The Reign of Christ and the Throne of David

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 (Luke 1:33).

This is the promise the angel Gabriel gave to Mary when he announced that she would give birth to the long awaited Messiah. The fulfillment of this promise has been the subject of much controversy. Has God yet given Jesus the throne of his father David? Or is Christ still waiting to receive it in the future? What does it even mean that Christ was to sit upon the throne of David? It is to these questions I would now like to turn.

The identification of Christ as the son of David is very clear in scripture; the multitude of references to this effect makes it a fact beyond denial. I recognize, however, that this alone is not sufficient proof that he is presently sitting on the throne of David. I feel, in fact, that of all the points I’ve been making in this series, it is this last one in which I find myself relying most upon inference and less upon the straightforward declarations of scripture.

However, I must say that I find the scriptural indications of this prophecy's fulfillment to be very strong, perhaps even good and necessary. Over all, as I look at the scope of scriptures that address the issue, I find it them very supportive of the notion that when Christ ascended into heaven and sat down on his Father’s throne, he was at the same time, taking his place upon the throne of his Father David.