July 29 2022

Today, Friday July 29

Old Testament Prophecies of the Kingdom

Revelation 20:4-6

“And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

We are studying Revelation 20 and talking about the Millennium reign of Jesus Christ. When you read the Bible from cover to cover you will realize that it is really all about the Kingdom! Both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ came preaching about the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus sent His original twelve disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven: “And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 10:7). The Millennium Kingdom of Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of everything that is written about it in the Scriptures.

Today we want to continue to talk about the purpose and character of the Millennium. But first we always want to remember that it really is all about the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ and His person and ministry. Isaiah saw this glory of Jesus in both of His advents as clearly as any of the prophets in the Old Testament. The first advent of Jesus Christ was His first coming to the earth as a baby in the manger. The second advent of Jesus Christ will be His coming to the earth in His glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah saw these two advents as “mountain peaks of prophecy”, one behind the other.

Many of the prophets saw it this same way and actually could not differentiate between the two and so they saw it as one event. Because of this, Isaiah and the prophets could not see the time period in between where the church age takes place. In the Old Testament the church was a mystery which is a hidden truth that would be revealed later. That’s why sometimes it is hard for us to see the first and second advents of Jesus Christ as we read the Old Testament prophecies about them.

Isaiah talked about the nature and character of the Kingdom often. In Isaiah 4:2-6, he saw it and wrote these words: “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. And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy--everyone who is recorded among the living in Jerusalem. When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, then the LORD will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.”

Read these verses over and over and you will get the picture of the awesomeness and the wonders of the Millennium reign of Jesus Christ! Did you notice the reference about the “spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning” that will prepare Jerusalem for the reign of Christ? This could be talking about the judgment of God on Babylon at the end of the Tribulation and the destruction of the armies of the earth at Christ’s coming!

The world will be a wonderful place when Jesus Christ is in total charge of it. And don’t forget, we will get to rule and reign with Him!!!! Wow! We sure have a lot to look forward to in this crazy mixed up world.

God bless!