Jehoshua is on the throne of David in New Jerusalem and He is the King of a New Israel
1 Peter 1:18-21 18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Messiah, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you The Son of God was foreordained or predetermined to be the Passover lamb that would take away the sins of the world. This election took place before the foundation of the world. This does not mean that Jehoshua existed as a literal person before the foundation of the world but rather was predestined and foreordained by God the Father in His plan of salvation to shed his blood for the remission of sins. Understanding this is important because it sheds light on the nature of the Son of God’s preexistence. Jehoshua existing before His birth in Bethlehem is assumed by a large portion of Christianity but surprisingly the biblical proof for this is shallow. Verse 20 also says that Jehoshua was manifest in the last days for the sake of the church. Manifest means to make evident or clear, to show oneself publicly. This is a reference to the baptism of Jehoshua which is when he began His ministry. Being predestined and foreordained before something does not depend on literally existing before that something but rather to be thought of or planned before that something. We see this being true of the saints as Paul says in Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jehoshua Messiah, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Messiah: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jehoshua Messiah to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. This is the exact same concept that Peter talks about in 1 Peter 1:18-21. Like Jehoshua, the saints have been predestined before the foundation of the world. Whereas Jehoshua was predestined to be the Messiah, the saints were predestined to be in covenant with Him. God chose us before the world began to be adopted as His sons and daughters through Jehoshua Messiah. Obviously, we didn’t literally exist before the foundation of the world and it wasn’t until we repented and were baptized that fulfilled what God had predestined us for. Just as we didn’t literally exist before the world began and yet were foreordained unto the adoption, the same is true for Jehoshua. Jehoshua was foreordained to be the firsborn Son whereas we were foreordained to be sons and daughters of God through His covenant Sonship. The order goes like this, there is a foreordaining (eternal decree0 and the there is a manifestation (realization of that decree). Let’s go to Galatians 4: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons While much of the church reads this passage of God sending forth His Son in terms of sending His Son from heaven to earth to be incarnated, the actual meaning of this passage is that when the appointed time arrived for God’s plan of salvation to go forward, He sent forth His Son and made Him manifest (evident) to Israel as their Messiah. When we compare scripture with scripture this is a clear reference to Jehoshua’s baptism, which is when He is identified as being raised up unto Israel as their savior (Acts 13). The predestination of the Messiah posits a type of preexistence that doesn’t necessitate that He literally existed personally before He was born. Because Jehoshua was foreordained and predestined before the world began to be the final sacrifice for sins and the eternal Davidic King, God could plan everything out with Him in view as the culmination of all the works of God. Again, this planning out of creation and all its works with Jehoshua being the culmination thereof does not necessitate Him literally existing before all these things but rather Him being birthed in the mind of God. Let’s look at Hebrews chapter 1: 1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; This passage shows us that God did not speak to the fathers of Israel through His Son Jehoshua back in the Old Testament times but only spoke to us through Him in the last days. According to scripture the last days began once Jehoshua was baptized as that is precisely when God started speaking through Jehoshua to preach the gospel of the Kingdom. The appointment of the Son of God to be heir of all things is referring to the election of the Son to be the eternal Messianic King of Israel. The phrase “through whom also he made the worlds” would lead one to believe that the Son of God was involved in the creation of all things, however this is not so as we will see. The passage is better rendered as “through whom also he designed the ages”. The word used for ‘worlds” actually means “ages” not the actual physical earth. The former age of the old covenant and now this age (new covenant) and the age to come were all designed with the Messiah in mind. The old covenant worship system was a precursor to the new covenant, in which Jehoshua was foreshadowed in types (old covenant). The new covenant was inaugurated by the shedding of the Messiah’s blood and is the covenant of the millennial Kingdom age which began at Pentecost. The age to come will be brought about the second advent of the Son of God with New Jerusalem coming to down to earth as its capital city. Let’s look at a passage that is commonly taught as a preexistence passage. John 17:5 (ASV) 5 And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Many Christians cite this verse as a proof of the Messiah’s preexistence and also a proof of the trinity. The trinity claim falls apart two verses earlier as Jehoshua confesses that eternal life is in knowing that the Father is the one true God (John 17:3). Let’s look at the claim of preexistence in terms of whether this verse is teaching it. It is clear that Jehoshua had glory with the Father before the world began. What type of glory was this? Was it that Jehoshua literally existed with the Father before the world began? Was it a type of glory that was reserved in heaven since the foundation of the world that the Messiah would receive upon His resurrection and subsequent ascension into heaven? Most Christians would got for answer number 1 in that the Messiah existed with the Father before the foundation of the world. However, when we search the scriptures we find that answer number 2 is actually more plausible. First let’s look at exactly the glory that Jehoshua received when He ascended up to heaven: Hebrews 1:8-9 American Standard Version (ASV)8 but of the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever; And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of ]thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee With the oil of gladness above thy fellows. The glory that the Messiah received when He ascended up to heaven was the throne of David. The above passage is a quotation from Psalms 45:7-8 and is a coronation hymn of an Israelite King. Likely, Solomon was the one Psalm 45 was referring to since it is connection with a royal wedding. The passage ultimately points to Jehoshua as the final and eternal Davidic King. The throne, crown and Kingdom of David were the glory that Jehoshua received upon His ascension into heaven. This is evident all over the new testament as Paul in Colossians 1:13-14 says that we are already translated (past tense) into the Kingdom of the Son of God and James also attributed the bringing in of the Gentiles into the Church as a fulfillment of prophecy that the Davidic Kingdom was being rebuilt and set up (Acts 15). Since Jehoshua is the eternal David, He is the King of the new covenant Davidic Kingdom. Paul says that at Jehoshua’s resurrection He received the sure mercies of David: Acts 13:34 “And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.” The sure mercies of David are described in Isaiah 55: 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 4 Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. The sure mercies of David are the fulfillment of the Davidic covenant which is the throne, crown and Kingdom of David all of which Jehoshua received upon His ascension into heaven according to Paul the apostle. This glory that Jehoshua received was the glory that He had with the Father before the foundation of the world and He received it at His ascension. We know that the throne, crown and Kingdom of David didn’t literally exist in heaven before the world began but of course it was in God’s plan which was revealed to David back in the old testament (2 Samuel 7) just as Jehoshua being slain on the cross was in His plan before the world began (1 Peter 1:18-21). Of course we know that Jehoshua wasn’t literally slain before the foundation of the world as that didn’t become a reality until His earthly life. The Messiah’s being slain on the cross was predestined and did not require that He literally existed before the world began. The Messiah being appointed the eternal heir to David’s throne did not require that He existed before the world began to receive that glory but only that He receive it once David was asleep as 2 Samuel 7 states. If the throne of David was indeed the glory that Jehoshua was given by the Father upon His ascension then this must be the glory that He was praying for in John 17:5. If that glory was the sure blessings of David then the Jehoshua isn’t talking about literal preexistence in John 175 but rather predestined glory that the Messiah was elected for. This is because the throne of David did not literally come into existence until David actually sat on it. This eliminates the glory that Jehoshua is speaking of in John 17:5 from being a literal preexistence. Let’s confirm this in Hebrews by revisiting the first few verses: 1 God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, 2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; 3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; The Father appointed the Son to be heir of all things, this could not be true if the Son always had all things and existed with the Father all the way back in eternity. To be appointed something means you didn’t always possess it. In the context of Hebrews 1, what did the Son become heir of? Let’s see: 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? Here the author of Hebrews says that Jehoshua obtained a name by inheritance that is more excellent than the angels. If Jehoshua obtained this name then that means He didn’t always possess it. What name is this? Many mistakenly think this name is the name “Jehoshua” (Jesus) but that is not what the above verses state. The name Jehoshua (Yeshua) was not a unique name as it was somewhat a common name in the Hebrew culture. Verse 5 gives us the answer to the name that was obtained by inheritance. That name is the “begotten Son of God”. You might ask How did Jehoshua obtain this name if He is indeed the Son of God. That’s because this name does not denote ontological relationship but rather it is a title reserved for the Davidic King as it comes from Psalm 2;7 which is a coronation hymn of an Israelite King. The phrase “Thou art my Son, this day have I have begotten thee” is a declaration of kingship being pronounced upon the royal seed of David as he is anointed by Jehovah God. The royal seed of David is at once being anointed as King of Israel and being adopted as God’s covenant Son. The word “begotten’ in Hebrew (yalad) also means “to declare pedigree’s”.
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