Jesus the King Returning

In verses 5-7 we find a third fact about Jesus—He is King, He is Priest, and He is the King Returning. Verses 1-3 speak of His exaltation, verse 4 speaks of His ministry, but in the last section we move from the Throne to the Battlefield and in doing so we move from the book of Hebrews to the book of Revelation.

The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.

He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;

he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”

Verse 5 tells us Jesus will shatter kings on the day of His wrath, verse 6 says He will execute judgment, fill the nations with corpses, and will shatter chiefs over the earth, and then he closes with verse 7.

Let’s go over to Revelation for a moment and see verses 5-6 fleshed out for us as we wait for this final event in human history. Revelation 19 describes the loud voice of a great multitude in Heaven rejoicing, and then in verses 11-21 John said,

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head, are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly directly overhead, “Come, gather for the great supper of God, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great.” And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army. And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.”

Both David and John see the same event…John just gives us greater detail! Revelation 20 tells us of Jesus’ 1,000-year rule on earth and then chapter 21 tells us of the New Heaven and the New Earth, and chapter 22 closes with a description of the river of life and the promise that Jesus is coming soon.

In our Psalm, David closes with these words, “He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore He will lift up his head.” Many have tried to tie this into Jesus’ drinking of the cup of wrath and the cross where He bowed His head and died, but the entire context of this Psalm is set in the time after the crucifixion and resurrection…if you follow the flow of the Psalm…this is after He returns to establish His 1,000-year rule.

I think we might understand this if we go back to 1 Samuel 30. David and his men return home to discover raiders had come and they took everything and everyone, including their wives and children, with them. They pursue them and come to the brook Besor…the men are worn out…in fact 200 of them stayed behind. I think you have to picture David, tired and worn, kneeling at the brook Besor and drinking, he refreshed himself, lifted up his head and continued to pursue the enemy.

Jesus, in our Psalm, is pictured as the King enthroned, the Priest ministering, and as the King returning—Kidner says the third point is Jesus the Warrior. He will not stop until His kingdom is established, until His will is accomplished, and until His children are glorified.

So, you and I are here between the first and second coming. The OT predicted His first coming and predicts His second coming and the NT promises us that the One who came is returning. Here we are and as Maclaren said,“The choice of every man is, being crushed beneath His foot, or being exalted to sit with Him on His throne.”Which will it be? He is coming and when He comes He will find you as a part of His Bride or as an enemy…it really all depends on what you do with Jesus now!