Featured Two Prophecies in One

I think your basic hermeneutic is questionable. Should we choose between literal & non-literal as we read OT prophecy? Rather, we should look for the relevance of prophecy to the immediate hearers, & then look for its fulfilment in the life & ministry of the LORD Jesus Christ.

Thus the prophecy of Isaiah 9 begins with figurative language - light versus darkness;
spiritual joy compared with natural joy at harvest & military victory;
figurative yoke compared with military oppression;
the burning of boots & garments used in war - the end of war and oppression, all resulting from the realisation of the Messianic prophecy.

Is the "throne of David" always literal? An ornate chair in a Jerusalem palace? Did David only have one chair, still preserved somewhere for Jesus to sit on it?

Note the way James quotes from Amos -
9:11 ‘In that day
‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter –
I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins –
and will rebuild it as it used to be,

Acts 15:16 ‘“After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,

Was that happening literally? No. The tabernacle of David, the dwelling place of God is with his people, wherever they are, in spirit & in truth.

Go back a bit -
1 Sam. 8:7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

The kings of Israel & Judah were sitting on the throne of the LORD, as Solomon recognised -
1 Chr. 29:23 Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

The concept of sitting on a throne is partly figurative - a king doesn't need to sit on a throne to be king - it is a sign of office.

Remember the question Jesus asked?
Luke 20:41 And he said unto them, How say they that Christ is David's son?

Jesus is so much more - see Psalm 72 - replete with figurative language.

The meaning of the figurative language in Isaiah 9 is clear, with a clear literal meaning in terms of our LORD Jesus Christ. And he won't need a chair in earthly Jerusalem - he is King of kings & LORD of lords.

Thanks for the question, John - your comments are thought provoking & direct us to search the Scriptures.

 

Need has got nothing to do with it.

 

During the millennial reign, The King of Kings rules from Jerusalem and compelling the nations of the world to pay Him tribute.

One cannot be the King if there is no kingdom nor known as the King of Kings unless there are other kings.

Grammar helps by establishing singular King and plural kings.

The millennial reign physically ceases on earth, however, the reign continues after the judgment of the nations as the new heaven and earth are disclosed.

The King of kings may certainly sit at the City of David ruling the nations the same as exampled by David and Solomon ruling over other “kings” other nations bringing tribute in their time.

Literal throne at a literal place at a literal time.

 

Why did Jesus say “NOW is my kindgom
Not from hence”

 

He brings the kingdom to establish rule on earth.

He does not come into a kingdom as one who ascends to a thrown by birthright.

 

So where is David's lteral throne at the present time?

 

Yeah, I'm a Gnostic.

Boo! Did I scare ya?

 

Wow. Totally opposite of the 'hermeneutic' I operate from.

The New is in the Old Concealed, the Old is in the New Revealed.

 

So who's gonna be 'literally' sitting on the 'literal' throne of David? Christ? Or 'literally' David?

24 And my servant David shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in mine ordinances, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, they, and their children, and their children`s children, for ever: and David my servant shall be their prince for ever. Ezek 37

 

FYI, JoJ has me on ignore, but I know that he peeks, he can't help but to.

 

Permit me to ask, maybe off topic yet maybe not.

Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: Acts 2:29 KJV Acts 13:36

And after my skin is destroyed, this I know,
That in my flesh I shall see God, Job 1926

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Cor 15:51-64

Will David, in his flesh, see God? When? Will he have anything to do with ruling Israel, whether sitting or standing ?

 

Lol, "Throne = reign." a tacit admission that the chair is really a symbol.

But Christ has already conquered the world. 1 John 5:4 . (I bet you even sing that song.) And we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Romans 8:37 .

Christ asked the Jews, "Whose son is Messiah?" They answered, David's. Christ said, "Haven't you read that David said, 'The LORD said unto my Lord, sit on my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool'? If David calls Him, Lord, how is He his son?" Because, Jesus isn't really David's son. According to the flesh, He was known as the Son of David, but now that He died and rose again, we henceforth know Him no more after the flesh. 2 Corinthians 5:16 .

In short, David's throne was always Christ's. David just borrowed it. It pointed to Christ's rule over the household of faith and victory over the world. NOT a reestablishment of earthly, temporal rule and setting up one family of the earth over the others, and reactivation of butchery as a mode of worship.

What a small, inglorious thing you guys are looking forward to.

 

5 and one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not; behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath overcome to open the book and the seven seals thereof. Rev 5

Outstanding post Aaron. Well articulated.

 

That is a serious misunderstanding. Scripture is both history & typology, literal & figurative. All Scripture is subject to interpretation with respect to God's purposes in Christ.

Who said "metaphorical?" You! We are dealing with what Hebrews calls "examples & shadows" - Heb 8:5 - and what Isaiah calls "signs and symbols" - Isaiah 8:18. Start reading Isaiah 9 from 8:1 through to 9:7 and you will see that the whole passage is figurative - Israel is in darkness, Messiah will bring light.

Clear instruction & prophecy is given in figurative language. Figurative language so easy to understand that you call it "literal." Isaiah's baby is given a significant name, as was Ahaz' baby "Immanuel." - 7:14.

Why do you reject the obvious meaning in the passage - 1b? It agrees with what I wrote - "The concept of sitting on a throne is partly figurative - a king doesn't need to sit on a throne to be king - it is a sign of office."

Peter answers you in Acts 2 -

29 ‘Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

‘“The Lord said to my Lord:
‘Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.’”

36 ‘Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.’
​

How can you maintain that our glorious Saviour God, our LORD Jesus Christ, King of kings & LORD of lords, will leave his heavenly throne to sit on a physical throne in an earthly city?