Let's review the Covenants before we start. In previous studies we have looked at the Edenic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, and Palestinian Covenants. Here's how they all fit together.

The Edenic Covenant was the first Covenant God made with man. He made it with Adam, and it was a conditional Covenant. That is, if Adam obeyed God's commands he and Eve would stay in the Garden. If not, mankind fell. Adam broke this Covenant, but it laid the groundwork for the future coming of Christ.

For several hundred years there was no Covenant offered to man by God, until the Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9). After the flood God promised Noah that there would never again be another catastrophe like this. He gave man a rainbow as a sign of the Covenant. This Covenant was unconditional, and offered to all mankind. It was an element of Common Grace.

Following this God established the Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 12). The Abrahamic Covenant is the FOUNDATIONAL Covenant that God established with Abraham's seed. God promised Abraham a seed, a land, and a royal line. The seed of Abraham could delay the fulfillment of Covenant blessing by their disobedience, but could not eradicate this Covenant.

God, using the Abrahamic Covenant as a foundation, gave Israel the Palestinian, Mosaic, and Davidic Covenants. Each of these Covenants further define God's promises to Israel, and His character to the world. The Palestinian Covenant promised Israel a land (around 300,000 square miles of it), the Mosaic Covenant was offered as a schoolteacher and guide for the Nation Israel. The Palestinian Covenant was unconditional, though, again, Israel could delay receipt of its promises by disobedience. The Mosaic Covenant was designed to show man that he was unable to achieve righteousness apart from the Grace of God, and also served as a rule of Law for Israeli Government. Once Grace came by Jesus Christ the "schoolmaster" portion of the Mosaic Covenant was abrogated.

Now we come to the Davidic Covenant. The Davidic Covenant is unconditional, and further defined the "royal line" that God promised Israel in the Abrahamic Covenant. The Palestinian Covenant centers its attention on the land, the Davidic on the ruling throne of Israel.

2 Samuel 7:12-16  "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.   He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.   I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:   But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.  And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."

God promised King David that, though He would punish all the Kings who disobeyed His Word, He would establish King David's throne or lineage forever. A continual seed is promised, and all those who rule Israel lawfully would be of the line of David or a "son of David". This was not a new idea with God. He foretold of this condition in:

Genesis 49:10  "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."

For David was of the tribe of Judah. It was God's intent that the ruling line (the scepter shall not depart) would come from Judah, and He fulfilled this prophecy in the Davidic Covenant. The promise is worded in such a way ("thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever") to let King David know that Solomon's seed may not necessarily rule on the Throne forever, but someone from the lineage of David will always rule. This is important, because when we see the later genealogies of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1.1-17 and Luke 3.23-38) we see that Jesus has the right to sit the Throne of David from Joseph, who is a descendant of David from Solomon. But on Mary's side, Christ is descended from Nathan, another of the sons of Solomon. Jesus is a Son of David by Nathan, but received the right to the throne through Joseph and Solomon.

A kingdom was also promised to David (2 Samuel 7. 12, 16). The term "kingdom" implies not only a REIGN, but a REALM as well, a rule and a place of rule. God was careful to regulate the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant's promises. If the ruling line of David was disobedient to God they would be punished. Though they would retain title to the Throne, they would also lose the exercise and benefits of that Throne.

1 Chronicles 17:11-14  "And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.   He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.   I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee:   But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for ever more."

Again God re-emphasizes a Kingdom, a Throne, and a perpetual ruling Seed through the line of David. God kept His word to King David, and fulfilled that Word when Jesus Christ came to earth and assumed humanity for us all.

Psalms 89:3-4 "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,  Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah."

Again God reiterates His covenant promises to King David. Psalm 89 is both a confirmation as well as a exposition of the Davidic Covenant in lyrical form. The history behind this Psalm is very significant. Rehoboam was the King of Judah at this time in history. He went apostate, and Israel was chastened under the hand of another king for his apostasy. The question all the people are asking is, "Has the Davidic Covenant been broken?". Ethan, under the inspiration of God, wrote this poem to show that God had not forsaken His promises to David. God gave the Covenant to David, and though man is often faithless God is always faithful. The thing to remember in all the Covenants of God is that God knows all things from the beginning (Isaiah 46.10-11). God knew that several of the ruling Kings, sons of David, would walk away from Him when He made this Covenant. God's covenant will does not rely on the free will of man for its sustaining, but on God's Will alone. So, though Rehoboam walked away from God and lost possession of the Throne, the promises God made to David are still active.

Psalms 89:19-23  "Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted one chosen out of the people.   I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:   With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.   The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him.  And I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague them that hate him."

Though God found David and anointed him to service, David was not always faithful to His will. David "numbered" the warriors of Israel and brought judgment on the land. David had his fling with Bathsheba, murdered Uriah, and lost his firstborn because of his sin. Even so, God never liquidated the Throne of David, never eradicated the promise He made to him that He loved. If God did not destroy the Throne because of David's errors and sins, He would not destroy the Throne because of Rehoboam's apostasy.

Psalms 89:24-27 "But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted.  I will set his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the rivers.  He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.  Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth."

Next God declares that the Kingdom that will come through David will be, one day, worldwide. God said that He would set the King's hand in the sea, in the rivers. Water is the lifeblood of our planet, and whoever rules all the waterways and seas rules the world. This King would one day rule over all the Kings of the earth. This is a clear representation of the Millennial reign of Christ. Christ, the son of David, Son of God, will one day occupy a throne on the earth that rules all of creation. The Kingdom of God will be established on the earth.

Psalms 89:28  "My mercy will I keep for him for ever more, and my covenant shall stand fast with him."

Jesus Christ will be the culmination of the Davidic Covenant. In the light of all that God has declared about the Davidic Covenant, in the light of the fact that this rule will be over the whole earth, what justification does the amillennialist have for saying that there will be not millennium? Look at how the Davidic promises impact these verses:

Isaiah 9:6-7  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.  Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."

Isaiah prophesied of One who was coming (Jesus Christ) upon Whom the government of mankind would rest. He would sit on the throne of David, a earthly (not Heavenly) throne, and establish that throne forever. Some say that when Jesus came, died, and ascended to Heaven He sits on the Davidic throne even now, fulfilling these promises. But I need to quickly remind you that the Davidic Covenant was given to David and his seed, to an earthly throne, not a Heavenly one (Isaiah 11.1-10). David ruled on the earth, and God perpetuated this earthly rule. To establish the Davidic Covenant as true God would have to extend this earthly rule into eternity. This He does when Jesus Christ returns to the earth and assumes the throne of David during the millennium.

Luke 1:30-33  "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God.   And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.   He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:   And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

It was to Jesus Christ that the Davidic Throne was given. If Jesus was who God declared Him to be, the Son of God and a son of David, then He would have to assume this earthly throne. If the Davidic Covenant was what God said it was, a perpetual earthly throne, then Who else could sit this Throne outside of eternal God Jesus Christ? The two are intricately wound together, the eternal state of the Son and the eternal condition of the Throne. There are those who site this verse:

John 18:36  "Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: 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."

And say, "Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world, therefore there shall be no millennial reign of Christ". Yet they read these verses without regard to the context of Scripture. In His first coming Jesus did not come to establish the Davidic Throne. Many followed after Him (Judas Iscariot was an insurrectionist who advocated overthrowing the Roman Government) who though Jesus had come to establish the Throne of David by leading a revolt against Rome. These people had studied the Scriptures and knew that Messiah was supposed to occupy the Throne and rule the world. These same people, once Jesus made this statement, dropped away from following Him. Jesus didn't come in His first advent to rule the world, but to preach the Kingdom truths and lead men to Himself. He came to suffer and die, become an atonement for our sins. He came to enlist followers in a later Kingdom, a second Advent Kingdom where the Throne of David would be established.

Psalms 89:34-37 "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.   Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.   It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah."

Revelation 20:2-5 "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.  And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.  But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection."

The reign of Christ on the earth is clearly established in Scripture, both in the Revelations of John and in the Davidic Covenant itself. God specifically promised David that his perpetual throne would be "established as the sun and the moon". These are two elements that have significance only in perspective to the earth. Look up at the sky! When you look into the night sky you see thousands and thousands of stars, points of light so tiny to us yet some are hundreds of times larger than our planet earth. If you were to stand on one of these points and look toward the earth, the earth would only be a tiny point of light, the moon unseen, the sun just a blip. But from the perspective of the earth the sun and the moon are immense, from David's perspective they were immense, and God used them as a point of reference for the Covenant. This, in itself, shows that the Throne of David was to be an earthly throne, perpetuated by our Lord into eternity, though initially established during the thousand year reign of Christ we call the "Millennium".

Revelation 3:7  "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth"

Christ possesses the "key of David", He is the key that unlocks the Davidic Covenant, that establishes it forever. Jesus is the "root of David", the one Who will rule over a future earthly kingdom:

Revelation 5:5  "And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof."

Revelation 22:16  "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."

He came from the Davidic line, but He perpetuates that Davidic Covenant into eternity. Jesus is the "root" (RHIZA) of David in that He came from this kingly line, but also the "root" of David in that He was ultimately the one that God had in mind when He spoke of establishing a eternal kingdom through David. Jesus BODILY resurrected from the dead so that He could BODILY sit on the throne of David, and earthly kingdom:

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 fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant demanded that Jesus be bodily resurrected so that He could literally fulfill the "sure mercies of David". The Apostles understood that the Davidic Covenant was still in force, though Rome ruled Israel at that time in history. James prophesied of the coming time when the Tabernacle of David, which had fallen (his throne), would be rebuilt and all the people of the earth would be drawn to He who sat on that throne. In Romans 1.3-4 Paul mentions the fact that Jesus is the seed of David, an allusion to the truth that the Davidic promises will ultimately be fulfilled in Him. In Romans 15.7-13 Christ is said to have come in order to "rule over the Gentiles", again showing that the Davidic Throne encompassed all of not only Israel but all the people of the earth. In 2 Timothy 2.8 Jesus, the seed of David, is said to be "raised from the dead". Again there is great emphasis placed on His kinship to David and His resurrection, both integral parts of His fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant.

The final analysis? God keeps His Word. He made a promise to King David, cut an unconditional Covenant with him that would perpetuate his throne as long as the Sun and the moon were in the Heavens. Though many in the line of David walked in apostasy, God maintained that line up to the time of Jesus Christ. Jesus was and is the culmination of the Davidic Throne, and one day He will return to earth (second advent) to establish it during the Millennium. Though we may often look around us and despair at the condition of our society, do not be deceived. The promises that God makes in Covenant, He will keep them. We who believe will one day see this, when our Lord Jesus Christ ascends and sits on the Throne of David. Maranatha!