Jehovah - King of all the Earth
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“And the LORD will be king over all
the earth” (Zech. 14:9a). Jehovah will be king over all the earth. “LORD”
written in the Bible in all capital letters is the personal name for God -
“Jehovah.” The Bible clearly
says that Jehovah shall be
king over the earth. The Bible also teaches that Jehovah’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is to be king over all
the earth (Psa. 2). Speaking of
Jesus Christ we read; “And on His robe and on His thigh He
has a name written, 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS’” (Rev. 19:16). How can both Jehovah and Jesus Christ be king
over the earth? There are three basic names for God in the Old
Testament: Elohim, Adonai, and Jehovah. ·
Elohim
The name “Elohim”
in Hebrew means, “putter forth of power,” and is found more than 2,300 times
in Scripture. It is found in the first verse in the Bible. “In
the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). We are to understand that the One who puts
forth power created all things. ·
Adonai “Adonai” means “master or owner.” “Abram said, ‘O Lord
(Adonai) GOD, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my
house is Eliezer of Damascus’ “ (Gen. 15:2). The Creator of everything is also the one who
is master over it all. ·
Jehovah
Then there is Jehovah! As mentioned
earlier, “Jehovah” is the personal name of God. God first revealed
this name to Moses prior to the Exodus. It is found in Exodus 3:14. At the
bush that burned but was not consumed, God commissioned Moses to go back to
Egypt to help free the Jews. Moses asked God for some personal
identification. Notice God’s response! “God said to Moses, 'I AM
WHO I AM; and He said, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has
sent me to you'“ (Ex. 3:14). “I AM” is the Hebrew being verb YHWH. It literally means, “I exist.” The name reveals God’s eternal
nature. There never was a time that God did not exist. He always was what He is now and
forever shall continue to be. He is the self-existent God. Notice that the
name YHWH has no vowels and for
that reason could not be pronounced. Later vowels were added and the name was
pronounced “Jehovah.” The Jews, God’s Word, and Jehovah
God carefully protected and preserved His written word down through history. Long before the printing press, each Jewish family selected a scribe. The scribe copied each Hebrew manuscript by hand. These manuscripts were passed down from generation to generation. When the scribes came upon the names Elohim
or Adonai, they prayerfully meditated upon the name. They then changed
pens before they wrote the name.
But when they came to the name Jehovah, they prayerfully
considered the name. Then they took a bath and put on a clean change of
clothes. Only then would they return to carefully write the name. This is how
holy this name was to them. There are many places in the Old Testament
where the name “Jehovah” is found often and close together. We can just imagine this very clean
scribe running back and forth writing the name Jehovah. Such was the
care that God provided in order to preserve His word for us. Christ’s Footprints
Remember, the Bible teaches that both Jehovah and Jesus Christ would one day rule this world. How could this be possible? Footprints give us a tremendous clue! Just prior to His ascension back into heaven, Jesus Christ met with His disciples. They asked Him several questions concerning the restoration of His kingdom upon the earth. Our Lord did not deny that He was going to rule over a kingdom, but He made an issue of the time of His coming kingdom. “So when they had come together,
they were asking Him, saying, 'Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the
kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or
epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). Then Jesus was taken up into heaven and
disappeared from their sight. He just took off! He ascended into heaven right
in front of their eyes. “And after He had said
these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud
received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). Two angels standing nearby must have startled
the disciples with their presence and these words: “They
also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This
Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same
way as you have watched Him go into heaven.’ Then they returned to Jerusalem from
the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey
away” (Acts 1:11-12). So the Lord ascended into heaven from the Mount
of Olives with a promise that He would some day return in the very same way
that he left. The last
footprints of Jesus Christ upon the earth were found upon the Mount of
Olives. Keep this thought in mind! Jehovah Was Pierced
Now back to the name Jehovah. Remember
that the name “LORD” is speaking of Jehovah. In Zechariah chapter twelve, verse one we read: “The burden of the word of the LORD (Jehovah) concerning Israel.
Thus declares the LORD who stretches out the heavens, lays the foundation of
the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him, ‘Behold, I am going to
make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around; and when
the siege is against Jerusalem, it will also be against Judah’” (Zech.
12:1-2). Zechariah speaks of Jehovah through several
verses of this chapter. Look
closely at verse ten. “I (Jehovah) will pour out
on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of
grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me (Jehovah) whom
they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only
son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a
firstborn” (Zech. 12:10). Catch this insight! Who is the “Me” of this
passage? It is speaking of Jehovah
God, the Great I Am. It is speaking of the God who is self-existent! But who was the one pierced by the
Jews? It was the Lord Jesus
Christ! God gives us a
fascinating glimpse of the true identity of Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Feet Zechariah 14:1-4 describes Jehovah's timely return
to deliver Jerusalem from certain annihilation from the nations of the earth.
Zechariah explains that Israel will one day be attacked by many nations of
the earth. God will use this horrible time to refine Israel and prepare her
for the return of the Messiah (Zech. 14:8-9; Mal.3: 1-4). Notice carefully
Israel’s desperate condition and God’s timely rescue. “Behold,
a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided
among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and
the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half
of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the
city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He
fights on a day of battle. In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of
Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of
Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley,
so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half
toward the south” (Zech. 14:1-4) Jehovah, the Great I Am, has feet? Yes, and notice carefully the precise
location where His feet are going to land. His feet are going to touch down
upon the Mount of Olives. Did you catch the glimpse? That
is the exact spot from where Jesus Christ ascended. The feet of the One whom they have pierced (Zech. 12:10)
are going to stand that day upon the Mount of Olives, and His footprints do
not lie! The Mount of Olives will be changed, splitting
into two parts. God at that time will geologically renovate this fallen earth
and establish His kingdom here. “And the LORD will be king
over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name
the only one.” (Zech. 14:9). Jehovah, the Great I Am, will be king over all the earth and His name
will be only one; and that name will be “the Lord Jesus Christ.” That will be
the name that is above all names (Phil. 2:5-12). The major theme of the Bible
is that Jesus Christ will come again to establish His kingdom over the earth
(Isa. 9:6-7; Rev. 19:15, 20:4).
On that special day, God will assume His role as our Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. God will one day be King of all the
earth in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Sources New American Standard
Bible Dr. Art Crawford |
How is it possible for both Jehovah and Jesus
Christ to be king over all the earth? |