Isaiah 2:1-5

“The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

“And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.”

Isaiah 11:1-9

“There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. His delight is in the fear of the Lord, and He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, nor decide by the hearing of His ears; But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, and faithfulness the belt of His waist.

“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”

Revelation 20:4

“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.”

In Acts 1:6, the remaining apostles asked Jesus if he was going to ‘restore the Kingdom’ at this time. They understood that the Messiah had risen from the dead and that no armies of man could stop Him from taking back Jerusalem. They were ready for Jesus to kick butt and take names. They did not understand that there were billions of Gentiles to be redeemed and that there would be at least a 2,000-year window between that day and That Day when the Kingdom would be restored. In Matthew 8:29, even the demons knew that there was a time appointed to settle the scores.

In Revelation 20:1-3, we are told that Satan will be bound for 1,000 years in a pit, and then he will be released for a little while. It is at this time that the events recorded for us by Isaiah some 750 years before Jesus was born take place.

I have had some of my church folks ask me about this, and others have inquired as well. This is a somewhat mysterious time, but there is some information given to us that will allow us to have some idea of what it will be like. First of all, Satan will not be loose to deceive the nations. This is the big one. There will be no one running interference between mankind and Jesus.

We are told in verse 9 of Isaiah 11 that the ‘knowledge of the Lord will cover the sea.’ Everyone on earth will know that Jesus is a real person; they will see Him and know him. There will be no atheists in the Millennial Kingdom. There will be no war; we are told that the implements of war will be beaten into farming equipment. There will be limited death; the animals will revert to the way they were at creation, and even lions will eat straw. Snakes will pose no harm even to children, and people will live very long.

In Isaiah 65:20, we get the idea that living to 100 and maybe beyond will be normal. Today, it is an oddity and a celebrated milestone. Even though sin will still be around, the power of death will be limited.

Now, here is a wrinkle, at least for me to consider: if you read Ezekiel 40-46, you will see a detailed version of a FOURTH temple. According to Daniel 9:27, there will be a third temple built that allows the Jews to resume sacrificing during the time of the Anti-Christ. This temple is defiled when there is an idol of the man of Sin erected there, and the people are forced to worship the Anti-Christ. But in Ezekiel, we have this new massive temple, and it is not inside the city of Jerusalem. It would appear that the sacrifices begin again. Why? I am still researching and seeking the answers.

In Jeremiah 33:17-18, we see this promise, “For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, nor will the priests who are Levites ever fail to have a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings, and to present sacrifices.”

God promises the house of David that they will always have a man on the throne; we can surmise this to be Jesus. But look at the promise to the house of Levi; he too will have a man to stand before Jesus forever to burn offerings. There are a lot of things that will happen in the Millennial Kingdom. Long-running national disputes will be solved (Isaiah 2:4). There will be many who will be saved; the new Jerusalem is huge and will house billions of people comfortably.

Sadly, there will still be rebellion. Once Satan is loosed, he will be able to raise an army of people to storm Jerusalem to challenge Jesus. This rebellion will be swiftly and decisively dealt with by Jesus (Revelation 20:7-9). Then there will be the final judgment. We, the saved of the Gentile era, are told that we will reign with Him for the 1,000 years. Since the New Testament church is Jews and Gentiles, then we can deduce that the saved Jews will be with us as well.

The Millennial time will be a busy one filled with drama and the expansion of mankind. Imagine how the population of the earth and heaven will grow when there are limits on death.

How will salvation be in the Millennial time? Jesus will be there; one will see Him in all His glory and pomp; one will see Him with power and as a King. One will still need to have faith that He is who he says He is, BUT this will be a sight salvation, unlike those of us who believe by faith without sight.

Man, there is a lot to unpack. I can see why there are not a lot of sermons about this time. There is quite a bit of information, but it is spread all over the Bible. The Jews knew that the Messiah was coming to be the King, but they did not understand then or now the suffering part laid out in Isaiah 53.

I hope that this gives you some insights and inspires you to learn more.

Jesus is coming soon! The more I see the rampant and rabid rejection of the imminent return of our Savior, the more I understand that it is very near; there are a lot of people who still need Jesus, and for those of us in the Gentile church, there is some really cool stuff ahead for us to see and experience.

 

 

 

 

Matthew 6:19-21

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Jesus is coming soon! I hope that we can all agree on that. No, we are not setting dates and times, but we acknowledge that the time is short. How, then, should we be living here? When was the last time that you shared the Gospel or told someone that Jesus loved them? When was the last time that you asked a friend to attend church with you? Are we actively trying to reach people for the Kingdom? Is the church you attend actively sharing the Gospel? Are you reaching out to the poor, the needy, and the forgotten and making a way for them to reach Jesus?

A dear friend of mine ministers to ex-convicts; they offer meals, Bible studies, and just general help. They bring them together with other Christians to befriend them and accept them and share the simplicity of the Gospel. Another one goes to the brothels and offers the young women a way out and those that don’t want out, a way through. This ministry provides food, help, hygiene products, and sometimes just a shoulder to cry on. He recounts a time he simply sat with a young woman who had been beaten by a client; she just needed a safe person’s shoulder to grieve on. He sat with her and reminded her that Jesus loved her.

“Consider how precious a soul must be when both God and the devil are after it.” – Charles Spurgeon. What if we understood that the real treasure of Heaven is the people — the people that, over the past 6,000 years of man’s existence, have humbled themselves, repented, and placed their faith in the salvation we have in Jesus? These are the treasures of Heaven. You and I, saved in Jesus, are the real treasures of Heaven. Treasures that are bought and redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.

All too often, we devalue people, and sadly, Christians are often the worst at this. We forget that ALL of us are broken people, sinful people who have nothing but the grace of God to look to. We forget that we are horrible, rotten sinners who needed the blood of Jesus to wash us clean, and if we are to be honest, we simply did not even know how sinful we were until we met Jesus.

How is it that you and I can pass up the opportunities to share the Gospel, help someone, serve someone, and simply make life a bit better for someone? Jesus came to us and put us on His back, carried us, and paid out of His own for us to be saved. And yet, knowing that Jesus is returning soon, we sit by and let people go to Hell and say/do nothing. I think we forget the judgment that is coming our way when Jesus returns. We have invested in earthly treasures, and we are happy with the earthly returns that come from them, and all too many of us, me included, have very little to show in Heaven. Will you and I receive any of these crowns from the Lord?

2 Timothy 4:8, “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.”

1 Peter 5: 1-4, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”

James 1:2, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”

1 Thessalonians 2:19, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.”

There are many verses about the crowns we shall receive. So, I ask you and I, where is the treasure we hold dear? Is it here or in Heaven? Are we tied to things, or are we invested in people? The Lord will hold us all to account? Jesus came to die to save sinners, people, and He is still focused on people. He is still calling sinners to repentance. Are you involved in taking the truth to them? If not, why not? If Jesus is still doing it, what is more important than that? The answer is NOTHING.

Jesus is coming; will you greet Him with the treasure of saved people? People that you helped to find salvation just like someone helped you, or will you be empty-handed?

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Bethany Baptist Church
70 Victoria Street, Elora, Ontario