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Kiss the Son: Submit to Christ (Psalm 2) | Augustine · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome back to the Deep Dive. If you appreciate precise
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theological thinking, and I mean the kind of systematic
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clarification that we really look for in reformed thinking,
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then you are going to appreciate what we have today.
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Our mission is to take one of the most significant Messianic
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songs, Psalm 2, and do a really deep analysis of its meaning,
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and we're going to be guided primarily by this masterful
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exposition from Saint Augustine. That's right, our source
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material, it's drawn from the ancient fathers and it gives us
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this verse by verse breakdown. And it cuts right to the heart
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of several essential theological concepts, things like the nature
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of God's perfect justice, the eternal reign of Christ, and
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while the unexpected spiritual condition of the church itself.
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You know when you read the Scriptures, particularly the Old
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Testament, you encounter descriptions of God that, if you
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read them uncritically, can sound deeply anthropomorphic.
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Very human, yeah. Right, that he laughs, or that
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his wrath is kindled and your mind just naturally defaults to
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human emotional responses. It's hard not to.
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But these sources, they draw such a crisp, clear distinction.
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The ultimate goal of this dive is to uncover how God executes
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his justice, even His vengeance, with what the source describes
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as perfect tranquility. And that's a key phrase.
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Perfect tranquility. It is we need to understand
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divine attributes with the precision that's required by the
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Eternal King. So our sources are excerpts from
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this detailed patristic analysis of Psalm 2, and we are going to
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follow Augustine's rigorous method to understand what the
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Holy Spirit truly intended when these verses were penned.
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So let's start the beginning of the Psalm.
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It opens with a scene of immediate, almost visceral
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opposition to the divine plan. The text opens with this
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compelling rhetorical question. Why do the heathen rage and the
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people meditate vain things? And it immediately follows up by
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describing who is involved. Exactly.
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The kings of the earth and the rulers taking counsel together
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against the Lord and against his Christ.
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Now this first line. Why did the heathen rage?
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It's immediately subject to this clarification in the sources.
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That's really key. It's not a why of motive.
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Right when we ask why, we're usually looking for a reason, a
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motive. But the source material?
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It follows this ancient tradition and interprets that
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rhetorical why as if it were a declaration of futility.
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So it's like saying in vain. In vain.
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Exactly. They rage, but they do so
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uselessly. Their motives are almost
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irrelevant compared to the result.
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And our sources, they point out that this is specifically
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talking about our Lord's persecutors.
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Both at the time of his passion and well, historically in the
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establishment of the Church. Right.
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They wished for Christ's destruction, or at least the
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destruction of his influence. But when you look at the result,
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what did they actually accomplish?
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Nothing. Nothing of their ultimate
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destructive goal, their wish. Christ's destruction was, as the
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source says, accomplished not. And that interpretation just
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sets the tone for the entire Psalm, doesn't it?
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It establishes the utter futility of all opposition right
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from the very first verse. What's essential here, too, is
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that the rage is characterized not just as opposition, but as
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meditating vain. Thing a vain thing.
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Yeah, if they knew the outcome and if they had the
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foreknowledge that we're going to discuss later, their actions
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would just cease immediately. Well, the vain thing they're
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meditating on is this delusion that they might, by force or by
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counsel, genuinely disrupt the eternal decree of God the Father
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and God the Son. And the scope of this council
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taking is pretty broad. It involves the highest levels
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of human authority, the. Highest levels, Yeah.
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Kings of the Earth and rulers. So this isn't some grassroots
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rebellion. This is institutional
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opposition. It's organized, its strategic.
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It is indeed, and their intention, their specific shared
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goal, is laid out right there in the next line.
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It defines exactly what they're resisting.
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They say let us break their bonds asunder and castaway their
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yoke from us. And that's not a generalized
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statement of political freedom, is it?
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No, not at all. It is a very targeted assertion
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of rebellion against a spiritual claim.
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So if they're working to break their bonds and castaway their
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yoke, what are the sources telling us they are actually
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trying to reject? The sources are very clear on
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this. This phrase describes the
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persecutors active effort to prevent the Christian religion
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from well, from binding them. Or being imposed upon them.
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Right. It's a desire for complete
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spiritual and moral autonomy. They see the Christian life,
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which, you know begins with submission to Christ as a yoke,
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as a set of bonds. We often think of Christian
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discipline as a restrictive, but that language of yoke.
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It implies governance alignment, usually for productivity.
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It implies Christ's authority is something that dictates action
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and restrains sin. Precisely.
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They're striving to reject Christ's specific authority and
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discipline. The yoke is an arbitrary it's
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the structure of discipleship. So by trying to cast it off,
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they're actually confirming their recognition that Christ's
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kingship requires bonds and discipline.
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So they recognize what they're rejecting.
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They do. The source material views this
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whole attempt as the natural result of meditating vain
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things. They mistakenly believe that
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true liberty is found in lawlessness and the rejection of
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this imposed spiritual structure.
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So the very existence of this specific violent rebellion, the
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strategic council, the raging, this desire to break the yoke,
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that's what Christ speaks against when he asserts his
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kingship over the Church in the next few verses.
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It's a marvelous theological counterpoint.
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That is where the deep systematic thinking comes in.
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The opposition, even in its utility, it actually confirms
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the identity of the ruler they're trying so hard to
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reject. Their anger proves his kingship,
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yes. Their anger proves Christ is the
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King, whose authority they cannot escape, because the very
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existence of His bonds is what necessitated their attempt to
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break them in the first place. They are raging against the
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establishment of the Christian religion, but their rage, as the
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source states, is a vain thing because Christ's kingship is
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already a settled, eternal fact. And if we're looking at this
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through the lens of Reformed thinking, which stresses God's
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sovereignty over all human actions, this rebellion isn't
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some surprising disruption. Not at all.
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It's a predicted controlled display of futility.
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So they're exercising their will.
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But their rebellion operates entirely within the confines of
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God's comprehensive plan. Their collective strategy, their
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plotting and raging. It's all just the setup for the
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divine demonstration of sovereignty that we see in the
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very next section. The rebellion sets the stage.
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It sets the stage for the demonstration of the divine
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response, which, as we're about to see, is handled with such
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divine distance and clarity that the frantic rage of kings looks
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utterly ridiculous. This brings us right to the
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divine response, and it is sudden and stunning.
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The source material really emphasizes this instantaneous
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reaction to the raging of the kings.
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The passage says, He that dwelleth in the heavens shall
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laugh them to scorn, and the Lord shall have them in
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derision. That's a powerful image.
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It is, but when we read about God laughing, especially in an
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ancient text, we have to immediately correct any carnal
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or human centered interpretation.
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We just cannot apply human emotional frailty to the Eternal
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King. A critical point.
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Our sources are very firm on this.
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Nothing of this must be taken in a carnal sense, as if God is
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physically laughing, you know, with a cheek or a nostril.
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That implies mental perturbation instability, and God is not
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subject to it. And this point is absolutely
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essential for understanding the attributes of God.
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If God could be physically or emotionally perturbed, he would
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be changeable and therefore not perfectly God.
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So if it isn't a human emotion or a physical act, what does
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God's laughter signify here in the context of his pure and
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simple nature? So what the sources define this
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divine action as is the power which he giveth to his Saints to
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see future events. The power to see future events.
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Yes. It's not an emotional giggle or
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some kind of reaction. It's a declaration of
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preordained certainty. So laughter is synonymous with
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foreknowledge. The certainty of the outcome is
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the content of the derision. Indeed, this power allows the
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Saints, the holy people of God, to foreknow with absolute
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certainty the name and rule of Christ will pervade posterity
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and possess all nations. The very certainty of the Gospel
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spread throughout history, encompassing all peoples and all
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times, is what makes the persecutors rage futile.
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The Saints are given the eternal perspective.
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They see the final chapter already written.
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So this foreknowledge is God's division because it confirms
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that the kings are meditating A vain thing.
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That's it. Wow.
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That dramatically reframes the entire verse.
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It's God sharing His eternal, settled perspective with His
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Church, allowing them to laugh at the futility of their enemies
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because the Church knows the final, certain outcome.
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Exactly. The laughter is not directed at
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them in spite, but over them in certainty.
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And that must tie directly into the description of God's
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dwelling place. The text says he that dwelleth
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in the heavens. Naturally, our first thought in
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the source confirms this is the literal celestial dwelling place
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of God. This phrase is synonymous with
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God Himself, the Lord. But I find the figurative
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interpretation that the sources offered to be genuinely
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striking. The Psalm allows for an
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alternative meaning for heavens. It does.
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The secondary figurative meaning for heavens signifies holy
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souls, and the sources apply this metaphor quite strongly.
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If we follow this figurative reading, God laughs and has them
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in derision through these holy souls.
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Let's dwell on that idea for a moment of the Church being the
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heavens. Why would Augustine and the
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Fathers emphasize this specific figurative reading?
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I mean, what does it change about the Church's role in
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redemptive history if the Saints are the location through which
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God expresses derision? Well, it changes everything
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about the Church's perceived status during persecution.
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If the Saints are the heavens, they are understood to be
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elevated above earthly things. They possess a spiritual
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stability and a clarity of vision that mirrors God's own.
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So God dwells in the Saints. And because they possess this
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privileged foreknowledge of Christ's eventual dominion, they
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become the agents, the physical and spiritual location through
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which God's derision is expressed to the world.
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They are the viewing platform from which the ultimate
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certainty of history is observed.
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So when the heathen rage, they aren't just raging against human
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institutions, they're raging against those who have already
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been granted the certainty of their failure.
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That's it. The Saints dwelling in that
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certainty are immovable. That is the ultimate source of
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their resilience. Then their stability and
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certainty are such that they're not perturbed by the earthly
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rebellion. They are the visible yet
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spiritual seat of that foreknowledge.
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Which moves us perfectly to Christ asserting where He is set
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as King immediately following the description of divine
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derision, right? Christ speaks in his own person,
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yet am I set by him as King upon Sion his holy hill, preaching
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his decree. This statement confirms Christ's
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established authority precisely in the face of the rebellion we
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just discussed. He's basically stating you want
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to castaway my yoke? You are too late.
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I'm already permanently enthroned.
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He is indeed, and the location of that kingship is specific.
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Sion is Holy Hill. The source provides an
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indispensable detailed interpretation of Sion.
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What's the interpretation it? Explicitly signifies the holy
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Church. Christ has said his King over
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his holy Church. This establishes the Church as
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the stable, spiritual and visible seat of His kingship on
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earth. That makes Scion less of a
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historical geographical location and more of a spiritual entity.
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The Church is where the King reigns now.
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Exactly. And the name sign itself carries
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enormous symbolic weight beyond just this identity.
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If the name sign is interpreted to mean beholding, then it
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signifies the Church as the location where daily is the
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desire raised to beholding the bright glory of God.
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That links the Church's function as the seat of governance
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directly to its spiritual characteristic of contemplation
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and desire for the Divine. It unites the external authority
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of kingship with the internal devotion of beholding the glory.
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The Church, therefore, is both the place of governance and the
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place of spiritual sight. And this aligns beautifully with
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the New Testament idea that we see Christ's glory with an
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unveiled face. And the description of science
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and as a holy hill or a mountain reinforces this identity,
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doesn't it? It does.
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That imagery symbolizes the church's eminence and stability.
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Just think of the contrast, the frantic, chaotic and vain raging
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of the heathen below set against the calm, elevated and stable
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mountain above. So the Kingdom of Christ is set
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upon this stable, elevated structure.
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In pervies to the chaos and the vain council of the world, and
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from the stable seat, Christ's daily function as King is
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preaching his decree, which the source notes is obvious because
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it is daily practiced within the Church.
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Having established the King in his seat, we now move to the
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ultimate response promised in the next verse, the execution of
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judgment. God shall speak unto them in his
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wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
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And we are told the speaking is equivalent to the execution of
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judgement, which is the vexing itself.
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This is where we have to return to that crucial theological
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distinction defining God's anger.
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I still struggle with that. If he doesn't feel the emotion,
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how can it manifest as genuine vengeance?
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I mean, isn't describing it as non emotional just semantics?
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That is precisely the tension the sources resolve, and it is
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critical for systematic theology, which seeks to reserve
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the perfection and simplicity of God's nature.
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The source gives us the central Pennant by God's wrath and sword
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displeasure, which the source uses synonymously.
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We must not understand any mental perturbation.
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So no emotional distress. None.
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God is immutable. He is not subject to emotional
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distress, mood swings, or human anger.
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To suggest God is subject to passion would be to make him
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less than perfectly God. OK, so if God does not possess
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emotion, what is divine wrath? How can we accurately describe
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the vengeance of an unchanging tranquil?
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Well, wrath is redefined fundamentally as the might
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whereby he most justly avenge it.
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It's not a feeling that flares up, it's an attribute of his
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nature that is manifested through action, a steady,
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irresistible demonstration of divine might.
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And this vengeance is tarried out by the.
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Subjection of all creation to his service.
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The subjection of all creation. That is a truly expansive
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definition. It means every natural law,
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every consequence of sin, every historical event is a tool in
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the hand of God to enforce His justice.
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Is subjected to God's service to execute His will.
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This inherent control reinforces the idea of tranquility.
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It's not a temper tantrum. It's the inevitable systemic
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enforcement of eternal settled law.
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This definition is so crucial to the overall context that the
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source material must have supported it with scripture.
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Do we see this idea of tranquil judgement anywhere else?
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We do. The source quotes the Wisdom of
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Solomon to reinforce this absolute control and composure.
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But thou, Lord of power, judges with tranquility and with great
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favor orderest us. Judges with tranquility.
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This statement confirms that when judgement or vengeance is
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executed by the ultimate divine might, it is done with perfect,
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controlled calm. It is a tranquil, systematic
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mechanism of justice, which makes it all the more terrifying
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because it is predictable and unavoidable, unlike unstable
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human outbursts. That makes the coming judgement
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not a risk based on God's mood, but an absolute certainty built
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into the very structure of the cosmos.
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Exactly. And that leads to the next layer
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of clarification. If God's wrath is tranquil
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might, how do we perceive it? Because the scriptural language
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must still mean something to created beings, the source
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explains that the concept of wrath is understood entirely
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through its effects on created souls.
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And it manifests in two distinct ways.
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Two distinct practical ways, yes.
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So let's elaborate on how God's tranquil might manifests in
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those who know and follow the King in the righteous.
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In righteous souls, God's wrath is experienced as an emotion
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produced in the soul that knows the law when that soul witnesses
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the law being transgressed by a Sinner.
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It's no righteous anger. Righteous anger, a zeal for
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justice that is purified by their submission to Christ.
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This emotion in holy souls leads to the active process of
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avenging many things. So the emotional experience of
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wrath occurs in the righteous human when they witnessed
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transgression. And through that purified zeal,
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God's vengeance is carried out by human agency.
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That is a staggering implication.
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The anger itself is pure only when it resides in God as
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tranquil might. But when it's transferred into
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the righteous soul, it becomes an instrument for avenging
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justice in the world. It's a delegation of zealous
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action. It links right back to the idea
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of the Saints being the heavens through which God laughs.
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They're not merely observers, they are participants in the
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execution of God's settled justice, both through their
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foreknowledge and their righteous seal against sin.
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And then we have to look at the manifestation in the
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transgressors themselves, those who continue to rage and
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meditate these vain things. In those who transgress the law
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of God, God's wrath is understood as the punitive
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aspect, the darkening of the mind that overtakes them.
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This is the judicial consequence of sin leading to spiritual
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blindness, self deception, and well, further misdirection.
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So the vexing mentioned in the Psalm is simultaneously external
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and internal. They are vexed by external
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circumstances that creation subjects to God's will, and
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internally they're vexed by a mind that is darkened.
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The darkening of the mind means they lose the ability to see
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truth, goodness and their own spiritual peril.
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Their judgement is confused. This is a severe form of
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vengeance because it is self perpetuating.
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Their initial meditation on vain things become self fulfilling as
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the mind that rejects the light becomes is incapable of
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perceiving the truth, leading them into greater misery in
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unrighteous ways. It is a terrifying consequence
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of being given over to their own will.
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The take away from this section, then, before we move on, is that
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the opposition, the raging, is dealt with not by a matching
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divine fury, but by a calm, systemic and utterly unavoidable
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application of eternal law. Which manifests as certainty in
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the Saints and blindness in the wicked.
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Precisely. Following this definitive
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discussion of His kingship and the nature of His just
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vengeance, Christ continues by reciting the Father's decree
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concerning His identity. The Lord has said unto me, Thou
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art my Son today have I begotten thee.
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And this is arguably the central Christological passage of the
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entire song. It defines the true nature of
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the king set upon Sion. The word today is the point that
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requires the most stringent clarification.
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In human terms, today implies a starting point, a moment in
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time. But this can't be a description
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of the Divine Son's existence. Absolutely. the Today here is
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given a specific divine interpretation in our sources.
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It does not refer to a moment in time, but proclaims the eternal
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generation of the power and wisdom of God, who is the only
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begotten Son. This is a direct refutation of
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any temporal or creaturely view of the sun in eternity.
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There's no past or future, only present.
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Today intimates that presentiality confirming
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Christ's inherent, unchanging divine nature, this separation
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him fundamentally from His temporal birth, His ministry, or
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His earthly role. He is eternally begun the Co
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eternal wisdom of the Father. And we have to recognize the
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theological weight this clarification carried.
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Historically, yes. In the era of the Church
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Fathers, the nature of Christ was heavily debated with certain
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heresies seeking to place the Son within creation or time.
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By stressing today as eternal generation, the sources are
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reinforcing the Nicene doctrine that the Son is 1 substance with
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the Father, not made, not created, but eternally begotten.
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The sticks are immense. They are, the King said upon
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Sion, must possess eternal divinity to command this
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universal dominion. So the one who is the subject of
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the raging is not merely a political king or a human
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Messiah. But the eternally begotten Son
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of God, whose kingship is therefore rooted in his very
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being, not in some temporal appointment.
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Exactly, and this eternal Son then immediately steps into a
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temporal context right afterward, transitioning from
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his eternal nature to His role as intercessor and king.
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In time, he recounts the Father's promise.
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Ask of me and I shall give thee the nations for 9 inheritance.
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And this asking must necessarily have a temporal sense, right?
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It relates to his manhood and his specific work of redemption.
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The Eternal God does not need to ask for anything.
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That is the pivotal switch. This asking is connected to the
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temporal dispensation. It's referencing the manhood
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Christ took on himself, His perfect obedience, His
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sacrifice. His sacrifice in the stead of
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all sacrifices and his continual intercession for humanity.
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It's in this context, as the mediator that the nations are
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given to him as an inheritance and reward.
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And the scope of this inheritance is described in such
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expansive terms, it leaves no room for geographical or ethnic
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limitations. The scope is global and
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complete, the nations for his inheritance, and the uttermost
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plots of the earth for thy possession.
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The source material notes that these are repetitions.
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For clarity. For clarity, the uttermost parts
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of the Earth is another way of saying the nation's ensuring we
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understand that the possession includes all the nations without
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exception or boundary. This vision of global dominion
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directly contrasts the limited council of the kings of the
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earth who raged in the first verse.
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Their petty, localized opposition is rendered absurd by
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this decree of global possession.
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And we must be clear about the purpose of this acquisition.
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It is not political conquest in the human sense.
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No. When the nations are given as an
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inheritance, they are joined to the name of Christ, redeemed
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from death, and possessed by God.
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This possession is not for their oppression, it's for their
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salvation, and to bear unto him spiritual fruit.
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That distinction is vital. The Inheritance is a collection
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of redeemed souls yielded as a harvest to the King.
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It defines the missionary mandate and the eventual
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spiritual triumph of the Church globally.
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Exactly. The king has given the people
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not to rule over them as subjects of a temporal empire,
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but as redeemed children destined for eternal life.
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This is where we see the fulfillment of the decree
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preached from Siam. The decree is the gospel.
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The decree is the gospel establishing the means by which
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the nations move from being part of the raging heathen to
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becoming the spiritual fruit of Christ's kingship.
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The inheritance is the ongoing global redemption of humanity.
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Having established the King's eternal nature and his global
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inheritance, the Psalm then concludes by detailing how this
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Kingdom will be enforced and what choices confront those who
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resist or submit. Verse 9 presents this powerful
22:45
image of judgment. Christ will rule them with a rod
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of iron and break them like a Potter's vessel.
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The rod of iron is interpreted clearly as inflexible justice.
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An authority that cannot be bent or negotiated.
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Right, but the interpretation of breaking them like a Potter's
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vessel is what truly requires detailed attention.
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It transcends simple punitive destruction.
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Also. Well, if we only read this as
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total physical annihilation, we miss the radical spiritual
23:12
interpretation provided by our sources.
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The breaking here means the breaking of the sinner's earthly
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lusts. The earthly lusts.
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And the filthy doings of the old man, or whatever was derived in
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an yard from the sinful clay. So the object being shattered is
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the sinful nature, the carnal existence, not necessarily the
23:30
person entirely. The vessel being broken is the
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error and corruption within the person.
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Correct. The carnal vessels of air are
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worn out and broken so that something new, something
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spiritual, can emerge. This shifts the interpretation
23:44
from mass destruction to radical spiritual renewal achieved
23:47
through the process of judgment and discipline.
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So the inflexible justice of the Rod of Iron forces the
23:52
destruction of the old corrupt self, making way for the new.
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Which leads directly to the call for submission and spiritual
23:59
renewal, addressed specifically to the highest ranks of
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opposition. And now understand ye kings, be
24:05
instructed, all ye who judge the earth.
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The tone changes from decree to urgent admonition.
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And the timing indicated by the Word now signals this moment of
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spiritual opportunity and urgency.
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Now means being renewed. The source describes it as the
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covering of clay worn out, meaning the carnal vessels of
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air belonging to their past life have been shed.
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Moving them away from the rage and vanity of the heathen.
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Exactly. And through this renewal, those
24:31
who heed the warning, the former rebels, they become the kings
24:34
who are admonished. How does a persecutor, a rebel,
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acquire this title? They become kings because they
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are now able to govern all that is servile and brutish within
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themselves. They move from being subject to
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their own lusts and passions, which is the definition of the
24:48
unregenerate heathen, to reigning over them.
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Through Christ's discipline. They establish an internal
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Kingdom. That's a fascinating application
24:56
of the concept of kingship, internal sovereignty over the
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South, and they are called those who judge the earth.
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Yes, the spiritual man is denoted by those who judge the
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earth, because whatsoever we judge is below us.
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The spiritual man, having put off the old self, judges and
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controls the appetites, the passions, earthly things.
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What is below them? Right.
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What is below them is, with good reason, called the earth,
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because it is defiled with earthly corruption.
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So the admonition is a call to internal spiritual governance
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reflecting the kingship of Christ in their own transformed
25:29
lives. This internal governance
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immediately dictates their required conduct under Christ's
25:33
authority. The dual instruction Serve the
25:36
Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling.
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The fear is added specifically to guard against pride and
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rashness. Lest the new spiritual authority
25:45
of being kings and judges of the earth turns into self-righteous
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arrogance. That's right, this fear
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recognizes His absolute sovereignty and their utter
25:53
reliance on Him. And the rejoice is there because
25:56
submission to the King is not supposed to lead to misery, it
26:00
leads to bliss and security. It does, but the trembling then
26:04
guards the rejoicing. Rejoice with trembling ensures
26:08
that the promised bliss is pure and secure, guarded by caution
26:12
and carefulness, lest they fall therefrom into pride or
26:16
unrestrained inconsiderateness. So it's a state of secure
26:20
happiness, but maintained with careful watchfulness over the
26:23
sinful remnants of the self. It is the source notes that
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being under him is expedient for them because he gives
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understanding and instruction, which is the very essence of
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discipline. The ultimate protection and
26:34
defense is then summarized. Lay hold of discipline, lest at
26:37
any time the Lord be angry and you carish from the righteous
26:40
way. So laying hold of discipline is
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essentially the same as understanding and being
26:45
instructed. It's the practical safeguard of
26:47
the new kingship. The source describes discipline
26:51
as some protection and defense against all things which might
26:55
do hurt. Unless it's embraced with great
26:57
carefulness, discipline is viewed primarily as protection,
27:02
not punishment. And the warning lest at any time
27:05
the Lord be angry is phrased as a doubt only for the
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uninstructed. The prophet knows the certainty
27:11
of the vengeance he does, and the punishment for neglecting
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that crucial protective discipline is the worst possible
27:17
spiritual calamity to perish from the righteous way.
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That is described as a great punishment resulting in the
27:23
person wandering in much misery through the ways of
27:26
unrighteousness. That spiritual homelessness,
27:29
that removal from the path of Christ's kingship, is the
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inescapable consequence of rejecting the discipline offered
27:34
by the King. The righteous way, Christ
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Himself, is the only way to avoid this misery.
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It is. Finally, the Psalm concludes by
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contrasting the timing of the vengeance with the ultimate
27:44
blessing of trust. God's tranquil anger will be
27:47
shortly kindled. And the interpretation of
27:49
shortly signifies suddenness. This means the vengeance
27:53
prepared for the ungodly and for sinners will arrive, while those
27:57
sinners deem it far off and long to come.
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They will be caught completely off guard.
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Completely because they confuse God's tranquility with apathy or
28:07
delay. This is the culmination of the
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tranquil justice. It is inevitable and it's timing
28:12
is not subject to human calculation or prediction.
28:15
But those who have listened, who have submitted and taken hold of
28:18
discipline, those who put their trust in him, they are declared
28:22
blessed. And the blessing is the complete
28:25
antithesis of the sudden punishment and wandering misery.
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First, they are exempt from the vengeance prepared for sinners.
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But it's more than just safety. The state of blessed contains
28:34
the sum and accumulation of all good things.
28:37
The foundation of a Kingdom for them.
28:39
It avails for the foundation and exaltation of a Kingdom for
28:42
them. They move from governing their
28:43
inner selves to the foundation and eventual glorification of
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their own spiritual Kingdom, all secured by their active trust in
28:50
the reigning Christ. This deep dive into Psalm 2,
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guided by the rigorous ancient exegesis of Saint Augustine,
28:57
provides really striking clarity on the nature of Christ's
29:00
kingship and the precision of divine action.
29:02
It does. We've established several core
29:04
systematic insights. The opposition of the wicked,
29:08
their raging, is predetermined as futile through divine
29:11
foreknowledge, God's laughter. Christ's stable seat of
29:15
governance is the Church called Scion, characterized by
29:17
spiritual eminence and stability.
29:19
And most significantly, for those who value clarity and
29:22
divine attributes, we clarified that the Lord's wrath is defined
29:26
not by human emotion or mental perturbation.
29:28
But by tranquil powerful justice, the unavoidable might
29:32
by which he justly avenged. This clarification shows you
29:35
that when we speak of God's reaction to sin, we are Speaking
29:38
of an inevitable self-control, enforcement of eternal law
29:41
executed with composure. The judgement is coming
29:43
suddenly, even if the sinners believe it is far off and long
29:46
to come, and the discipline he offers is our only safeguard.
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And that leads to a concluding thought for you to consider
29:52
based on this deep dive. If God judges with tranquil
29:55
might, we must not confuse His composure with apathy or delay.
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His timing is settled, inevitable, and suddenly
30:03
imminent for those outside of his discipline.
30:06
Given that the Saints are the very heavens through which God
30:08
laughs, possessing the certainty of the final outcome, how should
30:12
that guaranteed victory shape the urgency with which we live
30:15
and with which we preach the decree of the King?
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Does the certainty of the outcome demand discipline,
30:20
zealous action now, or does it encourage complacency?