The subject tonight has been given as the Millennial Church. As you know we are going through our manifesto, the manifesto of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony and this comes under a section which talks about the purposes of the Lord's return. And amongst those purposes, the first one is the resurrection of all departed saints, which Mr Park preached about last month. and the glorification with them of the living saints. So we're really thinking tonight of the glorification of the living saints as a result of their being resurrected. The truth is that when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again, all his people will be raised, the dead in Christ shall rise first, and those which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord will then be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and so shall they ever be with the Lord. You will know that passage in 1 Thessalonians 4 of course and that is true. So the subject last month really leads us on to this month's subject the resurrection of the saints and the purpose of the resurrection is their glorification. God will glorify them. In connection with the subject of the Millennial Church, we were thinking of a similar subject a few years ago and Mr. Brian Greene spoke on the church in the Millennium. I expect most of you will remember that, but It was in the Watching and Waiting, the January 2008 issue of the Watching and Waiting. And at that meeting Mr. Brian Green went through very carefully, very helpfully and very well the passage in Revelation 21. I don't anticipate doing that tonight. He gave a good exposition but I expect really to take you about from place to place. What I was going to say about that 2008 magazine That's right, come in. What I was going to say about that 2008 magazine was that I had bought some old copies and left them on the table over there so if you don't have a copy or have mislaid your copy and would like a copy you can take one tonight. I was just mentioning that Brian Green spoke on the Church in the Millennium a few years ago and the message was printed in Watching and Waiting January 2008 so if you'd like that there are a few copies on the table and help yourself and read it. When you think of the Millennium It is true to say that men have looked forward for a long, long while to the Golden Age. Did we not have a war to end wars? And politicians keep talking about the fact that there is a Golden Age to come. The term the New World Order is really something which is on the lips of politicians. not only English politicians or British top politicians but others they talk about this golden age and I can remember when I was a boy just after the second world war that the the first Labour government got in under Clement Attlee and people seem to really think and coming at the end is partly certainly seem to think Herbert Morrison and Aaron Bevan and Ernest Bevan and all those they certainly seem to think with the coming in of socialism everything was going to go right and we would have a utopia but things haven't worked out like that we've had successive governments not only Labour but Conservative and they all seem to think that they're going to bring about a wonderful state in the world, but it just doesn't happen. These men who aspire to be Prime Minister, they speak in such a way as if they can do some things to make everything right, but it doesn't happen. But it will happen one day, but it won't be brought in by men, by politicians, or by rich men or anything like that, it will be brought in by the Lord Jesus Christ himself when he comes. That's the time for which we are looking. And the Bible does speak about this, the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again and that he is coming to reign on the earth. Now I know that many people don't accept this in these days, There have been those men who have swayed the pastors in our country and in other countries too, I believe, telling them that they can throw away the idea of Christ reigning on the earth. It's not a right thing to think about. But the truth of the matter is that it will happen just as the Bible tells us. I thought we could look at our subject tonight under two heads. The first one is basic facts and I don't expect to be ever so long on that but there are some basic facts and when you think of the millennial church one basic fact is that there will be a millennium and the other basic fact that I wanted to bring before you was there will be a church, there will be saints. the Lord's people are normally referred to when we think about their age in the Bible as saints. So we'll use that word generally speaking rather than the church. Saints. There will be saints in the millennium. And then secondly I thought we could talk about blessed fellowship because it will be a wonderful fellowship. It will be fellowship with the Lord himself of course for the saints but it will be fellowship with one another. I don't say I understand it all or can grasp all that will happen. But we shall understand when it comes to pass that God has planned all this for his people and it will take place. But I just got thought tonight we could look at it in a very simple way. Just looking at some of the things that the Bible does tell us about the Lord's coming and the saints at that time and what it all leads to. But first of all then let's look at the basic facts. There will be a millennium. We have to say of course that the millennium is not eternal. The word millennium just means a thousand years of course. It comes in the Bible, that's the Greek word for a thousand years as we read it in Revelation 20. And of course there are those people who tell us that it's only mentioned once in the Bible and that's in Revelation 20. And they say because it's only mentioned once It's not something that we need really think is going to be literal, something that's going to happen. That's quite a common view these days, isn't it? In point of fact, it's mentioned six times in Revelation 20. If you look at Revelation 20, we won't look at it, well perhaps you will then, you're looking at your Bibles and I want you to look at your Bibles tonight with other references that I've got. But if you look in Revelation 20, you'll see that six times this thousand years is mentioned. Surely God wouldn't keep on saying thousand years if he didn't mean a thousand years. You know, it's been said here before, and it's very true, that John is very meticulous in his numbers. Very meticulous in his gospel, in his epistles, and in the book of the Revelation. You know in his gospels he talked about those two disciples and there were two disciples of John the Baptist who followed after Jesus. And he talks about lots of things. He even talks about the hundred and fifty and three fishies doesn't he? That's in John. Why should he say 150 and three fishes? Well, I don't know. I know the answer to that, but he does. John's very exact with his figures. And you know, when you come into the epistles, you read there are three that bear witness in heaven. Three. And when you come to the book of Revelation, he talks about 40 and two months and 1260 days. And he's very precise in what he says. If he's so precise, Does it really mean that? It doesn't really mean what it says. And the same with this thousand years. It says a thousand years. And there's no reason to believe that it doesn't mean a thousand years. As you've got your Bibles open on Revelation 20, you'll see in verse 2, bound for a thousand years. In verse 3, till the thousand years should be fulfilled. In verse 4, reigned with Christ a thousand years. Verse 5, until the thousand years were finished. Verse 7, when the thousand years are expired. I think that's five we looked at, so there's one I've missed somewhere. In verse 6. Yes, verse 6, to reign with him, I said that one, didn't I? But anyway, it is there six times, I know that. But the point I wanted to make really was the fact that the Millennium is not eternal, it is a thousand years, and it will not be a time of absolute perfection. It won't be like heaven. There are many similarities of course to heaven, it will be a wonderful time, but it it will not be absolutely perfect, but it will be a wonderful time when Christ reigns on the earth. But the other thing I wanted to say was there are many, many scriptures, many, many scriptures which talk about this time when Christ will come and raise the saints and reign with them on the earth. And because Others, apart from John, do not mention that it will last for a thousand years, doesn't mean to say that it won't be for a thousand years, of course it doesn't mean that at all. I mean, John is the only disciple who tells us about Lazarus. The only Gospel writer that tells us about Lazarus, but does that mean it didn't really happen just because John was the only one? It's an illogical reasoning really, isn't it, altogether. but there are many scriptures that speak about this time of great blessing on the earth and I just thought to start with I'd mention the fact there are three distinct references which talk about the earth being a wonderful place if you look at Numbers 14 Numbers chapter 14 verse 21 God says there it couldn't be much plainer could it? as truly as I live, and God is alive, as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah. That's a definite statement, he's talking about the earth, and he says there will be a time when the whole earth will be filled with the glory of Jehovah. It might not have happened in Moses' time, it might not have happened in Isaiah's time, but there is a time coming when the whole earth shall be filled with the glory of Jehovah. So, let's turn to another passage, a well-known passage, Isaiah chapter 11. This is the passage which speaks about the time when the Lord Jesus Christ is coming to reign. It says in verse 4 that with righteousness shall he judge the poor. There are other lovely verses, 1, 2 and 3, before that we break into verse 4. He shall judge the poor, he shall reprove debt for the meek of the earth, he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins, and then it talks about the animal kingdom, something which we've never actually seen happen. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid. Some people try and think that that means that when a man is converted who was a wolf, who was a great sinner, he meets with God's people and dwells with the lamb. But I would suggest to you if he's been converted he's no longer the wolf that they think he was. This is talking about wolves and it's talking about lambs. At the moment they can't lie down together, can they? All the time. The animal world are seeking to devour one another. the spider catches the fly and the bird catches the spider and the cat catches the bird and you could go on couldn't you that's what happens but and i suppose a lot of animals would be afraid of the lion or the tiger some of these big cats but this is what the bible says there is going to come a time and this will really be like it was before adam sinned and i suggest to you too It would have been like this in the days of Noah. How would all those animals have got into the ark, a man and a female of each one, in an orderly way? This is what happened in the days of Noah, they were kept in peace together. The wolf shall lie down with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fat man together and the little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed. The young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And of course you've got a similar kind of statement in Isaiah 65 as well. But I was coming down to verse 9 It says there, they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain. Why would this be? Well I'll tell you why it would be. It's because what God said to Moses, way back in Numbers, It is reiterated here because it's true. The earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea. To me that's a plain enough statement. There will be a time when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah. And then you've got a similar kind of expression in Habakkuk. If you turn to Habakkuk, Isaiah, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk. Habakkuk chapter 2 and verse 14, here the prophet is plainly stating, verse 14, the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea. Three times, three times God has said that. If he'd have said it once, it would still be true. But God has said it three times. So there can be no doubt whatsoever that this will happen. The earth shall be filled with the glory of the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea. But if you turn to Acts chapter 3 It's just interesting to see there what Peter had to say in his lifetime. Acts chapter 3 we could look at verse 19 because he speaks there about the times of refreshing that shall come from the presence of the Lord. He's saying this after Pentecost There are times of refreshing that shall come from the presence of the Lord, and he shall send Jesus Christ, who has now ascended back into heaven, he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution. So these times of refreshing are linked up with the times of restitution. the times of restitution that put him back to order of all things and the lion will again lie down with the lamb and so on. These times of restitution and then this is what he says, do you see this in verse 21 which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. Now I've just referred you to one text in Isaiah, well one text in Numbers, Moses was a prophet one in Isaiah and one in Habakkuk. But what Peter was saying here was, these times of restitution is something which has been spoken about by the mouth of all, all his holy prophets. I haven't brought it over here but it's very interesting to read Bishop Miles' little book on scattered Israel, recovered or regathered and it's very interesting to read that. Ryle goes through the prophets and shows how every prophet spoke about the return of Israel to their own land, which is of course speaking about the same time, going back to their own land for a time of blessing. Well, this is what Peter said. It was spoken of by all the holy prophets. And you know, I love that little word in Psalm 37. Psalm 37 is a lovely psalm and in verse 11 it says, the meek shall inherit the earth. Well, I could ask you, when did the meek inherit the earth? Can you tell me when that came to pass? It's obviously something very much future. There will be a time when the meek shall inherit the earth. That's what the psalmist said. And that will be of course the time of the millennium. And that's referred to actually in Matthew, in the Sermon on the Mount. If you turn to Matthew 5, Matthew 5, verse 5, it talks about blessed are the meek, these are the beatitudes as we call them, the poor in spirit are blessed and those that mourn and so on. But verse 5 says blessed are the meek and it says quite definitely they shall inherit the earth. Well can you see the meek ones having their say in the earth these days, they're trampled down and have been trampled down since the centuries, haven't they? But this is what the Bible says. Psalm saying, Jesus said it on the Sermon on the Mount, the meat shall inherit the earth. So, that's a marvellous thing, isn't it? If you turn to that passage that we read, Ephesians chapter 1, in verse 21, These verses speak about blessing of course to the Lord's people, you realise that from the way we read it. But verse 21 speaks about them having dominion not only in this world but also in that which is to come. Now that word world there is the Greek word eon, it's not the cosmos, the material world. You can check that if you like by looking like I did in Young's or Strong's. I looked in Young's and Young shows us that. It's the Aeon which of course is the age. It's not only in this age but in the age to come. So there you are, the Apostle was speaking about an age to come. And he says the same thing really in Hebrews chapter 6. If you turn to Hebrews chapter 6 Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 5, the powers of the age, that's the word there again, it's the same word, eon, the powers of the age to come. And just lastly under this thought of this basic fact there will be a millennium, you might like just to refer to that well-known passage in Romans chapter 8. We've been speaking about what Isaiah has said in one of the places. I mentioned it was also in chapter 65 as well as chapter 11. But here in Romans 8 we have a reference to the creatures. Verse 21, The creature itself shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together unto now. He's speaking about other things apart from them. The next verse says and not only they but ourselves also but they speaking about the whole creation is groaning. There's so much that sin has brought in which has made it difficult for animals. and birds and things, they're always being grabbed by bigger creatures and devoured and so on. But the whole creation groaneth. And in any case, death has come upon creatures as well as men, as us as well. They're all groaning for this time when the Lord Jesus Christ will come again and reign upon the earth and when things will be done orderly and rightly. So that's the first little fact. There will be a millennium. And secondly, amongst the basic facts, there will be a church or there will be saints. There will be God's people. The Bible speaks very often about this time as about the saints. But if you look at that passage that we read, Ephesians, but really you could go to almost any book in the Bible and find the same kind of doctrine that there are people who are God's people, people who are saints. And the Bible teaches us that these people are people who were chosen of God. You read that in verse 4 in Ephesians 1. He had chosen us. And verse 5 talks about having predestinated us. So there are chosen people. The Jews were a chosen nation. But every individual, every individual who is saved is a chosen person. And then of course you get redemption, if you look at verse 7 it says, in whom we have redemption through his blood. All the saints are redeemed people. Everyone who is a true saint is a person who has been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. There is no other way to be a Christian, there is no other way to be a saint without redemption. And there are called people. Didn't we read in a later verse about him gathering them? I forget which verse that was, but I did see it in one of those verses. He gathers them and that's exactly what he does. Gathers his people, calls them by his grace. We call it the effectual call of God's grace. And that's what happened. Verse 19 speaks about the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe. It's the great power of God that causes us to believe. By nature we're sinners who rebel against God. Now what I want to say is this, that when we're talking about these saints who will be manifested in the Millennium, it's the whole Church of God. Don't let anybody split it up for you. I hope you've all read this little book of Mr Newton's The Old Testament Saints not to be excluded from the church in glory. Now you know there are people who teach differently from what the Bible teaches and they look upon the Old Testament Saints as being something quite different but Abel was saved by precious blood I believe Adam was saved, not everybody believes that, but I believe Adam was saved by precious blood, but Abel certainly was anyway. And if we went through the whole lot, Moses and David and the prophets one by one, all those men were saved by the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. and they were brought to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. They were not saved. People seem to get so confused about this, don't they? They seem to think the offerings in the Old Testament had some saving effect. Some people do. I don't understand it, the way they speak, because they will tell us that the New Testament rightly says that the blood of goats and bulls could never put away sin, and yet they don't seem to appreciate that God gave those sacrifices to the people just to teach them about the one sacrifice for sin. We can look back on the work of the Lord Jesus Christ, but those people in Old Testament times, they would look forward. And this is the way God taught them to look forward. Take a lamb, every year, slay the lamb, so on. And the two goats, the scapegoat and the goat for an offering, they had to do, didn't they? But the various sacrifices, streams and streams of blood was slain in Old Testament times. It was to teach people that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. But it was teaching them too, there would be a Lamb of God who who would come and would die for sin and would pay the price and would meet God's demands. So, salvation is by redemption. And all the Old Testament saints, those who just went through the ritual, that didn't save them. But those who brought their sacrifices and believed that these things taught them about Christ, the Messiah who would come and believe that he would die for their sins, they were the saved ones in the Old Testament. Abraham looked towards Christ's day, he saw it and was glad. And that was such. But when Gentiles were brought in, That was a great blessing. Of course there were Gentiles brought in before New Testament days. We all know about Ruth, don't we, and Rahab. And God was not without bringing some into the Church, even in those Old Testament times. But when we come to the New Testament times, of course we read that God did put them into into the olive tree, graft them into the olive tree. That's what it says in Romans chapter 11. It grafts them into the olive tree and it talks there about the fact that Israel will be ultimately grafted back in. You look at verse 23 in Romans 11. They also, if they bide nights to an unbelief, shall be grafted in. For God is able to graft them in again. And that's what God will do and this is what this chapter is about. God will graft them in again. So we can say there will be the whole Church of God. There will be Old Testament saints, there will be people who are post Old Testament times right down to the present day. They'll all be in the Church of God. Of course it would be true to say, it would be true to say that those who are glorified are those who are converted before the second coming of Christ. The dead will rise when Christ comes, and incidentally that includes Mary, she's not risen yet, she's still in the grave. I don't believe Romish propaganda about that. But Mary will be raised, but David will be raised at the same time. And some of our mothers and fathers, if they were true believers, they'll be raised at the same time. The whole lot, the whole lot of believers. These men whose works we've read, these men whose hymns we've sung and we feel very much one with them, they'll all be raised and they'll all be glorified. That's what the Bible teaches us. They will be glorified. Their bodies will be reunited to their spirits. they will be given glorified bodies and we which are alive and remain them for the coming of Christ, well I don't know whether we will be or not, some of us may be here tonight, I don't know, but those that are alive anyway, they too will be caught up to meet him and they will be glorified. But that doesn't mean to say that no one will be converted after that because we do know a nation shall be born in a day and there will be those who will be born again after the coming of the Lord in the millennium. It will be a great wonderful time, a great time of mission work, particularly by the Jewish nation of course. The Jews when they're converted are marvellous missionaries, far better than we Gentiles you usually find, and the marvellous work will go on. I believe their glorification is when God says, behold I make all things new, which is at the end of the millennium. But it doesn't stop them being in the church. So there you are, you have a wonderful picture here of the whole church of the Lord Jesus Christ, all these people who are called saints. They're all saved by grace, it's entirely God's work, He chose them, He redeemed them, He called them, He keeps them and he will bring them finally into glory. Bring them into the millennium and afterwards into the eternal state. So they're really the basic facts. There will be a millennium and there will be a church or there will be saints. But now I'd like to spend a little more time really in thinking about the Blessed Fellowship. What a wonderful thing it will be. When you turn to the Lord's Prayer in John 17 John 17, the prayer comes to a conclusion and Jesus says in verse 24, Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me. So that was the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ Those who were given to Christ, those who are these saints as the Bible calls them, Jesus was praying that they would be where he is and that they would behold his glory. Now they are caught up to meet him in the air and he comes back to reign on the earth. So that is really where his people will be. Now I mentioned at the beginning about Mr Green's excellent message on the heavenly Jerusalem and of course there will be this heavenly Jerusalem which will be an abided place for saints. Mr. Green spoke about the dimensions of it, didn't he, when he was here. And perhaps we can't fully understand it or visualise it all, but it seems to me this will be the heavenly Jerusalem, the city which will go above the earth, as I believe, above Jerusalem. And it seems to me that somehow the saints will have entrance into that. they'll be glorified and perhaps be as the angels of God ascending and descending. This is what Jacob saw, wasn't it? Something like this during the earthly reign of our Lord Jesus Christ. But the Lord Jesus Christ will be on the earth because he is coming to sit on the throne of David and the throne of David was in Jerusalem. The throne of David wasn't in heaven, like the layman is trying to tell us. The throne of David is in Jerusalem and the Lord Jesus Christ has come to Jerusalem which is below. The city which is so often spoken about, far more frequently than heavenly Jerusalem is spoken about there in the Bible. And this is the prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ then, that the saints would be with him, and they may behold his glory. Well he certainly will manifest his glory then. People don't see his glory now in the earth but it will be manifested then. Turn back to that Ephesians chapter if you will, Ephesians chapter 1 and in verse 19 it says there what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us all who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. There's the resurrection of Christ and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not only in this world but also in that which is to come as we said before that's the age in the age to come. There will be this power and might and dominion manifested. And really we could say as the Lord Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. We read in Corinthians, don't we, that's an evidence that we should be raised from the dead. And these things will be seen in the age to come. And he's put all things under his feet. Gave him to be the head of all things to the church. which is his body, the fullness of him which filleth all in all. Now if you look at the next chapter, chapter 2, it says there he has raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. There in the eons to come, the ages to come, He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. So, in that riches to come, that speaks about the ages, so it's speaking about the Millennium, but it's talking about the eternal state too. We're raised up, the Lord's people, the true saints are raised up and made to sit with Christ that they may see the exceeding riches of his grace. So we certainly see here we share in the Saviour's glory. You'll know that well-known passage in Romans, Romans chapter 8 again, that verse 30 says that those he did predestinate, them he also called, whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, then he also glorified. So there's the links in the chain, aren't they? They were those who were chosen, in time they were called, when they were called they were justified, and if they are justified then they obviously will be glorified. So that's the purpose of God, that His people would share in the Saviour's glory. That's the point I'm trying to make, that God's people, the saints, would share in the Saviour's glory, and as the Saviour manifests His glory, when He comes on the earth to reign, so the saints will share in it. When you look back in Zechariah 14, This last chapter of Zechariah is a wonderful chapter on this time, the Lord's coming of course. Starts with the Lord's coming, standing on the Olivet, but it goes on into the millennium in these last verses, but in the verse 20 it says, in that day, and that's a lovely little phrase that people often don't grasp, it's talking about a special day, the day when the Lord shall come back to reign In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses holiness unto Jehovah. And the pots in Jehovah's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. And what a wonderful time that will be. And you know, here we have it really, don't we? The Lord is coming back to bring this kind of situation into the world the world wasn't made just for the glory of Satan it was made for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and he would have the glory and it will be manifestly so and even there in Jerusalem we're reading now in Zechariah about even where the bells on the horses and the pots and everything they'll all be for the Lord's glory so what a wonderful time that will be Turn over if you will to 1 Corinthians 15, that well known chapter on the resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15. and look at verse 42 it says so also is the resurrection it's been talking about the glory of the sun the moon the stars and so on verse 42 so also is the resurrection of the dead it is sown in corruption it is raised in in corruption so we're talking about the time of the resurrection well this whole chapter does as you know it is sown in dishonor It is raised in glory. There's the actual word. We're talking about the Saviour's glory. It is raised in glory. We shall have glorified bodies. It is sown in weakness. It is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. Whenever you go on to verse 51, We find there I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Well there's lots of people who have passed into sleep or death since the Apostle did. But the truth of the matter, Paul was saying that the whole body of believers, we shall not all sleep, but there's one thing we do have in common. We shall all be changed in a moment. It will all happen in a moment in the twinkling of an eye. Just blink your eyes and see how quick it will all be. We shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye. It will happen just like that. At the last trump. Now that's quite plain when that's going to be then, isn't it? That's not at the end of the millennium. That's at the beginning of the millennium. That's when the Christ comes because it's when the last trumpet sounded that Jesus will come. Trumpet shall sound. 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. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written in Isaiah, death is swallowed up in victory. 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 Lord. But thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. So there's a great emphasis on the wonderful glory, isn't there? The wonderful glory that the saints are going to know. They're sharing the glory, that's really what it is, of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're enjoying all the Saviour is to them. And that's how it will be when he comes again. Well that's no other time of course but which leads on to the millennium. And I can't help but mention Jude right at the end of the Bible or just before the book of Revelation. That little epistle of Jude. We have the prophecy there of Enoch. Moses doesn't tell us that Enoch said all this. But Jude does. God revealed to Jude the exact words that Enoch had said a long, long while before. And I always marvel at these words. Look at verse 14. Enoch, who was a son of Adam, he prophesied about people who were ungodly, these spots and their feasts and so on. He prophesied about them and this is what he says. The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints And can I help mention that next verse, to execute judgment on all and to commit all that are ungodly among them of all the ungodly deeds. Have you ever thought about that? Enoch, Enoch was a man who understood the ungodliness that there would be when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again. I find it very surprising when so many preachers of these days go about telling us we're going to have a great revival, a revival of religion as they think about it, thousands turning to God. It just won't happen like that. Enoch saw the truth of what the Bible says in so many places that this age would end in apostasy and God was coming to judge the ungodly. But that's not really my subject. It's this first part of the verse, or verse 14 anyway, first part of this apostasy. The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. Do you imagine that? They've been caught to meet him in the air and then he's coming. He's coming with all these saints down to the earth. Surely that's a wonderful picture of the glory that should be. So we share the Saviour's glory. Then our second thought was, we should also share the Saviour's rule. The Lord Jesus Christ will rule. You know, when Jesus was tempted, you read in Luke 4, when Jesus was tempted, Luke 4, The devil said unto him, this is verse 6, the devil said unto Jesus, all the power, and he's talking, taking him up into high mountains, showing him all the kingdoms of the world, he says, all this power will I give thee and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me. The devil's a liar. He's the father of lies. It wasn't delivered to him at all. God never gave him all that power. He stole it. He stole it when he deceived Adam, our first father. That's how he speaks, but he saw, the devil at least saw there was a great glory to be manifested on the earth. So he tempted the Lord Jesus Christ and said, I'll give it thee. no need to go through death, I'll give it thee, and the glory of these kingdoms, that is delivered unto me. Well, the Saviour is going to rule anyway. He's going to rule anyway. If you want to turn back to Revelation 20, which is the chapter which speaks a lot about the millennium, isn't it? If you want to turn back to Revelation 20, you will see the plain words there in verse 60, verse 6, about those who take part in the first resurrection, that's of course the saints. It says there quite plainly, they shall reign with him a thousand years. So that's my second thought really. They share his rule as well as his glory. If you turn back to chapter 11 here in the book of Revelation, Chapter 11 and verse 15, it talks about when the seventh angel sounded. And you know the seventh angel would be the last trump that we've read about just now. The last trump. The seventh angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying, the kingdoms of this world, this cosmos, here on the earth, are become the kingdoms of our Lord. They don't belong any longer to Mr Cameron or any other person, this German lady who's been over here. They'll become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever. Don't be misled by those words, ever and ever. Of course, you always take them in their context. I think, I should have looked this up, but I think Mr Newton in his little book, The World to Come, I don't know if you've got that little booklet, The World to Come, but he does show that you must always take ever and ever in its context. If I could think of some of the examples he gives, they've slipped my mind at the moment, but you can look in a concordance where he uses ever and ever. It's talking about the context and in this case it's talking about the thousand years really although the rain will go on because it's an eternal rain but the rain on earth is a thousand years but he shall rain for all that time forever all through those thousand years. The four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats, and fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and which was, and art to come, because now hath taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto my servants the prophets and to the saints you might bear that in mind i don't want to go back to this chapter but i wanted to talk just on one of the points about rewards that are given to the saints and here it is in this verse 11 and then fear thy name small and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth so we have an emphasis in these things don't we And if you turn back to the first chapter of the book of Revelation, verse 7 talks about this time when the Lord Jesus Christ is coming with clouds and every eye shall see him. He also pierced him, so we're talking about the coming of the Lord. But if you look back in verse 5, It says there that Lord Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first begotten from dead, the prince of the kings of the earth, unto him that loved us, this is the song of the Lord's people, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father, Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. So there is a sharing of the Saviour's rule. And actually in this next, on the same page, well in my Bible anyway, in chapter 2, in the letters of the church at Thyatira, you'll see there towards the end of that chapter, verse 25, Ye have already held fast that which ye have held till I come, till I come, and he that overcometh, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron. So we get this answer to start with in the Bible that the Lord's people, the saints, will share the rule with the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Then perhaps I could mention that saints will be set over God's works. Can I take you back to Psalm 8 Psalm 8, this is a lovely little psalm about the millennium of course. Verse 4 says, what is man that thou art? I say about the Millennium, you see that in verse 1 in a way, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. That's how it will be when he comes again. People don't think much of an excellent name of the Lord Jesus at the moment. But in verse 4 it says, What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man, thou visit him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands. that was put all things under his feet. That was God's intention for man. But when we turn to Hebrews, Hebrews chapter 2, we find there that that hasn't happened yet. Hebrews chapter 2, in verse 6, when a certain place testified, and the Apostle is here speaking of course about Psalm 8, saying, is the quote from Psalm 8, what is man that art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels, thou crownest him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands, that was God's purpose for man. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, For when that he put all in subjection unto him, he left nothing that is not put unto him. But now we see not yet all things put unto him. It's not happened yet. That's what Paul is saying. It hasn't happened yet. Man might like to think he's a God and can do all kinds of things, but there are limitations that men have that have been brought in because of sin. But the fulfilment of Psalm 8, according to what the Apostle says here in Hebrews, is that it's not yet happened, but it will happen. So the saints will be set over God's works. And then can I mention, nextly, that the saints will, the world rather, will be subject to the saints. If you look at Daniel 7, the world will be subject to the saints. Daniel 7, we'll just look quickly at some of these verses. Verse 18, you'll know Daniel 7 of course, it's the vision that was given to Daniel of the four great beasts coming up out of the sea, depicting those four nations. But verse 18 says the saints, the saints of the most high shall take the kingdom That's what will happen at the end when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again and they'll possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. They won't ever go back into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar or the Persians or Alexander the Great or the Caesars and so on. No, when the Lord comes, when the Lord comes the saints shall take the kingdom. And then look at verse 22. It says there Well, verse 21 talks about the Antichrist making war with the saints and prevailing until prevailing over the God's people in the Antichrist's will until the ancient of days come and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High God. And the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. And then in verse 27, And the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom and of the whole heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. And all dominion shall serve and obey him. So, you know, we get the truth here, don't we? That the world will be subject to the saints. It's a marvellous thought, isn't it? Do you remember those words of the Lord Jesus? Look at Luke chapter 12. Luke chapter 12 and verse 32 Jesus said, fear not little flock, I understand that word flock, there is little flock anyway, so you could read that, fear not little little flock, a very tiny group, we're a tiny group tonight aren't we, and God's people have always been a tiny group in the earth. But Jesus is saying to them, fear not little flock. Why not fear? Because it's the Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom. Now what does that mean if it doesn't mean what it says? It's not very often that we've had rulers who are godly people in the little flock who have ruled over any of the nations. But this is what Jesus said. It is the Father's good pleasure. to give you the kingdom. And you know those words that we looked at right at the beginning about the meat from Psalm 37 and from Matthew 5. It's the same kind of thought isn't it? The meat shall inherit the earth. Jesus says the Father's a good pleasure to give the kingdom. And I suppose we get this really in the parable of Matthew, one of those parables in Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 Verse 34, the story of the sheep and the goats, and incidentally these are all professing Christians of course, this is not a final division between the believers and unbelievers, all unbelievers, but it's professing Christendom, those who are true and those who are not. But for the sheep which he puts on his right hand, he says to them in verse 34, the king shall say unto them, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. So the kingdom is prepared for them. And can I just mention the thought as well that The saints will judge angels. We just get that reference, don't we, in 1 Corinthians 6. In 1 Corinthians 6, where it says there in verse 3 or 2, Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? She's talking about how believers should agree with one another and deal with one another. And the verse says, know ye not that we should judge angels? I don't know that I can understand that, but that's what it says here. Do you know, I think there are six know ye not's in this chapter six, and this is one of them. Know ye not that ye should judge angels? Can I mention too that the apostles will judge Israel, you know that story that the Lord Jesus Christ told in Matthew 19, in verses 27 and 28, he says Verse 28, anyway, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, the present is in his father's throne, but when he shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also, these twelve apostles, shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And then lastly and quickly, I'd just like to look at the fact that there will be rewards for saints. If you look at Luke chapter 19, you have the story of the pounds. You know, the man going away, and given his servants, and it starts in an early verse doesn't it, verse 12 I suppose, a certain nobleman went to a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So when the Lord does come back there will be rewards for God's people, the saints. And he talks there in those early verses about the given these pounds. The first claim, verse 16, says, thy pound has gained ten pounds. Jesus said, well thou good servant, because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second claim saying, Lord thy pound has gained five pounds. He said likewise him be there also over fire cities. So there are rewards that are granted. You can think if you like there is a similar kind of thought in Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 you have the story of the talents. And these are really talents of silver. They are not our ability to do things. God gives us the ability to do things. But in this parable of talents, verse 14 down, It's the same kind of thought and God gives the truth here that there is a reward for those who do rightly. It's a thing worth thinking about isn't it because how do we spend our time? You know, one day we should be called to account on how we spent our time. Believers are called to account. We will not be brought before the great white throne where unbelievers are brought at the end of the millennium. People get confused. Some of our hymns get very confused. But the judgment seat of Christ is something at the beginning of the millennium to which believers are called. And the great white throne is the place which will be brought about at the end of the millennium where the ungodly will come and they'll be judged according to their works and be told they're departing into the lake of fire. That's what it says, a very solemn passage in Revelation 20, but that's what it says. But what I was trying to say, there will be rewards for God's people and what do we do with the pounds or the talents that God has given us? the things that we do have on earth, a life. It's only one life. It doesn't seem long ago to me, since I was young, but now I find that I'm old and I hardly meet anybody who's younger, who's older than me. It's one of those things, isn't it, you get old and we get to the end of our life. Of course we could come to the end of life very early. I had a brother who died when he was about half my age. And we don't know, but there's one day when we come to give account of ourselves to God. And this is for believers, you see. And when God says, how did you spend your life? What have you been doing? What have you been doing all those years that I gave you? Have you been seeking to testify to truth? Seeking to stand for what is right? What have you been doing with your life? One fears, one doesn't want to be judgmental, but lots of believers will feel very foolish in that day, oh we've spent our lives in doing this, that and the other thing which is of my account, what haste double. We're told about these things, aren't we, in Romans chapter 14. In Romans chapter 14 verse 10. We're told we shall all stand And that we of course, he's writing to believers as you know, he's talking about believers, we shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ. And verse 12, so then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Every one of us, he's talking about believers there, that's the us he's talking about, we shall give account of ourselves to God. And it's also referred to in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 10, where the apostle writes, we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. Again he is writing to believers, he is talking about those who are truly saved, chosen, redeemed and called and kept. We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that everyone may receive the things done in the body whether they be according to that which he hath done, whether it be good or bad. So there you are, there's some reminders for us all there, isn't there, that that day is coming, but there won't be rewards. Well, we've gone very hastily over these things, but it does remind us that there are blessings for God's people, and they will be known in the millennium, and of course, as I said at the beginning, it's not an eternal but it will ultimately on into eternity, which is eternal of course and which is of course perfect. May God prepare us for that great thing.