The Peoples Plot in Vain

I don’t know about you, but I feel the leaders of the world have been capitalizing on COVID-19 to destroy the world’s economies and trample on freedom of assembly–especially in the churches. I have heard a number of concerning things, such as a planning conference on dealing with a Coronavirus epidemic held last October, suspect reporting practices of COVID cases, talk of quantum dot vaccines and mandatory vaccinations, and other worldwide technological developments that seem like foundations for the Tribulation. This blog post is not about that. I don’t really want to spend much energy trying to understand all the wicked schemes men are engaged in.

As I’ve thought about the state of things these last few months, one passage keeps giving me encouragement, and that is Psalm 2. I shared it with my dad when we were talking one day, and he keeps going back to it as well. I memorized it last year (in NIV84), which has been helpful, because I can recite it in my mind when I need to have a more hopeful perspective. It’s easy to get angry or fretful, but looking to God’s perspective can help us stand firm.

Psalm 2 (NKJV)1 Why do the nations rage,
And the people plot a vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

How does Psalm 2 encourage me? Let me count the ways.

The LORD Laughs at Them

Though the kings and rulers of the earth may succeed in the short term, God laughs at them. He will hold them in derision. He will put them in their place. Psalm 9:20 says, “Put them in fear, O LORD, that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.”

I’m sure God was laughing during the events of Esther chapter 6. This is when Haman paraded Mordecai the Jew around the Susa city square in a robe the king had worn and on a horse the king had ridden, proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!” Just before the king gave him the order to honor Mordecai, Haman had entered the court to speak with the king about hanging Mordecai on a gallows. Moreover, the method with which Haman had to honor Mordecai was what he designed for himself! Haman’s mortification quickly turned to terror when his plot against the Jews was exposed in the presence of the king and queen. In the end, Haman was hung on the gallows he had built for Mordecai, and Mordecai replaced Haman as second in command.

We are weaker than the rulers, but knowing the LORD, who’s heart is for His people, is infinitely stronger and will do justice against them is incredibly comforting. Knowing He laughs brings comfort, too.

The Rulers Tacitly Acknowledge His Authority

Psalm 2, verse two says they plot against the Lord and His Anointed One (that is, Messiah). “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us” (Ps 2:3).

When I woke up in the middle of the night on Saturday, June 6, and I noticed this announcement on Twitter:

Along with disgust and concern for the people of my country, my thoughts immediately went to Psalm 2. “Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One. ‘Let us break their chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off their fetters.’ The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the LORD scoffs at them. Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, ‘I have installed My King on Zion, my holy hill.’”

Two days later, I saw a tweet by the user Hexagonal Awareness: “A variation on a piece I posted yesterday. I am prepared to defend this with a detailed theological argument if necessary. #attackanddethronegod #hexagons #eschatology”. They attached this image.

This is a well-planned graphic, friends. The isosceles triangle with the all-seeing eye (or, eye of providence) has come to be associated with Freemasonry and other secret societies (it’s featured on the back of the dollar bill). Rays of light emanate from the all-seeing eye and from the center. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). The hexagon is a six-sided polygon. Man was created on the sixth day (Gn 1:26-31), and it is written, “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666” (Rv 13:18). In the center of the hexagon is an upraised fist, a symbol of rebellion reminding me of Job 38:15: “From the wicked their light is withheld, and the upraised arm is broken.” Behind the hexagon is a flower, probably a lotus, a symbol of enlightenment in eastern religion. Finally, there are the colors of the rainbow—perhaps a nod to the homosexual “pride” movement, which seeks to overthrow the bounds God created for marriage and sexuality (Gn 1:27, 2:24). This user’s Twitter profile says, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female, for we are all one in hexagonal consciousness.” The first part is from Galatians 3:28, but “Christ Jesus” has been replaced with “hexagonal consciousness”, clearly a nod to the term, “Christ consciousness” or God consciousness—a modern phrase for Satan’s lie, “You will be like God” (Gn 3:5). If you would like to research new age concepts from a Christian perspective, I recommend Marcia Montenegro’s site, Christian Answers for the New Age.

As grieving as this rebellion is, I take pleasure in the tacit acknowledgment that God exists and is enthroned. It reminds me of the sixth seal of Revelation, when people will hide themselves in the caves and the rocks of the mountains, and say to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Rv 6:16-17).

After I began to write this article, I learned that the following quote is attributed to Karl Marx: “My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism.” Therefore, it makes sense this phrase was trending in light of the Black Lives Matter movement, which is Marxist in nature.

Jesus’ Future Reign is Presented in Past Tense

I love how the Father responds to the rebellious kings and rulers: “I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill.” It’s so sure, Jesus’ future reign is presented in past tense! That brings me delight.

At the sounding of the seventh trumpet, loud voices in heaven proclaim: “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” (Rv 11:15), and the twenty-four elders praise Him, saying: “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because You have taken Your great power and reigned” (Rv 11:17). Also, these speak in past tense, though it’s only the beginning of His earthly reign.

He Shall Reign with Rod of Iron

The Father says to the Son, “Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel” (Ps 2:8-9).

The rod of iron, or scepter, speaks of Messiah’s kingship, and was first prophesied in Genesis 49:10: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people.”

In Revelation 12:5, it is written: “She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.”

This all leads to Jesus’ glorious return, when He comes on a white horse: “And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron” (Rv 19:15).

“And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be ‘The LORD is one,’ and His name one” (Zec 14:9).

God Desires Reconciliation

Psalm 2:10-12 (NKJV)
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When His wrath is kindled but a little.
Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

The Psalm ends with exhortation for the rulers to serve Him and a blessing for those who make Him their refuge, reflecting God’s heart for reconciliation.

May we abide in Christ’s love, despite the increasing wickedness around us, and not be among the many who let their love grow cold (Mt 24:12). Jesus said men will know we are His disciples by our love (Jn 13:35), and if we don’t have love, we are nothing (1 Cor 13). Wicked men are only pawns in Satan’s schemes, but it’s God plan to free some of them from their bondage, even as He has forgiven us our sins. Let us therefore be His ministers of reconciliation:

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 (NKJV)
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

I hope this brought encouragement to you! If so, I invite you to share it with our brothers and sisters. God bless you, in Jesus’ name.