He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father, David,
The throne of his father David ...  The virgin maiden of Nazareth might easily have understood these words as a reference to the secular throne of the Hebrews, despite the fact that the very name JESUS emphasized the moral and spiritual purpose of God and pointed away from any literal kingdom. Jesus was indeed destined to sit upon the throne of David, but it was to be upon the throne of the universal spiritual kingdom of which David's throne was merely a feeble type.  Jesus' ascension to that throne would not come through military power, political change, or earthly favor; but it would be accomplished by his resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:31).  The holy Mary may be forgiven if she misconstrued this promise; but one finds no extenuation for such a view as that of Spence who said: "These words of the angel ... yet unfulfilled ... speak of a restoration of Israel ... still ... very distant!"[26]