In Handel’s Messiah we sing this or hear it sung every Christmas;
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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
One shoulder. Why? A pair of oxen carry the load on the shoulders of a team. To rule you need two shoulders.
The reason it is only one shoulder in the Old Testament is that the people of God is not complete. God wants the Gentiles in place as well. Then the New Testament Church will carry the government with Lord Yeshua (Jesus) when we all “rule and reign with Christ.” Oxen are the sacrificial beasts and therefore a symbol of leadership.
The Church is not complete until all are in
The church is called “the church in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38) in the Old Testament. God’s rulers in the Old Testament are Jews, a special chosen people. Christians are not in a wilderness; they are in the wider world from every nation, tribe, clan, and language. They have earned the right to rule by their faith in Yeshua and their obedience to Him when they lived on earth. “Ruling and reigning” is not afforded to the disobedient.
This “church” will include Jews now called Messianic Jews and Muslims who are joining their belief in the Lordship of Jesus (Yeshua) in large numbers in the 21st century. These three sons of Abraham by either genetics and/or faith constitute the church. (See Asher Intrater’s book Alignment.)
Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
This is not about heaven, but a restored earth
We reign with Him 1,000 years, not in heaven which has nothing to rule over, but here on a restored earth. Consequently we can now speak of two shoulders at that future time.
Why is this an important point? It seems to be too small to notice… because, the Bible is specific, detailed and without error when properly understood.
Some words are misunderstood; others are not in use any more. But when we did deep into God’s word He becomes interested in us and reaches us with greater understanding from His word. That includes you. God is in the details.
#MessianicJews #MuslimChristians #RestoredEarth
Many of these posts are responses to questions, so I invite them here. [email protected].
We have translation services here #Chinese #French #Spanish #German #Mandarin #Vietnamese