Transcription

The perfect world everyone’s wishing for is actually coming. The environment is going to be amazing. Pure air. Fresh, sparkling, clean water. Plenty of organic food with no chemicals. No pesticides. No poison. The soil will be so fertile and pure that everything grows beautifully and fragrantly lush.

The society, that’s also amazing. Jesus Christ Himself will be king. Everyone knows that He rules with a rod of iron. No wars, no terrorists, no anarchy or riots, no crime, no rebellion. Just peace, prosperity, and universal justice. There are no homeless, no refugees, no poverty. There’s no prejudice. By the way, all the leaders are glorified, perfected saints who exhibit perfect patience, love, compassion, and fidelity.

With the healthcare system, that’s also amazingly non-existent, because in this coming world there are no diseases. There are no malformed bodies, no blindness, no deafness, no birth defects. In fact, everyone is healthy and seems to live indefinitely. This is almost Heaven. As you imagine, the most peaceful, pure, prosperous, healthy, and beautiful world of flourishing people, flourishing plants and animals, and weather, and life.

That’s the kingdom. That’s the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ. That’s the millennium, promised to Israel, written about in almost a third of the Bible, and told it’s coming by Jesus. It’s sent by God. The thousand year kingdom is what Isaiah describes all the way through his 66 chapters. That’s what John describes in the book of Revelation, using words and ideas from almost 800 other passages, touching almost every book of the Bible. That’s when Jesus returns to Earth. He restores and He rules.

This is our 14th class going through the book of Isaiah. We’ve been exploring Isaiah. As I remind you, it takes three hours and 45 minutes to read the whole book. We’ve only had, soon to be 15, 50 minute segments. So, we’re exploring that. Covering every word. In our 14th class, when Jesus Christ returns to Earth, remember as the king over all the Earth, as promised He restores the Earth almost back to the perfections of Eden. There is still sin, but Satan is banished. So, the only sin is that which is in the hearts of the humans. Therefore, as long as Jesus rules with this rod of iron that Psalm 2 talks about, the Earth seems almost like Heaven.

Jesus is described in Isaiah 2:4. If you want to open there with me in your Bible, we’ll read what’s going on in the world because it helps connect everything. Many people don’t understand how we can have such a tragic ending to the Bible, of the great white throne and this huge multitude thrown in the lake of fire, when Jesus is actually on the Earth now, ruling. This explains it, starting in chapter 2. In verse 4 it says this, and “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” It goes on and on to describe all the wonders, in chapter 2, of what’s coming. Where does this fit? How does Isaiah fit with the rest of the Bible? We’re looking down at your slides. We’re talking about when Jesus returns to Earth, when He restores, when He rules.

This, as you know is only one of 15 classes. We’re right down there at the 14th hour, as you can see.

This is also the final line in our outline we’ve been looking at. God’s expectations of His people. His future plans. We’ve looked at the first 39 chapters of chastening. Now we’re in that final section, 27 chapters of our merciful God comforting His people. At the bottom, you see, God describes the millennium. That is what we’re looking at today.

Continuing, we’re in that seventh passage that’s so important to the second coming through the millennium. Isaiah 63, 65, 66, which ties into our key chapters of the book.

The Book of Isaiah, as you know, and as we’ve pointed out all the way through, this class has three big themes, major themes. Number one, conviction that comes to us in chapter 6. What we’re talking about is this overwhelming sense of sin, and wrath of God against sin. It’s very clear in the 21 times that the book of Isaiah uses the term woe, in God’s sight it’s woeful. Our good deeds are as Isaiah 64 says, in our passage today, like filthy rags. So, God wants us convicted of our sin and only those who are convicted of their sin can come to Him and embrace salvation.

Next, a big theme and a major theme of Isaiah is the confession, the all pervading awareness of the power, the majesty, the holiness of God. 23 times in this book God uses His name, the Holy One of God. It’s almost unique to Isaiah. Outside of Isaiah, we find it in the New Testament when fallen angels confront Christ, they go, oh you’re the Holy One of God.

Now look where we are in this lesson. We’re talking about confidence. The crystal clear sight of the salvation and coming victory of Christ.

In the next slide, we’re going to use this chart to fit together all the pieces from the Old Testament and the New Testament and explain the millennium. If you look up for just a second, you notice that in our lesson, Isaiah 2:4 talks about the Lord reigning and being over all the Earth. I’ve also put this reference here. Revelation 19 and 20. Now, how do we get from the fall of Judah, the destruction, the Church age, to Day of the Lord? Isaiah is right here prophesying and he’s prophesying this event is on the horizon, the fall of the southern kingdom to the Babylonians. As he talks about that he keeps catapulting to this Day of the Lord. Restoration of Israel. The return of the Messiah and all of the wonders of the Day of the Lord. Not only having right here, the tribulation starting, right here having the second coming of Christ, right here having the millennium, and then having the final eternal state. So, the day of the Lord has pieces to it, which Isaiah just seems to switch between all the channels and actually catapults right over the Church, because he, as Paul said in the New Testament, the Church was a mystery. I wasn’t known by those Old Testament prophets. So, the chronology of all this comes in the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 1, chapters 2 and 3, chapters 4 and 5, chapter 6 through 18, chapter 19, chapter 20, 21, and 22. The book of Revelation is a timeline from the time of the apostle John, from ad 90, as he’s on Patmos, all the way. It’s a timeline all the way until eternity in Heaven. It’s in consecutive unfolding, beautiful, sequential order.

Now watch, Jesus comes down to John on Patmos and tells him the purpose of the book of Revelation. Chapter 1, verse 1 says the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave His servants. So, the whole purpose of Revelation is so, that written down, we the sons and daughters of God through the work of Jesus Christ, the members of the body of Christ, the Church would know from right here on Earth, right after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, right after the birth of the Church, we would know everything God has planned to the end. That’s the purpose and what it’s supposed to do is verse 3 of Revelation. Chapter 1 says it’s supposed to bless us. 1 John 3 says that it’s supposed to help us to be pure because we know He’s coming and so we want to be pure. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians it’s supposed to encourage us, it’s supposed to comfort us, it’s also supposed to help us to want to, as 1 Corinthians tells us, take people with us to Heaven. So, that’s what chapter 1 is, the purpose.

Chapter 2 and 3 of Revelation shows us the Church on Earth. It’s a very, very powerful explanation of what God wants us doing right now and the examination. Then all of a sudden, we go in chapter 4 and 5 with the church in Heaven around the throne. So, it’s Jesus on the island, the Church on the Earth, and all of a sudden, the Church is around the throne in Heaven. Then we go into the tribulation, to chapter 6 of Revelation to 18; all about the unfolding wrath of God that lasts for seven years. It has a dividing, a midpoint that Daniel talks about and is described. Then, we have the second coming of Christ, thousand year reign, Heaven.

Isaiah, he keeps sending incredible prophecies about all these parts, but they’re not in any order, as we’ll see, as I go through all the chapters of Isaiah that talk about especially this thousand years. That’s called the millennium, this thousand year rule of Christ, the millennial temple, which Isaiah talks about just hit and miss. Ezekiel spends eight full chapters, plus an introduction. From 40 to 48 is all about this millennial temple that we’ll talk about.

So, back to your slides. Let me go through what I just showed you on the board and show you what we’re going to see in Isaiah. For one thing, Isaiah is going to talk about the seven year tribulation, as far as that it’s a time of wrath of God against sin and of refining Israel. Israel, we’re going to actually go through Zechariah 12-14, gets decimated during the tribulation. In fact, two thirds of all the Jewish people alive are exterminated during the tribulation. It’s a horrific time. It’s like a second Holocaust. Jesus actually returns, and we’ll see that most clearly in Zechariah 12-14, to rescue the Jews.

See right here, they’re attacked by the Anti-Christ. As soon as Jesus returns, see, the tribulation ends. But look what happens here, there’s a sheep and goat judgment. Jesus describes that in Matthew 25. What is that? Look up for just a second, did you know that Jesus explains that at the second coming of Christ, no unbeliever, no rebel is allowed. There’s like a wall right here, and no unbeliever survives the tribulation to go into the kingdom. At the second coming of Christ, Jesus said the angels are going to go through and sort out the believers from the unbelievers. There are going to be many believers that survive the tribulation, many believers that survive all those plagues, especially Jews, that are protected as we read about in chapter 12 of Revelation. God actually protects this huge group of them, and Satan can’t get to them and He takes them into the wilderness, but only believers believing Jews and Gentiles. So, these believers that survived the tribulation, both Jews and Gentiles go into this 1000 year rule of Christ, the millennium. So, the millenniums starts only with believers. Now, before we get done today, I’m going to emphasize that, so I want you to think about the implications. Back to your chart. That’s what’s called the sheep, those are the believers, and goat judgment. The Lord separates, He ends the Earthly life of the goats. They go to wait for judgment.

Now look up again. That’s over here and I brought back the chart from a few classes ago. Everybody on Earth, when they end their Earthly existence, up until the cross up until the time of Christ when people died they all went to the same place, either paradise that’s for the believers; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Enoch. You know what I mean, David… all of the Old Testament saints or the lost went to the other side of Hades or the Grave or Sheol this is called the grave. Sometimes Sheol, other times Hades, that’s a Greek word. So, all people were on one side. This is the happy side, and this is the sad side. This is a place of torment and fire. This is a place of bliss. But all of them went there. After the cross, the believers were taken by Christ to be in Heaven, in paradise, but still all normal people when they die, they go here.

Now I hate to say this, but if you know any unbelievers, when they died the instant that they left the hospital, the instant they left the car accident, their spirit immediately was experiencing conscious, complete torment. Now it’s not Hell. Notice where Hell is. This is the lake of fire. Right now, that is totally empty. The first person to go there will be the person masquerading as Jesus Christ, who is the Anti-Christ. The Anti-Christ and his faults prophets. Those two will be the first two into the lake of fire. The third will be Satan himself. Isn’t that interesting? The lake of fire was prepared for Satan and his angels, and those who are in dwelt by him. Satan himself, will be one of the first ones in there. We have this place right here, which will come up too. Which is called the Pit. Satan will be in there too.

Back to our chart, we have the resurrected bodies of Old Testament tribulation believers and they are going to be reigning with Christ. If you look up here, during the millennium, all those who have resurrected bodies will be serving. We’re going to see this explained in Isaiah. They will be running the society. The judges. The ones who are representing Jesus Christ. The government will be all of us. Then at the end, right here, of the millennium, remember I told you that everyone that entered the millennium was a believer, at the end of the millennium there are going to be an awful lot of children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren of believers who do not follow the Lord.  We’re going to see that in Revelation. Then of course, Isaiah talks about much about the new Heaven and the new Earth. So, we’ll get to that.

So, let’s go to the next slide. That is, Isaiah explains for us, look at this the coming 1000 year rule of Christ on Earth.

The way he does that is, and we’re going to go through each of these verses. You see this passage right here? Turn there with me and I’m going to read it and I’m going to explain it to you. Isaiah 24:21, Satan is overcome by Christ and is in prison. Now look at 24:21. It says, “It shall come to pass in that day that the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the Earth the kings of the Earth. They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and they will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished.” And on and on, you can read.

Now, look up for a second. What’s going on here? Revelation chapter 20 tells us, at the end of the tribulation, at the second coming of Christ, that Satan is bound and put here into the Pit. So, the first thing, look back at your slides, that happens is that there is Satan overcome by Christ, part of the second coming, he’s in prison. Look at what happens. Jesus begins to rule over all the Earth. Isaiah 2:4 says, He judges between the nations. He rebukes the people. They beat their swords into plowshares. In fact, He transforms the whole Earth.

Then number three, you go to Isaiah 35. So, turn to Isaiah 35 and we’ll read this. You can look up from your slides. I’ll turn there with you. Starting in verse 8, Isaiah 35. This is beautiful. “A highway shall be there.” Now wait a minute, look what I told you. Isaiah is going between talking about, just before this he’s talking about the coming Babylonians. The Babylonians overtaking the Assyrians. The doom of Edom. All these things and all of a sudden, boom, he sends a prophetic preview of what’s going to go in the day of the Lord. So, let me read to you, I love this. “A highway shall be there,” this is in the millennial kingdom, “and a road, and it will be called the Highway of Holiness.”  In other words, it’s the road to God.

Now watch, I’ll do it here on this drawing, up here. Here’s the Earth and right here, where Christ is crucified, is Jerusalem. The same place in Jerusalem, where Jesus lived, and served, and died it’s going to become the center of the Earth. All activity is going to be centered, as we’ll see in a minute, around Jerusalem. Especially this temple because Jesus is going to be sitting here on a throne ruling in Jerusalem. On the Earth. Physically. Visibly. Jesus is going to be in the center of this millennial temple. The temple itself, it’s the fourth temple. Solomon’s temple was the first temple, Herod’s temple is the second. There’s one during the tribulation that John sees, and Jesus sees, and Paul sees, and Daniel sees, and it’s in the tribulation. There’s going to be one in Ezekiel 40 to 48 that God builds, and that temple is right there.  It’s the size, it’s actually measured in Ezekiel, it’s the size of a city block sitting inside of, look at this, a huge what I call, visitor center that’s 25,000 cubits long and 25,000 cubits wide. Now we don’t use cubits very much, that’s 18 inches. It’s the distance from here to here on a person. From their elbow to their hand. That’s 18 inches, a foot and a half. 25,000 of them is 37,000 feet, which is about seven miles. So, this visitor center is approximately a 50 square mile area that has roads coming to it from all over the world.

Look back at verse 8, and “A highway shall be there,” “called the Highway of Holiness.” So, people that want to obey the Lord, they can come on this highway and visit the temple. Now already, we’re getting into stuff that most people don’t see. Most people don’t really read Ezekiel. Most people don’t read Isaiah that often. You understand what I mean? Many people stay away from Revelation, it’s just too confusing. This highway is there, the way to God.

“The unclean shall not pass over it.” This is a little reminder that no one comes in that’s pagan, lost, unbelieving, only believers. There are going to be many people that don’t want to come there. What we’ll see in Zechariah is that God does something to them. If they overtly rebel, He kills them. Now that’s ruling with a rod of iron. If they just won’t come to visit Him, it says in the Bible in Zechariah 14, 17, and 18, it says if they won’t come at the feast times, especially the feast of Tabernacles that are re-instituted; God says it won’t rain on your garden, on your farm, no rain. So, everybody around you is going to have rain. You won’t because you are not coming to see Me. See, God is very direct in His desire, that everybody know Christ. Back to your slides. Only believing Jews and Gentiles will come in.

This is, I’ll go back for just a second, that slide right there, let me back up, is just the drawing you see. The abyss I had, and there’s the lake of fire, and there’s Heaven, and there’s the grave. I just wanted you to have that in your notes.

Number four, God establishes universal peace.  What do the scripture say? I’ll just read these verses to you, there’s so many. “The mountain shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed.” So, there will be universal peace during the millennium and Christ restraints all violence.

Now, do you remember this Christmas verse? Let me read that. Christ restrains all violence, Isaiah 9:7. Do you remember 9:6? “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God.” Look what verse 7 says, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.” So, there’s no violence. It’s all restrained.

Jesus, it says in Isaiah 11:5, He rules in righteousness.

Number seven, this is the seventh explanation and description of the millennium from Isaiah. It says in Isaiah 4:2, that there will be this complete prosperity and abundance of food. Let me read it to you. “In that day the Branch of the LORD shall be beautiful and glorious; and the fruit of the Earth shall be excellent and appealing for those of Israel who have escaped.” So, what it’s saying is the former famine that Israel had known in all their struggles, and if you look up here remember Isaiah is talking to a group of people that are going into siege and captivity. So, they’re starving during the siege, in captivity, in 586. Then he says, but here in the kingdom, chapter 4 verse 2, there’ll be this abundance.

Back to your slides. This one, most people find very fascinating. Look at Isaiah 65 and turn there in your Bible. I’ll just read it to you. It says in verse 20, “No more shall an infant from there live but a few days.” So, there’s no infant mortality. “Nor an old man who has not fulfilled as days; for the child shall die 100 years old.” Look up for a second, do you know what that means? There’s going to be a supernatural prolonging of people’s lives. Most people will live the entire thousand years. If they don’t rebel, they’ll live the whole time because the curse from the garden of Eden has been rolled back, not removed. There’s still sin inside their hearts. If they aren’t born again, even if we are born again, we still struggle and resist against sin today. I tell people I’m the worst sinner I know, because I don’t know you. But I do know how much I know, from the word of God and I know how much I struggled to obey. That’s what the millennium will be. Saved people, that are struggling against sin, but they’re going to have children who don’t embrace Christ. Back to your slides, the supernatural lifespan.

Then Isaiah 35 also says, no diseases, no impairments in the coming kingdom.

The next slide is just a summary of everything we’ve seen. There’ll be topographical changes. Curse lifted. The Earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, yet we’re not in Heaven. There’s still death, sin. People have their own land. They’re having children, they’re being fruitful.

Next slide, Jerusalem becomes the center of the world. That’s what Isaiah 4 says. All the world streams through Jerusalem.

Now look at this, number 11, sacrifices are offered again. Look up for a second, because most people need to think about that. Let me just illustrate it simply this way. Here’s the cross and here’s the Old Testament period. Here’s where sacrifices were. Here we are in the New Testament and we have what’s called the Lord’s table or supper. Now let me ask you, was anyone saved through offering a lamb in the Old Testament? No. They weren’t saved by offering a lamb, they were saved by faith. The reason they offered the lamb, they needed a substitute because they were sinners. So, no one was saved by a sacrifice in the Old Testament. In fact, many people, Isaiah says were offering sacrifices that God says, they are abdominal to me. Stop offering them. I’m not listening to you. Your heart isn’t in it. People were saved by faith, bringing a sacrifice that pointed toward the future death of Christ in their place. The New Testament believers in the church are saved by looking back and believing that Jesus died in our place. The Lord’s table reminds us of Jesus’ body that was crucified, His blood that was shed.

What’s going on in the millennium? What’s going on in this temple? Why are they now offering sacrifices? Because the Old Testament sacrifices are the most beautiful picture of Jesus Christ coming as the perfect spotless lamb as the substitute, as the sin bearer. So, what goes on in this temple is, they go back to offering sacrifices that never saved anyone and don’t save anybody then, but those sacrifices, look here, in the millennium those sacrifices point to Christ death on the cross. So, no one is saved by sacrifices. Never were, never, will be. Back to your slides, but they will be offered again in the millennial temple.

Now, we go to Isaiah 59. If you open your Bibles with me and look up, starting in verse 18. Isaiah 59 and verse 18-20. “According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, fury to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; the coastlands He will fully repay. So shall they fear the name of the LORD.”  Now look at verse 20, “the Redeemer will come to Zion.” Now this is again, Isaiah’s lobbing a future view of the second coming of Christ. It’s amplified, look on your slides, by Zechariah.

What Zechariah 12 says is, that the Lord will return. When does He return? 12:2 when all the nations are surrounding Jerusalem and Jerusalem is the center focus. Look what happens. The Lord, as He returns, pours out on the house of David, on the Jews, the spirit of grace and supplication, they look on Him who they pierced.

Now, look at Zechariah 13, they’re all there in Jerusalem and look what it says in verse 8. “And it shall come to pass in all the land,” “that two thirds shall be cut off.” Two thirds of Israel parishes during the horrors of the tribulation. “I will bring the one-third through.” So, that’s called the remnant in theology and Bible study.

So, we’re in the day of the Lord. That’s the climactic ending, the second coming through Heaven. “I will gather all the nations,” in verse 2. They are surrounding Jerusalem. As the nations are closing in to destroy those the remnant, the second coming takes place. That’s, Jesus coming to the Mount of Olives and look who comes with Him in verses 5 & 6. All the saints, all the Old Testament saints, all the New Testament saints, all the Church. All those who have died during the tribulation as martyrs. All the saints, come with Him and look at this what’s going on, on Earth. And that day “living waters will flow from Jerusalem,” “and the LORD will be King over all the Earth.”

Then look at this, this is just fascinating. “And it this be”, this is the plague in verse 12, “which the LORD will strike all fought people who fight against Jerusalem.” It’s hard to even read this total annihilation. “Their flesh will dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes will dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths.” Then, the Lord takes over and look at this, “It should come to pass,” verse 16, “everyone who’s left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King,” “and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” The Old Testament feasts come back into the picture. “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the Earth,” Verse 17, “do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.” Wow.

Next slide, Isaiah 60 describes the coming kingdom age.

Isaiah 61 describes the two advents of Christ.

It’s significant because look at this. It says, this is Isaiah 61 out of my Bible, does this sound familiar? “The Spirit of the LORD God is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,” and look right here Jesus stopped, in Luke 4:18. Look up for a second. What’s going on? Jesus goes to His home synagogue, His hometown Nazareth, where He grew up, and they hand Him the scroll. He opens the scroll of Isaiah to right there, what we just read, Isaiah 61. He reads and stops right in the middle of the sentence. He puts a comma in, and it says He closes the scroll and stops. This is the difference between the first advent of Christ, here, when Jesus came to suffer on the cross and the second advent of Christ, which is a part of the day of the Lord. He clearly distinguishes that right there. Look back at your slide, because this is the second coming of Christ. “The day of vengeance,” “to comfort those who mourn,” in Zion. “To give them beauty for ashes.” That is Isaiah 61.

The next slide, Isaiah 63 graphically describes what’s going to happen.  It’s just like in Zechariah, some very graphic terms. So, turn in your Bible to Isaiah chapter 63 and let me read that with you. Isaiah 63, the day of vengeance. This is what the Lord is says, “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who’s glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength? I will speak in righteousness.”

Look at verse 2. “Why is your apparel red?” Now, let me read to you what it says in Revelation 19. Do you remember, I’ve said this so many times, but Isaiah is talking about the near destruction. He’s talking about the coming Lamb of God. He’s talking now about the second coming. Revelation 19, right there. What does it say in verse 11? “I saw Heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire.” “He was clothed,” verse 13, “in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.” And the armies followed Him. Look at verse 15, “Out of His mouth goes a sharp sword.” ” He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Why are Jesus’ garments red?  Isaiah 63:1, it talks about Edom and Bozrah. Anger, verse 3. Fury. Blood. This speaks of the wrath of Christ trampling out as the hymn goes, the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored. He is actually judging the nations that are coming against Jerusalem. It’s a day of vengeance. Back in your slides, Isaiah 63.

In Isaiah 64, we have one of the most beautiful prayers. The prophet himself prays this prayer of deliverance. It’s beautiful.

Chapter 65, if you’ll turn there in your Bible, we’re looking at the new Heavens and the new Earth, and it says in Isaiah 65:17, new Heavens and new Earth. This is exactly what the apostle John talks about in Revelation 21. Then, right here on your slide, it’s the same terminology that Peter talks about in 2 Peter chapter 3.

Real quickly, Isaiah 66 talks about Jerusalem in the kingdom age.

Jerusalem in the kingdom age, is this period of time right here, this thousand year reign of Christ. Isaiah describes that.

Revelation 20 picks up and it says that Satan is restrained, and a chain is put on him. If you want to look up for a second, what happens to Satan is, Satan is up here fighting against God in the whole Armageddon thing. He’s there, and the Lord sends an angel and has him put into this Abyss. He is bound for a thousand years.

Back in your slides. Then, the millennium takes place. Christ rules, that’s Revelation 20.

Then, what we see in verses 7-10 is that Satan is released, and something happens. For just a second, go to Revelation 20 with me and let me illustrate it up here. This is the lesson that I want to give you. Most of this has been fascinating, but it doesn’t have a lot to do with most of you that are listening to this. Most of us are going to be experiencing this event that’s right here. It’s the end of the church age, it’s the rapture of the Church. So, almost everything we’re studying right now is not going to be experienced by us on Earth. We’re not going to be here. We’re going to be up there watching this. We will come back with Christ at the second coming. All the saints return with Christ. But you say, so are we spending so much time studying this if we’re just going to be up in Heaven enjoying it and not spectators?

There’s a lesson and I want you to see it in chapter 20, starting in verse 7. It says, “Now when the thousand years have expired.” So, the day of the Lord starts, tribulation, second coming, millennium, starts the thousand year reign of Christ, goes through chapter 20 verses 1-6. Look at this, at the end of the thousand years, “Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the Earth,” verse 8, “Gog and Magog.”

Gog is a title of head, the ruler. So, he goes out and gets a bunch of rebels to help him organize the world. Look what they do. They, “whose number,” verse 8, “is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the Earth and surrounded the camp of the saints.” Whoa. What is the camp of the saints? It’s right here, where’s I made it blue, so it would stand out. Do you see this? All the way around, the temple where Jesus is reigning, the saints. See the camp of the saints? They can’t get enough of the Lord. They want to be as close to Him as possible, so they start migrating, people. As the world, seemingly, is not interested in God, the longer the millennium goes on, the more unbelievers there are. The more their children don’t like going through the temple. They don’t like watching those old, messy sacrifices. Why? Because the heart of humans is desperately wicked.

Apart from saving grace, even with Jesus Christ Himself sitting on Earth, giving all the length, and life, and prosperity, and no infant mortality, no disfigurement of human bodies, no birth defects… it’s just like this perfect environment… they still don’t want Him. So, what happens in chapter 20? It says, all the people from the Earth come like the sand of the sea and they surround the millennial temple, the seat of Christ. This is the shortest battle in history. They “surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire comes down from God out of Heaven and devoured them,” like that. Wow.

Look back on your slides. Satan is released. He’s then put, in verse 10, into the lake of fire and Heaven becomes our home.

We’re reminded that life here on Earth is like camping. That’s what Peter picks up, in 2 Peter 1. That’s when Jesus returns to Earth. He restores and rules.

Just before we go, I’d like to read you 2 Peter chapter 1. This is Peter’s testimony and I hope that as we study Jesus coming to Earth, restore, and rule; we’re still the Church on Earth and you know what we’re supposed to be doing? This is what Peter says, 2 Peter 1:13, “Yes, I think it’s right, as long as I’m in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you, knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Moreover, I’ll be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things.” What did Peter want us to know? He said the purpose of Revelation is so that you know, all this is going to happen. So that you know, that believers are in Heaven. So that you know, that God has a plan to restrain Satan. So that you know, that Christ wants you to be focusing on what we’re supposed to do on Earth. What are we supposed to do? Please God with our life and do everything possible to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Heaven is our home. Earth is just camping. See what Peter said? To remind you, “as long as I’m in this tent.” What’s a tent? Temporary dwelling, it’s portable dwelling, it is something that is used for a little while, and then without any sadness, you just say, wow that was great camping, put it in the garage. That’s what this body is like. This is our tent. We’re here on Earth, this world is not our home. We’re on our way through, we’re pilgrims, we’re strangers, we like the millennial saints want to get as close to God as possible, but we are in the Church and we’re supposed to be going into all the world and sharing the gospel.

Let me ask you, is that what you’re living for? Does the book of Revelation keep in focus that we’re only here for a while? Our master’s coming to get us. Soon, we are going to be around the throne and He’s going to pour out His wrath. He left us here to fulfill His purpose. I hope that the book of Isaiah, explaining the book of Revelation will remind you Heaven is home, Earth is camping. I’m left here to do what Christ left me to do.

Let’s bow for a word of prayer.

Father, thank you for giving us the book of Isaiah. Thank you, that you are coming as King. You’re going to restore this Earth, perfect. You’re going to rule. But right now, we’re supposed to be doing what you left us to do. I pray that we would spend time prayerfully surrendering today and saying, Lord, get me back on track for what You left me to do. In the precious name of Jesus we pray. Amen.