End Times - Week 25

Thursday Evening Bible Study

Series:  the End Times – Bible prophecy about future events and periods

 

Teaching Summary for Week 25

The Kingdom and the Covenants

 

Part 6.  The future Messianic Kingdom in Old Testament prophecy

The Old Testament prophets wrote extensively about the future Messianic Kingdom.  In fact,  the future Kingdom is referred to by nearly every Old Testament prophet.

We now turn our attention to the facts about the Kingdom that the Old Testament prophets describe. 

 

The Government in the future prophesied Kingdom

The Form and Nature of the government:

 

The Organization of the Millennial Kingdom

 

The Extent and Duration of the Millennial Kingdom

The reign of the King will be a universal reign.  There will be no part of the earth that will not be under His authority (Dan 2:35; 7:14,27; Psa 72:5-8;  Mic 4:1-2; Zech 9:10; 14:9, 20-21).

 

Dan 7:14

14 "And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

 That all the peoples, nations and men of every  language

Might serve Him.

 His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

 And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

 

Dan 7:27
27 'Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.'

 

Psalm 72 is a Messianic Psalm (points to the King) written by David and includes the following verses:

Psa 72:8-11

8 May he also rule from sea to sea

And from the River to the ends of the earth.

9  Let the nomads of the desert bow before him,

And his enemies lick the dust.

10  Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents;

The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.

11  And let all kings bow down before him,

All nations serve him.

 

Zec 14:9

9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only  one, and His name the only one.

 

The holy, righteous and just rule of the King will extend to every aspect of human life, even to the smallest detail.

 

Zec 14:20-21

20 In that day there will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, " HOLY TO THE LORD." And the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Every cooking pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the Lord of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them. And there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts in that day.

 

Everything will be holy because everything will be sanctified by the presence of the King.  There will no longer be any distinction between the sacred and the secular – because everything will be sacred to the Lord.

The Kingdom will also be everlasting in duration.    The King will live forever.  His Kingdom will endure forever – “an everlasting dominion” in the words of Daniel 7:14.

 

Isa 9:7

7 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 and to uphold it with justice and righteousness

From then on and forevermore.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 

There may seem to be a discrepancy between the prophets and the book of Revelation here.

The prophets talk of an everlasting Kingdom.

On the other hand, Revelation chapter 20 talks about a reign of a thousand years.

 

Rev 20:1-8

1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

4 Then 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 their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6  Blessed and holy is the one who has a 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.

7 When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

 

This is another case where later revelation adds to the picture given to the Old Testament prophets.

We saw earlier how the Old Testament prophets spoke of one advent of the Messiah.  In the New Testament it is revealed that there is a period of time between two advents of the Lord.

Here the book of Revelation adds the detail of a thousand year time period.

The period of a thousand years is mentioned six times in Rev 20:1-7, always in connection with created beings, not the Lord:  satan, the saints, and the unbelievers.   

 

Three times concerning satan:

That he will be bound for a thousand years (Rev 20:2)

That he will not deceive the nations for a thousand years (Rev 20:3)

That he will be released at the end of a thousand years for a short time (Rev 20:3,7)

 

Two  times concerning the saints:

The tribulational martyrs will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:4).

Those who have a part in the first resurrection will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20:6).

 

Once concerning the unbelievers:

The “rest of the dead” – unbelievers – do not come to life until the thousand years are completed (Rev 20:5).

Here we must distinguish between the time span of the earthly Kingdom – populated with mortal men and women, including Gentile unbelievers - ,  and the mediatorial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the reign of the saints with Christ that lasts a thousand years according to Rev 20.

Two verses link reigning and the thousand years (Rev 20:4, 6), and both of them are describing the saints reigning with Christ.

 

The reign of Christ Himself is not bound by the thousand years.

His reign begins before the thousand years commences, and extends beyond the end of the thousand years.

 

Rev 11:15-18

15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,

" The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." 16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

"We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. 1

 

1Co 15:25-26

25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death.

 

These events will occur after the thousand years are completed.  See Revelation 20:10-15 for the details.

At the close of human history, the Mediatorial reign of our Lord Jesus Christ will be merged into the Universal Kingdom of His Father.  The Father and the Son will reign together forever.

 

1Co 15:20-28

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21 For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. 27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, " All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.

 

That God may be all in all.  This is the ultimate goal of the theocratic kingdom.

Christ unites the authority that is His as King with the Father’s authority after He has put down all rule and authority and power.
Christ hands over the earthly mediatorial kingdom to God the Father, to be merged into the eternal Kingdom.

The Son continues to rule forever – with the Father. 

 

Rev 22:1-4

22 Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3  There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4

 

The Father and the Son will reign together – forever-  on one throne,  in the heavenly Jerusalem.

Five major subjects in the future prophesied Kingdom

The five major subjects in the Millennium

  1. The Enemy – satan will be bound for the 1,000 years
  2. The Messiah –our Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed to earthly people in all His glory
  3. The Land – Palestine, the promised land
  4. The City – Jerusalem, the world capital
  5. The Temple (worship)

 

  1. The Enemy – satan will be bound for the 1,000 years

Rev 20:1-3

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

 

  1. The Messiah –our Lord Jesus Christ will be revealed to the people on earth in all His glory

 

  1. The names given to the Messiah in the Millennium present Him as the Son of God and Son of man who redeems and reigns throughout the Kingdom age.
  2. He will be revealed in His deity: God the Son, the Lord, Jehovah:

 

Isa 4:2
2 In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.
3

 

Isa 9:6

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

 

Isa 40:9-11

Get yourself up on a high mountain,

O Zion, bearer of good news,

Lift up your voice mightily,

O Jerusalem, bearer of good news;

Lift it up, do not fear.

Say to the cities of Judah,

" Here is your God!"

10 Behold, the Lord God will come with might,

With His arm ruling for Him.

Behold, His reward is with Him

And His recompense before Him.

11 Like a shepherd He will tend His flock,

In His arm He will gather the lambs

And carry them in His bosom;

He will gently lead the nursing ewes.

 

  1. He will be revealed in His humanity:

 

Dan 7:13-14

13 "I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

14 "And to Him was given dominion,

Glory and a kingdom,

 That all the peoples, nations and men of every  language

Might serve Him.

 His dominion is an everlasting dominion

Which will not pass away;

 And His kingdom is one

Which will not be destroyed.

 

  1. He will be presented as the King:

 

Zec 14:16-17
16 Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.

 

  1. He will be the Redeemer, bringing salvation to the people:

Isa 59:16-20

16 And He saw that there was no man,

And was astonished that there was no one to intercede;

Then His own arm brought salvation to Him,

And His righteousness upheld Him.

17 He put on righteousness like a breastplate,

And a helmet of salvation on His head;

And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing

And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

18  According to their  deeds, so He will repay,

Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies;

To the coastlands He will make recompense.

19 So they will fear the name of the Lord from the west

And His glory from the rising of the sun,

For He will come like a rushing stream

Which the wind of the Lord drives.

20 "A Redeemer will come to Zion,

And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," declares the Lord.

 

  1. He will be the Shepherd:

Jer 23:1-6

1 " Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!" declares the Lord. 2 Therefore thus says the Lord God of Israel concerning the shepherds who are tending My people: "You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them; behold, I am about to attend to you for the evil of your deeds," declares the Lord. 3 "Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and bring them back to their pasture, and they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 "I will also raise up shepherds over them and they will tend them; and they will not be afraid any longer, nor be terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the Lord.

 

5 "Behold, the  days are coming," declares the Lord,

"When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;

And He will reign as king and act wisely

And do justice and righteousness in the land.

6 "In His days Judah will be saved,

And Israel will dwell securely;

And this is His name by which He will be called,

'The Lord our righteousness.'

 

  1. The Land – Palestine, the promised land
    1. The land will be Israel’s inheritance:

 

Eze 36:6-12

6 'Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, "Thus says the Lord God, 'Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.' 7 "Therefore thus says the Lord God, 'I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. 8 'But you, O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. 9 'For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown. 10 'I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt. 11 'I will multiply on you man and beast; and they will increase and be fruitful; and I will cause you to be inhabited as you were formerly and will treat you better than at the first. Thus you will know that I am the Lord. 12 'Yes, I will cause men — My people Israel — to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.'

 

  1. The land will be enlarged:

Isa 26:15

15  You have increased the nation, O Lord,

You have increased the nation, You are glorified;

You have extended all the borders of the land.

 

Oba 17-21

17 "But on Mount Zion there will be those who escape,

And it will be holy.

And the house of Jacob will possess their possessions.

18 "Then the house of Jacob will be a fire

And the house of Joseph a flame;

But the house of Esau will be as stubble.

And they will set them on fire and consume them,

So that there will be no survivor of the house of Esau,"

For the Lord has spoken.
19 Then those of the Negev will possess the mountain of Esau,

And those of the Shephelah the Philistine plain;

Also, possess the territory of Ephraim and the territory of Samaria,

And Benjamin will possess Gilead.

20 And the exiles of this host of the sons of Israel,

Who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,

And the exiles of Jerusalem who are in Sepharad

Will possess the cities of the Negev.

21 The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion

To judge the mountain of Esau,

And the kingdom will be the Lord's.

 

  1. The topography of the land will be altered:

Mic 4:1

 And it will come about in the last days

That the mountain of the house of the Lord

Will be established as the chief of the mountains.

It will be raised above the hills,

And the peoples will stream to it.

 

Zec 14:4

 In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

 

Zec 14:8-10

8 And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.

9 And the Lord will be king over all the earth; in that day the Lord will be the only  one, and His name the only one.

10 All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses.

 

  1. Rainfall will be plentiful

Eze 34:26-27

26 "I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. 27 "Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.

 

Isa 35:6-7

6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy.

For waters will break forth in the wilderness

And streams in the Arabah.

7 The scorched land will become a pool

And the thirsty ground springs of water;

In the haunt of jackals, its resting place,

Grass becomes reeds and rushes.

 

Joe 2:21-24

21  Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,

For the Lord has done great things.

22 Do not fear, beasts of the field,

For the pastures of the wilderness have turned green,

For the tree has borne its fruit,

The fig tree and the vine have yielded in full.

23 So rejoice, O sons of Zion,

And be glad in the Lord your God;

For He has given you the early rain for your vindication.

And He has poured down for you the rain,

The early and latter rain as before.

24 The threshing floors will be full of grain,

And the vats will overflow with the new wine and oil

 

  1. The land will more fruitful and highly productive:

Isa 32:13-15

13  For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up;

Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city.

14 Because the palace has been abandoned, the populated city forsaken.

 Hill and watch-tower have become caves forever,

A delight for wild donkeys, a pasture for flocks;

15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high,

And the wilderness becomes a fertile field,

And the fertile field is considered as a forest.

 

Isa 35:1-2

35 The wilderness and the desert will be glad,

And the Arabah will rejoice and blossom;

Like the crocus

2 It will blossom profusely

And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy.

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

The majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They will see the glory of the Lord,

The majesty of our God.

 

Isa 51:3

3 Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion;

He will comfort all her waste places.

And her wilderness He will make like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of the Lord;

 Joy and gladness will be found in her,

Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

 

Eze 36:29-36

29 "Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. 30 "I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 "Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations. 32 "I am not doing this  for your sake," declares the Lord God, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O house of Israel!"

33 'Thus says the Lord God, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 "The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 "They will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.'

 

Amo 9:13

13 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord,

"When the plowman will overtake the reaper

And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;

When the mountains will drip sweet wine

And all the hills will be dissolved.

 

Joe 3:18

18 And in that day

The mountains will drip with sweet wine,

And the hills will flow with milk,

And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;

And a spring will go out from the house of the Lord

To water the valley of Shittim.

 
  1. The land and the cities will be rebuilt after their devastation:

Isa 61:4-5

4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins,

They will raise up the former devastations;

And they will repair the ruined cities,

The desolations of many generations.

5  Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks,

And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.

 

Eze 36:33-38

33 'Thus says the Lord God, "On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 "The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 "They will say, 'This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.' 36 "Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it."

37 'Thus says the Lord God, "This also I will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men like a flock. 38 "Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they will know that I am the Lord."'"

 

  1. The land will be apportioned to the twelve tribes of Israel

Eze 48:1-29.  Let’s read this passage together.

 

  1. The City – Jerusalem, the world capital
  2. The Temple (worship)

 


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