Psalm 2 – Psalms for the End Times, Episode 1

Transcript:

Welcome to the first episode of Psalms for The End Times. I’m going to be talking about Psalm 2 today, which is actually one of my favorite Psalms.

If you don’t know me, my name is Annette Bell. I’m the host of the Overcoming the Tribulation YouTube channel, which is focused on preparing our hearts for the return of Christ. If you’ve not already subscribed, I invite you to hit the subscribe button. And then, if you click on the bell, you’ll get notifications when I post a new video.

So, let’s get started. I’ll read it first, and then we’ll get into the riches of this psalm.

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!’ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son. Today, I have become Your Father. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance–the ends of the earth, Your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter. You will dash them to pieces like pottery.’ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you be destroyed in your way. For His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.”

Verse 1 and 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.” It’s so encouraging that what the nations are doing is in vain, especially as we see their threats multiply on the earth.

The rulers gather together. This reminds me of the account of the Tower of Babel. God had commanded after the Flood that they be fruitful and multiply and spread throughout the earth. But they decided, we don’t want to be spread throughout the earth. So, they decided they were going to build this tower together, and they said, “Let us make a name for ourselves.” God wanted them to glorify Him. He made us in the image of God, but they wanted to make a name for themselves. They are more interested in their kingdom than God’s kingdom. So, they were doing this act of rebellion. And so God came down and He frustrated their languages, because they were working together with one common language. And then they spread throughout the earth as He had wanted them to do.

Now, I want to talk about the word “Anointed One.” It says, “The rulers gather together against the LORD and against His Anointed One.” The word for Anointed One is “Mashiach” or “Messiah.” And in Greek, it would be translated “Christ.” Peter and John quoted Psalm [2] verse 1 and 2, when they were first persecuted by the Sanhedrin, because they healed a man in the name of Jesus Christ. And it was attracting so much attention, because this man had been crippled from birth, and he was over 40 years old. And they quoted this verse, and they talked about how–they remembered how the rulers of the Jews and the rulers of the Gentiles had conspired together to kill Jesus on the cross. But this was all because God had purposed it in advance. They were just kind of unwilling participants–well, they were willing participants, but they were participants in His plan, but it was going to happen that way, whether they were the individuals who did it or not. He was going to do that, because He wanted to purchase salvation for us. And that was the way He can do it, through the blood of a perfect sacrifice–of God in the flesh.

Verse 3

“They say, let us break their chains and throw off their fetters.” I think this is interesting, because this is a tacit acknowledgment of the LORD and of His Christ. It’s like in Revelation 6, after the sun and moon have gone dark. And they’ve seen these heavenly signs, and the wicked of the earth, they hide in the rocks and they cry out, “Fall on us! Hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne, and from the Lamb and His wrath, for the day of His wrath has come. And who can stand?” These aren’t atheists! They know He exists. They know. They know about the Lamb. They know about the LORD. And, they just don’t want to serve Him.

Jews and Muslims often say that there is one God and that Messiah is just an ordinary man. They would say that Christians worship three gods and are idolaters because we believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. But I believe that this is an indication that they actually know better, because they say, “Their chains–Their fetters.” An ordinary man or angel shouldn’t be united with God in a statement like “Their,” referring to God and an ordinary person. I think to do that should be–is a form of heresy, so I think it suggests that they know better–that Messiah is a unique person, and is God in the flesh. And, while there is one God, that there’s unique Persons in the Godhead. But repentance and faith is a gift from the Lord, and I pray that more Muslims and Jews would come to know Jesus, Messiah, as He is revealed in the Scriptures.

Even in the first chapter of Genesis, just as an aside, God includes two clues about the complex nature of God. The first is that the first word He uses for Himself is “Elohim”, which is God, but it’s a plural form, ending “-im”, or yod mem. And, then in verse 26, it says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness.'”

Verse 4

Okay; now to verse 4. “The One enthroned in heaven laughs. The LORD scoffs at them.” It’s so significant that God laughs. Because, it takes away some of the fear that we can have because the rulers seem powerless. To God, they are powerless. It helps for us to see them in God’s perspective, so that we aren’t so terrified by the decisions that they make that we don’t like, and how they are affecting us. This kind of reminds me of a story that my dad told me. When he was a teenager, I think, there was a little kid, probably a toddler, who was having a temper tantrum, and they came up to him and started kicking him in the shins. And he said, “That doesn’t hurt!” And it’s like that with God laughing at the rulers.

Verse 5 and 6

“Then He rebukes them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath, saying, ‘I have installed My King on Zion, My holy hill.'” I love how He uses past tense concerning, “I have installed My King on Zion.” Zion and His holy hill refers to Jerusalem, where Jesus is going to reign as Messiah, as King over the earth, after He returns. So, about this Divine King. Genesis 49:10 says, 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. Isaiah 9 also talks about Messiah reigning as King, in verses 6 and 7. It says, “and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end. Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.” So, it’s awesome to know that Messiah is going to reign as King. Joel 3:17 is a good cross reference for “Zion, My holy hill.” It talks about Jesus after His coming, reigning from and dwelling “in Zion, My holy hill.” God’s holy hill.

Verse 7

“You are My Son. Today, I have become Your Father.” It’s obvious that Messiah already existed before the point at which He was called the Son. The miraculous conception of Jesus, where the Most High and the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, the virgin, and she became pregnant, is why He’s called the Son of God. But it’s not that He was created in the womb from that moment and did not exist beforehand. And John, 17 verses 1-5, Jesus prays to the Father concerning the glory He had with Him before the world was created.

Verse 8 and 9

“I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance–the ends of the earth, Your possession. You shall rule them with an iron scepter; you shall dash them to pieces like pottery.'” This is clearly not about David, because David did not have the authority–and no regular human has the authority to reign over the kings of the earth the way Jesus will–the way Messiah will. “Ask of Me.” I think it’s really neat how the Father tells the Son to ask of Him for the inheritance of the nations. It’s an incredible encouragement to us that even the Son was supposed to ask for good things from the Father. So many times we forget to ask for good things from our Father. It reminds me of the passage where it says, even you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will the Heavenly Father give good gifts to His children, especially the Holy Spirit! And, I just think it’s encouraging to remember that we’re supposed to ask for these good things–especially the filling of the Holy Spirit, to be really filled with the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is the power by which we can actually live the Christian life. Without Him, everything that we’re doing is just spinning our wheels. And His glory does not come about by the works of the flesh. So, I pray that we would take Him up on His exhortation to ask of Him–just like He asked the Son to ask of Him.

Verse 10-12

“Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment.” What this is telling us is that some kings and rulers will exist on the earth when Jesus is reigning as King.

Some people believe that Jesus won’t actually reign on this earth, that He’s reigning spiritually right now through the Church and He will not actually physically reign on the earth from Zion. This is called Amillennialism, which means “no millennium.” The term millennium comes from Revelation 20, where it says that Jesus will reign for a thousand years, and that’s a millennium. So, that’s where that term comes from. I have an article called, “His Kingdom is Spiritual” on my website in the Answers section. And I recommend that if you’re interested in getting a little more information on what is Amillennialism, but it’s not it’s not comprehensive. It’s only just a look at five passages as to why I don’t believe that it’s biblical, but there are so many others I could discuss. So, if you’re interested in that, check it out. You can also send me an email, if you’d like to discuss it more. If you are Amillennialist, and you’re like, “Why is she saying this? I think it’s biblical,” I love having discussions with people, and please reach out to me.

Verse 13

“Blessed those who take refuge in Him.”

If you are taking refuge in Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and of the whole world, let your heart be comforted concerning the future of the wicked and their schemes, the rulers of this earth. Jesus exhorted us, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for these things must come to pass. But the end is not yet.” The worst thing anyone can do to us is kill us, but then we will be with the Lord, and one day reign with Him.

If you just listened to this message and you are not a follower of Jesus, I urge you to ask Him to reveal Himself to you, whether He is who He says He is in the Scriptures, and to ask Him to give you repentance from your sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Following Jesus is worth it, in my opinion, but I also encourage you to count the cost, whether you’re willing to deny yourself and follow Him for the rest of your life. It is not a life without power! Everyone who accepts the Son will be filled with the Holy Spirit, the same Person Who raised Christ from the dead. And the Holy Spirit living in us empowers us to follow Jesus, obeying His commands.

Thank you for joining me today for Psalm 2, the first episode of Psalms for the End Times. I hope you’ll come back and watch other episodes in the future. God bless you and have a great day.