Hosanna!

The Coming Kingdom of David, the Messiah.

When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the crowds shouted:

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mark 11:9–10; cf. Matt 21:9; John 12:13)

At first glance, the second line—“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”—might seem to acclaim an abstract political reality detached from the man riding before them. In fact, it is a profound messianic confession. In first-century Jewish expectation, the restoration of the Davidic kingdom and the arrival of the promised Davidic Messiah were inseparable. The crowds were not blessing a disembodied purely "spiritual" kingdom; they were blessing the royal agent through whom the real, physical kingdom would come—Jesus of Nazareth.

The Jewish Principle of Agency (Shaliah)

This identification rests on the ancient Jewish legal and theological principle of authorized agency (shaliah):

“A man’s agent is equivalent to himself” (m. Berakhot 5:5; b. Qiddushin 41b, et al.).

An accredited representative acts with the full authority and legal identity of the one who sent him. When the sender is God and the mission is the establishment of the kingdom promised to David (2 Samuel 7), the agent—the Messianic Son of David—is functionally identified with the kingdom itself.

The kingdom does not literally descend from heaven (as some disembodied cloud or light), the Kingdom will be established when God’s appointed Davidic vice-regent is revealed and enthroned. That is why the crowd can look straight at Jesus—fulfilling Zechariah 9:9—and cry:

“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”

In their enrapture, the future kingdom of God is not detached from the person before them; the royal agent and the kingdom he will establish are one.

The Messiah as "David"

The prophetic hope repeatedly portrays the future Davidic ruler not merely as David’s successor, but as “David” himself raised up in the latter days:

• Hosea 3:5 – “Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king…”

• Jeremiah 30:9 – “They shall serve the LORD their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.”

• Ezekiel 34:23–24; 37:24–25 – God will appoint “my servant David” as the single shepherd and everlasting prince over a reunited Israel.

In these texts, “David” is clearly not the historical king (who died centuries earlier) but the promised descendant who so perfectly fulfills the Davidic covenant that the prophets can typologically call him “David” (just as Elijah typologically stands for John the Baptist or the coming prophet). The Aramaic Targums consistently render such passages as referring to “King Messiah” or “the Messiah, son of David.”

Jeremiah 30:9 is especially striking. The restored people “shall serve the LORD their God and David their king.” The parallel is deliberate: serving Yahweh and serving the Davidic king are placed on the same plane. Therefore, Yahweh and David are inseparable. A few verses later (30:21), this ruler is described as one who arises “from among them,” a “majestic one” (’addîr) whose heart is bold enough to “approach” God on behalf of the people—an extraordinary fusion of the sender and the one he sends shown through covenant agency.

David himself serves as the great biblical type of this coming deliverer-king: rejected and persecuted (hunted by Saul; struck on the cheek, Micah 5:1) before final exaltation and enthronement. The Messiah will recapitulate and surpass David’s story, shepherding Israel (Ezek 34), executing justice and righteousness (Jer. 23:5), reuniting the tribes, and reigning forever in a kingdom of unsurpassed glory (Isa 9:7; 11:1–10; 55:3–5).

Conclusion

Mark 11:10 is therefore far more than empty enthusiastic crowd noise. It is a theologically loaded confession rooted in Israel’s past promises and the Jewish understanding of divinely authorized agency. By the consistent logic of the shaliah principle, “the coming kingdom of our father David” and the coming of Jesus the Davidic Messiah herald the one and the same event.

The crowds—whether they fully understood the implications or not—proclaimed nothing less than the coming of the Kingdom of God through its ultimate Agent, the humble yet triumphant Son of David now riding into the royal city to claim his throne.

Two millennia later, that messianic shout still echoes. As Christians await “the great and awesome day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31; Mal. 4:5), the apostles and churches around the world add their voices to the ancient cry, exclaiming:

"Maranatha!" (1Cor 16:22)

“Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20)

The New Enemy-Love Law

Many Christian readers (following the majority opinion of some scholars) claim that the second half of Jesus’ command in Matthew 5:43 (“hate your enemy”) is nowhere explicitly commanded in the Torah. According to this view, Jesus is merely correcting a popular Pharisaic misinterpretation of the Law rather than overruling the Law itself. But a closer examination shows that Jesus is indeed doing something novel: he is consciously surpassing and superseding the Torah, replacing the old covenant’s limited "love your neighbor" with an absolute enemy-love command—a new law with no true roots in the Old Testament.

By saying “hate your enemy,” Jesus acknowledges a natural and widely held inference drawn from the Torah’s repeated permission—and at times command—for lethal violence against Israel’s enemies. The NET Bible note on the word enemy in v. 43 is helpful here:

“The phrase hate your enemy … was commonly inferred from passages like Deut 7:2; 30:7; Ps 26:5; Ps 139:21–22. Jesus’ hearers (and Matthew’s readers) would not have been surprised by the statement. It is the antithesis Jesus gives in the following verses that would have shocked them.”

By antithesis is meant the dramatic, deliberate contrast Jesus sets up between “hate your enemy” and “love your enemies … pray for those who persecute you.”

In the OT the command to “love your neighbor” (Leviticus 19:18) was universally understood to mean “love your fellow Israelite,” i.e., a member of the covenant community. The resident alien (a peaceful gentile living within Israel’s borders) was to be loved “as yourself” (Lev 19:34). But hostile foreigners, personal enemies, and certainly national adversaries fell outside the loving neighbor circle.

Furthermore, limited acts of kindness—such as returning an enemy’s stray ox or donkey (Exod 23:4–5) or feeding a hungry enemy (Prov 25:21–22)—were indeed commanded, but these were pragmatic or humanitarian gestures, not unqualified expressions of neighborly love. Thus, “hate your enemy” summarizes the spirit of Israel’s warfare tradition and covenant boundary markers. Jesus himself treats the phrase as a legitimate representation of “what was said” (Matt 5:43), not as a Pharisaic corruption.

This explains why Jesus does not do what a rabbi correcting faulty interpretation would normally do—what ancient rabbis called “stringing the pearls,” harmonizing various Torah texts (such as Exod 23:4–5 or Prov 25:21). Instead, he speaks with a unique, independent messianic spirit and authority (“But I say to you…”). Jesus grounds the new covenant law in Genesis and the character of God prior to Sinai. For example:

• Every human being—evil or not—is made in God’s image (Gen 1:26–27; 9:6).

• As a result, Jesus now says God himself shows indiscriminate benevolence (Matt 5:45).

Just as Jesus later appeals to Genesis 1–2 (rather than Deuteronomy 24) to overrule Moses’ "certificate of divorce" (Matt 19:3–9), so here he reasons from God’s pre-Sinai intention for humanity in light of the coming kingdom.

This is not merely an interpretation of the Law; it is a new law from the Messiah who fulfills and surpasses the Old Covenant Law. The crowd were right to say in Matthew 7:28–29:

“He taught them as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

That Jesus consciously overrules rather than merely reinterprets the Torah profoundly affects how Christians view the Law of Sinai in relation to the Law of the Sermon on the Mount. Recognizing this is crucial, lest we imagine Jesus never superseded the Law of Moses.

Jesus, the new Moses, establishes a higher law suited to the coming kingdom, not to the political-theocratic structure of ancient Israel. In doing so he identifies himself as the unique lawgiver, inaugurating the New Covenant written on the heart (Jer 31:31–34) and not “written in letters carved on stone tablets” (2 Cor 3:7).

Every would-be follower of Jesus is now placed under the unqualified command to “love your enemies”—a genuinely new and decisive paradigm shift from the Old Covenant Torah to the New Covenant law of Messiah.



"I am giving you a new law: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. This is how everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

"Eternal" Doesn't Always Mean "Forever"

The biblical words often translated as “eternal,” “forever,” or “everlasting” do not always carry the modern English idea of unending duration. Instead, Scripture frequently uses these terms to describe the quality, significance, or age-related character of something—not necessarily its endless continuance. Understanding how the Hebrew ʿolam and the Greek aiōn/aiōnios function in their original contexts helps clarify crucial doctrines, especially those concerning covenant law and the coming judgment and rewards in the Kingdom of God on earth.

Lexicons

According to Brown, Driver, and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford University Press, 7th printing, 1980, 761ff.), the word ʿolam, often translated “eternal,” is frequently used for things that come to an end, implying a qualitative rather than strictly quantitative meaning.

In Greek, ʿolam is commonly translated with aiōnios, a word associated with the “Millennial Kingdom” or “age to come”—the first stage of what Revelation 22:5 calls “the ages of the ages” of Church rulership with the Messiah. According to Arndt and Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (4th ed., 1952), the noun aiōn means “age.” Thus, “this present age” (ho aiōn houtos) is often contrasted in Scripture with “the age to come” (ho aiōn mellōn).

The Covenant Law

Many laws from the Old Covenant are described as “eternal” or “forever,” yet most Christians would agree they are no longer binding for the church today.

For example:

• Physical circumcision (Gen. 9:12; 17:13)

• Keeping the weekly Sabbath (Exod. 31:16)

• Keeping new moons (2 Chron. 2:4)

• Keeping oil for lamps (Lev. 24:1–4)

• Setting out the showbread (Lev. 24:8)

• Owning slaves (Exod. 21:6)

• Restricting the priesthood to the family of Aaron (Exod. 29:9)

• Purification laws concerning touching the dead (Num. 19:14–21)

It should be unmistakably clear that many Old Covenant laws described as “forever” or “eternal” did not, in God’s ultimate plan, extend beyond the covenant to which they belonged. The Law of Moses was a temporary, national covenant given to Israel only—glorious in its time, but fulfilled in the Law of Messiah.

Time and again Jesus announces this shift with the introductory words of his new covenant:

“You have heard that it was said … but I say to you” (Matt. 5).

The writer of Hebrews understood that since the priesthood had changed, the law itself had to change (Heb. 7:12).

Circumcision and the Jewish calendar, as signs of the Abrahamic-Mosaic covenant, have reached their terminus in Messiah, who established hiw own Law ("the law of Messiah," 1Cor 9:21; Gal. 6:2). The New Covenant Law is now written on the heart and not on tablets of stone (2 Cor. 3).

The early Jewish-Christian church understood this. Acts 15 testifies that Gentiles were not to be “burdened” with circumcision in order to obey the Law of Moses. Later, Paul insists that believers are now under “the law of the Spirit of life in Messiah Jesus” (Rom. 8:2). Christian obedience today flows not from the covenant at Sinai, but from the words spoken by Messiah beginning with his Sermon on the Mount.

Now that God has established a better covenant (Heb. 8:6), Christians should follow the risen, exalted human Messiah—“the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5)—under his new and superior law.

Life of the Age to Come

In the New Testament, “eternal life” (zōē aiōnios) is derived from the Greek translation of Daniel 12:2, where the righteous are promised “life in the age” (Heb. ḥayye ʿolam).

The same is true in Matthew 25:46, where “eternal life” means “life in the age [to come]” and “eternal punishment” refers to “punishment in the age [to come],” i.e., the judgment of the future age, cp. Revelation 20.

Similarly, the “eternal fire” that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Jude 7) is not still burning. Those cities were reduced to ashes and now serve as a type of the destruction of the wicked (cf. 2 Pet. 2:4–9).

Summary

These examples point us not merely to duration but to the character of an age and the lasting consequences of actions taken within it. Acknowledging the meaning of these words helps us interpret key passages more faithfully and understand what the biblical writers mean by the laws of God and the hope of His coming Kingdom and immortal life in the age to come.

This frees us from confusion and guards us from returning to the shadow of the Law (Heb. 10:1), to a covenant that has been made obsolete (Heb. 8). This understanding is integral to entering the coming Kingdom of God and living under the laws appointed for the church from now until “the ages of the ages.”

The Christian mission is not to resurrect the shadows or the former glory, but to walk in the light of the new covenant glory.

Kingdom First

The Old Testament teaches that all nations are under demonic influence (Psalm 96:5; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:20). This influence runs deep within every earthly nation-state, making them, at their core, opposed to the coming kingdom of God (Ps 2).

In contrast, the New Testament reveals that God has now formed one new, holy nation—the Church—whom Paul calls “the Israel of God” (Gal 6:16). This redeemed, chosen community is set apart from every race, color, or national and political identity (1 Peter 2:9). The people of God are now defined by their allegiance to Jesus the Messiah and His coming kingdom. The Church alone fulfills and inherits Israel’s covenant role under the new covenant gospel of the kingdom. Because of this, believers are described as “foreigners and exiles” in this world (1 Peter 2:11)—citizens not of any earthly nation but of the one that will come from heaven (Phil 3:20).

Therefore, our primary loyalty and identity should never be bound up with the nations of this present world, which remain in rebellion against the Lord and His anointed King (Psalm 2). The ultimate Christian allegiance, identity, and citizenship belong to the coming Jerusalem from above—the coming kingdom of God on a renewed earth.

All nations, with their borders, flags, anthems, and politicians, remain under “the rulers of this age” (1Cor 2:6–8)—the “principalities and powers” (Eph. 6:12). These systems, though at times permitted or established by God for His own purposes (Rom. 13:1–7), still stand apart from the redeemed people of God.

The Church and the State are fundamentally at odds with each other.

This biblical worldview calls Christians to think and speak differently. We must stop referring to any earthly nation as “we” or “us.” Such language implies shared loyalty or responsibility that contradicts the teaching of Jesus and his apostles. Instead, followers of Christ should always refer to the nations of this world as “they” or “them.” This is not just a matter of words—it’s a declaration of our identity as pilgrims and a safeguard against demonic idolatry.

When Christians ask, “What are we going to do about this evil in our country?” it reveals a confused identity. The clearer question should be, “What are they going to do?”

Our job is not to reform the nations but to proclaim the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God, to pray for rulers and those in authority (1Tim 2:1–2), and to live quiet, peaceful, and godly lives (1Thess 4:11; 1 Peter 2:12–17). We wait for the return of our true King—Messiah Jesus—who will establish His unchallenged government (Phil 3:20–21; Rev. 11:15).

Do not be misled by Christians who speak of any earthly nation as “ours.”

All nations and governments—not just some—remain under demonic influence, part of this present evil age. But we belong to the glorious kingdom age to come.

Remember the words of our Lord to Pilate, the politician, in John 18:36:

“My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would be fighting....But my kingdom is not from this world.”

Saturday study 11/8/25

 Paul's “Turning Point on the Road to Rome”

Acts 21 Paul last visit to Jerusalem 

• The charge: Paul teaching Jews living among the Gentiles apostasy from Moses.
• Vv.20 You see, brother, how many myriad of Jews have become believers, and they are all zealous for the Law.  21 They have been informed about you, that you teach all the Jews living among the Gentiles to apostatize from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to follow the customs.
• The charges are true, according to Paul’s own letters;
• In Gal 5 Paul warns that to return to physical circumcision as a religious requirement is to “obligate oneself to keep the whole Law” (Gal. 5:3), cut yourself off from the grace of Messiah!
• Circumcision sign of the Abrahamic faith itself!

Council Verdict upheld

• Does not contradict or change the Jerusalem council's decision back in Acts 15:
• The issue some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Note: a salvation issue (contra Sabbattarians)!
• Circumcision + Law keeping = a package deal!
• Law keeping is not to be treated like some Buffett line.
• This explains why one of the most revered and prolific rabbis, Maimonides, warned Gentiles about this very thing!

He forbid Gentiles who created their own religious observances or imitated Jewish rituals such as observing a Sabbath or inventing new festivals. They must either fully convert to Judaism and follow all its commandments or remain as they are, following only their own basic moral laws.

• Historical NOTE as late as the 2nd century Justin Martyr reports that Jewish Christians who continued to keep Torah had no issues with Gentile Christians who did not keep Torah (Dialogue with Trypho 47-48)!
• But even though Paul goes along in keeping certain Torah commandments here, the Jews still want to kill him and continue accusing him. 

Acts 24:5–6 (The accusation before Felix)

“We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect and even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.”

• Context: The lawyer Tertullus, representing the high priest Ananias and some elders, accuses Paul before the Roman governor Felix.
• Torah-related accusation: “Tried to desecrate the temple” — this implies Paul violated purity laws, which would be a Torah offense.
• However, this is a false accusation (see Acts 21:27–29, where the misunderstanding began when Jews thought Paul had brought Gentiles into the temple).

Acts 24:12–13 (Paul’s defense)

“My accusers did not find me arguing with anyone at the temple, or stirring up a crowd in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. And they cannot prove to you the charges they are now making against me.”

Acts 24:14-17

“I serve the God of our forefathers, believing everything written in the Law and the prophets…After some years, I came to bring gifts for the poor of my nation and to give offerings. While I was doing this they found me in the Temple, ritually purified, without any crowd or disturbance.”

 

Acts 25:8

“Paul said in his defense, ‘I have done nothing against the Law of the Jews, against the Temple, or against Caesar.” 

 

Acts 28:17

“Three days later Paul invited the local Jewish leaders to come to see him. When they had assembled he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our forefathers, I was turned over to the Romans in Jerusalem as a prisoner.”

• Each of these statements should be read in light of 1 Corinthians 9:19-22. 
• Paul explicitly says “I am not under the Law,” i.e., the Law of the Jews, but subject to the Law of Messiah. 
• As a Christian, his newfound freedom in Messiah allows him to “become all things to all people.” 
• In Acts, Paul speaks as that new covenant diplomat, like his Lord Messiah. 
• Paul may at times keep Jewish Law when among Jews (e.g., taking vows, attending the Temple and synagogues; cf.Acts 21:20–26), to avoid unnecessary offense and perhaps to maintain his Jewish cred among his fellow Jews. 
• Like AB says in his footnote to Acts 21:26 

"This episode suggests that Paul’s understanding was more radical than James’, but Paul was willing to be diplomatic on this occasion."

• Again, this is in perfect harmony with his strategy outlined in 1 Corinthians 9:20 of becoming “like a Jew” to win Jews.
• It's of course true that all scripture is God breathed and for our instruction, which includes the OC Law of Moses, the prophets, and the writings.
• So we agree with Paul when he says in Rom 7.12, the Law is holy, and its commands are holy and right and good.
• But the question is whether or not Paul continued observing “the whole Law” once he converted to Christianity, i.e., once he became subject to the Law of Messiah and no longer "under the Law of Moses" as he himself confessed in 1Cor 9.20-21!
• The question is whether or not OC commandments like circumcision, the Sabbath, etc., were continued to be practiced and taught by the Christian Paul.
• You might have noticed that my opponent did not deal in his opening with any of Paul's own words like 1Cor 9:21 that explicitly deal with these issues. 
• Or others like 2Cor 3 where Paul goes on to describe the 10 commandments, i.e., "engraved in letters on stone," as "the ministry of death," and "condemnation"!
• And how the Law of Moses as a whole now stands as a "fleeting glory," meaning it "was glorious."

2Cor 3:10 For indeed, what had been glorious, now has no glory because of the tremendously greater glory of what replaced it.

3:11 For if what was made ineffective came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!

Diplomacy of Jesus & Paul https://jesuskingdomgospel.com/the-diplomacy-of-jesus-and-paul/ 

• 1Cor 11:1 Paul commnds "you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." What I term the Diplomacy of both Paul and Jesus:
• Jesus in Mat 17.24-27 orders his Apostles to pay the Torah-mandated Temple Tax. His reasoning: 

“So that we don’t offend them,” that is Torah-observant Jews! 

• Similarly in Acts 16 Paul circumcised Timothy, "the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer.....because of the Jews who were in those places."
• In other words not because Paul was preaching and practicing circumcision.
• But even "if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted?" Paul asks in Gal 5.11.
• Another example of Paul's diplomacy is in Acts 18:18 where Paul takes a Nazirite vow in order to placate Torah-observant Jews yet, they still tried to kill him!

No “Two-Track Christianity” 

• Although the curtain of the history of the early church comes down as split, i.e., Jewish Christians Vs Gentile Christians, should not be that way TODAY! 

https://jesuskingdomgospel.com/the-anti-grace-of-john-1/ 

Addendum: Paul & Gentile Food Laws

• The Jerusalem council created its own set of NC laws for Gentiles when it concluded that we should not be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses, Acts 15:19

"Therefore [says James speaking for the whole church] I conclude that we should not cause extra difficulty for those among the Gentiles who are turning to God."

• And almost 10 years later James ratified this same conclusion.
• I like this paraphrase from God's Word Translation at Acts 21:25a 

"[To clarify this matter,] we have written non-Jewish believers a letter with our decision.

But Paul never cites or enforces the Gentile food laws in his letters—despite knowing them (cf. Galatians 2:1–10). Instead, he:

• says in Rom 14:

14 "I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself." 

• And again in v. 20b “Everything is indeed clean”
• Paul warned about this new type of Christian "knowledge" (gnosis) in 1Cor 8; 10 that clearly goes beyond the council, who aimed to preserve Jewish-Gentile unity through minimal Torah observance.

1Cor 8.1 

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

1Cor 8:7

However, not all have this knowledge for some, being accustomed [throughout their lives thinking of idols as real and living], still eat food as if it were sacrificed to an idol; and because their conscience is weak, it is defiled (i.e., they feel guilty, ashamed).

1Cor 8:9 

Be careful, however, that your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.

1Cor 8:10 

For example, suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you, who have this knowledge, eating in a pagan temple.

1 Corinthians 10:23–27 Paul allows believers to “eat whatever is sold in the meat market without asking questions for conscience’ sake” and even to eat at a pagan’s house without inquiry.

1 Corinthians 10:28–29  He only restricts eating when someone points out the food’s pagan connection, for the other’s conscience, not one’s own.

Titus 1:15 “To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled… nothing is pure.”

1 Timothy 4:3–5

Paul condemns false teachers who “forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods which God created to be eaten with thanksgiving.”

• “Everything created by God is good, and no food should be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving”.
• This is a categorical statement that transcends the Jerusalem restrictions.

Colossians 2:16–17, 20–23

Paul warns Gentile believers not to submit to “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch” regulations:

• “These are just human commands and doctrines... of no value”.
• His instruction dissolves all ceremonial food distinctions and shows a complete break from the letter of Mosaic and Apostolic dietary laws.
• Therefore, if you're a strong Christian who has grasped this new type of Christian "knowledge" (gnosis), you should put up with the weak Christian so as not to please yourself. Rom 15.1
• With the goal that eventually all Christians must come to be like-minded in Christ Jesus.
• So that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our lord  Jesus Christ. 

Rom 15.5-6

For the church is one body in the one Spirit, just as we all have been called to the 

one glorious hope for the future.