“After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, “Master, you are the one who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. You said through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David your servant: Why do the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers assemble together against the Lord and against his Messiah. “For, in fact, in this city both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, assembled together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand for healing, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.”‭‭Acts‬ ‭4:23-31‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The apostles Peter and John were beaten by the Sanhedrin and ordered to not preach any longer the name of Jesus.

They got together with other disciples and prayed. They start the prayer with a version Psalm 24:1, the earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness. This established the One who is in authority. The earth is His.

Jesus taught us in John 10:10, that the enemy comes only to steal, kill and destroy. We must recognize that this is a spiritual battle playing out. In the eyes of the enemy, we are mere pawns, but in His eyes we are worth dying for. John 3:16.
The enemy steals from God by asserting authority over the earth. The authority that is God’s and God’s alone.

The apostles continue in prayer and quote from Psalm 2. The kings of the earth plot against the Lord and His Messiah. The Messiah brings freedom. His Kingdom brings freedom. Luke 4:18,19. A free people cannot be controlled. Freedom only comes from the Messiah. If you do not know Messiah, you are not free. A free person who belongs to Messiah, shares in the Messiah’s inheritance. Romans 8:17. What is Messiah’s inheritance? The earth. Our rights to freedom come from the very One who created us. This battle goes on today.

A government that seeks to control the people, seeks to steal from God and plots against Messiah! History repeats itself. Since in Messiah we are joint-heirs this puts us over government. Government is for us not over us. We are under a higher law: the law of Messiah. 1 Corinthians 9:21. Now, for the sake of peace, we submit to authority out of respect for Messiah. But only to the point that the government asks us to break His law.

They then prayed to speak the Word with boldness. What word? The gospel of Jesus Christ (Messiah) and His Kingdom which is here now and above all earthly authority. Then they prayed that signs and wonders would be performed to confirm His Kingdom. The place was shaken and they preached the Word with boldness. The Word that brought freedom to the people.

The main part of the prayer taken from Psalms 2 is fleshed out again in Revelation 19. Verse 15 is actually a quote from Psalm 2. In this highly symbolic passage we see painted in front us a battle. In this battle the kings of the earth and their armies battle the Messiah and His armies. Verse 19 portrays that beautifully. This battle ultimately ends with the beast which always symbolizes evil, earthly kingdom authority, being thrown alive into the lake of fire. The lake of fire was created for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:41.

The end of the battle is not as important as the battle itself. This is not a future battle but a battle that is congruent to our time as it was in the time of the apostles. The Messiah is riding now on His white horse and slaying the enemy with a sword coming out of His mouth. This is highly symbolic for Jesus is not a sword eater. The Sword is the Word of God. Ephesians 6:17. Coming from His mouth means that He is speaking it. His Body on earth, the church, is speaking His Word and people are being set free by the truth. John 8:32.
We, His Body, battles with Him. He doesn’t do anything on the earth without His Body. The earth was given to us to have authority over. God became a man in the person of Jesus to rule the nations. He is looking to us to pick up the spiritual battle. Freedom is not free. It cost Him everything and He shares the reign with us. Ephesians 2:6. We share it as priests. Revelation 1:5,6. What do priests do? Pray for others and speak the word. We join Him in the battle that will ultimately see the kingdoms of this earth falling to Messiah. Revelation 11:15.

The enemy wants to steal, kill and destroy the Messiah’s inheritance but when you are free you know who the True Sovereign is. His name is Jesus Christ (Messiah).