By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #311 ~
The purpose of this post is to get you thinking about the future that God has in store for you, and to give you hope. In the past few weeks, we’ve focused on the book of Psalms, especially as it describes your relationship with God. There’s no question that having a close walk with God is what’s most important in life. That means in your day to day life, and in these end-times when we “feel” the birth pains, and when we are going through great tribulation. Matt. 24:4-9
What many Christians don’t realize is the enormous amount of truth in the Psalms about the hope God has given them. I’m convinced you will find it to be an invaluable source of information about your future. In this post, I am sharing five critical points about prophecy in the Psalms, and then summarizing some key prophetic passages.
1. The primary themes in the Psalms are: a) God – His being, character, and purpose; b) the history of the Jewish people; c) the Lord, Savior, and Judge; d) God’s past, present, and future relationship with His people; e) the end-times; f) the coming King; g) the kingdom age; h) persecution, suffering, and deliverance; i) the judgment of the wicked; j) worshiping the Lord God Almighty.
2. The primary prophecy themes in the Psalms are: a) the coming King; b) the judgment of the wicked; c) the kingdom age. You will see these themes repeated many times, which means that we need to know them, and be encouraged by them. For example, Psalm 2 covers all three of these subjects.
3. Jesus wants you to know the prophecies in these Psalms: “All things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Lk. 24:44). Jesus was stressing the importance of the Psalms as they relate to the future. Prophecies in the Psalms about Jesus’ 1st coming have already been fulfilled, but prophecies about His 2nd coming and the kingdom age will be fulfilled in the future.
4. The Psalms are for Jews, and also for Christians, for we share in their blessings. Truths about Christ the King, the millennial kingdom, and the land of Israel are a very important part of the future we have as Christians. Along with believing Jews, you will worship the King (Ps. 47:6 – Rom. 15:10-11), reign with the King (Ps. 47:8 – Rev. 5:10), and inherit the land. Ps. 37:22 – Matt. 5:5
5. To understand the prophecy portions of Psalms, you must know three key covenants God made to the Jewish people: the Abrahamic Covenant – the promise of land (Gen. 13:14-17 – Ps. 37:29); the Davidic Covenant – the promise of the King (2 Sam.7:12-16 – Ps. 89:28-29); and the New Covenant – the promise of salvation. Jer. 31:31-34 – Ps. 111:9
6. The fact that we live in the end-times means that many 2nd coming prophecies in the Psalms will soon be fulfilled. These prophetic portions in the Psalms are critically important for Christians living at this time in history – more than ever before, you need to read and understand them. God knows that you must be instructed, encouraged, hopeful, and ready to meet your Lord and King.
Here is a list of some important 2nd coming prophecy passages from the Psalms:
* Psalm 2 – This is about the enemy’s global opposition to God, His judgment of these evildoers, and Christ’s reign as King over the world.
* Psalm 22:22-31 – This speaks of believing Israelites glorifying the King, the nations of the world worshiping Him, and believers being satisfied by Him.
* Psalm 37 – This encouraging Psalm keeps repeating the truth that the wicked will soon be taken away and judged, but the righteous will remain and inherit the land of Israel and the entire world.
* Psalm 46 – Earthquakes and wars will soon devastate the earth but you are not to be afraid, for God will make them cease, at which time He will be exalted in the earth and among the nations.
* Psalm 47 – The main point of this Psalm is that Christ the King will rule over the world and be worshiped by all those who live on this earth.
* Psalm 48 – We learn about Christ the King being praised, and about the “city of our God… Mount Zion… the city of the great King”, names for His earthly dwelling place, for the city of Jerusalem.
* Psalm 72 – This prophetic Psalm gives us details about the millennial kingdom. The kings are bringing tribute to Christ the King, the needy are blessed by Christ, the land is producing an abundance of grain, and the whole earth is filled with God’s glory.
* Psalm 96 – Christ is reigning, He is physically blessing the earth, the gospel is being proclaimed all over the world, and God is being glorified.
* Psalm 98 – During the kingdom age, the world will understand the gospel with the result that people will be worshiping the Lord, and nature will be “singing” to Him.
* Psalm 102:12-28 – We read of a future generation living during the kingdom age. Christ will appear in His glory; nations will fear the Lord; men will praise the Lord, and tell of the name of the Lord; and the earth will be physically restored.
These verses as well as many others in the Psalms give us a great deal of information about our glorious future. It’s no small subject which means it’s a critical book in our study of prophecy. And it’s especially relevant in these end-times for we are now witnessing all this moral evil and social upheaval in this country and all over the world. But be assured that God is reigning, and that all His purposes and promises will be fulfilled.
It won’t be long before we see “the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:9-12). Hallelujah!!!
“All the nations will be blessed through Him, and they will call Him blessed. Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to His glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.” Psalm 72:17-19
P.S. Again, I must say that you need hope. And to have hope, you must know God’s prophetic word. Don’t be like many Christians who are ignorant of the glorious future that God has in store for us. I encourage you to read the article, “You Have to Have Hope”, and the post, “In a Wicked World, You Have to Have Hope.”