was to be preserved until Christ’s return. But look at what the Laodicean ministers have done to it. Some have removed it altogether. Most have deemphasized the key of David vision. One Laodicean Church has written its own uninspired version of The United States and Britain in Prophecy. It has nowhere near the power of Mr. Armstrong’s version, which was inspired by God. Mr. Armstrong alone was the end-time Elijah to restore all things (Matthew 17:10-11). He alone was the end-time Zerubbabel with Christ’s authority (Zechariah 4:9-10).

All of the Laodicean churches are in disarray. They are all suffering from disunity. Satan has dealt them a blow that will be fatal unless they repent. Some are saying that Jesus Christ is working through all of the wcg offshoot groups. But in this end time, we have seen that there is only one leading minister in each of the last two Church eras with whom God has made this covenant. There is one covenant—there is only one man in the Laodicean era who has kept that perpetual covenant.

God made two covenants. The second one ensured that His message concerning the throne of David was taught. This means there was always a minister to teach the key of David vision!