Wednesday 10/14/15
Series: The King and the Kingdom VIII
Message – The Millennial Kingdom I
(Please accept our apologies for the poor quality of this recording, our equipment will be in working order for Wednesday night.)
Last week we ended with…
We were reading through and commenting on the promises God has made to the Patriarchs and the nation of Israel through the prophets throughout scripture. We ended in Revelation 19 which speaks of the triumphant return of Christ at His second coming to establish His millennial kingdom here on earth with His saints!
Why a Kingdom?
Though I did not spend much time with it, I felt led to remind our church of the backdrop of creation. That there is genuine connective tissue between events that occurred before our creation that speaks to the actual NEED for a Kingdom in which free-willed people, with eyes wide open, knowingly and deliberately devote themselves to God in His Kingdom reign.
After this we began to look at what life in the millennial kingdom will look like.
Satan locked up for a thousand years
The purpose of locking satan way for this duration is clearly stated below. It is to keep Him from deceiving the nations until the time established for the Millennial kingdom is at an end.
Rev 20:1-3,
(1) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
(2) He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for 1,000 years.
(3) He threw him into the abyss, closed it, and put a seal on it so that he would no longer deceive the nations until the 1,000 years were completed. After that, he must be released for a short time.
At this time satan’s influence is no longer on the earth, so we spend some time looking at what that means in practical terms, by examining what his influence is doing in the world today.
What influence does satan have over the word and the kingdoms of this world today?
If we are to understand what this time will be like, one of the things we must examine is what satan’s influence effects today, so we can anticipate what the absence of that influence will be like during the millennial kingdom.
Eph 2:1-9,
(1) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins
(2) in which you previously walked according to this worldly age, according to the ruler of the atmospheric domain, the spirit now working in the disobedient.
(3) We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and by nature we were children under wrath, as the others were also.
(4) But God, who is abundant in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us,
(5) made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. By grace you are saved!
(6) He also raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus,
(7) so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
(8) For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift–
(9) not from works, so that no one can boast.
Acts 26:18,
“to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.'”
Example:
1Cor. 5:5,
“…deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
The fundamental thought of “destruction” is not annihilation by any means, but unavoidable distress and torment.
He steals the Word from the heart
Mark 4:15,
“And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.”
He does this by deceit – about the intentions of God, the purposes of God, the trustworthiness of God, the bloated importance of man or self…etc.
Leads people to destruction
Luke 22:3,
“Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve.”
Entices us to lie against God, ourselves and others
Acts 5:3,
“But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?”
Tempts us
1Cor. 7:5,
“Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
He is constantly looking to take advantage of us
2Cor. 2:10-11,
“Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
2Tim. 2:24-26,
” And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.”
1Peter 5:8,
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
He lies to us
2Cor. 11:12-15,
“But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
2Thess 2:9-10,
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
John 8:44,
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
Acts 13:10,
“and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
Hinders progress in the Kingdom
1Thess 2:18,
“Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.”
So in review satan…
- He steals the Word from the heart
- Leads to destruction
- Entices us to lie against God, ourselves and others
- Tempts us
- Constantly looks to take advantage of us
- Lies to us
- Hinders progress in the Kingdom
Yet with his influence removed does that keep man from rejecting God? NO!
“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” ~ Rev. 20:7-10
The Millennial Kingdom
Read Matt. 24:5-14.
3 questions were presented to Christ by His disciples…
- When will be the destruction of the Temple?
- What will be the sign of your return?
- What will be the sign of the end of this age?
These last two questions were actually two-in-one because to their Jewish minds they were two events signifying the same result.
At this point the disciples had no notion of Christ’s departure and event though Jesus had spoken of His death and resurrection they never seemed to understand what He meant.
From the perspective of the disciples, Christ would….
- put an end to their current age of bondage to Rome
- destroy the current temple
- erect a New kingdom and temple in which Israel was the supreme nation on the earth
- God would reign through Christ the Messiah forever.
So it is VERY important that the Christian realize that this was NOT a question about the rapture, but of the millennial kingdom! THAT is VERY VERY important!
The above was still there understanding after the resurrection as is seen in Acts 1:1-8,
(1) “The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
(2) until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
(3) to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
(4) And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
(5) for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
(6) Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
(7) And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
(8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Notice that Jesus did NOT say – the kingdom you seek is never going to happen since My kingdom is a spiritual kingdom. Rather He said, “It is not for you to know the times of the seasons which the Father has retained in His Own Power” Acts 1:7
The reign of Messiah in an everlasting nation of Israel was definitely the understanding of Jesus’ mother as well…
Luke 1:31-33,
(31) “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS.
(32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
(33) And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
…and though the rapture was understood by the Apostles under the New Covenant, the belief in a FUTURE reign of Christ on the earth was also recognized at the Counsel of Jerusalem. These men clearly understood it as a future reality!
Acts 15:14-17,
“(14) Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.
(15) And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
(16) ‘AFTER THIS I WILL RETURN AND WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, WHICH HAS FALLEN DOWN; I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL SET IT UP;
(17) SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, EVEN ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME, SAYS THE LORD WHO DOES ALL THESE THINGS.'”
So what was Jesus’ reply to the disciples’ question in Matthew 24?
Jesus’ reply…
- Let no one lead you astray or deceive you and thus turn you away to false Christs.
- DON’T be troubled – at the beginning kingdoms and nations will make war with each other, famines, blights on crops, natural disasters in many places.
- As things progress the world will turn strongly against the church and Israel – persecuting you, killing you.
- Some of you will be offended against the faith and will betray your brethren (fellow Christians) and countrymen (Israel).
- False prophets will come and successfully deceive many.
- Lawlessness will be pervasive and because of this people will stop loving nearly altogether.
- If you preserver until the end you will be saved.
- This gospel OF THE KINGDOM MUST be preached in all the world as a WITNESS to all nations – then the end will come.
- For this reason when you see the abomination that makes desolate in the temple – run – things are about to get REALLY bad! It appears that Israel will rebuild the temple. When the AntiChrist comes he will do away with temple sacrifice and will proclaim himself as God in the temple. This will occur at the end of the first 3.5 years of the tribulation and will begin the time of great trouble – so RUN!
- During this time false christ’s will come – performing miracle in order to deceive. DON”T BELIEVE THEM!
- When Christ returns – you will KNOW IT! All Jews will be gathered together in Jerusalem by My angels and I will begin my millennial reign!
What the disciples did NOT see at first was the time of the Gentiles prior to the tribulation and Millennial Kingdom.
Satan’s tactics never change! Just as satan has lied and tried to deceive Israel about their Messiah and His Kingdom, he has also tried to deceive the church about Christ’s return for them in the rapture! This was true in the early church as it is in today’s world!
2Thess. 2:1-12,
(1) “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
(2) not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
(3) Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
(4) who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
(5) Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
(6) And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
(7) For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
(8) And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
(9) The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
(10) and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
(11) And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
(12) that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
We will pick up from here on Sunday…Blessings!
I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
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Blessings!
