Good morning. Today we assemble to again continue the series on the Lordship of Jesus Christ. I believe today's message will be number 11 in that series, and we look at the second part of the message on the subject of the Lordship of Christ and his coming kingdom of glory. The Lordship of Jesus Christ and his coming kingdom of glory. I'd like to read from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah, chapter 65, verses 17 through 19, and then verse 25, for a general theme to us today as we analyze this subject included within the Lordship of Christ and his coming kingdom of glory, and that is this. What was the Old Testament prophet's view of what the resurrection would usher in? From the Old Testament perspective, what did the Old Testament prophets view that the resurrection of the dead would usher in? And we are wanting to try to answer that question this morning as we deal with the coming kingdom of glory. Isaiah chapter 65. Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad, and rejoice forever in that which I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and my joy in my people. And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullet, and thus shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy, and all my holy mountain saith the Lord." Now, in the message that we previously brought in this particular aspect of the coming kingdom of Christ and glory, we touched upon first in review very quickly things which the second coming of Christ would usher in. And there we saw from the eleventh chapter of the book of Revelation in verses fifteen through seventeen, four basic things brought out in those passages which are very clear and not left to speculation. One, at the coming of Christ, the wrath of Christ destroys the wicked who are presently living. Secondly, the resurrection of the dead bodies of men occur. Thirdly, the final judgment is ushered in at the coming of Christ. And fourthly, the saints are rewarded at the coming of Christ. Then in that previous message, we also looked at the teaching of 1 Corinthians chapter 15, that the saints are to be resurrected at his coming. So the second coming of Jesus Christ ushers in the resurrection of the dead. and other events associated with that. Now today I'd like for us to disregard, as much as possible, what we have now come to see as the teaching of the New Testament. Let us go back and try to position ourselves as an Old Testament prophet, being given the revelation of God concerning the coming Messiah, and let us see what that individual looked forward to. What did he see that was coming to pass? We have seen in the three messages on the Lordship of Christ and his present kingdom of grace that the Old Testament prophets saw a Messiah who would suffer, who would die, and who would be raised from the dead. We saw that in Isaiah 53, his suffering, his resurrection in Psalm 16. And the New Testament apostles bear evidence that what they were teaching was not anything new, but it was what Moses and the prophets said was to come. So they saw a suffering and an exalted Christ being exalted to the Father's right hand, and there he would rule in a kingdom of gracious redemption which would bring about reconciliation between a holy God and sinful men. But the Old Testament prophets also saw something else. They saw that that kingdom of Messiah, as it advanced, would ultimately usher in a glorious aspect of that kingdom, so glorious in which that it was going to revolutionize the present world order in such a way that there was going to come a time in which that men would beat their weapons of warfare into weapons, or rather into instruments of producing food. Times is like we read in our text just a few moments ago, in which the radical order of this present world order is so changed that animals, once being antagonistic toward each other, shall now be able to get along with each other. And those flesh eaters shall be changed into that which eats grass. and a tremendous alteration. The prophets also saw a time of glorious peace coming as the Messiah would conquer his enemies and would bring them in subjection to his footstool. And this they combined in their Old Testament viewpoint. They saw a suffering Messiah, a buried and resurrected Messiah, an exalted Messiah at the Father's right hand. And then they saw a kingdom in which that Messiah shall rule and reign forever and ever and ever, in which that it shall usher in a great glorious day of peace on earth. and goodwill toward men. Now, it is our subject purpose this morning to try to see, then, what kind of a view did the Old Testament prophets hold toward the resurrection, and what did they believe the resurrection of the dead would bring about? Now, I know I'm speaking this morning to a mixed congregation who have various views on what is known as eschatology. And that is a joy about being able to hold eschatological views without making it a test of fellowship. In our local body here, we have dispensational people, we have premillennial people, we have postmillennial people, and we have amillennial people, or as I prefer to be known as, the gospel millennium, because that is the view which I espouse. that the present reign of Christ is that which the prophets foretold of, that he is in his present kingdom now, and that his kingdom, when he returns again, shall be consummated in glory. And so we can fellowship together around these various positions. So what we say forth this morning should not be taken offensively. in the sense that if it is not your view of eschatology, well, that's all right, you've been wrong about other things, too. No, seriously, we trust that you'll understand that while we have a fellowship in this, still, as a pastor, I must preach that which I believe is my understanding of the Scriptures. And we want to try to show you the basis for that this morning. Now quickly, the three major systems of what's going to happen in the future. The premillennial system holds that the Lord Jesus Christ shall come again, and the glorious age which the prophets foresaw will be set up here on this present earth, and a thousand-year period of time will be extended prior to eternity. So the premillennial view is that from the Old Testament prophets' perspective, they saw a glorious age coming, and that at the coming of Christ, that kingdom will be established, and the glory which the prophets saw will take place on this present heaven and earth. The postmillennial view holds that the Old Testament prophets saw a glorious age of the reign of Messiah. And they hold that this age will take place prior to the second coming of Christ. And there are two primary camps within postmillennialism. Number one is that which is known as evolutionary postmillennialism. Not that they do not believe the Bible or that they are evolutionists, but they believe that through the preaching of the gospel that the world will become more and more converted and that through an evolutionary proclamation of the gospel, then ultimately nearly the whole world will become Christianized prior to the return of Christ, and that is the glorious age which the prophets of old saw. The second branch of postmillennialism is what is known as the revolutionary view, that is, the view which was espoused by John and Edwards and others, in which that there will suddenly come another day of Pentecost. in which the Spirit of God will be poured out upon the whole world in a converting sense, and that great masses will be converted in a very short period of time, and that this is what is known as the latter-day glory which the prophets saw was to come. Now, the third school of eschatology, known as amillennialism, is a bad name. It implies that those who hold to this do not believe in any millennium. That is not true. That is why, while I am a modified R. Mill, I prefer to call it the gospel millennium. That is, that the age in which we are living in right now is the age which the prophets foresaw in which the kingdom of Messiah was to rule at the Father's right hand. and that the coming of Christ will usher in not a glorious period on this earth, but will usher in the new heavens and the new earth And that's where the prophets saw that the glory was going to take place, was on the other side of the resurrection, not on this side of the resurrection. And so that will be what we'll be attempting to show this morning from the Word of God. Let's go back now and look at some of the Old Testament prophets. from their perspective as to what they had in the revelation God had given to them of the resurrection of the body, and what did they think would happen when the body was resurrected from the earth. First, the book of Job. Chapter 14. Now, Job is one of the most ancient of the patriarchs. He lived, it is generally conceded, long before Abraham, a very primitive creature or being, not that he was ignorant, of course, but in the sense of living a great period. The book of Job is considered one of the oldest time periods in the Bible in relation to the patriarchs. And in Job chapter 14, we have him speaking here upon the subject of the resurrection. Verse 10 of Job 14. But man dieth, and wasteth away. Yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth, and dryeth up, so man lieth down, and riseth not till the heavens be no more. they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, that thou wouldst keep me secret until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldst appoint me a set time, and remember me. If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait till my change come. Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee. Thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands." Now, most sound Bible scholars that I have read all attribute this to Job referring to the resurrection. There are some who do not agree with that. They believe that Job is merely referring to his temporal earthly problems that he's But I believe that it can be set forth here that Job is talking about life and death, and life after death. Now, notice what was Job's view as to what the resurrection would usher in, and when the resurrection would take place. Look at him, verse 12. Man lieth down, and riseth not. a person dies and they are not resurrected, till the heavens be no more, they shall not be awake, nor be raised out of their sleep." So Job's understanding of the resurrection is that when a person died in his era, their body would go back to the dust of the earth and they would be said to be asleep. and they would not be raised from the dead as long as the present world order was existing. That when they were raised from the dead, it would involve such a radical transformation that they would see a new heaven and a new earth. They're going to be made to stay in the dust of the earth till the heavens be no more. Now look in chapter 19. Chapter 19, verse 26. Job states, I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And that word, I'm told by the Hebrew scholars, of which I'm not, is that he shall stand up again at the latter day upon the earth. That is Job's Redeemer. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall what? I shall see God." I believe that Job believed in the resurrection. I believe he had a hope of a Redeemer, that even though the skin worms did their job on his body, that this Redeemer would stand up again and that Job would also be made to stand up and to live again. When was that going to take place through the eyes of the Old Testament prophet Job? Not until the heavens be no more. In other words, there will not be a resurrection until this present world order is dissolved with it. Now, let's pose then this question. The premillennial system says that in the resurrection of the saints, the saints will be resurrected and then they will be brought back to live on this present earth for a thousand years with mortal people. Now, notice that will not fit in with Job's understanding. Job did not believe that when he was resurrected he would come out of the grave of the bill and see this present heaven and earth. There will be something entirely new so that I don't believe, and I'm not being facetious, but I don't believe that God would take Job back if the premillennial view is true. that God then would take Job back and say, Now Job, do you remember when that tornado hit the house and killed your kids? Now there's where it was, right over there. Do you remember that? And Job, do you remember when you sat down on that dumb hill and you had all those boils all over you? Do you remember how miserable you were? Now that spot's right over here. Do you remember that, Job? No, there's not going to be any earth that Job knew anything about when he comes out of the grave. Job did not expect to see this present heaven and earth that he was living on still in existence when he came out of the grave. He would go into the grave, he would die, and he would not be raised until the heavens be no more. I present unto you that Job was expecting that after the resurrection he would be placed on a new heaven and a new earth, not on an extended period here on this present heaven and this present earth. So when Job was raised from the dead, he did not expect to see the same heavens which he saw when he was alive here on the earth. Now, this is from Job's perspective. What about David? Let's go to Psalm 17. What kind of a view did David have of what the resurrection would usher in? Psalm 17. He begins in verse 1 with a prayer. Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer. that goeth not out of my feigned lips." That is, I'm not being hypocritical, Lord, I want to know your will, hear my petition. Now let's look down in verse 17. Verse 17 of Psalm 17. I'm sorry, verse 13. Arise, O Lord, disappoint him, cast him down deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword." And I'm not going to get off and chase another subject this morning, but here is somebody afflicting you, somebody really getting under your crawl. That's God's sword. Somebody just putting that sword in and cutting you all to David said that person is in the hand of God. It's God's sword that's doing the cutting. And of course, if we know that we as God's people have been predestined to be conformed to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have much that needs cut out from us. And God will use people in their sin to do the carving. So yes, the wicked are out there. They will take advantage, but they're still under the control of God, amen? They're still God's instruments, and they can be used to even teach His people lessons. David recognized that. Now look on, verse 14, "...from men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world." What is a worldly person? Who is a person that's of this present world? Would you like to have an answer? Look at the next statement. From men of the world which have their portion in this life, a worldly-minded individual is one who's possessed with the temporal things of this life. You only go around once in this life, get all the gusto out of it you can. That's a worldly-thinking individual. Just use the present world order and for yourself promote it for self-gain. And whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure." Where do people get their goods from? From God, and yet they don't even acknowledge God in it. They think that when they get these promotions and they get the gain that, well, it's, I did it. It's from the hand of God. Watch on, they're full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes. Now remember, David is praying, O God, hear my prayer. Deliver me from the presence of the wicked, who have their life consumed with this present world order, who live for their own stomach's sake. who have children, and then when they die they leave their inheritance to their children, God, David says, deliver me from that very presence. What is a worldly person? They go through life eating and grunting like the hogs to get everything they can. It comes time to die. And the kids get in a lawsuit and a fight over what's left. That's what the text is actually saying. What a life. What a life. I'm glad there's more to life than that, than you, than that. Huh? I'm glad that there's more meaning to life than just he who dies with the most goods wins. No, when you die, you're going to leave it all behind, and your kids are going to get in a fuss over who's got what's coming to them. They're going to be just like the prodigal son if they don't know the Lord, and they're all going to say, give me the portion that's coming to me, and I'm going to go spend it as quick as I can. It's going on all the time. Now, David said, Lord, I desire an existence free from this type of an environment. Lord, deliver me from this culture. Look in verse 15. When will it take place? As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness." That is, I will be like you. I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. When did King David expect to have his prayer answered? After the resurrection, not before. Lord, deliver me from the presence of worldly-minded people pursuing after earthly, temporal things, who then die like animals and leave the rest of their inheritance to their kids to squabble over." David said there's got to be more to life than that. Deliver me from this. And then he says, I'll be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness. I submit unto you that when David came out of the grave, he was expecting to be free from the presence of people who were trying to get all the gusto they could get. David prayed that when he was resurrected into the likeness of righteous perfection, he would be completely delivered from the presence of the wicked who were pursuing the temporal things of this life. All right, now you ready for the deduction? The premillennial system says that when the saints are resurrected, They're going to be put back here on this present earth for a thousand years to live with mortal people who are still dying, who are still elbowing one another, who are still not God-lovers, who still suffer, who still fight. only it will be subdued, and that the resurrected saints of God are ordained to have to live with this environment for another thousand years only it's subdued, in comparison to what it once was. I submit unto you that was not David's idea of what the resurrection had in store for him. He believed that when he came forth out of the grave there would be no more wicked people, Neither would there be a self-centered society slugging it out to see who can get the biggest amount. No, he said, I'll be satisfied when I awake with your likeness. Then you'll answer my prayer and I'll be delivered from the presence of the wicked. What was Job's view of the resurrection? He did not expect to see the same heavens and the earth when he came out of the grave. What was David's view? David's view was when he was resurrected, he would no longer be in the presence of mortal, sinful men. Daniel's view, Daniel 12, verses 1 through 3. Daniel 12, verses 1 through 3. At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people. There shall be a time of trouble such as never was, since there was a nation even to that same time. At that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Many of them with sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting content." and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." Again, a clear-cut indication of the resurrection, that many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, and the destiny is divided. The wicked are assigned to everlasting destruction, and the righteous to everlasting life. Now, what did Daniel then view as to what the resurrection would usher in from his perspective from an Old Testament prophet? He believed that at the resurrection of the dead, both the wicked and the righteous would face their eternal destinies, both of them. That is, that not only would the righteous be rewarded, but the wicked would be assigned their eternal destinies at the resurrection of the dead. So Daniel did not believe that the righteous would be taken to heaven and the wicked would be left behind to have another opportunity to repent and believe the gospel, but that at the day of the resurrection, both the wicked and the righteous would face their eternal destinies. Now our passage which we read this morning as our text in the book of Isaiah. What did Isaiah the prophet see that the resurrection would usher in? Turn now with me to Isaiah chapter 25. He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces, and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth, for the Lord has spoken it." Now, this is a unique passage here. It is quoted twice in the New Testament. Let me read it again quickly. He, God, will swallow up death in victory. First quotation, 1 Corinthians chapter 15, the Apostle Paul handles that passage right there. We'll look at it in a moment. And the Lord God will wipe away all tears, or tears from all faces. John handles this passage in Revelation chapter 21. Now then, let's go to 1 Corinthians 15 and see how Paul interprets Isaiah. 1 Corinthians 15. We looked at this last week extensively on the resurrection. We saw that the kingdom of Christ began at his resurrection, he was the firstfruits, and then the kingdom is consummated at his return. when he conquers the last enemy, and the last enemy is death. And when the last enemy is destroyed, then the kingdom of Jesus Christ as mediator is consummated, and his work is completed, and he is announced as a perfect victor of all the work that God gave him to do. Now then, look on in verse 50. He's dealing with the whole issue of the resurrection of the body. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. That is, in a twinkling of an eye, out here sometime known only to God, the Lord Jesus Christ shall return with the sound of the trumpet, and just like that, those who have died in Christ will be raised." and those which are alive shall be changed." That is, they shall not die, but their bodies shall be changed from mortal bodies into immortal bodies. And so there will be a tremendous transformation take place at the coming of Christ when the dead are raised. Now then, verse 54, Paul then quotes from Isaiah. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the same." That is written, death is swallowed up in victory. Now, when is the last enemy of Christ overthrown? In the resurrection of the dead. So whenever the saints are resurrected, there are no more enemies to deal with. Then the victory which the prophets saw would come would be ushered in. What kind of a victory is that? Verse 55, O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. Thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." What is the ultimate hope of the child of God? It is the resurrection of the dead, associated with the coming of Christ, when the last enemy of Christ shall be conquered. Everything which stands in the way of complete reconciliation of his people to God. soul, spirit, and body, whatever you please, all of his enemies have been removed, and now then they shall enjoy the blessings of God forever and ever and ever, no more death." So the second coming of Christ ushers in the resurrection, and the resurrection is the state of glory which the prophets saw was to come. Now then, the other half of Isaiah's passage He is quoted in the book of Revelation, which you turn there, Revelation 21. Verse 1, I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth were what? Passed away and there was no more seen. Remember what old Job said back there years before, Brother to lay down and die, and I'm not going to be raised until the heavens that now are be no more. What is the resurrection going to usher in? Not an extended period of time of glory on this present earth, but a glorious appearing of the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. That's where the prophets saw that their ultimate compensation was going to be given them. not in this earth, but in the earth to come on the other side of the resurrection. I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he shall dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Now watch your passage, verse 4. And God shall wipe away all tears," from what? From their eyes. Isaiah 25, verse 8. And there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, for the former things are passed away. Isaiah said that. And the New Testament Apostles says that takes place after the resurrection in the eternal state of affairs. Not an extended state on this present world order, but a state of glory in the new heaven and the new earth. Now let's go back to Isaiah chapter 65. Isaiah chapter 65. Swallow up death and victory in the resurrection. The Lord God will wipe away all tears from their faces in the resurrection. Now, Isaiah chapter 65. Some time ago I was listening to a message by a good pastor friend of mine who holds to the dispensational premillennial view, and his passage was taken from Isaiah chapter 65, verse 25. And he said, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen when the Lord comes. So he read verse 25. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock, and thus shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. I said, good, this is going to be a good message, going to speak on that glorious day. And so what did he then proceed to do? He proceeded to tell me that the wolf and the lamb are going to lie down together after the Lord returns during the thousand-year reign on this present heaven and earth, and how that's going to be a glorious time of peace. Things are going to be a great deal different than they were before. How many of you have heard the old song? Some of you old-timers. The rest of you don't even know who I'm talking about. You old-timers remember Red Foley? You younger ones, some of you are looking around, who in the world is that? All right? Some of you younger ones. Do you remember Elvis Presley? I'm sure you do. Both of them had a song which they made famous. Red Foley was the first one to put it out. There'll be peace in the valley for me someday. The lion's going to lay down the lamb. There'll be no more war, no more suffering, no more sorrow. Oh, my Lord. The old-time quartets used to sing that quite frequently. Peace in the valley. Now, that is generally interpreted in many circles as meaning that's going to occur after the Lord returns during a thousand-year reign on this present heaven and earth. That's when it's going to take place. And thus, the wolf and the lamb will be able to feed together, the wolf's ferocious appetite will be changed, and he'll no longer have any desires for the lamb. And the lion is not going to eat flesh anymore, it's going to eat straw and grass like the cow or the bullock. Now, there's something in interpreting the Bible that's very important. It's known as acknowledging the context in which something is taken from. If you would, drop back to Isaiah chapter 65 and let us see the context in which Isaiah introduces the subject of when the wolf and the sheep are going to get along together. That's something that's not happening now. Everybody agree? You put a hungry wolf in the presence of a little lamb and its nature, it's going to do what is natural. It's going to seek to devour. There's coming a time in which that's not going to be the same order. It's going to be radically altered. Now when is that going to be? Is it going to be on this present earth or is it going to be on the new heaven and the new earth? Isaiah 65, verse 17. Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mine. Be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create, for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people, and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying." Now, when have we already seen that's going to take place? After the resurrection. Now, I haven't time to read the other statements in there. They're very pertinent and very appropriate. my message is getting away from me, I'm going to have to eliminate the explanation of those passages. But do you see that the context introduces the new heavens and the new earth, is when the radical order is going to be taking place. And that's the context in which the wolf and the lamb are going to lie down together. I formally held to the dispensational premillennial system, and I felt I understood it well, was schooled in it in my Bible college, was told if you didn't believe that, you didn't believe the Bible, and that if anybody else believed something else, they were liberal and were not to be trusted. Most independent Bible colleges, that's what you're taught. But I was also taught that during the thousand-year reign of Christ, there were still going to be wicked people present, and that they were not going to love the Lord Jesus Christ, but they were going to be restrained, where they would not be allowed to do the wicked things, even though their hearts still desired to do them. Because those of you who know your systems what takes place under the premillennial interpretation at the end of the thousand years. When Christ's reign is over, then there is a tremendous rebellion against him from the very people that he reigned over. Which means that the people over whom he was ruling that were mortal, living individuals, did not really love him They only served him because he made them do so. They didn't have new hearts, but they had wicked hearts to them which were restrained until that restraint was lifted, and then they lead a rebellion against the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, you know what kind of an image that conveys to my mind now as I look back upon my older days? It gives me the image of that old lion over there. chained up, looking at that lamb, and just licking his chops, saying, just wait until the reign of Christ is over, and then I'll get you. In other words, his nature is still the same in heart, only the reign of Christ is just keeping him from eating the lamb. Is that the picture that Isaiah 65 portrays? No. It is a picture there in which the lion and the lamb have the same natures. The premillennial system says that the people who are wicked in the reign of Christ will manifest their wickedness at the end of the reign and lead an insurrection against him, which means then they were not really Christ-lovers. They were being restrained. And then when the reign of Christ is over, supposedly, then they, from the four corners of the earth, lead a rebellion against him. Now, that's not much glory for me, my hearer. I don't see much glory in that. Christ reigning over a world of hypocrites. No, the image that the prophets saw When the lion and the lamb would lay down together, and the wolf, and they'd get along, would be a time in which that not a restrained activity would take place, but a total alteration of their natures. And that's on the other side of the resurrection, in a new heaven and a new earth. You'll not find any wickedness there. You'll not find any sin, suffering, or death. You'll not find any of the effects of the fall in the new heaven and the new earth. This, I submit, is the time period in which that Job, David, Daniel, and Isaiah looked forward to what was coming under the Messiah, that he would suffer that he would die, that he would be raised from the dead, that he would be exalted to the right hand of God. He would rule in a kingdom of grace until he brought every enemy to bow his footstool, and then he would complete in his coming the consummation of the work which the Father had given him to do. And when the dead are raised, the last enemy that shall be destroyed shall usher in eternity. There's where glory is. not before. And thus, all that we may look forward to in this present earth is trials and tribulations, and also an increased relationship with Jesus Christ as we grow in the grace and knowledge of him. And there may be a great revival laying ahead. There may be more apostasy ahead. I am unconvinced either way in that matter. But I believe all this will end when the last one of God's chosen people are brought out of the fold, out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear Son. Then it will all be over. Christ will come He will have justified, he will have sanctified, and in the resurrection he will have glorified all those whom the Father had given to him. And he turns them all over to the Father and says, I haven't lost a one of them. I've finished the work which you gave me to do. And they then will be compensated not with an extension of this present world order in which that they're forced to live with mortal sinful people, but they'll be rewarded with a world to come, resurrected, never to remember the sorrows and the pains of this present world order, but will be allowed in their new bodies to have their feasts, make contact with the new heaven and the new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. I submit unto you, this is what the Old Testament prophets look forward to in the coming of Messiah. Now, is that your hope? Is that your hope? Christ in you, the hope of what? Of glory. Yes, I want to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Amen? I want to be more like my Master. But I don't want just an improved sanctification. I want a perfected sanctification. And you know when that's going to come? Not until the Lord comes and the dead are raised. All right? So I'd like to see a great revival occur in this world, but all that's going to do is just improve present living conditions. But I really believe that the latter-day glory which the Old Testament prophets saw was that which was going to take place on the other side of the grave. That's where perfection occurs. Abraham looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker was God. And Brother Howard, that wasn't in Jerusalem, that wasn't on this earth. That was an earth which God made with his own preparation. Not something that man pitched, but something which God is preparing for those that love him. Behold, I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, there you may be also. Do you want to be with Christ? Do you want to be with people that love Christ sincerely? Do you want to be in an environment in which there's no more sin, there's no more effects of the curse, but everything is lifted? My friend, that is the hope of the Old Testament people, that's the hope of the New Testament people, is Christ in you, the hope of glorification. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Look to Christ this morning. He is our hope. Let's stand together.