Psalm 2:9 Has Dual Prophetic Significance Similar to Genesis 3:15-16
Genesis 3:15-16 and Psalm 2:9 are both prophecies that find fulfillment through Yeshua and the man-child (144,000) of Revelation 12:1-5
I recently demonstrated how the man-child of Revelation 12 fulfills the prophecy of Psalm 8 and Psalm 2, one anointed with authority to rule on Adonai’s behalf.1 I’d like to look at Psalm 2 again in order to help strengthen another assertion I made about the man-child of Revelation 12—that the man-child of Revelation 12 is not Yeshua, but rather, a company of 144,000 people who dedicated themselves to Adonai in a very extraordinary way. In other words, the man-child of Revelation 12 refers to humans, not Yeshua. In previous articles I have shown how Revelation 12 is a direct fulfillment of Genesis 3:15-16. I was able to do this by carefully connecting the major themes found in Revelation 12:1-5 to Genesis 3:15-16.
Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. 2 Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. 4 His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. 5 She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne (Revelation 12:1-5).
Let’s look at the major themes associated with Revelation 12:1-5:
A woman experiencing birth pangs
An expectant child
The dragon waiting to devour the child
A child destined to rule with a rod of iron
Enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed
Now, let’s see how these themes are thematically connected to Genesis 3:15-16!
Genesis 3:15-16—And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” 16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
As you can see, Revelation 12:1-5 is a perfect thematic fulfillment of Genesis 3:15-16! Note how effortlessly we can connect these two passages:
Genesis 3:16 informs us that Adonai will greatly multiply the woman’s sorrow and conception and that in pain she shall bring forth her children. Revelation 12 shows us that the woman cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
Genesis 3:16 states that the woman will bring forth children. Revelation 12 states that the woman will bring forth a man child as well as other offspring.
Genesis 3:15 informs us that Adonai will place enmity between the serpent and the woman. Revelation 12 reveals that the serpent persecuted the woman.
Genesis 3:15 mentions that there will be enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Revelation 12 mentions how the dragon went to make war with the rest of her offspring.
Again, it should be clear that Revelation 12, the central axis of the book of Revelation, is the culmination of and the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15-16! Most of us have been taught that Yeshua fulfilled the prophecy of Genesis 3:15-16 when He defeated hasatan on the cross. And I affirm that teaching! Yeshua is the seed of the woman of Genesis 3:15-16 who, although He suffered the bruising of His heel pictured in His death, crushed hasatan’s head and is alive forevermore through His resurrection. However, we’ve just seen thematically that Revelation 12:1-5 is also a direct, Holy Spirit–inspired fulfillment of Genesis 3:15-16! Some would argue that Genesis 3:15-16 only pertains to Yeshua, but I assert that Genesis 3:15-16 applies to Yeshua AND the man-child of Revelation 12:1-5. Ironically, I’ve already had one person literally call me a heretic for teaching that the man-child of Revelation 12 is not Yeshua.
But, the dual nature of prophetic prophecy does not stop with Genesis 3:15-16. I would like to prove to you that Psalm 2 also functions as a dual prophecy pertaining to Yeshua and the man-child of Revelation 12!
Psalm 2 is probably one of the most well understood messianic prophecies in the Bible! This Psalm begins with the following classic words:
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces and cast away Their cords from us” (Psalm 2:1-3).
It is clearly messianic as noted by Luke in the book of Acts:
So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage, and the people plot vain things? 26 The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD and against His Christ.’ 27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus” (Acts 4:24-30).
The passage above is only one part of Psalm 2. There are other portions of Psalm 2 designated in the Apostolic writings as applying to Yeshua, as in Psalm 2:7:
“I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.”
We know Psalm 2:7 pertains to Yeshua because more than one author in the Apostolic writings attributes it to Him.
God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You’ (Acts 13:33).
So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: “You are My Son, today I have begotten You” (Hebrews 5:5).
With so many Apostolic writers quoting from various portions of Psalm 2 and attributing those prophecies to Yeshua, it is safe to say that Psalm 2 is certainly a messianic psalm. Nonetheless, I want to posit to you that although Psalm 2 is surely messianic, this prophecy, like Genesis 3:15-16, has a broader application to people other than Yeshua! How do I know this? Please note the wording of Psalm 2:8-9:
Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.
At first glance, we may be tempted to apply this verse only to Yeshua, since after all, so may other portions of this psalm are obviously messianic. Furthermore, Revelation 19:15 quotes from Psalm 2:8-9 and applies it specifically to Yeshua.
Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Revelation 19:15).
The phrase in bold, italicized print in the quotation above is obviously a reference to Psalm 2:9. In other words, John is taking the prophecy of Psalm 2:9 and applying it to Yeshua at His return. Again, this should not surprise us because we’ve seen numerous instances where portions of this psalm are attributed to Yeshua.
However, what we should be utterly surprised about is the fact that Yeshua Himself, in an unmistakable manner, uses Psalm 2:9 to refer not to Himself, but to people who, in His words, overcome in all things!
And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—as I also have received from My Father (Revelation 2:26-27).
Revelation 2:27 is a clear, no shadow of doubt, quotation from Psalm 2:9! And who does Yeshua say it applies to? To Himself? No, to people other than Himself! In other words, this particular psalm, Psalm 2, which is quoted by so many Apostolic writers as pertaining to Messiah Yeshua, has been applied to people other than Yeshua by Yeshua Himself. Thus, it is abundantly clear that although Psalm 2 is obviously messianic, we can know for certain that based on Revelation 19:15 and Revelation 2:27, Psalm 2 has a dual prophetic application to Yeshua and those who He said would be known as overcomers—one prophecy, two applications. So, I submit to you that it is totally possible that in a similar manner, Genesis 3:15-16 also has dual application, just like Psalm 2:9. As you can see, it’s important to realize that some passages of the Bible are prophecies of Yeshua, and, at the same time, they are prophecies of another group of people who I believe are the overcomers, the man-child, the 144,000 of the book of Revelation.
Therefore, like Yeshua, I believe others have been called to rule and reign, exercising Psalm 2:9 authority over the nations. Furthermore, I believe these are the ones mentioned in Revelation 12:5:
She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.