Amen, praise the Lord, amen. If you're visiting, wanna welcome you to Littleton Bible Chapel. It's a privilege to have you with us this morning. We are in Matthew chapter 25, so you can open your Bibles there, but just wanna make a couple of announcements before we dive in. I want to mention we've got a new people's class at 1130 today. If you've not attended one of these, we would encourage you to do so. There's a lunch following, so we'd love to have you stay for that as well. Also want to mention we have our men's ministry breakfast this Saturday, March 22nd. Breakfast starts at 8 a.m., so men, we'd love all of you to come to this. Mike Douglas will be speaking. on the ninth commandment. So please come to this this Saturday. Also local evangelism. I want to just highlight a couple things here. If you're interested in any aspect of local ministry, local evangelism, prayer, even donating resources, please head downstairs, talk to Matt Bowen. Matt is our intern of evangelism. He's doing a great job. We're getting a lot of things off the ground and just would encourage you to, Talk to him if you have any questions about this at all. Also, Matt's starting up a First Steps Bible study. It's gonna be hosted at the Fink's house, but Matt's gonna be teaching it. If this is something you'd be interested in, just basic questions about the Bible, then this study is for you. It's gonna be on Thursday nights, but we need you to sign up downstairs just so we have an idea of a starting date and can communicate with you that way. Lastly, Sunday School is now recruiting for both sites, the Orchard site and here at DeTour for the summer months. So please, if you're able to help out with this, pray about this, but we would just request for your involvement if you're able to talk to Luann Smith. We are in Matthew chapter 25, but for our scripture reading, I want you to turn back a couple books in your Bible to Zechariah 14. Zechariah 14, would you please stand with me for the reading of the word of God? I encourage you to bring your Bibles and see this in your own Bibles. We deliberately do not put it on the screen. We really want you to read this in your own Bibles. If you don't have your Bible, you can find one in the pew in front of you. Zechariah chapter 14, the coming of the day of the Lord, chapter 14, verse one. Behold, A day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle. And the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go into exile and the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day, his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley. So that one half of the Mount shall move northward and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains. for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Ezel and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be no light, cold or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day, living water shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the Eastern Sea and half of them to the Western Sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be King over all the earth. On that day, the Lord will be one and His name, one. Oh Lord, we look forward to that day, that great day, the day of the Lord, your day, when you return and judge the nations. When you return with your angels and sit on your glorious throne. Oh Lord, we ache for that day, we long for that day. when you will make all things right, when you will reverse the curse, and where your glory will be seen among the nations where you have been so dishonored. We say in our hearts, Maranatha, Lord, come quickly. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen. Matthew 25, verse 31. And the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. A number of years ago, I watched the movie, Citizen Kane, 1941 film by Orson Welles. And I thought it was terribly boring. It's in black and white, which doesn't help. But as I was watching it, I realized I had really no idea what was going on in this movie. I thought, wow, Orson Welles is a great actor, but I simply just cannot follow the theme, the symbolism. I don't know what's going on here, and I thought it was a worthless movie. Fast forward about six years from then, and I was borrowing someone's car, and the radio was on, and I was listening to these talk show hosts talk about the greatest American films ever made, and one talk show host said, well, without question, it's Citizen Kane. I mean, out of the gate, his first movie he ever made was unbelievable, won all kinds of awards. And it piqued my interest enough to think, you know what I want to do is go back and just read some commentaries on this film and try to get a grasp of what's going on. And so I did that. And I was actually shocked. I really enjoyed the film and actually these commentaries helped me understand some of the symbolism, some of the themes that are going on. And the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. And the more I liked it, the more I thought about it. And I mentioned all that because I think a lot of people are like that with the Bible. They read the scriptures and there's some interesting characters, some neat stories, but large swaths of it are quite boring and not really that interesting. But when you get a few themes that thread together through the whole story, it brings the whole story of the Bible to color, into HD. And you can enjoy even these obscure parts of the scripture because you know what's going on. You know the story. You can see it happening and it's wonderful and it's glorious. Well, we have one of those themes in Matthew 25, verse 31. I'm a big picture guy, so I love verses like this. And honestly, the plan was to finish chapter 25, but I couldn't get past this verse. Let me ask you a question. What does Jesus talk about more than anything else? What's the theme of his preaching, the theme of his ministry? You've been here for any length of time, you know it's the kingdom of God. Or as Matthew calls it, the kingdom of heaven. Jesus says right off the bat in Matthew chapter four, from that time Jesus began to preach saying, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And it's not an overstatement to say that this is not only the theme of Matthew, it's the theme of the Bible. Now, a few years ago, we went through the story of salvation and we traced the theme of salvation throughout the scriptures. And that's certainly one major motif of the Bible. But I think even above and beyond that is the kingdom of God. It really is the message of the Bible. I was reading J. Vernon McGee, some of you will remember him. And he said that chapter 25, verse 31 is truly not only the theme of Matthew, but it is a theme of the Bible. So what did Jesus mean by this? Well, first of all, there's no indication that Jesus is talking about anything other than what the Old Testament prophets proclaimed. An earthly, literal, political kingdom on earth, with the Messiah ruling and reigning from Jerusalem, who would be the Prince of Peace, and yet would rule the nations with a rod of iron. In other words, Jesus is saying that what all the Old Testament prophets proclaimed, He'll fulfill and He'll do. So if you want in to that kingdom, the very first thing you need to do is repent, turn from sin. So here's a question I wanna ask. And I find this to be terribly interesting. So if you don't, you'll have to bear with me this morning. But why an earthly kingdom? Why doesn't Jesus just come back, judge the nations, heaven and earth? Why this millennial kingdom where the Messiah is reigning on earth? It almost seems weird in some ways. Well, I wanna unpack that and look at that this morning. Let's look at verse 31, when the Son of Man. Now, where does that phrase Son of Man originate from? You remember, because we went through Daniel, not long ago that this term is first used in Daniel chapter seven. Daniel, let me just read it. It should be on the screen, Daniel 7, 13. I saw in the night visions and behold with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man. And he came to the ancient of days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all people's nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom, one that shall not be destroyed. Now, the great question theologians ask is, when will this happen? We all agree it'll happen, but when does this happen? Well, I don't think we need to wonder. Verse 31 tells us, Jesus says it in this verse, this will happen at His second coming, not His first. When the Son of Man comes in glory, Notice he comes two times. The Old Testament prophets didn't anticipate this. They didn't see this. They only predicted one coming. But at his first coming, the glory of the Lord was concealed. He was cloaked in lowliness. He was cloaked in service. He came as not one to be served, but one who was serving. and to give his life as a sacrificial lamb. But this second coming, he will come in majesty and splendor and glory. He came as a lamb, but he's coming again as a lion and it will be in glory. And every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord. The word is doxa, where we get the word doxology. And it will be glorious and we will praise Him. The great Puritan John Owen said, only a sight of His glory and nothing else will truly satisfy God's people. I love that. And on that day, God's people will be truly satisfied. Soren Kierkegaard tells a parable story, he says, we are like people who ride our carriage at night into the country to see the glory of God. But above us on either side of the carriage seat burns a gas lantern. As long as our head is surrounded by this artificial light, the sky overhead is empty of glory. But if some gracious, Wind of the Spirit blows out our earthly lights. Then in our darkness, God's heavens are filled with stars. A day is coming. A day is coming when the lights will go out in this earth and we will see the glory of God. A day is coming when Jesus will come back on his throne and he will reign and we will see him as he is. Now notice, where does he come? He comes to earth. The Son of Man is returning and He returns to earth. And so His kingdom will be on earth, just as it is in heaven. And finally that prayer will be answered, Lord, may your kingdom come and may your will be done on earth, just as it is in heaven. And this earthly reign in return is exactly what the Old Testament prophets predicted. Again, Daniel 7 says that the Son of Man is given dominion and glory in a kingdom. And this king and this kingdom will come and will crush all other kingdoms, Daniel chapter two. This did not happen in this first coming. Daniel says of this kingdom, it shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end and it shall stand forever. I love this. If you remember when we went through Daniel, the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, the gold, they all stood for Gentile kingdoms, all stood for Gentile nations. So Jesus would come back, he would judge those nations as we saw in Zechariah 14, and in our verse this morning, and he will establish his own kingdom. That's exactly what's going on here. Jesus comes in glory, he judges the nations, which we'll look at next week, and he's given dominion and glory and a kingdom. This is what the first Adam lost. Adam was created to be king over the earth, but he failed. And as the last Adam, Jesus comes back, he restores all that the first Adam lost. Jesus will come back and he'll reverse the curse. Jesus will come back and he'll restore creation, which has been groaning ever since Adam. The first Adam ruled and reigned on this earth, but he failed to subdue it. But the last Adam will come back and he will put all things under his feet. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15, he must reign until he has put his enemies under his feet. Every age, every nation, every ruler has failed. We've seen this repeated failure of human governments over and over. That's really the book, the story of the Old Testament. But a day is coming, a day is coming when perfect righteousness will reign. As Revelation 11 says, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. And the angels will be with them, we're told here. When Jesus comes back, there are angels gathering, they're collecting, they're helping, they're all over the place, angels galore. We see this in a previous chapter, 24 verse 31, he sends out his angels with a loud trumpet call, they gather the elect, they're working for the Lord. But while the angels serve a number of purposes, I think my own opinion is one of their primary purposes is just to highlight the glory of God. In the same way that an army marching in uniform and formation highlights the glory of the King and the glory of the nation, just like in Isaiah 6, holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. Those hosts of angels simply magnify the splendor and glory of the King. And so He will come back with hosts of angels. The whole earth is full of His glory, Isaiah 6 says. Ah, and then, then He will sit on His glorious throne. That has to be one of the most satisfying statements in all of Scripture. Then He will sit on His glorious throne. Creation has been groaning for this moment in history. The Lord has arrived on his throne. Now what throne? This is the Davidic throne mentioned in 2 Samuel 7. In fact, it really goes back further to Abraham when God made a covenant to Abraham. He reiterates it to David. And God says to David that, hey, you wanna build me a house? I'm gonna build you a house. And there's gonna be one who comes from your line who will reign over this house and this throne and this kingdom. And when Jesus was born in Luke chapter one, the angels say, he will be great and he will be called the son of the most high. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father, David. That's the same throne mentioned in this verse. So Matthew is saying that a day is coming when Jesus will return, he'll sit on the throne on this earth. In fact, earlier he tells his disciples that they'll also sit on thrones. Matthew 19, 28, Jesus says to his disciples, truly I say to you in the new world, when the son of man will sit on his glorious throne, same one here, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. Now imagine trying to make sense of that if Jesus is merely speaking of a figurative heaven. What's there to judge? What are they supposed to judge? There'd be no need for it. No, Jesus is speaking of a coming age where Israel still exists and where he's reigning on the earth. This is the millennial kingdom, Revelation chapter 20. But again, why? Why? Why not just have Jesus come back? Judgment, new heavens, new earth. What's the point? Why a throne? Why nations? Why a kingdom on earth? I'm gonna ask you just to pause for a moment and think with me. I wanna spend some time just working through the scriptures and just getting sort of a panoramic view of the Bible using this thread, this theme of the throne and the kingdom. Let's do a little biblical theology here. God's earthly kingdom began with Adam and Eve. God told Adam and Eve to have dominion over all the earth and over every created thing. It was God's original intent to have a kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, but they failed. Adam failed as a mediator of God's kingdom on earth. The first Adam was the king of the earth, but he failed. And as a result of that failure, every age has been riddled with it. In every attempt to establish a kingdom has failed. The final result of this, is that the earth became so corrupt that God sent a worldwide flood and started with a new group of people. After the flood, God now authorizes his mediation through human government. Genesis 9, 6 says, whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. For God made man in his own image. This is the first command for humans to govern by the sword, which Paul elaborates on in Romans 13 and elsewhere that, These government officials are actually ministers of God. They're ordained by God. But the problem is they're still corrupt. They call evil good and they call good evil. So even though God institutes human governments to be as representatives, they fail. Human government would be great if it was made up of the right people, but that's the problem. This age basically comes to an end at the Tower of Babel. The whole world came together in a one language, one government scenario and God's kingdom was on the verge of collapse. So God confuses the languages and the people spread out. Enter Abraham. God now turns to one man to accomplish his will on earth. He calls Abraham, makes him a promise that he would have lots of kids and he would inherit this particular land and one of his kids would be a savior. Now through Abraham, God would mediate his kingdom on earth. So now we have a nation of people, the Jews, and God raises up another representative, Moses. Moses tells the Jews that they're to be God's representatives on this earth. God speaks to Moses and says to Moses, I am that I am. God essentially tells Moses that he's the sovereign king of the universe, but he wants Moses to display that kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. God displays his power for the nations to see in particular Egypt and they see signs and wonders. Moses eventually says that all other nations will look to them and learn about the greatness of God, the greatness of his kingdom. God says to them, you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. Then God gives laws to this nation. Now the whole world will see that God is great because of his incredible laws. Now there's a constitution to guide this kingdom. The nation has laws that are good. They're religious laws, moral laws, political laws, laws that deal with the outsider, laws that protect marriage, laws that protect the poor. If they stick to these laws, then they're promised rest. They're promised healing from disease. They're promised good water, good food, health, wealth, prosperity. But of course, they don't listen to God. They fail. Instead of being a light to the nations, they're a joke to the nations. They're an embarrassment. Then come the judges. These leaders are chosen by God to be as mediators on earth, but they fail again. The glory of God is marginalized and his name is dishonored among the nations. Then come the kings. Starts off great with David. He's a good king. Doesn't take long before it all unravels. Corruption enters, the kings fail miserably, the nation gets divided, people pay heavy taxes, they gotta send their sons off to fight wars, government gets bigger and bigger, people lose private property, all because they wanted to be like the other nations. They reject God as their king, the people fail, God is dishonored among the nations. Soon God brings judgment on them, they go into exile. This is where many of the prophets come into play. And they basically say, I know it's bad, people, but a day is coming. A day is coming when God's king will reign. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. And you could just feel the emotion as they're longing for such a king. on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. And you can just feel the anticipation. This is where Daniel comes in. Daniel says, look, the ancient of days will send a son of man. Basically, Daniel prays and says, we as representatives of God and His kingdom on earth have failed, Lord. We have rejected you. But there's one coming who's a perfect prophet, a perfect priest, and a perfect king. Zechariah 14, nine, which we read this morning, and the Lord will be king over all the earth. Has that happened yet? Right when the exile happened, the prophet Ezekiel said something really interesting, something that just shocked the Jews. He said he saw a vision of a temple and the glory of the Lord left it. How horrifying for them. His earthly kingdom mediated through the Jews had left the earth, but there was a glimmer of hope. You read Ezekiel? Because at the end of it, the Jews are restored, the temple's rebuilt, the glory of the Lord returns and fills the temple. and the earth. This judgment of the Jews reached its height, I think in 70 AD when the temple was destroyed. But Hosea said, ah, don't fret because those people who are called not my people will one day be called my people again. But in God's genius plan, in his brilliant scheme and plan and wisdom, It was the hardening of the Jews who stumbled over the cornerstone that led to the inclusion of the Gentiles. So now Gentiles could be part of this new covenant. And when Jesus came to earth, he was the glory of God, the exact representation of God. He preached that the kingdom was near because he was near. He's the perfect embodiment of the kingdom. He was everything Adam wasn't. He was the promise of Abraham. He was the true and better Moses. He was the true and better David. He was everything the nation of Israel was not. And through his sacrificial death on the cross for sinners, he displays the ethos of the kingdom of God. He conquers death. He's raised from the dead. He reverses the original curse, which was death. And before he ascends, after teaching his disciples for 40 days, he asked them, they asked him, when will you restore the kingdom? And he tells them, it's not for you to know the time. In the meantime, he deals with a new people, the church, made up of Jews and Gentiles, a new people that's to be a light to the nations, that's to go out and to proclaim the gospel. But this new group has not replaced Israel. They haven't superseded Israel. We've been grafted into Israel. Salvation is from the Jews. But a day is coming when all Israel will be saved, not outside of Christ, but in Christ. A day is coming when ethnic Israel will be restored as the prophet Zechariah says, and then they will look on me whom they've pierced. A day is coming when the Lord will sit on his throne in Jerusalem. So why an earthly kingdom? Why verse 31 of Matthew chapter 25? Because this throne in this setting on this earth is the perfect place for the nations to witness the King of kings and the Lord of lords as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. This is finally the time when His glory will go public. This is the time and the place when the government will be on His shoulders, which didn't happen at His first coming. This is the time and the place for the Lord to receive honor and glory where He has been so dishonored. This is it. As John MacArthur says, could it be besides the brief time between the creation of Adam and the fall that the world would know no dominion but Satan's? Could it be that God will literally destroy but not restore his vast creation, all of which longs to be set free from the curse? No, this is the time, this is the place, verse 31. God will bring his universal kingdom to earth and receive honor and praise and glory from the nations. On earth where he has been so dishonored. On earth where he was denied and mocked and beaten and crucified. On earth where his name is used as a curse word. On earth where his law has been ignored. on earth where nations and kingdoms have done their best to eradicate him. Adam and Eve fail as God's representatives. Human governments fail, the Jews fail, the judges fail, the kings fail. Every leader, every nation, every government, every kingdom, failure. in politics, in religion, in art, in culture, in government, in society, the name of God has been marginalized. And so it is consistent with the overall plan of God to come to this earth with his angels, sit on his glorious throne and reign. It'll bring Him much glory to publicly reverse the curse, display His glory from shore to shore. I just love those words. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And I don't know about you, but I can't wait. What a satisfying verse. What an incredible promise. I wanna look at some characteristics of this kingdom. First one is this, these are not in your notes. The kingdom is physical, earthly, and it's literal. Now, some people today claim that the physical, earthly, literal future kingdom was a recent development in theology. This is the invention of Darby, they'll say. But that's simply not true. This was clearly the predominant view of the early church for about 300 years. The early church overwhelmingly believed this, that there would be an earthly kingdom where Jesus comes back and he reigns. Church fathers like Papias, Justin Martyr, Tertullian all believed this. And it wasn't until Origen and Augustine came along and said, no, actually, these passages ought to be spiritualized. This is how all millennialism was born and really taught that the promises made to Israel now belong to the church. If I could guess, I think the church had grown so fast with Gentile believers that after a few hundred years, they just said, we're the new Israel. Our millennials do not believe that Christ will reign on the earth for a thousand years. They would say, no, we're in the millennium now. Satan is bound, this is the millennium. The kingdom is figurative, it's spiritual. But I would wanna say, even though there are many good godly people who teach that, I'd wanna say no. Jesus is coming back to reign on the throne and rule the nations with a rod of iron. And by the way, what does that even mean if there's not a future kingdom? If the kingdom is only spiritual, then why rule with a rod of iron? If that's meant to be in heaven in the new Jerusalem, then why would you have to rule with a rod of iron? They're all believers. He didn't do that in his first coming. He's not doing it now. It seems like the only natural, logical, scriptural answer is that he'll do this in the millennium. Revelation 20 says. This also means that there's a future for the nation of Israel and ethnic Jews, not outside of Christ, but in Christ. Now, I was reading this week a very good commentary, mostly, it's written by Michael Green, edited by John Stott, very capable, godly, good, Bible-loving commentators. But I take issue with what Green said here. He said, always in the New Testament, the church takes over the role of Israel in the old. Jesus gave no political predictions whatsoever for Israel. Therefore, the physical return of Israel is theologically irrelevant. The church has absorbed all the promises to Israel, grafted in to be sure, but replaced. The fact that Israel is in a nation, her own nation, her own homeland is of no theological significance, really? I agree with Spurgeon, who said, let this be settled. that if there be meaning in words, Israel is yet to be restored. As Dave Hunt said, God's integrity is tied to Israel. As Paul said, a day is coming when all Israel will be saved because their gifts and calling are irrevocable. Second of all, the kingdom will have a social and cultural impact on the world. This to me is actually really, for lack of a better word, fun to think about what the kingdom will be like in that day. But we know from scripture that there's one language, one kingdom, one religion, one savior, one Lord. Just imagine this, use your sanctified imagination for a moment. Imagine money and resources not being wasted. Imagine an efficient government. Such a thing only seems like a fable. Society, though, will fellowship and thrive. I think one way to look at it is take the best parts of the city and take away evil. Take the best parts of food, culture, festivals. Take the best parts of technology, science, creativity. Take away drunkenness, take away taxation, take away war, take away sickness, disease, mental disorders, physical disorders. Take away isolation and loneliness. Take away public cruelty. Take away poverty and oppression and bad politics. Take away atheism and secularism and communism, and then add joy. Add Jesus as the King over all of it, physically. as the prophet, as the priest. Add Jesus as front and center of the world, as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. It will be a time of incredible joy. It will be satisfying. I know I've mentioned this before, but I think one of the greatest ways to understand, at least for me, that what the kingdom will be like is like camp, a Christian camp. You grow up, especially if you're in an average, normal middle school or high school or even grade school. And if you're a Christian, you're not really on the in crowd per se. You probably have one or two Christian friends if you're blessed, maybe you have none. You're not really an insider in the world's eyes. But when you get to camp, it's almost the exact opposite. The leaders love the Lord. The teachers love the Lord. The song leaders love the Lord. It's all reversed. The kingdom will have such an impact on the world. Believers will be the norm. Worship of Jesus will be normal, proper. Third, the kingdom will bring an end to all military. Psalm 46.9 says, he makes war cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear. Micah 4 says, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. It's gonna happen. It hasn't happened yet, but it will. The kingdom will be a time of world peace. In fact, it's interesting, the Antichrist tries to mimic and imitate all the things that the Lord will accomplish in the millennium. One language, one religion, one leader. Well, that'll actually happen, Christ will do it. It'll be an end to all military, no more taxes for military defense, no more sending off your sons and daughters to war. Fourth, the kingdom will be a time of remarkable farming and agriculture. It's kind of fun to think about, but Ezekiel 36 says, and I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you. I will make the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field abundant that you shall never again suffer the disgrace of famine among the nations. The deserts will become fruitful. You think of places like Sudan, what a horror. Imagine if deserts became fruitful and wicked people weren't in charge. Imagine such a world. Imagine if you could conceivably make the deserts farmable, livable. How much room that would make, how much produce that would make. Just economically, it's a phenomenon. The curses removed from the earth, no more weeds. agricultural, economic prosperity. Five, the kingdom will bring changes to the animal kingdom. We see this in Isaiah 11, the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the lion, the fat and calf together, and the little child shall lead them. The whole world will be a giant petting zoo. The animal kingdom is changed. This is what it will be like when it was before the fall. Number six, the kingdom will be a time of physical health, healing, medical, scientific, engineering advancement. Lifespan will be increased, disease, physical deformities will go away for those who don't have resurrected bodies. Isaiah 33, listen to this and take encouragement from this. Isaiah 33, 24, and no inhabitant will say, I am sick. Isaiah 65, no more shall there be an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not fill out his days for the young man shall die a hundred years old and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. It'll be weird if someone dies before they're a hundred years old. People will live a long time in the kingdom and curable wounds will be healed, Jeremiah says. Autoimmune disorders will be solved. Cancer will have its cure. And lastly, and most importantly, and most thrillingly, the kingdom will be governed by the Lord Jesus Christ. Imagine such a world. Jesus as president, Jesus as king. Just listen to these words and try not to get excited. Isaiah 9, 6, for to us a child is born, to us a son is given, that was his first coming, but a second coming and the government shall be upon his shoulder. Imagine. Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. on the throne of David, 25 verse 31, and over his kingdom, Daniel 7, to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. Do you feel the satisfaction of scripture coming together here? What a day that will be. But someone might say the world is digressing into moral decay and immorality. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. But the world's leaders are corrupt, they're unlawful, they're wicked. Look at Sudan, look at North Korea. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. But my body is broken. It's full of disease and pain and suffering. When the Son of Man comes, then He will sit on His glorious throne. But relationships have been estranged and broken. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. The globe is warming. Earthquakes are increasing. The ice cap is melting. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. But the world's economy is on pins and needles. It's a house of cards. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne. But nation is rising up against nation. The peoples fight one another. When the Son of Man comes in glory, then He will sit on His glorious throne and everything that's wrong in the world will be made right. So when we hear in Scripture the kingdom of God and hear Jesus talk of His return and His glorious throne, I think it's one of the keys to making the Bible come alive. Like Citizen Kane, the Bible will come alive when we get a glimpse of what's going on here. But it also helps us practically suffer properly as pilgrims on this planet. I have a good friend from college who had tragedy strike this past week. I actually can't imagine anything more horrifying. Their little four-year-old boy was swimming in their hot tub. They left him just for a few minutes and they found him face down. He's been on life support the last few days and last night his wife wrote, Today we made the decision to see what Soren can do on his own tomorrow. What this means is we're going to take off his ventilator. His doctors say he has strong lungs, so he may keep breathing, but it most likely means he won't survive for long. We'll have time to be just with him during this time. We will remove all the tubes and things so we can just hold him and sing and pray over him. We are so broken, and yet I cannot express our peace and hope in Jesus. So evident that our doctor asked us to explain our faith. He said he doesn't see families live like this so peacefully. I'm glad we're living Christ in such a way that people are compelled to ask, what a gift. She says last night, I may not post tomorrow, but please lift us up all day. And then the next day when we go home and have to tell Jack, I think that'll be the most difficult of all. God is good. You know, I thought about that. Last night as I was preparing, I just thought, you know, a day is coming. I just wanna say to her, a day is coming. When the Son of Man, He's gonna return, and He's gonna return to His glorious throne in power, and He will make everything right. And He shall be King over all the earth. I encourage you to be part of this kingdom. And if you wanna enter this kingdom, Jesus says you have to repent, confess your sins, turn from your sins, obey the gospel that Jesus died on the cross in your place, was raised to life. He now has the authority to give eternal life to those who ask. Do that, do that. Trust him in his gospel if you wanna be part of that kingdom. Please stand with me. Lord, it's against the backdrop of this world, which is so broken, which is so wicked, which is so corrupt, which is so diseased, which is in so much pain, hurting. It's against such a backdrop that these words from you are so meaningful. And it creates in us, Lord, an anticipation for you to return and reign. It creates in us an anticipation for you to be glorified and receive honor among the nations, among your people. Help us, Lord, to wait patiently with an understanding that we are pilgrims on a broken planet. We are not yet home, but we long for you and your justice. We long for you to see you in person and be the benefactors of your wisdom on this earth, to be the benefactors of your governing genius. We long for it, Lord. And we're grateful for passages like this, which peak our curiosity and our anticipation. We praise you while we wait for you. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.