You read God's Word this morning as it is found in Revelation 20. Last book of the Bible, Revelation 20. Revelation 20 is the well-known passage or at least the passage which includes the well-known idea of the millennium. It's called a 1,000-year period in reign of Christ, a 1,000-year period of the binding of Satan, the dragon. We read about that. Strikingly it's the only passage in the Bible that speaks of the 1,000 year reign and yet the views of the end times are often labeled with this term and built around the idea of the 1,000 year reign. Let's read Revelation 20 in connection with Lord's Day 19 this morning. Revelation 20, hear the word of the Lord. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit. and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years, but the rest of the dead lived not again until a thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power, But they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne and him that sat on it. From whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead would judge out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. We read that far in God's holy and inspired word. Turn now to the Hatterberg Catechism and Lord's Day 19 in the back of the Psalter. Lord's Day 19. Based on the passage that we read as well as on other passages of the scriptures, we have the teaching of the catechism. Page 11, Lord's Day 19. Catechism is explaining our confession. The biblical truth of Christ sitting at the right hand of God and coming again to judge to quicken the dead. Why is it added, and sitteth at the right hand of God? Answer, because Christ is ascended into heaven for this end, for this goal. That he might appear as head of his church by whom the Father governs all things. What profit is this glory of Christ our head unto us? Answer first that by his Holy Spirit he pours out heavenly graces upon us as members and then that by his power he defends and preserves us against all enemies. And what comfort is it to thee that Christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead? Answer that in all my sorrows and persecutions with uplifted head I look for the very same person who before offered himself for my sake to the tribunal of God, and has removed all curse from me to come as judge from heaven, who shall cast all his and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall translate me with all his chosen ones to himself into heavenly joys and glory. Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, we consider the doctrine or the truth of Lord's Day 19 this morning, but with the flavor and the perspective of Revelation chapter 20 that we read. Revelation 20 includes, as I made comment earlier, the concept of the 1,000 year period or reign of Jesus Christ during which Satan is bound. And many different views exist today in this world by different confessing Christians about what that 1,000 year reign is supposed to consist of. It's hotly debated and the three views or the three categories of views, I should say, because there are variations within those views, can be summed up as premillennialism and postmillennialism and amillennialism. The essential students recently studied this in catechism. Premillennialism is the view that Christ is returning. He's coming back, as we confess in the Apostles' Creed. He's sitting at the right hand of God. He's coming back before a future 1,000-year period, and a 1,000-year reign on this earth. Christ is returning before that. That's the premill view. The postmill view is that there is a thousand year future period yet to come, but Christ comes after this one thousand year earthly kingdom. And the amillennial view is that the thousand year period is in the present. We are living in the thousand year period now, not a literal but a figurative thousand year period, And Christ is soon going to come. Today we don't have time to go into depth on all of these views, nor do we have time to present all the errors of the premill and postmill, though we'll touch on those errors. But we focus more positively on Revelation 20 and seek to understand it from an amillennial view. The proper view of the end times. This thousand-year period must be understood figuratively and not literally. It is symbolic, and the context proves that. The context, if you look at the top of the page in the Bible, is Revelation. We are in the book of Revelation, which is highly symbolic and figurative. If you read the book you find many visions with beasts and horns and trumpets and vials and horses running and we are not to take those things literally but symbolically of that which is to come in the end times. Not only these things are symbolic, but the numbers are symbolic. You find the number seven, which is the number of God's covenant, or the perfect number. You find the number 12, which refers to the 12 tribes of Israel, the church, in a particular time and place on this earth. And then there's the 144,000, which is another 12 times 12 times 1,000, referring to all of the church, not just in one time and place, but The universal church over every time and every place now fully gathered. Now, when we get to Revelation 20 and we see 1,000 years, we ought not take that literally but figuratively like we take all the other numbers in Revelation. And 1,000 is a multiple of 10. Ten is a symbolic number again of completion or fullness. Ten times ten times ten is a thousand, a relatively long period, a thousand years, but a complete and full period that is the fullness of God's plan, what he has ordained for this period of Christ's rule. This is a longer period of time during which there is a perfect plan which Christ carries out. And I'll connect that with the biblical truth that we confess in the Apostles' Creed. We say that we believe that He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and from thence He is coming to judge the quick and the dead. If you think about that confession, that old confession that is biblical, it's everywhere in the Bible, and an old confession that the church for many ages has confessed, that old confession, familiar to us, immediately should help us interpret this passage in Revelation 20 in a thousand year reign. Notice, we don't confess that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, and from thence he shall come again to establish a thousand year kingdom. It doesn't say that. We don't confess that. The church of many ages has not confessed that. The premillennial view that says that is a relatively new view. He doesn't come again to establish a 1,000 year kingdom on this earth, but to judge. It's the last judgment immediately when he returns. Notice also, he sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty and from thence he shall come not to establish a thousand year kingdom here and only after that judge the heavens and the earth. That's the postmillennial view. That he's going to establish a thousand year kingdom and then come to judge. But consistent with the amillennial view, we are living in that thousand year period as he reigns. Ascended Lord reigns at God's right hand and he is coming right now soon to judge without a delay of a future thousand year period. Last Sunday we considered the ascension of Jesus Christ to his throne. In heaven we saw some benefits, you remember. He ascended to God's right hand with the benefit to be our mediator, to pray for us as a sympathetic high priest. We saw the benefit of Him not only as an advocate or intercessor but as a pledge. His human flesh and blood sits at God's right hand to show us the promise that we too one day with our flesh will ascend. We saw the benefit too that the ascended Lord sits at God's right hand so that He could send His Holy Spirit to us as an earnest or a down payment. Guarantee that we have eternal life in all its fullness soon to come. But not only that, the ascended Lord we see today sits at God's right hand to rule, to rule, to reign as the King of kings and the Lord of lords during a thousand year period, symbolic in Revelation 20. And he will reign for this purpose, to come again and to judge. the quick and the dead. Consider with me this truth under the theme Christ's millennial reign and judgment. First of all, his present reign. So we're considering what he's doing now in this symbolic thousand years. And then secondly, we consider his return to judge what he's going to do when he comes back, the last judgment. And then finally, we consider our hope, what we have as our hope of his coming. We confess in the Apostles' Creed, children, you must confess that you must say that not only with your mouths, but with your understanding, children, you too, and all of us adults. He sitteth at the right hand of God the Father. Sitteth, with that ending, children, he sitteth, is to indicate, in older English, the present tense. Which means He is sitting right now. He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. That's not just a story. It's a fact. He rose again, He ascended, and He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. That He is sitting at the right hand of God the Father Almighty is a way to express, it's really a figurative expression that He has a position of honor and power and authority right now in heaven. The expression sitting at God's right hand, I say, is a figurative expression. Not that He's not in heaven, He is. But it's a figurative expression to express that he is the right-hand man of God. So think with me of the story of Joseph. You know the story of Joseph quite well. You remember that Joseph was sold into Egypt as a slave, and Joseph was thrown into the dungeon after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife. but from the position of a slave in a dungeon. Joseph, remember, after interpreting Pharaoh's dream, was exalted, was lifted up to become Pharaoh's right-hand man, the second in power, the one who would do everything in the name of Pharaoh with Pharaoh's ring. He could tell everyone what to do. Pharaoh said that they had to do it. He had that right-hand man position, an honorable position. And that doesn't mean that Joseph was always sitting in a chair right beside Pharaoh in the throne room. He got up and did other things, many things. It didn't mean he was always sitting around. He often was busy in the work as Pharaoh's right-hand man. So, Jesus Christ now has become the right-hand man of God. literally sitting in a throne room just enjoying a palace up in heaven. That's not the point. In fact, since God is omnipresent, think about how he's everywhere. God is everywhere. God the Father is omnipresent. If you were to move to the right hand, he would be there just as much as he was to the left. There is no literal right hand of the omnipresent God. He's everywhere. The idea is that he has an honorable position and not a spatial location to the right of the Father. Jesus spoke of that in Matthew 28, 18. All power, he says, is given unto me in heaven and on earth. All power is given unto me. Peter preached that in Acts 5.31. Him, that's Christ, God hath exalted with His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. Now think about the word sitteth again. When we confess that He sits or is sitting, At the right hand we say that's an honorable position, not a spatial location. An honorable position. But then the idea of sitting. Again, children, it doesn't mean that he's sitting down all the time like you are right now, sitting in the pew. That he sitteth, again, is the idea, a figurative idea of a permanent position. Meaning no one's going to take him off his throne again. He won't have to humble himself and come suffering for our sins again. No, he's done that. It's finished. That he sitteth right now in the right hand of God means permanently he will always reign. He is king of kings and lord of lords forever and ever. He's finished, as he said, with the work of humbling himself. Just as the angel said to Mary, remember, the Virgin Mary, about her son, Luke 1.32, he shall be great and he shall be called the son of the highest, and the Lord God shall give him the throne of his father David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob, for how long? Forever, and to emphasize it, of his kingdom there shall be no end. That's the point of sitteth, no end, to his honorable position as he reigns. That he sits at God's right hand means he is permanently exalted to that position of honor, power, and authority, but thankfully there's more. There's more. He is not in heaven merely enjoying his position. He's in this permanent position of honor to work, to work. for us, for our benefit. Catechism describes him as the head of his church. Notice that phrase, head of his church. Christ is ascended for this and with this purpose that he might appear as head of his church. Now, thinking about head of his church, go with me to the next question and answer, question and answer 51, and find the word in question and answer 51, children. Find the word there that goes with the word head of his church. And the word or phrase that you should find in Question and Answer 51 is members. Christ is the head of his church and we are his members. By his Holy Spirit we find he pours out heavenly graces upon us, his members. The Catechism is telling you or referring you back to the very, very frequent Bible picture or Bible illustration of the human body. Christ is pictured as the human head. And you, as His people, are pictured as His members or His body parts, members of His body. And the point of the catechism now is that this head, our head, Jesus Christ is up in heaven and we are his body parts connected to him still on this earth. But from the head there flows to all of the body parts heavenly graces by the power of his spirit like oil, remember, that flows from the head down all the way to the feet. Heavenly graces are poured out upon us, His members. So from heaven above right now, very really, we enjoy heavenly blessings. As the body parts of Christ, our ascended head. Listen to Ephesians 4, Ephesians 4 verse 8 which describes this. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. We're talking about those heavenly graces or gifts that the ascended Lord pours from heaven. In verse 11 of Ephesians 4, Paul describes those heavenly graces. And he gave, Christ gave some apostles and some prophets. and some evangelists and some pastors and teachers. Don't stop listening. He gave these church leaders, these office bearers, for what? For the perfecting of the saints. That's you. For the work of the ministry and for the edifying of the body of Christ. It's a very important passage, Ephesians 4, verses 8 through 12. We should go back to that today. Christ in heaven is the head, we are his members, and he pours forth blessings in this way. First of all, Ephesians 4 says, he pours blessings upon the office bearers, apostles, evangelists, leaders in the church, pastors and teachers. Of course, he pours blessings on other members too. We'll get to that in a moment. But the first thing he mentions is he gives blessings to your elders and your deacons and your minister. So that from the elders and the minister and the deacons, there might be teaching of God's word to the members of the church. Office bearers, you are equipped. Don't forget that. You don't say you can't do it. Don't deny the ascended Lord. He says He equips you. He's the head. He gives to office bearers His Spirit, heavenly graces to bless the people. Then as the teachers and pastors and elders and deacons minister to God's people, then the people also receive blessing, that they are equipped. They are equipped. That's what Ephesians 4 verse 12 means when it says, for the perfecting of the saints, for the equipping of the saints. That's literally what it means. So that they can work in the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ. It's not just a minister who is a minister. The members of the church are ministers too. As they're taught, they're equipped to minister to one another with heavenly graces from on high, to counsel one another, to visit one another, to speak with spiritual conversation to each other, to witness to each other, to have the older women minister to the younger women, to have the young people minister to each other, to evangelize to others in this world, to parent our children in a godly way. You may not say, I don't have gifts. I'm useless. I'm not really a necessary part of this church. I can't minister to them. You may not say that. To say that is really to say what is false, a lie. It is to deny the ascension into heaven of Christ, to pour forth heavily graces unto his members for the equipping of his church in this ministry. Don't deny his work as your ascended Lord. But there's more, there's more that Christ does in this permanent exalted position. He does not only pour forth heavenly graces, but secondly, He also governs every single thing for the advantage of the church. The Catechism says in the first question and answer, by whom the Father governs all things. Another word for governs is controls. Jesus, our ascended Lord, now controls everything as the right-hand man of God. Let's think of it more generally. We know that God is the God of providence, right? We consider Lord's Day 10 not that long ago, that God the Father not only created everything, but He controls everything so that nothing can so much as move except it be His will. No tree can fall, no gust of wind can blow except to be His will. But now when Jesus ascended into heaven, something different takes place. God the Father, though He continues to uphold and govern everything, gives to God the Son in our human flesh the responsibility of the work of providence. Now, Jesus As the right-hand man, with His nail-scarred hands that He sacrificed for us, governs everything for our benefit. With the same love, that is, the same love with which He gave Himself up on the cross, with that same love, He now controls all things. He's in charge of providence. And beloved, this is so important because this is how the cross relates to your present trials. The cross is very much closely related to your present troubles in life. Listen, do you believe in the cross of Jesus Christ? God's people say, Amen. Yes, I do. Do you believe that Jesus died for you? Yes, yes, I do. Do you believe that Jesus died in his love for you, that that's his great sacrifice for you? God's people say, yes, yes, he's died for me in amazing grace. And do you believe that Jesus' love has changed? You know at the cross he had this great love, so great that he would give his life up for you, but now his love is a little lesser. In your present trials he doesn't love you as much. No, of course not. His love is unchanging so that just as much as he loved you at the cross and gave his life up for you, so much does he love you today as he governs your surgery, your cancer, your conflict, your darkness, the death of a loved one, your difficulties with your children, your hardships, your depression, your anxiety. He doesn't love you any less. With the same love by which he gave himself up, He works all things for the church's good. We'll go back to Revelation 20. Jesus said, the right hand of God so reigns governing all things that nothing can move except the loving Jesus governs them for us. Including Satan. Satan cannot move. except Jesus who rules over him. That's the point of Revelation 20. You could get distracted by the thousand years and what that means, but Jesus is the one, verse 2, who lays hold on the dragon, that old serpent which is the devil. and Satan, or even Satan, and bound him a thousand years. With his death, with his resurrection, and with his ascension, Jesus Christ has done what Revelation 20 has said. He has, another illustration, bruised or crushed Satan's head. He has gained the victory over Satan with his death and resurrection and ascension. And now he reigns for a thousand years. It's so basic. We're not looking for a future 1,000-year reign of Jesus. He already reigns right now. That's what we confess in the Apostles' Creed. He sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, reigning. He has Satan bound. No, Satan is not bound in the sense that he cannot do anything. Of course Satan does things. He's not inactive. He has his influences. Of course he does. But Satan, the point is, cannot do whatever he wants to do. Jesus rules. Jesus rules over him. What a comfort that is. Satan can't attack you. The Antichrist can't rise to power. No terrorist can strike any nation. No corrupt leader can come to power in our country, except it be under the rule, the sovereign rule of King Jesus. Praise God for that. And when things seem out of control in this world, in this life, remember, it's not out of control. Jesus is reigning. And then in verse 3, when Satan is bound, that means especially this, that he should deceive the nations no more. Until the thousand years should be fulfilled, after that he must be loose a little season. So after this reign of Jesus Christ as ascended Lord, binding Satan, the binding of Satan means that he will deceive the nations no more, and those nations Those nations want to unite under Satan's rule. Verse 8, after the thousand years he shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together. Don't miss that. To gather them together to battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. To battle against whom? Against the church. This is what Satan wants to do. Satan wants to gather the nations together deceiving them, unifying them so that they can together go against Christ and his church. During this thousand year period that we're in, Christ doesn't let him. He binds Satan so Satan can't in order that the gospel might go to the nations and the gospel might gather his people from every nation, tongue and tribe. And only after Jesus has done that, then he will lose Satan for a little season. And Satan will raise up Gog, a name for the Antichrist, and Magog, his kingdom, to attack the church. But the main point is still this. Even then, it's not as though Jesus is Sitting on a throne doing nothing, he is reigning at God's right hand over all the works of the devil, over that dragon, over the antichrist, over the unifying of the nations. And then he will return. From thence, we read, he shall come again to judge the quick and the dead. And that judgment is not a different judgment as many post-mails and pre-mails say. It's the final judgment. He is coming again after this thousand year period for the final judgment. He's coming again not to establish a thousand year reign on this earth with the Jews and Palestine. There's a lot of talk about that right now as Hamas and Israel. Fighting against one another and there's great immorality and cruelty, true, against the Jews and anti-Semitism, that ought not be. What often stands behind the support of the Israelis and the Jews is a view of the primos, that the Jews are somehow the chosen people of God. And when Jesus returns, he has an interest in the ethnic Jews to establish a kingdom for them in Canaan and in Jerusalem where there will still be death and sin around and so on. Beloved, Israel is the church, the church. The chosen people are us, his people, made up of both Jews and Gentiles. And Jesus is not interested in a thousand-year kingdom with the ethnic Jews, but He's coming again to save both Jews and Gentiles, His people, and judge everyone. Matthew 25, 31, when the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. To do what? To judge. That's verses 9 and following of Revelation 20 as well. They went up on the breath of the earth and compassed the camp of the saints about in the beloved city, that's the Antichrist and his kingdom Gog and Magog. And then fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. God stops the Antichristian kingdom in their tracks and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God." That's the judgment. And the books were opened. And another book. We'll talk about that book in a moment. But the books were open and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. This judgment, we confess, he's coming again to judge the quick and the dead. It's of both the quick and the dead. Children, the word quick that you confess means living. He's coming to judge those who are still alive. Not talking about those who have been regenerated, though that's true too. But quick refers to those who still are alive when he returns. He's coming to judge them. But he's also coming to judge the dead, meaning if people have died before he returns, that doesn't prevent him from judging them. because he will judge both the living and those who have already died. How? That implies that when he comes, he will first raise the dead. Yes, both the elect and the reprobate will be raised from the dead so that he might judge the living and the dead who have been made alive again with their bodies. 2 Corinthians 5.10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. And at the last judgment, Christ the judge is described as opening those books to judge everyone. The living and the dead. What are those books? Those books? Books in the plural are the records, the records of all things that we have done, both in our actions, our words, whatever we said, and also in our thoughts and desires and our hearts. Everything is recorded in books, records. And all your records, all your works will be compared to the law of God. That's a standard that we read this morning. Every work should be brought to judgment before the law of God, before His judgment seat. You'll be judged. Notice the preposition, though, according to works. It doesn't say you'll be judged because of your works. It doesn't say that. It doesn't say you'll be judged on account of your works. Sometimes the word account starts with an A, is mixed up with according to. That's not what it says. Not because, not account of your works, but According to your works, that means that your works will be brought up both good and evil. And it does mean also that your judgment. Will be consistent with your works. Which means, in other words. Your works do show evidence of whether you belong to Jesus. Or not. Your works aren't the reason for your judgment or the basis of your judgment. Your works don't determine whether you're going to heaven or hell. It's not the point. But your works indeed confirm, they're evidence that you belong to Jesus or you don't. Then on the basis of what Christ has done, God's people are judged as righteous just as they're judged today. if they repent and believe in Him. The basis according to Revelation 20 is similar, similarly expressed as Christ's work or God's election. Verse 12, another book was written. While the books or records of all our works are certainly open on judgment day and were judged according to our works, this book in the singular, verse 12, is called the book of life. And this is what determines who goes to heaven, and this is what determines who goes to hell. Not your works, but this book, this book. Verse 15, whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into hell, into the lake of fire. Implied those who are written in the book of life, which means those whom Christ has died for. as covered with His perfect righteousness. Those whom God has loved from before the foundations of the world and seen in Jesus Christ, these are judged as righteous, though they deserve the same thing as those who are cast into the lake of fire. And that's what gives us hope, beloved. That's what gives us hope for His coming, for the future, and hope on Judgment Day. I've defined the idea of hope before that it's a certainty. It's not a wish that may or may not happen in the future, but hope is certain. It's sure. It's confident. I will certainly be judged as righteous because of Jesus, even though my works are imperfect. I'm sure, I'm certain that Jesus will say, enter into the heavens to the joy of the Lord. Hope is sure, it's certain. It believes this promise that he who hath begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. But hope is not only certain or confident, hope is a longing. Hope is a desire. Beloved, I ask you, do you have hope? Are you sure, certain, that as you cling to Jesus Christ, you will be judged as righteous and brought to heaven on Judgment Day? God's people who believe in Jesus affirm that, yes. Do you have hope in this sense too? Do you desire that day? Do you long for it? Do you want it to come? Or do you say, yeah, I know good things will happen in the future and judgment day will be for my good and I'm going to heaven, but not yet. I'd rather stuff here. I'd rather enjoy the stuff here below. Beloved, hope. is a certainty and a longing for this future good. The Boudreau Confession, Article 37, says, The consideration of this judgment is justly terrible and dreadful to the ungodly and wicked, but most desirable and comfortable to the righteous and the elect. And that's expressed in the Catechism, too, with the expression, the uplifted heads. Uplifted heads. Do you have this? Do you have this? and all my sorrows and persecutions with uplifted head. I look for, long for him to come. Or are you distracted by some earthly kingdom that you want here below? And that's not just a pre-meal and post-meal problem. That's a businessman's problem. That's our carnal desires, an earthly kingdom, success, wealth, ease, a beautiful family, more than heaven, the new heavens and the new earth. No, beloved, I call you to hope, to hope, to a confidence, yes, a confidence that Jesus will bring you to heaven and a desire, a longing for it. A desire and long for it because we're sure that when he comes, the same person, notice the catechism says, who will be the judge was the same person who was judged. First, in our place, the same person who before offered himself for my sake to the judgment seat or tribunal of God and has removed all the curse from me, he'll be the judge. You think he'll deny his work already done? You think he'll come and say, yeah, I already sacrificed for the righteousness of my people, but now I'm going to judge them differently. No. No. If he has already invested, we should say, invested in us with his precious blood to make us righteous before the throne of God above, and he pleads with us all the while right now during this symbolic thousand-year reign, pleading, praying that God will look upon us and righteous and tell us so, then he's going to say the same thing. when he returns, judge them as righteous on the basis of my finished work. That's why he also says to you today, as he did to his disciples in Luke 12, 32, fear not, little flock, fear not, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. It is sure. He is merciful. Trust in him. Finally, notice this about His coming and our hope. His coming is continuous and quick. We confess the future tense when we confess the Apostle's Creed from tense, He shall come. Notice the future tense, shall come. That's true, but it can also be confessed this way. In the present tense, he is coming to judge. He is coming. I say that because if you look in Revelation 21 and 22, 22 especially, you see his promise. Behold, I come quickly. My reward is with me. That word is in the present. I am coming quickly. I am coming quickly. Remember, children, I said that he sitteth at the right hand of God doesn't mean that he's lazing around on a throne. It doesn't mean that. He's coming. He's coming. As fast as he can, he's coming. He's busy to come. He is active in His coming. He is working hard to make sure that everything takes place so that He can arrive. He is coming. He is coming. He is riding the white horse, as Revelation puts it, to bring His gospel to all nations. He is hardening hearts at the same time of the reprobate and filling up their cup of iniquity so their judgment is ripe. He is coming. He is governing everything to take place so that his plan is fulfilled. He is working to pour forth gifts into his members so that they're his instruments for his coming. That gives us great hope. He's coming. He's not delaying. He's rushing forth to do what he wants to do soon and very soon. There's not going to be a thousand-year delay in the future. He's going to arrive very soon, sooner than yesterday. Now, I ask you to end. If we think of our head, our ascended Lord Jesus, as a right-hand man of God, working hard, busy, to bring about the end. If you think about him that way, you should. Coming. Then I ask you, how can we as his members sit around and do nothing, right? How can we as his members say, Christ is busy, he's busy working to come, but I don't really have much of a care about it. I'll let him seek the gathering of his people, spread the gospel. I don't really want to participate in that. No, beloved, no. 2 Peter 3.12, we're looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of the Lord, seeking to be used by the king to spread his word for the gathering of his people so that and may come. Let that be. regarding this church as we live in this symbolic 1,000-year period where in Jesus the ascended Lord reigns at God's right hand. Pray. Watch and pray. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen. Let's pray. O God, our Father, may Thy Word be of comfort to us, remove the fear that we naturally have of Satan and the Antichrist, since we trust in Him who is ascended to heaven, who binds Satan as our sovereign Savior. Comfort us with a knowledge that nothing can so much as move except it be governed by His nail-scarred hands. He who so loved us on the cross has an unchanging love governing all things, including our present trials for our benefit. And may thy word also spur us onward unto labor in his kingdom out of thankfulness for Jesus, to be his faithful members, gifted from on high, equipped to minister to one another. Spur us onward to seeking his kingdom zealously, especially in the spread of his word. so that the end might come. We truly desire this, O Lord. Make it more, more of our desire. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly. Amen.