March 14th, 2017 Eric Rubino

Kiss the Son

By Peg Yarbrough
 
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.  Psalm 2:11,12
 
Two totally different futures await mankind.  Those who “kiss the Son,” will inherit eternal life, and those who do not “kiss the Son,” will “perish from the way.”  To “kiss the Son” means to fully accept Christ as your Lord and King in this life, to bow before him in humble service. 
 
One day Christ will be the undisputed King of the whole world.  In the mean time, Psalm 2:1 addresses what we see happening today, “Why are the nations so angry?  Why do they waste their time with futile plans?”  Verse 2 gives the answer, the rulers are “against the Lord, and against His anointed…”   In other words they are against God’s plan for man, which is the Lordship of His Son, Jesus the Messiah.
 
In Matthew 25 Jesus talks about the end times when “before him shall be gathered all nations.”  Jesus will then be upon his earthly throne, separating the sheep (righteous) from the goats (unbelievers), and Jesus will say this to those who have “kissed the Son,”
 
Then shall the King [Jesus] say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  Matt. 25:34

But to the rebellious unbelievers he will say:

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:  Matt. 25:41

Eternal life or eternal fire.  Those are the two choices.
 
We are drawing closer and closer to that day of reckoning.  It seems like every time I turn on the news, I hear of wars and rumors of wars.  Just like Psalm 2  teaches, men are fighting to rule over other men; fighting for dominance and power, trying to play god.  Some even have the audacity to say that they are fighting for peace!  (An oxymoron if ever there was one.)
 
In light of all the turmoil and confusion it is comforting to know God’s plan for the earth, and for His children; we are assured a blessed place in His new kingdom.
 
When all is said and done, there will ultimately be one ruler, one King over the whole earth, the Lord Jesus Christ, Jehovah’s anointed and appointed King.  And of his kingdom there will be no end.  All other kingdoms are built on sinking sand.  As for the earth’s inhabitants, we get to choose during this lifetime whether to be in the Lord’s future kingdom, or whether to go to the fires of hell.
 
The theme of the Kingdom of God dominates all the teachings, the parables and the lessons that Jesus Christ taught while he was here on earth.   Jesus spoke about his future Kingdom more than any other single topic!  And yet one rarely hears about it from the pulpits today.  Satan has the masses sidetracked with “seeing the white light,” and going to heaven to  play their golden harps.  They miss the truth of God’s word, it’s all about God’s KINGDOM COMING TO EARTH, where His saints will rule with Christ for a thousand years.  And then God will be “all in all.”

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.   I Cor. 15:28
 
It is one of the most important subjects in the entire scriptures insofar as it is the true destination for all those who take Jesus as their Lord and King.
 
When Christ stood before his earthly judgment seat, Pilate asked him, “Art thou the king of the Jews?”  Jesus did not deny that he was “king of the Jews,” instead he clarified that his kingdom was not of THIS world (age).  In this world the Jews would deny their Messiah/King, and crucify him. (Acts 2:22)
 
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world [age]: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence [here].   John 18:36
 
And so Pilate asked him a second time, “Art thou a king then?” Jesus answered plainly that not only was he their King, but that it was for this cause that he came into the world!  I would say that makes understanding Christ’s kingdom of paramount importance.  God’s royal family is the reason Jesus came!
 
Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. [Yes!  You got it right!]  To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth.  Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.  John 18:37
 
The man standing before Pilate was, and is, the King of God’s choosing, the “promised seed” of Genesis 3:15, who would come from the lineage of his ancestor king David.   He was Israel’s long awaited Messiah, and one day he will return as King of kings, and Lord of lords.  
 
Then, finally, there will be a new world order, a new world government, administered by the Lord’s anointed King, the Messiah, and he will be assisted by the ones who were faithful to him during this lifetime.  These faithful believers are called “the saints of the Most High” in the book of Daniel.  For the believer, here are some truly electrifying verses:
 
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, ONE like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 
And there was given him [Jesus] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion IS AN EVERLASTING DOMINION, WHICH SHALL NOT PASS AWAY, AND HIS KINGDOM THAT which shall not be destroyed. 
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom IS an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.   Daniel 7:13,14,27

This IS every believer’s hope!  Just stop for a moment and try to imagine what it will be like to meet Christ in the air, and then return to earth to work in his service; to work for and with Jesus himself!  Incredible!
 
When you consider the phenomenal gift, eternal life, that God has graciously offered to “whosoever will believe” it simply takes your breath away.  It is almost too big to take in.  And it is heartbreaking to think that even one person would turn it down, but many do. 
 
Christ is mankind’s only hope.  He alone is the only Prince of Peace, and the government shall be upon his shoulders (Isa. 9:6) as he sits upon his God given throne in Jerusalem.  During the millennial reign, all who oppose his ways shall be dashed into pieces. (Psalm 2:6,8,9).  In the mean time, all of man’s plans, treaties, and councils “for peace” are hopeless because true peace can only be restored by the Prince of Peace when he returns to govern the earth.  
 
Psalm 2 is very enlightening in this regard. The first few verses speak of the arrogance of earthly kings, who are actually (knowingly or unknowingly) against the plans of the Lord God Himself and against His anointed. 
 
Verse 4 gives God’s response to their arrogance: “He shall laugh them to scorn and ridicule their foolish plans.” Why?  Because God already has a plan. He is sending His own son to rule from Mount Zion, and will give Jesus the whole earth as his possession.
 
Yet have I set my king [Jesus] upon my holy hill of Zion.
Ask of me, and I shall give thee [My anointed, My chosen King] the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thee shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
Psalm 2:6,8,9
 
Again, the experience for the unbeliever, the God rejecter, is disastrous.  No earthly king will be able to stand against the awesome power of God’s plan; His King, or His kingdom. The Psalm concludes with a stern admonition as well as great comfort.
 
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little.  [But] Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.  
Psalm 2:10-12 
 
Kiss the Son.  The admonition is for kings (people in power) and ALL who dwell on this earth to be wise NOW, and to serve the Lord with reverence and awe.  Rejoice in God’s plan. “Kiss the Son,” surrender fully to Christ and to God’s way of right living now, because Jesus is God’s chosen and rightful King and HE’S COMING BACK! 
 
The alternative is to reject God’s plan and “perish from the way.” 
 
Every one gets to choose to be part of God’s Kingdom family by the decisions they make today.  Therefore Psalm 2 ends with these words of hope, “Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” 
 
For those of us who have “kissed the Son,” who are living in submission to our King, we have God’s assurance that we are blessed. We will be gathered, or raised up, to eternal life, to  assist our King in his reign here on earth and to be with him forever.  We can be fully assured that that blessing awaits us because we have put our trust in him.
 
So, when times look bleak and the world seems ready to crumble, just remember that God is still “large and in charge.” He has a plan, and it is coming to pass. God’s will shall be done, in earth as it is in heaven.  Like the grass that is here today and then thrown into the oven, this present evil age shall pass away.  And there is a new day coming when the Lord’s anointed King shall reign from Zion.  Hallelujah! 
 
I  strongly encourage you to share this message with everyone, because no one gets a “do over.”  One day, in the future, you may be standing at the Bema and look over at one to  whom you brought the message of eternal life, and you will both rejoice together in the presence of the Lord!
 
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 
And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.   John 4:35,36
 
Eternal life or eternal damnation is a choice.  Blessing or cursing, the choice is yours.  Your loving God has placed your future in your own hands.  Therefore choose wisely.   Jesus said, for this reason he came into the world, and he wasn’t kidding! 
 
I know that it is easy to get sidetracked, to take your eye “off the ball,” but the Kingdom of God and the hope of Christ’s return are what life is all about.  That needs to remain our daily and constant focus.  We need to make every decision in light of the hope.  To paraphrase Jesus, for this cause came YOU into this world!  To live with God the Father, and with His Son, Jesus forever.
 
Kiss the Son that you may live the more abundant life; both now and for all eternity. Amen.