Exploration 101 – Who Is King Right Now?

Justin J van Rensburg used the Hebrew manuscript of Revelation he recently translated to resolve a question about who is king right now, God or Satan.

From the Old Testament there is no doubt who is King right now. It is God. (Psalm 145:13, Jeremiah 10:10, Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 10:14)

In the New Testament, we read how Satan tempted Jesus: “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” (Luke 4:6) Did Satan really have something to give Jesus? Don’t forget, Satan is a liar (John 8:44) and Luke is merely reporting what Satan said, not claiming what Satan said was true.

As a test, ask yourself whether you think Satan was lying or whether he had something he could offer Jesus. Next consider Revelation 11:15.

15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

Revelation 11:15 King James Version

Do the words “are become” suggest that the Lord was not King prior to this event? Van Rensburg compared his translation of this verse from the Hebrew manuscript:

Then the seventh messenger blew, and there were many voices in the heavens, which said, “The rich ones of the world, all of them came after our lord Yeshua, and he will reign from everlasting unto everlasting!”

Revelation 11:15, van Rensburg translation of the Hebrew manuscript

Note the difference. In the Hebrew manuscript the rich ones of the world now come after Yeshua (Jesus). His rulership has not changed. He has not become King. He has always been King, but He is now acknowledged as King by everyone.

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Weekly Parashah Readings
Parashah: Balak, 17 Tammuz, 5782 – July 16, 2022
Torah: Numbers 22:2-25:9
Haftarah: Micah 5:6-6:8
Brit Chadashah: Romans 11:25-32
Resources: Chabad, Hebrew4Christians, Weekly Torah Readings, Calendar

Lily of the Valley
Lily of the Valley

Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

11 thoughts on “Exploration 101 – Who Is King Right Now?”

  1. Thanks for the insight. I don’t know anything about the Hebrew translation. A reliable resource I use for literal translations from Greek uses the past tense. “And the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become [the kingdom] of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign as king forever and ever.” Robert H. Gundry, Commentary on the New Testament: Verse-by-Verse Explanations with a Literal Translation (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2010), 1032.

    Satan is indeed a liar. Great question.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. I was just preaching on Luke 4 and said today to the church I was guest speaking at that Satan is a liar. I never heard of Revelation in Hebrew before, I googled it and it seems Nehemiah Gordon said its a 17th Century manuscript he’s found. It seems rather controversial. But no matter where one lands with that discussion I think van Rensburg in the presentation did a good job with proving his point from what the OT and NT teaches that God is in control and not Satan

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    1. There has been a search for these Hebrew manuscripts recently. Some are mere translations, but others open the possibility of evidence that the originals were written in Hebrew. God is in control, not Satan. Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

  4. I was looking for this the other day and just now found it.

    “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

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