By
Stan Feldsine - http://www.tojesusbeallglory.com
Introduction
to the Messianic Kingdom
The
reign of Messiah for 1000 years according to Rev 20:4
is commonly referred to as the "Messianic Kingdom" by Jews
and the "Millennial Kingdom" by Gentiles. The Messianic
Kingdom will be a physical theocratic monarchy on earth lasting for
1000 years. At the conclusion of the 1000 years, all of Jesus's
enemies will have been defeated, and at that time the kingdom will be
turned over to the Father, and the kingdom will transition to the
Eternal State.
A great deal of the Old
Testament details the Messianic Kingdom. This kingdom is foretold in
the Old Testament by Isaiah, and in the New Testament by John. Isaiah
says:
Isa 9:6-7
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government
will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the greatness
of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on
David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The
zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Daniel also received
details that revealed this kingdom:
Dan 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another
people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end,
but it will itself endure forever.
Dan 7:14
He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and
peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one
that will never be destroyed.
Daniel
is given the timing of when this kingdom will exist. In Dan 7:23-24
Daniel reveals that the 4th beast is a "forth kingdom",
which corresponds to the imperialistic empires which have lasted to
our day. This beast will develop into a yet future but quickly
approaching one world government that "will devour the whole
earth, trampling it down and crushing it". From the one world
government will arise "10 kings", a 10 nation confederacy,
and out from the 10 kings "another king will arise", which
is the antiChrist. It is in the time of these kings, at the end of
the Tribulation period that "the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed."
Dan 7:23-24
"He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth
kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the
other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and
crushing it. (24) The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this
kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the
earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
Rev 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever
and ever."
Samuel also foresaw the
kingdom rule of David's offspring, Jesus, and spoke of the promise
that this kingdom would be established.
2Sa 7:12
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will
raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and
I will establish his kingdom.
John is given the
duration of this kingdom. John informs us that this kingdom will be
established and rule over the earth for 1000 years, after which the
kingdom will be turned over to the Father.
Rev 20:4
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority
to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because
of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They
had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its
mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned
with Christ a thousand years.
1Co 15:24
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
Kingdoms
in Context
The specific kingdom
being referred to in scripture depends upon the context in which the
term is used. The Messianic Kingdom is distinguished from Jesus's
universal or eternal kingdom which was established "long ago".
Jesus's eternal reign over the universe does not conflict with a
future physical kingdom with Jesus reigning on earth.
Psa 93:2
Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
Psa 103:19
The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules
over all.
The term "kingdom"
is also commonly referred to as Jesus's reign in our hearts. This is
the reign of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers who submit to
His rule. Like the universal kingdom, the kingdom of God in our
hearts does not conflict with a future physical kingdom through which
Jesus will govern the earth.
Joh 3:3
Jesus replied, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless they are born again."
Rom 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but
of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,
1Co 15:50
I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the
imperishable.
Col 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us
into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
The "kingdom"
can also refer to Yahweh's past theocratic reign over Israel.
1Ch 29:11
Yours, LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the
majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is
yours. Yours, LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.
Psa 44:1-8
For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A maskil. We have
heard it with our ears, O God; our ancestors have told us what you
did in their days, in days long ago. (2) With your hand you drove out
the nations and planted our ancestors; you crushed the peoples and
made our ancestors flourish. (3) It was not by their sword that they
won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right
hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. (4)
You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob.
Psa 68:24
Your procession, God, has come into view, the procession of my God
and King into the sanctuary.
Isa 41:21
"Present your case," says the LORD. "Set forth your
arguments," says Jacob's King.
Exo 19:5-6
Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all
nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth
is mine, (6) you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites."
Jesus understood that
He would have His own throne, distinguished from the Father's throne.
When He ascended, He rose to be seated at the right hand of His
Father's throne, and promised that those who were victorious would
sit with Him on His own throne reigning over the earth.
2Sa 7:12-13
When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will
raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and
I will establish his kingdom. (13) He is the one who will build a
house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom
forever.
Heb 10:12-13
But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God, (13) and since that time he
waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
Rev 3:21
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on
his throne.
Rev 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and
they will reign on the earth."
Messiah's
Rule Will be on Earth From David's Throne
At the time of the
second advent, Jesus will establish His own government, on earth. He
will reign physically from David's throne in Jerusalem. David's
physical throne was at first in Hebron, then Jerusalem. David's
throne is not a "spiritual" or "heavenly" throne.
1Ch 11:1-3
All Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, "We are
your own flesh and blood. (2) In the past, even while Saul was king,
you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the
LORD your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and
you will become their ruler.'" (3) When all the elders of Israel
had come to King David at Hebron, he made a covenant with them at
Hebron before the LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel, as
the LORD had promised through Samuel.
2Sa 5:3-5
When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the
king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD, and they
anointed David king over Israel. (4) David was thirty years old when
he became king, and he reigned forty years. (5) In Hebron he reigned
over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned
over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.
Messiah will reign from
David's physical throne in Jerusalem. Like David's physical reign as
king, Jesus will reign as King over the earth.
2Sa 7:13-16
He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will
establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I will be his
father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him
with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands.
(15) But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away
from Saul, whom I removed from before you. (16) Your house and your
kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be
established forever.'"
Luk 1:31-33
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him
Jesus. (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33)
and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will
never end."
Eze 43:6-7
While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me
from inside the temple. (7) He said: "Son of man, this is the
place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is
where I will live among the Israelites forever. The people of Israel
will never again defile my holy name--neither they nor their
kings--by their prostitution and the funeral offerings for their
kings at their death.
Zec 8:3
This is what the LORD says: "I will return to Zion and dwell in
Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the
mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."
Zec 14:9
The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be
one LORD, and his name the only name.
Psa 72:8
May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the
earth.
The
Offer of the Messianic Kingdom
During the first advent
of Jesus, both John the Baptist and Jesus announced the arrival of
the Messianic Kingdom. The Jewish people were exhorted to prepare for
the arrival of the kingdom by turning from the Oral Law and to the
righteous character of the kingdom, especially as defined in the
Sermon on the Mount.
Mat 3:1-2
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of
Judea (2) and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has
come near."
Mat 4:17
From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the
kingdom of heaven has come near."
During this time the
Jews were given the offer of His theocratic reign on earth as Jesus
brought the good news of the coming Kingdom.
Mat 4:23
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease
and sickness among the people.
The people were waiting
expectantly for the arrival of the Messianic Kingdom, and were told
to pray for the coming of this kingdom.
Mar 15:43
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was
himself waiting for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and
asked for Jesus' body.
Mat 6:9-10
"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be your name, (10) your kingdom come, your will be
done, on earth as it is in heaven.
The
Rejection of the King
The Jewish nation of
Israel, through their religious and political leaders, rejected the
King, and without the King, the Kingdom would not be established. The
"last straw" of this rejection came when the Jewish
religious leadership, speaking for the nation, committed blasphemy
and accused Jesus of working His signs and wonders through the power
of Beelzebub, the prince of demons.
Mat 12:22-24
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute,
and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. (23) All
the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of
David?" (24) But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It
is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives
out demons."
As a result of this
blasphemic rejection of the Holy Spirit's working through the King,
called the "unforgivable sin", severe judgment would come
upon the Jewish people. This judgment would be the destruction of the
temple and Jerusalem in 70AD, and the dispersion of the Jews to the
diaspora.
Luk 19:44
They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your
walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not
recognize the time of God's coming to you."
Furthermore, Jesus
would not return to establish the Kingdom until the national leaders
of Israel led the Jewish people to repent of their sin of rejecting
Him and to cry out for His return.
Mat 23:39
For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
The
Believers Continuing Hope for the Kingdom
Yet, the hopeful
believers among them still persisted in believing that the time was
at hand for Jesus to establish His kingdom. But this was not to be.
Consider that Jesus is
telling this parable recorded by Luke in chapter 19 to counter the
idea that the kingdom was about to be established. Instead of
establishing the kingdom then, Jesus as the "man of noble birth"
would go to a distant country (Ascension to heaven) and return at a
later time (second advent) as King.
Luk 19:11-12
While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable,
because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom
of God was going to appear at once. (12) He said: "A man of
noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king
and then to return.
At the Ascension of
Jesus, the disciples still thought that it was possible that the
Messianic Kingdom could be established in their time.
Act 1:6-7
Then they gathered around him and asked him, "Lord, are you at
this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" (7) He said
to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the
Father has set by his own authority.
Even after Jesus's
Ascension Peter held out hope that it was not too late for Israel to
repent and for Messiah to come and establish the kingdom, referred to
here as "times of refreshing".
Act 3:18-20
But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the
prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. (19) Repent, then,
and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord, (20) and that he may send the
Messiah, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus.
These Jews were
responding to Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament) passages regarding the
Messianic Kingdom that specified that this kingdom would be on earth,
not spiritual. What they failed to realize is that because Israel's
leaders led the nation to reject the King and His kingdom, the
establishment of the kingdom would be set aside until they repented
and cried out for His return. Only then would Jesus return to earth
in His second advent.
Mat 23:39
For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
The "postponement"
of the kingdom until Jesus's second advent was not a surprise to the
Father or Jesus. The Father knew that the King would be rejected by
Israel, and it was His plan to bring salvation to the Gentiles
through their rejection. There was no Plan B, and "postponement"
was only in the eyes of the Jewish people.
Rom 11:11
Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at
all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to
the Gentiles to make Israel envious.
Rom 11:15
For if their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, what will
their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Col 1:27
(NIrV) God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of
that mystery. He has made it known among those who aren't Jews. And
here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.
Eph 3:6
This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs
together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers
together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
The
Rule of Satan
For
now, between the first and second advent, Satan is exercising his
rule on the earth. Jesus, who has all power and authority is
exercising His divine will to allow Satan to blind the eyes of
unbelievers during his time on earth.
1Jn 5:19
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is
under the control of the evil one.
2Co 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that
they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God.
1Pe 5:8
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like
a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
During the inter-advent
age, while Satan rules over the earth as the "god of this age",
Jesus will reign in the hearts of individual believers until His
second advent. While unbelievers are blind and cannot understand
spiritual things, those who believe can overcome Satan's control and
influence by allowing Jesus to reign in their hearts.
Rom 5:17
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that
one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant
provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life
through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Heb 2:14-15
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their
humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who
holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- (15) and free those
who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Heb 4:14-16
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into
heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we
profess. (15) For we do not have a high priest who is unable to
empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted
in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin. (16) Let us then
approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may
receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
While Jesus is God and
has "great power", He will not take that power until the
7th Trumpet in the Revelation.
Rev 11:17
saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who
is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have
begun to reign.
The
Requirement of Repentance From Israel
When Israel's national
leaders finally lead the Jewish people to repent and cry out for His
return, only then will the second advent and the establishment of the
Messianic Kingdom take place. His response to their repentance and
cry, the second advent, and the establishment of the kingdom on earth
is a promise. Jesus's return will happen when the whole nation of
Israel turns from their transgression of rejecting their Messiah and
to Him.
Zec 12:10
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on
me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one
mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves
for a firstborn son.
Subsequent to the
national repentance of Israel, their sins will be removed and those
of the "house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem"
will all come to believe.
Rom 11:25-27
I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and
sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a
hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in,
(26) and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: "The
deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from
Jacob. (27) And this is my covenant with them when I take away their
sins."
The establishment of
the kingdom will be the result of Israel's repentance and cry for His
return.
Mat 23:39
For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
The
Character of Messiah's Coming
At the time of Jesus's
return as the Messianic King, He will return as a lion having won
great victory in the midst of a slaughter. There will be no question
of His authority and reign.
Isa 63:1-3
Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained
crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the
greatness of his strength? "It is I, proclaiming victory, mighty
to save." (2) Why are your garments red, like those of one
treading the winepress? (3) "I have trodden the winepress alone;
from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and
trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I
stained all my clothing. Isa 63:6
I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath I made them drunk and
poured their blood on the ground."
Rev 19:12-16
His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He
has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. (13) He
is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of
God. (14) The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white
horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. (15) Coming out of
his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He
will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of
the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (16) On his robe and on his
thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Isa 66:15-16
See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a
whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke
with flames of fire. (16) For with fire and with his sword the LORD
will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by
the LORD.
Mar 13:24-26
"But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will
be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; (25) the stars
will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' (26)
"At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with great power and glory.
Who
Will Populate the Messianic Kingdom
The Messianic Kingdom
follows on the heels of the Tribulation period, during which time a
great number of people will have survived. In this group of
survivors, there will be both believers and unbelievers. Only the
believers will be permitted to remain on earth in their mortal bodies
and enjoy the blessings of the kingdom.
Those
who are unbelievers who have survived the Tribulation period will be
removed from the earth as per the Sheep and Goat judgment (Mat 25:31-46),
and sent to Sheol. There are a number of corresponding references to
this Sheep and Goat judgment, including the Parable of the 10 Virgins (Mat 25:1-10), the Parable of the Wheat and
Tares (Mat 13:24-30
and Mat 13:36-43),
the Parable of the Net (Mat 13:47-50),
the Olivet Discourse (Mat 24:37-41)
and part of a discourse in (Mat 7:21-23).
In addition to those
who have survived the Tribulation period, there will be two
resurrections of believers who have died who also are given admission
to the kingdom. These believers who are part of the resurrections
will live on earth in glorified bodies.
There is a resurrection
of Old Testament saints who died before the church was established.
Dan 12:1-2
"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your
people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not
happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time
your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will
be delivered. (2) Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will
awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt.
And there is a
resurrection of New Testament saints who died after the Rapture of
the church.
Rev 20:4
I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority
to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because
of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They
had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its
mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned
with Christ a thousand years.
The following are some
of the passages that detail the judgment of the Sheep and Goats. The
result of this judgment is that only believers, both in mortal and in
glorified bodies, remain on earth to populate the kingdom.
Mat 25:1
"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who
took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Mat 25:10
"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding
banquet. And the door was shut.
Mat 25:31-34
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his glorious throne. (32) All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (33) He will put
the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (34) "Then the
King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my
Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. Mat 25:41
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who
are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his
angels.
Mat 13:40-42
"As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will
be at the end of the age. (41) The Son of Man will send out his
angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes
sin and all who do evil. (42) They will throw them into the blazing
furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 13:47-50
"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let
down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. (48) When it was
full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and
collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. (49) This
is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and
separate the wicked from the righteous (50) and throw them into the
blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 24:37-41
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son
of Man. (38) For in the days before the flood, people were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark; (39) and they knew nothing about what would happen until the
flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the
coming of the Son of Man. (40) Two men will be in the field; one will
be taken and the other left. (41) Two women will be grinding with a
hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
Mat 7:21-23
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven. (22) Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord,
did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons
and in your name perform many miracles?' (23) Then I will tell them
plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
The criteria for this
judgment, in addition to a content of faith that includes believing
in Jesus as Messiah, having died and been resurrected, will also
include judgment based on the treatment of Israel.
Joel 3:1-2
"In those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of
Judah and Jerusalem, (2) I will gather all nations and bring them
down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will put them on trial for
what they did to my inheritance, my people Israel, because they
scattered my people among the nations and divided up my land.
Those who are
unbelievers who had previously died, whether in Old or New Testament
times, are not resurrected until after the 1000 years. They will
remain in Sheol until Great White Throne judgment.
Rev 20:5
(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years
were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:11-13
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The
earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place
for them. (12) And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before
the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is
the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had
done as recorded in the books. (13) The sea gave up the dead that
were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them,
and each person was judged according to what they had done.
The
Reign of Messiah Begins
When Jesus does return
in great power and glory and will begin His physical theocratic reign
over the earth.
Mat 25:31
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with
him, he will sit on his glorious throne.
The "renewal of
all things" is the time of the Messianic Kingdom. During this
time the 12 disciples of Jesus will sit on thrones ruling over the
Jewish people who make up the twelve tribes.
Mat 19:28
Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all
things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have
followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of Israel.
During this time, the
saints will also rule with Messiah in various positions in the
kingdom.
2Ti 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will
also disown us;
Rev 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and
they will reign on the earth."
Luk 19:17
"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you
have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten
cities.'
Isa 1:26
I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the
beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City."
Isa 32:1-2
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with
justice. (2) Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a
refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the
shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
It is only after
national Israel repents and cries out for Jesus's return followed by
the return of Jesus do the kingdoms over which Satan is "in
control" as the "god of this age" become the kingdoms
of Jesus. This happens by physical war in the campaign of Armageddon,
Jesus defeats these other kingdoms and assumes rule of the earth.
Rev 11:15-17
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever
and ever." (16) And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on
their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, (17)
saying: "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who
is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have
begun to reign.
At this time, Satan is
expelled from the earth. He has no part of the Messianic Kingdom and
is no longer able to deceive the nations.
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.
The
Character of Earth Under Messiah's Rule
Several of the prophets
speak of the character of Jesus's government. There will be no end to
peace, and the kingdom will be upheld by justice and righteousness
forevermore.
Isa 9:5-6
For to us a child is born, a son will be given to us, and the
government will be upon His shoulder. His Name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God My Father of Eternity, Prince of
Peace. (6) Of the increase of His government and shalom there will be
no end—on the throne of David and over His kingdom—to establish
it and uphold it through justice and righteousness from now until
forevermore. The zeal of Adonai-Tzva’ot will accomplish this.
Isa 16:5
A throne will be established in mercy, and One will sit on it in
truth—in the tent of David—One who seeks justice and is ready for
righteousness.
Jer 23:5-6
“Behold, days are coming”—it is a declaration of Adonai—“when
I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign as
king wisely, and execute justice and righteousness in the land. (6)
In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell in safely; and
this is His Name by which He will be called: Adonai our
righteousness.
Passages
such as Isa 2:2-4
provide vivid indications of what we should expect. Isaiah is quite
explicit. For example, at that time, "in the last days",
Jesus's theocratic kingdom will be established as the highest of
mountains, and war will no longer be taught nor will it even exist as
Jesus through the theocratic government of His Messianic Kingdom will
be ruling.
Isa 2:2-4
In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be
established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above
the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (3) Many peoples will
come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that
we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the
word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) He will judge between the
nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for
war anymore.
Micah echoes what
Isaiah reveals, and adds the following:
Mic 4:4-5
Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
(5) All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will
walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.
Zechariah and the
Psalmist speak of Jesus's reign on the earth:
Zec 14:9
The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be
one LORD, and his name the only name.
Psa 67:4-7
May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples
with equity and guide the nations of the earth. (5) May the peoples
praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. (6) The land yields
its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. (7) May God bless us still, so
that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
Other passages that
speak of the conditions on the earth when Jesus returns are that
righteousness and praise will spring up before all nations:
Isa 61:10-11
I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has
clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his
righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as
a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (11) For as the soil makes
the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the
Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before
all nations.
The characterization of
Jesus's rule as one of peace even extends to the animal kingdom. As
it was in Eden, so it will be again.
Isa 11:6-9
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the
goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little
child will lead them. (7) The cow will feed with the bear, their
young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the
ox. ( 8) The infant will play near the cobra's den, the young child
will put its hand into the viper's nest. (9) They will neither harm
nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
The saints will rule
with Messiah during the kingdom.
2Ti 2:12
if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will
also disown us;
Rev 5:10
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and
they will reign on the earth."
Luk 19:17
"'Well done, my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you
have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten
cities.'
Isa 1:26
I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the
beginning. Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness,
the Faithful City."
Isa 32:1-2
See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with
justice. (2) Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a
refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the
shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land.
The
Conclusion of the Messianic Kingdom
Since His Ascension,
Jesus has been at the right hand of the Father.
Act 2:32-33
God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.
(33) Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the
Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see
and hear.
Act 7:55-56
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. (56)
"Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man
standing at the right hand of God."
Jesus will remain at
the Father's throne until the time comes for Him to make His enemies
into His footstool. It is during the Messianic Kingdom that Jesus's
enemies will come under His feet. At the end of the Messianic Kingdom
Jesus will defeat the last enemy, death itself. When death, the last
enemy is defeated, the kingdom will be turned over to the Father.
Psa 2:8-9
Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the
earth your possession. (9) You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery."
Heb 10:12-13
But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of God, (13) and since that time he
waits for his enemies to be made his footstool.
1Co 15:24-26
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. (25)
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
(26) The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
At the second advent,
when Jesus returns to earth, His location will change from His
Father's throne in heaven to His throne on earth. Jesus's throne is
the throne of David.
Rev 3:21
To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on
my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on
his throne.
At the start of the
Messianic Kingdom, Satan will be bound in the abyss until the 1000
years of the kingdom are ended.
Rev 20:2-3
He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. (3) He threw him into the
Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving
the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that,
he must be set free for a short time.
At the end of the
kingdom's 1000 years Satan is released from the abyss and permitted
one last opportunity to deceive the nations. A rebellion against
Jesus's kingdom ensues, which is quickly put down.
Rev 20:7-9
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his
prison (8) and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners
of the earth--Gog and Magog--and to gather them for battle. In number
they are like the sand on the seashore. (9) They marched across the
breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the
city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Following the defeat of
Satan he and his hordes are banished to the Lake of Fire.
Rev 20:10
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning
sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They
will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Jesus's reign over the
Messianic Kingdom will last until the last enemy, death, is defeated
and abolished. Although death was greatly diminished during the
Messianic Kingdom it was not yet defeated, as even during the
kingdom, some still die.
Isa 65:20
"Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few
days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies
at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach
a hundred will be considered accursed.
Then the end of the
Messianic Kingdom age will come after Jesus has defeated all of His
enemies. The last enemy to be defeated is death.
1Co 15:25-26
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
(26) The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Jesus will cast death
into the Lake of Fire at the conclusion of the Great White Throne
judgment, which occurs following the banishment of Satan.
Rev 20:13-14
The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up
the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to
what they had done. (14) Then death and Hades were thrown into the
lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Only after death, the
last enemy, has been cast into the Lake of Fire, will the end of the
Millennial Kingdom arrive. At that point Jesus will have "put
everything under His feet". At this point, the kingdom will be
handed to the Father, and Jesus will be made subject to Him.
1Co 15:24
Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the
Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
1Co 15:27-28
For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it
says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear
that this does not include God himself, who put everything under
Christ. (28) When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made
subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all
in all.
Dan 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another
people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end,
but it will itself endure forever.
Conclusion
There can be no doubt
that Jesus will return in the second advent as a response to Israel's
repentance and their cries for His return.
Rev 1:7
"Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye
will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on
earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
Zec 12:10
"And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on
me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one
mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves
for a firstborn son.
At that point, the
reign of Satan in the world will cease as his kingdoms become to
kingdoms of Messiah Jesus.
Rev 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in
heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever
and ever."
The reign of Messiah in
this world will bring radical change in peace, justice and
righteousness even to the point of peace with the animals.
Isa 11:6-9
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the
goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little
child will lead them. (7) The cow will feed with the bear, their
young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the
ox. (8) The infant will play near the cobra's den, the young child
will put its hand into the viper's nest. (9) They will neither harm
nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled
with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
Prosperity will
increase and all people will live in their own homes and have their
own property.
Mic 4:4
Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree,
and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.
Isa 65:21-22
They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards
and eat their fruit. (22) No longer will they build houses and others
live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so
will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the
work of their hands.
And thus is the promise
of the Messianic Kingdom. The establishment of this kingdom is a
wonderful hope that we look forward to.
Dan 2:44
"In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a
kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another
people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end,
but it will itself endure forever.
Psa 145:13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures
through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
