Luke chapter 1 in your Bibles. When the angel Gabriel was sent from the presence of God in glory to Mary to announce to her that she had been sovereignly chosen by God to give birth to the Messiah of Israel, Gabriel told Mary that this son that she would bear would sit on the throne of David and reign over Israel forever. In Luke 1, verse 30, the angel, who is Gabriel according to verse 26, said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end." The throne of David goes back to the Old Testament. The throne established with David. The Davidic covenant promised that it would be physical descendants of David that would sit on the throne ruling over Israel. And that throne throughout Old Testament history was a physical throne ruling over a physical nation, Israel. The Messiah was promised who would come and fulfill the Davidic covenant by sitting on the throne of David forever. There would be no end to his kingdom. And as the angel announces the birth of Christ, he announces to Mary that this Son will be the one who will rule forever on the throne of David. Later in chapter 1, beginning with verse 67, the father of John the Baptist, whose name is Zacharias, in connection with the birth of his son, John the Baptist, who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah, speaks. As the Holy Spirit comes upon him and says, verse 68, "'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited us and accomplished redemption for his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, to show mercy toward our fathers and remember his holy covenant. the oath which He swore to Abraham, our father, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days." Now again, He anticipates the reign of Messiah on earth. The Messiah who would fulfill the Abrahamic covenant, the promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And you note, in this context, Verse 71, He would bring salvation from our enemies, from the hand of all who hate us. Verse 74, to grant us that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies might serve Him with fear in holiness and righteousness. Again, unless you spiritualize and allegorize the Word of God, you have to say that has not occurred. Jesus Christ died on a cross. The Romans still ruled the world and the Jews were their subjects. In fact, a few years after Christ was crucified, the Romans would crush the Jewish nation because of their rebellion against them. Down through the centuries of time, right to our present day, we do not find Israel delivered from their enemies. We don't find them characterized by serving God in holiness and righteousness in verse 75. In our recent trip to Israel, we found that they as a nation don't even believe in their Messiah and are not looking for righteousness in Him. The few that I had opportunity to talk with did not even sense a need for that righteousness. Yet here, at the birth of Christ, the angel announced that Christ would rule and reign on the throne of David forever, He would deliver Israel from their enemies, and He would bring righteousness and holiness. But that did not occur. Back up to Matthew chapter 24. Shortly before Jesus Christ's death on the cross, He told His disciples that He would return to earth again. And when He came to earth the next time, it would be with power and great glory. It was then that He would establish a kingdom. In verse 29 of Matthew 24, Jesus is speaking. But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the seven-year tribulation that we have been studying about in the book of Revelation, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." You remember that title, the Son of Man, comes from Daniel's prophecy in the seventh chapter, where the Son of Man comes before the Ancient of Days, God the Father, and is given a kingdom. the rule over all nations and all peoples. Now the Son of Man comes on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory." A quote from Daniel chapter 7 and verse 13. And He'll send forth His angels with a great trumpet. They'll gather His elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other in preparation for the setting up of His kingdom. Turn over to the book of Acts chapter 1. And the crucifixion of Christ has occurred. He has been raised from the dead by the power of God. He has spent 40 days instructing and teaching His disciples so that they might understand the purposes and plans of God in His death, in His resurrection, and in His coming kingdom. Note verse 3, his apostles of the previous verse, he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. That's the kingdom that had been promised through the Old Testament prophets down through history. The disciples had gone out and announced, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. But the Messiah has been crucified. But now He continues to teach them about the kingdom. And evidently what He taught them about the kingdom during those forty days caused them to be convinced even more that Jesus Christ would establish a kingdom on the earth. For note what goes on. He tells them to wait at Jerusalem until they receive the Holy Spirit. Then verse six, So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? So you see, with all the teaching they have received, even down through the 40 days after His crucifixion and resurrection, they still understood that Christ was going to establish a kingdom on the earth for the nation Israel. Now, Christ does not say to them at this time, oh, slow of heart, slow to understand. You still don't get the point. You're in the kingdom, guys. This is it. It's in your heart. No, he makes no correction at all. Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? He says, look, you don't need to know when the kingdom is going to be established for Israel. You need to be faithful in serving Me. But there is an allusion to the time when the kingdom will be established. Look down in verse 11. Christ ascends to heaven where He will remain until He returns to earth to establish the kingdom. Two angelic beings appear in verse 10 and say in verse 11, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. He was caught up in the cloud into heaven. We read in Matthew 24, Jesus said at His second coming, what? He would come in the clouds with power and great glory. The angels, in effect, are telling the disciples, Jesus Christ will return again as you have seen Him go, and then He will establish the kingdom. Their responsibility? Minister in the power of the Holy Spirit until Christ comes or Christ calls them to Himself. Come over to the book of Revelation, chapter 20. In chapter 19 of Revelation, we had the return of Christ to earth recorded after the tribulation of those days, which was recorded in chapters 6 to 18 of Revelation. Then in chapter 19, Christ returned to earth in power and great glory. Heaven opened and Christ descended. Then we had the destruction of the enemies of Christ. Chapter 20 opened up in the first three verses with Satan being bound in the abyss for a thousand years. So for one thousand years, Satan is going to be removed from the earth. He will be restrained in the abyss, the holding place of demons, a demonic prison. He will not go about and deceive people in the world during the whole thousand year period. In verses 4 to 6, where we were, when we broke off our study last time, we focus on those who will rule and reign with Christ in that thousand-year millennium, particularly the resurrection of tribulation saints, so that they might reign with Him. Really, all those who are going to reign with Christ are those who have believed in Him down through history. Chapter 20, verse 4, opened up, I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. Those on the thrones exercising judgment are resurrected glorified saints. In Daniel chapter 7, verses 21 and 22, we're told that the saints will receive the kingdom. In Matthew 25, at the return of Christ, He will say to those faithful servants, inherit the kingdom prepared for you by My Father. Look back in 1 Corinthians 6. I referred to this passage and some others I want to do as a review with you quickly so you see them. We're noting that our understanding of future things is to shape our behavior and conduct now. In 1 Corinthians 6, verse 1, writing to the church at Corinth, does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that saints We'll judge the world. Saints will judge the world. You and I are going to sit as rulers with authority in the coming kingdom, ruling over this world under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest courts? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more matters of this life? In the coming millennial kingdom, angels will be under our authority. For angels are ministering spirits sent forth to serve on behalf of those who are the heirs of salvation, according to Hebrews. If then you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint as judges who have no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is there not among you a wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren? Brother goes to law with brothers, and that before unbelievers. Paul says, this is amazing! You are going to rule the world and the kingdom? You are going to rule and judge over angels? And you can't even make piddly little decisions relating to this life between one believer and another believer? That's a disgrace. So you see what happens when we don't allow our theology to shape our behavior? We become a disgrace to the testimony of Christ. I said, well, you know, I've got money at stake. I've got possessions at stake. Paul goes on in verses 7 and 8 and says, be defrauded. If one believer has a disagreement with another believer, you can't resolve it. You ought to have a mature Christian arbitrate. And if you're not satisfied with the arbitration, take the loss. It won't matter in light of the coming kingdom. But we want to pick up for our point. Verse two, saints will judge the world. Verse three, saints will judge angels. I'm talking about church saints here, writing to the church at Corinth. Turn over to Revelation chapter two, verse 26. The message to the church at Thyatira. And he who overcomes and he who keeps my deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. They're going to rule over nations and keep this in mind in the coming kingdom. We will not lose national distinctions. The nations of the world will maintain their national identities in the coming kingdom, and we will rule over nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I have also received authority from my father. We will receive authority from Christ. We will make decisions, judgments. We will have authority to punish disobedience severely and sternly in the millennium. That's what we're told here. He shall rule them with a rod of iron. That's the same authority Christ received from his fathers. That will be delegated to us who rule and reign with him in the millennium. And there will be sin. There will be rebellion against Christ in the millennium. And when that occurs within the realm for which we are responsible, we will exercise judgment. in many of those cases, as Christ's representative in that coming Kingdom. Just a reminder of what the destiny of the redeemed believer is. Chapter 20, verse 4 of Revelation. I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, because of the word of God, those who had not worshipped the beast in his image, had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand, and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. A particular group of resurrected saints are selected out. Those who were martyred in the seven-year tribulation. So if we saw church saints are going to reign, Old Testament saints are going to reign, Ezekiel 37 says David will reign in the millennium. But the book of Revelation from chapter 6 to chapter 19 has been about the seven year tribulation leading up to the return of Christ. What about those who believed in Christ in that period of time and were martyred for their faith? They will be resurrected at this time to join in ruling and reigning in the millennium as well. You'll note, They were martyred. Four things are said about them, why they were martyred. Number one, because of the testimony of Jesus. Who will be martyred in that seven year tribulation? Because they stand firm and clear on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The testimony of Jesus is the witness about Jesus Christ. Those who have become believers in the seven year tribulation will be proclaiming Jesus Christ and the message of who He is, why He died, That always characterizes the people of God. Particularly here, it's identified. They'll pay for their lives for giving that testimony. Because of the Word of God, because they are planted on the Word of God, will not deny the Word of God, will not corrupt the Word of God. They will be martyred. Again, you see the allegiance to God, His Word, those things which we hold so lightly. We can proclaim Jesus Christ today and may take a little bit of abuse for it. People might talk behind our back and we think we're suffering greatly. Come a time when there'll be people who pay with their lives. But that's a mark of being a true believer. We hold the Word of God so lightly in so many churches today. These people will pay for their lives, for their firm stand and conviction in the teaching of the Word of God. Thirdly, they have not worshipped the beast. You cannot be part of false worship and belong to the living God. Those who worship the beast do not belong to God. Many of those who refuse to worship the beast because they believe in Christ in the 70th week of Daniel will pay for it with their lives. But their reward is coming. And because they have not received the mark. You know, you can't buy or sell according to Revelation 13 in the 70th week of Daniel, particularly the last three and a half years, if you don't have the mark of the beast. It identifies you with him. You won't be able to get food. You won't be able to hold a job. You won't be able to buy clothes. It doesn't matter. Their allegiance to Jesus Christ supersedes all. Interesting, isn't it, how they are sifted out here. They are martyrs. They have died because of their faithfulness to God. Now they are being rewarded to those who have died in the tribulation. They are raised now. Now the glory. Now the honor. Now the reward. They are resurrected. Verse five, the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. And the first resurrection, beginning with Christ, includes church saints at the rapture. Old Testament saints at the second coming of Christ, tribulation saints that we just read about in verse four at the second coming of Christ. Those comprise the first resurrection. It's a resurrection unto life. It's the resurrection of the just, the righteous. They will join together in reigning with Christ. They comprise the first resurrection. The rest of the dead are the wicked. Those part of the first resurrection have experienced God's salvation. The rest of the dead are those who are going to spend eternity in the fires of hell. They will be raised after the thousand years. That will be the subject of the last part of chapter 20, beginning with verse 11. Verse 6, blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. There are seven Beatitudes in the book of Revelation. I don't have them written down with me. I've given them to you before. And I think this is the fifth of those seven Beatitudes. Blessed, blessed, special joy and blessing and prosperity, happiness is promised to these who are part of the first resurrection. They are blessed of God. They are holy. Meaning they are set apart from sin to God. They belong to God. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection. Over these, the second death has no power. The second death is hell, being cast for all eternity into the fires of hell. At the end of verse 14 of chapter 20, this is the second death, the lake of fire. Look down in chapter 21, verse 8, the end of that verse. Their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10, verse 28, don't fear those who can kill the body, that cannot hurt the soul. But you must fear Him who after He has killed the body is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Back in verse 6 of chapter 20. Over these, the second death has no power. That's the negative side. They won't be infected by the second death. They have no fear of their eternal destiny. They're not going to hell. Rather, they will be priests of God and of Christ. There you see something of the deity of Jesus Christ very clearly proclaimed. They'll be priests of God and of Christ. And will reign with Him for a thousand years. We will be priests. We will be rulers. The priests. denotes the intimacy of our relationship with God, the freedom of access we will enjoy as the glorified redeemed. Look back in chapter seven of Revelation. A group is identified here as martyrs from the Great Tribulation, verse 14. These are the ones who come out of the Great Tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. These would be the martyrs that we just talked about in chapter 20, verse 4, who will be resurrected. For this reason, they are before the throne of God. They serve Him day and night in His temple. You see, the intimacy of relationship, the very presence of God that they minister and serve. He who sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more, thirst no more. The sun will not beat on them. The Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd." And so on. You see, we enjoy an intimacy and a closeness of fellowship with our God. We will be priests of God. We have unlimited access to the glory of His presence. Remarkable. We will also reign with Him. Go back to chapter one of Revelation. We looked on some passages that promise that we will rule in the millennium. Let's look at a couple of others with me. Verse five. Into verse five says to him who loved us and released us from our sins by his blood. There is salvation and no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. You're either redeemed or unredeemed. You're either on your way to glory or you're on your way to hell. The One who loved us and released us from our sins by His blood. He has made us to be a kingdom. Priest to His God and Father. And note verse 7, Behold He is coming with the clouds. Where we were in Matthew 24. Where we were in Acts chapter 1 verse 11. The return to establish the kingdom. And we will be in that kingdom. then we will be priests of God. Look in chapter 5 of Revelation. Verse 9, throne room seen in heaven, you are worthy to take the book and to break its seals, for you were slain and did purchase for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth. Jump over to chapter 22. When you get to chapter 22, we are in eternity. Verse 3, "...and there shall no longer be any curse, and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bondservants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face." Stop and contemplate that. We have only the smallest conception and glimpse of the glory that awaits us as the redeemed of God, we shall see His face in eternity and for all eternity. There shall no longer be any night. They shall not have need of the light of a lamp, the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them and they shall reign forever and ever. I want you to understand that a thousand years is only the first phase. the first stage in the eternal kingdom. And we don't just rule and reign for a thousand years. We rule and reign forever and ever. The first phase will be a thousand years, followed by forever and ever, because His kingdom is eternal. Note in chapter 20, John says very little about this kingdom. In fact, we've read in verses 4, 5, and 6 all he's going to say about it. When you come to verse 7, the thousand years are completed. So the millennium, the thousand years that are the first phase of the kingdom, get very little attention. Except, as I noted, this is the only place in all the Scripture we're told about this thousand year period that begins the eternal kingdom. John does not go back and elaborate on the kingdom itself. Because the Old Testament prophets did that over and over and over again. For him to bring that all in here, the book of Revelation would have gone on and on. The bulk of the book of Revelation was to prepare the way for this kingdom. Back to the book of Isaiah. I want to look at some of what the Old Testament says about this kingdom. Chapter 2. I'm just going to limit our attention to the book of Isaiah. And I don't even want to cover everything that Isaiah says about the Kingdom. I just want to hit some of the highlights of Isaiah. So that you at least remind yourselves of something of what are the characteristics of this Kingdom over which Christ will reign, over which you and I will reign. Again, I want you to note, unless you grossly alter the Scripture, spiritualizing and allegorizing it, There's no way you can say the kingdom is present. Isaiah, chapter two, the word which Isaiah, the son of Amos, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. So the focus of the kingdom is on Israel. The capital of the world will be Jerusalem. Now, it will come about that in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains and will be raised above the hills and all the nations will stream to it. A mountain is used of a kingdom in the Old Testament prophetic scriptures. Remember Daniel chapter two, there was a stone cut without hands that crushed the earthly nations and grew into a great mountain, a great kingdom. Here you have the kingdom of Christ ruling over the earth with the capital at Jerusalem. And Jerusalem does sit on a mountain. Many peoples will come. and say, Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us concerning his ways, that we may walk in his path. For the law will go forth from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." When we were in Jerusalem, we talked about the fact that it's remarkable. We're not only here looking back on the history of this place, but we are at the very place where someday Jesus Christ will rule and reign, and this will be the capital of the world. It's like we say, the law goes forth from Washington, the capital of this country. So Jerusalem will be the capital of the world. He will judge between the nations. You know, national identities are maintained in this kingdom. He will render decisions for many peoples. Now, note this verse. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation. Never again will they learn war. Now, the United Nations has chosen to put this verse on their building. But all such attempts are really acts of rebellion against God. You've got to understand, Joel 3.10 says, in the light of the coming tribulation, you ought to beat your plowshares into swords. War will not be annihilated until Jesus Christ rules and reigns from Jerusalem. Then you can do away with the implements of war. Why? Nation will not lift up sword against nation. Never again will they learn war. So you don't need the implements of war. Jesus Christ rules and reigns and all warfare will be done. All teachings and all attempts to establish such a situation on the earth today are a defiance of the clear teaching of Scripture. That doesn't mean we don't act for peace and can't have peace treaties. It must be done within the framework of the recognition. War is before us. The greatest of wars at Armageddon has yet to take place. Then Christ will rule. Then there will be no more war. Chapter 9 of Isaiah, verse 6. For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us, the government will rest on His shoulders. He will rule and reign. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace on the throne of David and over His kingdom. To establish it, to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore, the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. You see, it's an eternal kingdom that will have no end, and he will rule and reign over it. Is that happening today? Obviously not. Look in chapter 11, verse 1. Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse. A branch from his roots will bear fruit. Remember, he will sit on the throne of David. He's of the line of David. It's the point of this first verse. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, fear of the Lord. He will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what his eyes see, nor make a decision by what his ears hear. But with righteousness he will judge the poor, decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rot of his mouth, with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Also, righteousness will be the belt about his loins, faithfulness the belt about his waist. You know, there will be sin. There will be wickedness, there will be rebellion to be dealt with in the millennium. Jesus Christ does not exercise judgment on the basis of what he sees or what he hears. No overt acts of wickedness will be tolerated. So the one who sees the hearts, who sees the minds, a person who determines they are going to kill their neighbor will come under the judgment of Christ before he can carry out that act. For as we are going to see, they will not hurt or destroy in all of his kingdom. There we go on. Verse 6, the wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the kid, the little calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy will lead them. How often do you hear that phrase quoted? With total disregard or ignorance of its context. The cow, the bear will graze, the young will lie down together, the lion will eat straw like the ox, the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Only by spiritualizing, allegorizing the scripture can you say this is happening today. I invite you to take your amillennial friends to the zoo. and stand by the lion's cage when they throw in the meat and read him Isaiah 11, 7, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. And yet people say, oh, we're in the kingdom. It's in your heart. Try lying down with a hungry bear. See what good that heart does. It just becomes another piece of meat. No, we're talking about a literal, earthly, physical kingdom. There will be no violence in that kingdom. Animals will be vegetarian. This has nothing to do with your diet today. If you want to be a vegetarian, that's fine, but don't base it on Isaiah 11. I was reading a book on diet recently, and the man was making a point. We were never made to be carnivorous. We're vegetarians. We need to get back to that. Well, the animals will be vegetarians in the millennium, even a child. Poisoned viper. Playing with that snake. No harm. Why? Because poisonous snakes won't bite little babies and children. There'll be no violence. No hurt. No harm done in the millennium. I mean, now you can't even walk the streets in your own neighborhood. But there'll be no violence. Nobody hurting anyone else. Animals or nothing. Why? The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. There'll be no need for evangelism either. There will be no unreached people. Now, there'll be unconverted people in the Millennium. We'll talk about that later. There'll be unsaved people in the Millennium. But there will be no lack of knowledge concerning Christ in the Millennium. Every single person in every single place will know fully who Jesus Christ is, what He has done about His reign and so on. Now, not every person will believe in Him, but every person will know about Him. We won't have to do evangelization in the Millennium. The knowledge of the Lord will be everywhere. There will be people to be converted, but that will not relate to a lack of having heard the gospel or knowing the truth. Isaiah 35. This one's a familiar one to us because it starts out, the wilderness and the desert will be glad, the Araba will rejoice and blossom like the crocus. King James has like the rose. So we're more familiar with talking about the desert will bloom like the rose. When we were in Israel, our Israeli guide gave us some examples. of how the Jews have cultivated desert regions. And the reference is always to, and the desert will blossom like the rose or like the crocus. Well, there are marvelous things going on there. That's not a fulfillment of Isaiah 35. In that time, there will be no barren regions. The curse is lifted from the creation in the millennium. So the effects of sin on this earth are removed. Thorns and thistles and briars and barrenness, it's all gone. It's like the Garden of Eden again. It's a beautiful world producing its beauty without the effects and impacts of the curse of sin. It will blossom profusely, is the picture. The end of verse 2, they will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. And this is to be an encouragement now as we anticipate that. Verse 5, Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. Then the lame will leap like the deer, the tongue of the dumb will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness, streams in the Araba. It's then that all the physical problems and afflictions will be dealt with. Remember in His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ healed the lame and the blind. and the deaf and the speechless. That was all a declaration to Israel. I am the Messiah. If you will believe in Me, the kingdom can come and all these bodily afflictions can be removed. But they did not believe and the kingdom did not come. That's evident because there are people who are blind, who are deaf, who are speechless. We die. We suffer physical afflictions. In the kingdom, that will not take place. There will be no physical afflictions in the kingdom. Because the Messiah reigns. And He reigns over all the earth. And His power rules over all the earth. And the curse is lifted. It all goes on down to verse 9. No lion will be there. No vicious beast will go on at this highway of holiness. The redeemed walk there. Holiness is characteristic. One other passage. Job and Isaiah 65. Verse 17. Again, Isaiah chapter 60, chapter 61, chapter 62, all dealing with the kingdom, the millennium. So we're just picking out a few choice passages. Isaiah 65, verse 17. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things will not be remembered or come to mind. Now, in Revelation chapter 21, we have the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. Now, take what we have in Old Testament prophecy. as events presented, not necessarily even in order. But in the New Testament, in Revelation particularly here, we have the order of events unfolded. We're going to have a new heavens and a new earth for the eternal kingdom of God. But first we're going to have a thousand year period where even fallen beings will experience that kingdom. At the end of that thousand years, all fallen beings who are unredeemed will be removed. Then we'll have a new heavens and a new earth for the rest of the eternal kingdom. Verse 18 and following talk about this thousand year kingdom, the characteristics of it will be characteristics of it in its eternal phase as well. Be glad and rejoice forever in what I create for behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing her people for gladness. I will also rejoice in Jerusalem. Be glad, O my people, there will no longer be heard in her the voice of weeping, the sound of crying. No longer will there be in an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days. For the youth will die at the age of a hundred, and one who does not reach the age of a hundred shall be accursed." We've already added the word thought. You'll notice in italics. It literally says, shall be accursed. The understanding is that the only reason there'll be death is punishment for sin. As I said, if an unregenerate person in the millennium determines to kill their neighbor, to rape a person. They will be judged and die. And you'll know, they died. They weren't even a hundred. It was the judgment of God on their life. When you get to be a hundred, you're only a child. So you really think people are going to live for the whole thousand years? My understanding will be people will live for the whole thousand years of the millennium. Why should that surprise us? How long did people live before the floods of Noah? The days following Adam. Almost a thousand years, didn't they? Methuselah came the closest, 900 and some. Adam, 900 and some. Never quite made a thousand. Now we're going to remove the curse. Why shouldn't they live for a thousand years? They will, apart from the judgment of God on sinful actions or sinful intentions, as would be set out here. Come down to verse 24 of Isaiah 65. It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer. While they are still speaking, I will hear. Now, I know this verse is quoted as often applying it today. Again, context determines meaning. The context, read verse 25. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together. The lion shall eat straw like the ox. Dust shall be the serpent's food. One thing won't change in the kingdom. The serpents still crawl on his belly as a constant reminder of the fall. They shall do no evil or harm in all my holy mountain," says the Lord. In that day, Christ sees the heart and mind before we ask. For His people ask, it will be given. Just as in the heart and mind of fallen people, before they can act, they will be judged. That's something of the condition of the kingdom. The effects of the curse are removed. It's a perfect environment. Righteousness and holiness pervades the earth. Joy and peace. No sickness, no affliction, no hunger, no poverty, no bad environments. Isn't it wonderful? That makes all the more amazing and almost unbelievable. Come back to chapter 20, verses 7 to 9. This creates intense pressure. When you take an unregenerate man who is sinful at heart and place him in an environment of holiness, of righteousness, of godliness, and require him to conform to that standard, it creates terrible tension and building animosity and anxiety, resentment and hatred. Now, what you have in the millennium is when the 70th week of Daniel is over, Christ returns to earth. There have been people who have come to believe in Christ during that seven-year period. and have survived that seven-year period. They are alive physically when Christ returns to earth, and they believe in Him as their Savior. They go into the kingdom in their physical bodies. They will have children in the kingdom. Sex is not sinful. Remember, at the end of Genesis chapter 1, before the fall occurred, God said to Adam and Eve, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. If they had not sinned but have eaten of the tree of life, they would have lived forever, had children in a perfect world without sin and so on. Now, in the millennium, these who go into the kingdom in their physical body will have children, but they are descendants of Adam. They still have a sin nature. Their children are born sinners in this kingdom. They need to be redeemed and cleansed from their sin and the power of sin by believing in Jesus Christ. During this thousand-year period, there'll be no pain in childbirth, there'll be no infant mortality, there'll be no disease, there'll be no poverty, no hunger, and you are going to have people with a great population explosion, multiplied millions and billions, born into a world ruled over by a perfect Christ where the curse of sin has been removed from the creation. But they are still sinners at heart. No overt acts of rebellion against Christ are tolerated. It's a rule of a rod of iron. Now, the redeemed will love it. Why? It's a rule of perfect righteousness, required holiness. Wouldn't you bask in that? But unredeemed man chafes against it. But out of fear of the consequences, he conforms and submits. Verse 7 of Revelation 20, when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released. from his prison. So the thousand years are past. Satan is let out of the abyss. He will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth. A thousand years in a demonic prison have not changed his character one bit. First thing he does when he's set free is what? Continue where he left off. Go back to where he began in Isaiah 14. I will be like the Most High. I will establish my throne. I will replace God. One more chance. One more try. You say, how foolish, how stupid. Isn't it, though? But does sin make any sense? You sit and present to a person. Matters of eternal importance. You are lost and on your way to hell. You are going to spend eternity in the flames of hell, suffering torment beyond imagination unless you turn from your sin and believe that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for you. And you can have free the gift of life if you believe in him. And what do they say? I told you once and I'm not going to tell you again. Don't talk to me about that kind of thing. That makes no sense. Why would you go to hell when you can have the free gift of life? It makes no sense. There is no rationale to sin. We self-destruct. Why do those who make more money than most of us can conceive of in the entertainment industry take that money and turn to drugs and cocaine and sex so they can die of AIDS or drug addiction or whatever? That makes no sense. That's the good life? I don't quite follow this. No, sin makes no sense. It's irrational. Why do you cheat on your wife? It only brings you misery. It makes no sense. Yeah, it's irrational. Sometimes you've sat with a person, been involved in sin, and you say, well, why would I do such a stupid thing? There is no rationale to sin. So Satan, he's let out. What does he do? He goes throughout the earth. Gog and Magog. Gog and Magog are mentioned in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Because of that, some people believe the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 occurred at the end of the millennium at this point. I personally take the view that the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 occurs prior to the millennium, before the millennium begins, but there are those who take it afterwards for that reason. They're mentioned here. I take Gog and Magog as a reference here to the enemies of God. At any rate, he gathers them together for war. The number of them, now underline that in your Bible, the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. That's a way to express a number that you can't count. So God said about Israel, I'll make you like the sand of the seashore. You're going to be innumerable. Now, here is a group of people who have been born in a perfect world under a perfect ruler, have never known poverty, have never known suffering, have never known hunger, have never known physical abuse. They've never known sickness. They have lived all their life. from 999 years, 800 years, 700 years, however long. But when given a choice to have Satan as their ruler and God, or Jesus Christ as their ruler and God, a number you can't count, chooses to follow Satan in an attempt to dethrone Christ and establish Satan. It makes no sense. I said, I can't hardly believe that. What do they have to gain? They're already in a perfect world, a world where they have no want or lack. But then again, why would Satan, the anointed cherub that covers the throne of God, throw it all away in an attempt to become God? It makes no sense. You know what the Millennium does, why there is a thousand year phase? God has tested and tried man and revealed his character. in a variety of settings. So we get into the different dispensations of the Word of God. We don't have time to enumerate them all. In the garden before the fall, the goodness of God was revealed. The following fall, man lived and failed to live up to his conscience, and God established human government. God established His law, which man continued to break. Today we live in the age of grace where God freely and graciously offers salvation. Man rejects it. In the seventieth week of Daniel, the wrath of God will be poured out and man refuses to repent. In the millennium, man will live under the fullness of the glory of God. All this demonstrates the real problem is not the devil. The real problem is not your environment. The real problem is not the way you were raised or how you were treated. The real problem is, Jeremiah says, your heart is deceitful and desperately wicked above all things. You are rotten at the core. You take an apple that's rotten at the core and put it in a different environment, you still have an apple that's rotten at the core. You polish the outside of that apple that's rotten at the core, you have a polished apple that's rotten at the core. And you take sinful, depraved beings with hearts that are deceitful and desperately wicked, put them in a perfect world, in a perfect environment, with a perfect king, and they are still people that are rotten at the core. Do we believe this? We don't, even as believers today. We profess to believe the word of God, but we have people who think, oh, if we could only have a better environment. Oh, if we only had a more moral country. People would be better. Do you believe what God says about the millennium? He's going to put sinful people in a perfect world under his son's leadership, put them in that environment, a kingdom that will go on a thousand years. At the end of it, their heart hasn't changed a bit. They still hate God and given opportunity. They expressed that rebellion against him. Why do we waste time trying to clean up our world? We can only have a better environment. We can only do away with poverty. If we can only, if we can only, then we'd have people who are rotten at their heart living in a better environment. What did that accomplish? You see, our conduct and our behavior ought to be shaped by our theology. Better people on the Supreme Court. Better person in the position of president. Better laws do not change sinful hearts. The millennium is the proof of that. These people are born and raised in a perfect world. The moment Satan is set loose, goes about to deceive them, you don't have to follow Christ. You can get away with being disobedient to Him. We can overthrow Him. You can't count the number that will march to Jerusalem with the intention to overthrow Christ. How sinful we are. There is no hope apart from the grace of God. And that's the way you are and I am. Don't forget it. If it were not for the grace of God, I would be persisting in my rebellion. Remember Ephesians 2. We were the enemies of God. We were sons of disobedience. We walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience. You're no better. I'm no better. What makes the difference? The grace of God. What are we called to do in this day? Go into a sinful world and carry to them the message of the grace of God. Unless He opens their blind and spiritual eyes, gives them a heart to hear, ears to hear, they will not believe. It makes no sense. But you see man being tested under grace as he'll be tested under wrath to be tested under glory. It all declares and booms forth the same thing. You are a sinful being. Even we as Christians say, it can't be that bad. No, we are worse. We're destined for glory. Romans chapter 8. Paul says that it is this hope of glory that enables us to endure suffering today. Because all the creation is longing for the time when you and I will be unveiled as the sons of God. Because when we descend with Christ from the clouds as the glorified redeemed, and all creation beholds us as the glorified redeemed, recognizes we are the sons of God, then we're ready for the kingdom, then the curse can be lifted from the creation. And all the creation groans in anticipation of that event. Paul says, looking for that enables me to bear up under the suffering. the trials, the difficulties of this life, being rejected and scorned because of my testimony for Christ. I can accept that. Why? I'm going to glory. Our lives are to be shaped by our theology. Do you believe in a coming reign of Jesus Christ over this earth? Do you believe that you as a redeemed person will rule and reign with him? How is your life different today? Because that's true. How do we live differently today than those who don't have that hope? If it doesn't make a difference, we better stop and ask, is it real? And I have to ask, is it real for you? You know, there'll be people that will live their entire life in the millennium and not be redeemed. They will experience the second death. You can spend your entire life in this church and not be redeemed. Being among believers does not change your heart. Conforming to what is expected does not change your heart. The only thing that changes a sinful heart is the power of God. Turn loose in that life. That happens when you recognize you're a sinner and you humble yourself before God, turning from your sin to His Son. You cast yourself upon His mercy. You believe that even though you're a hell-deserving sinner, Jesus Christ died for you and you lay claim to that. The power of God works in a way that I don't understand. You're cleansed. You're forgiven. You're made new. You become a child of God for time and eternity. There is no other way. Has it happened to you? What a tragedy that those in the millennium should miss salvation that is so free. What a tragedy. that you today should miss salvation, which is so free. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for who you are, for your greatness, for your majesty, for your power. You are God and we are created beings. We are created beings marred by sin. We're sinners by birth and we're sinners by choice. Father, we are deserving of nothing more and nothing else than eternal separation from you. and anything else is a declaration and a testimony to your grace. Lord, we would remind ourselves of that truth today, lest we become complacent and proud in who we are in Christ as though it were something of our own doing. Lord, I pray that this great truth about the glory of our eternal destiny will mold and shape the way we live day by day, impress upon our hearts the sinfulness of sin The loss of the lost condition of men. Lord, we don't understand how hopeless, how helpless people are apart from Christ. Lord, I pray for those who are here, who are in an environment where they hear your truth. They're exposed to your grace. They have contact with your children. Lord, their heart remains unchained. By your grace, I pray you will open those blinded eyes to see and believe that Jesus Christ is the Savior, that they might be redeemed, washed by His blood for time and eternity. We pray in His name, Amen.