perpetuity

Week 12 2 Samuel

Nathan came to David with a big-time prophetic message: the Lord declares that he will build a house for you – a dynasty of kings! For when you die, I (the Lord) will raise up one of your descendants, and I will make his kingdom strong. He is the one who will build a house…for my name…If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him. But my unfailing love will not be taken from him…Your dynasty and your kingdom will continue for all time before me and your throne will be secure forever.
I’ve read the story before and so I know the first part of the forecast comes true because Solomon does build the temple in Jerusalem. Then the if-he-sins part comes true too. Solomon turns from the Lord. His kingdom is busted-up. He dies and things go off the rails. The short-range prophecy comes true.
But there’s also the longer-range forecast: your kingdom will continue for all time before me and your throne will be secure forever.
For a prophecy to be true it has to come true. So for this longer-range forecast to be accurate David’s dynasty has to – in some way – keep on going permanently. For-all-time. Forever.
Which means that technically David’s perpetual-dynasty has to have maintained momentum from his time up until 27/03/21 – in some identifiable way – and then to carry right on-and-on into the future.

Note: quote from 2 Samuel 7:11-16 (NLT)