Heaven on Earth - Part 3: When Politics are Perfect - Part A

Politicians are like everybody's favorite scapegoat.

There is a reason all of the problems exist or if we vote one and we expect them to solve all of the world's ills and unrealistic expectations that we have the same time that we want them to do everything there is less and less trust in the political structure in our country.

Even in our democracy.

In a recent Harris poll.

They asked the question how much do you trust these institutions. 16 American institutions were listed. The least amount of trust is given to the United States, politics is always been a touchy issue. Would you be interested to know that there will be a time where there will no longer be the case, how is this possibly wonder.

Well Skip Heitzig will explain that today hearing correctly Skip weekend edition. First, this update from the clinic was Skip resource Center look like if God party of the Old Testament shows that the Jewish calendar anchored with regular mandatory holidays and celebrations in the book of Esther says that God wants his variance polite and gladness joy and honor at such times, like your family celebrations.

Listen to this insight from Skip Heitzig sake about one of our own regular holidays.

Valentine's Day or God so love that's the essence of his nature. The Bible says God is love, for that is so simple to say so hard for some of us to believe happiness, holiness, and holidays is a four DVD collection of celebration messages from Pastor Stan suggests that could be a game changer for your family. Take holidays from toxic stress to celebrations of light and joy. Here's a sample you are loved by God, not because you deserve it but because Jessica that is his nature. It is his decision. Imagine that foundation for the next holiday on your family calendar for selection of some of Pastor stiff holiday teachings are thank $25 or more to help connect more people to God's word visit connectwithskip.com/offer to give online securely or call 819 to 1888 and request your copy of happiness, holiness, and holidays with Skip Heitzig sake. Today is heaven on earth. So open your Bibles to Revelation chapter 20 was doing Skip Heitzig procedures. A very interesting story to read you something written by James James that was a columnist and humorist for the Charleston, West Virginia, is that newspaper and he wrote a few years back. These words, a guy heard about an operation that would enable him to get a new brain so we went to the hospital where the surgery had been perfected and asked the doctors what was in stock.

Well, here's an excellent engineer's brain. They said a finely honed a precise bit of gray matter, but it will cost you $500 an ounce, or what else you got asked the man what we have a lawyers brain. It's a collection of shrewd tricky little gray cells. It's $1000 an ounce was at all you have asked the man.

No, here's a doctors brain packed full of anatomical knowledge. It's $5000 an ounce.

I don't know the man said, do you have anything else.

While then the doctors looked at each other and the motions of the man to step forward over to a covered container in hushed tones. They said this is a politicians brain. It cost $250,000 an ounce.

I'll explain the fellow why is it so expensive. Well, the doctors told him in the first place. It's hardly used in the second place. Do you realize how many politicians you need to get an ounce of brains. I couldn't resist. I couldn't resist.

Given the current political climate, and here's why you politicians are like everybody's favorite scapegoat. There's a there's a reason all of the problems exist or if we want and we expect them to solve all of the world's ills and that it's it's unrealistic expectations that that we have. But at the same time. Do we want them to do everything there is less and less trust in the political structure in our country.

Even in our democracy and a recent Harris poll. They asked the question how much do you trust these institutions. 16 American institutions were listed. The least amount of trust was given to the United States Congress.

We just don't trust those that we vote in or appoint to political leadership. I read a story two months ago and the BBC about a village in Romania. True story. They recently voted in a dead guy as their mayor because they thought he was a better alternative than the living opponent. No joke. Nikolai E. Bosco, who had been the mayor for 20 years, died but he wanted the election by 23 votes. When asked one man why did you vote for me because look, I know that he's dead but is a whole lot better than the other guy we just don't trust politicians. The ultimate form of government. One day will be a benevolent dictatorship run by the Lord Jesus Christ who will come back repossess the earthen and hang a sign, so to speak over his creation. Under new management. United Nations building in New York as a scripture verse over its doors. Did you know that they have Isaiah chapter 2 verse four written over the opening to the United Nations. It says, and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn to make war anymore and a great to know what United Nations hasn't been able to pull it off. No politician is been able to pull that off all those who visualize world peace can't pull that off, and after thousands of years of failed human governments fail. Monarchies failed democracies failed autocracies were still yearning for that time and that time is coming and that time is in part described in Revelation chapter 21 it's God's turn in today we get a little bit of a glimpse into the political structure of the coming kingdom age we saw last time or the last couple of times that when notable features of that era will be that Satan will be bound for a thousand years, and another notable feature that we camp on today is that there will be those who will be ruling and reigning with Jesus Christ. During that time, let's look at Revelation 20. And we principally want to look at verse four through six, but shall we just read verses one through six and get all in context. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the keys to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold of the Dragon serpent of old who is the devil and Satan bound him for a thousand years, and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he should not deceive the nations or he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years were finished.

But after these things he must be released for a little while and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus for the word of God, who would not worship the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or in 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.

There's a few conditions that give us the political framework. The governing ruling framework.

During the kingdom age. The first thing I want to draw your attention to is the chronology and eyewitness chronology. You'll notice that chapter 20 begins with this little phrase. Then I saw and then again in verse four and I saw and again the second sentence in verse four and I saw the souls that bring that your attention because in the book of Revelation. John does that about 25 times and basically he sees something in the vision. He writes it down. He sees something else.

He writes it down and each time he says and I saw that I saw and I heard that I saw and so he gives to us a chronological progression of a revelation. Keep in mind John is not making this up. This is a direct revelation from heaven to John about future go back with me if you would Revelation chapter 1 and look at the first two verses of the book is introduced this way the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him. That is Jesus to show his servants things which must shortly take place and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God into the testimony of Jesus Christ. Do all the things that he saw, so you get the progression. The father gives the Revelation to the sun. The sun given to an angel. The angel gives it to John. John sees that he writes it down and it's chronological what he sees what he writes. This is not a near death experience.

This is not burrito with onion induced dream.

This is a direct revelation from God about the future and John writes it down. The book of Revelation really is not that difficult to understand if you just read it at face value. In fact, in chapter 1 verse 19 the outline to the entire book is given, the angel says to John, write the things which you have seen the things which are in the things which will take place after these things, that the touted in the Greek literally after these things, so that's what John does. Chapter 1 he writes about what he sees the vision of the glorified resurrected Christ chapter 2 and three is about seven churches, and he writes about their condition and what Jesus says about each one. Right in these churches. Not only are seven local congregations, but they seem to also represent church history in its entirety. Chronological summary writes what he sees. He writes about the things that are that are going on in the churches and then in chapter 4.

There's a change. It says after these things same reconstruction meta-touted after these things.

John is immediately caught up into heaven and sees everything about the heavenly realm and even what's going on on earth from a heavenly perspective was caught up in heaven there in heaven.

He writes about the throne of God and the chapter 6 through 19.

He writes about the tribulation. Seven-year period of judgment on the earth at the end of that in chapter 19 Jesus comes back to the earth with the saints in chapter 20, and I saw and there's a thousand year. So we we can follow that chronology all the way through something that may interest you is that the pattern of the book of Revelation is similar to the pattern of ancient Jewish weddings.

See if you know this but in ancient times when there was a wedding. The groom would show up at the bride's house unannounced. They knew roughly when he was coming, but they never knew what time of the day or night. He would be coming, he would show up with the wedding party. They better be ready.

He would come to the bride's house, take her from her house to his house where the wedding ceremony would take place after the wedding ceremony. The bride and groom would retire to the bridal chamber consummate their marriage.

There would then be a feast for seven days anybody in the neighborhood could attend.

During the seven days. The bride and groom were in seclusion and at the end of the seven days the groom would bring forth the bride and present her present themselves to their audience so we have in the book of Revelation, the church beginning in chapter 4 caught up into heaven there for seven years. There is the marriage supper of the Lamb that is the very end. Revelation 19 the bride and groom the church in Christ return together. So John is just writing what he sees in its audit sought a sonnet saw in some chronological order so that is what I want to get across your eternal life has stages to it. I hope by now you've abandoned the idea we die we go sit on a cloud play hard for millions and millions years or so to do a whole lot of nothing that is as far away from the truth as you can get.

There's different phases of your eternal existence. If you die now you're caught up in the spirit and in heaven.

You behold the throne of God you weight bodily resurrection.

You can get a resurrected body at the rapture of the church. You then will return to the earth for a thousand years. You then enter into it's called the eternal state knew have a new earth, new Jerusalem, which we begin to talk about next week and assert like your earthly existence. There are different phases to your physical earthly existence.

First there was the gestation. You're in a womb for nine months. Anybody remember that course you don't.

But it's a continuation of your life you're here the same person I was and that will then there was infancy and then toddler hood and then adolescence and then adulthood and then eventually there's the geriatric phase all different phases that are very distinct from one another, but all part of your continuance so it will be with your eternal life different stages and phases. I love this text and brother in Ephesians chapter 2 verse seven, Paul says that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kingdom toward us in Christ Jesus. In other words, it's gonna take God all of eternity to reveal and show so that you and I will discover and have adventures so eternity's going to unfold to be in on going revelation of really cool stuff.

I know that in sound to theological cool stuff, but it will be so keep in mind we are following what John sees given to him by God in chronological order.

Second thing I want you to notice about the political structure of that era is administrative authority.

Look at verse four with me again verse four of chapter 20. Then I saw her, and I saw thrones plural thrones and they were. They are set on them, and judgment was committed to them. So we have thrones plural.

They in them are mentioned clearly there is a plurality of administrative authority in the kingdom age because throne in the Bible can only mean one of two things either judicial authority or regal royal authority. It's only how it's ever used so there is some kind of plurality of authority okay let's back up just a bit.

Who is the ultimate authority in the kingdom age exactly Jesus Christ because when he comes back. Revelation 1916, he bears the title King of Kings and Lord of lords. He's the ultimate central governing authority and that's exactly what he was promised throughout the Scripture, the Bible promises that the Messiah will come rule over the whole earth which hasn't happened yet and he will do so from the throne of David in Jerusalem.

There are many many many promises that speak to them.

Here's a couple one of the most famous is Isaiah chapter 9 we read it every Christmas.

Typically, unless a child is born a son is given his name will be called wonderful Counselor, etc. and he goes on to say, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward and then you remember when the angel came to Mary and announced that she's gonna have a child and she was freaking out. How can these things be in the angel calms her down and explains and says you will name him Jesus and says he will be great.

This is Luke chapter 1 he will be great and be called the son of the highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. So that takes place here Jesus comes back to the earth is now King of Kings and Lord of lords ruling in absolute sovereign authority but is not going it alone.

He has help. Not that he needs help, but he certainly invites it. I member as a boy I used to say just a little kid.

I helped dad today all I really did is kind of stand around and hold the hammer and mess things up, but he allowed me to be part of it because he like that idea that we were doing it together were going to be, or some group is going to be on thrones. Giving authority at that time so notice I saw thrones plural and they sat on them, and judgment or authority was committed to them. The question is then who are they who are they were not really told Arlette well I guess the best answer would be.

They are the ones that God wants to sit on the thrones his head and help me a lot. Okay backup and asked this question. This is how will approach what group or who in the Bible does God promise that they will have a kingdom or administrator kingdom sit on thrones and have authority we can answer that we go all the way back to Daniel chapter 7 where we read in verse 18 the saints of the most high shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever. Even forever and ever. By the way, when you read saints in the Bible you know by now is not speaking of the dudes on the holy cards with the little halos around their heads.

The glow these are real living people. Now you are in the Bible with the Bible calls saints to symphonies or set apart by God, so Daniel seven. The saints will possess the kingdom.

Also in Daniel seven verse 27 it says then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people. That is, to the saints of the most time.

So God promises that first of all Old Testament saints and would also then include New Testament saints, God's people will administrate the kingdom number two. Jesus himself said in Matthew chapter 19 that his apostles, his 12 apostles would have a special administrative role, says Matthew 19 verse 28. Assuredly, I say to you that in the read generation literal translation.

The second Genesis the re-creation in the regeneration when the Son of Man sits on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel, God's kingdom is finally raining on earth as well as it is the thing will be different coding of the kingdom's rule what it's politics will, yes, even politics and government will be perfect. During the reign of Christ. That is something to look forward to convince you to be a part of the kingdom. I don't know what will know before we wrap things up. We want to remind you to wait Skip your social media accounts.

You can like his Facebook page. Follow him on Twitter and adding to your Instagram fee and when you do you get an inside look at his family life, and more importantly biblical encouragement writing your social media feed and if you'd like to explore Skip's teachings and other topics from family to the book of Revelation visit the teaching archives@connectwithskip.com and if you'd like to order a copy of today's teaching on CD. It's just six dollars plus shipping order the complete from the edge of eternity series for only $39 plus shipping order now when you call us at 1-800-922-1888 or when you visit connect was God continue to take a look at politics in a whole new life as we examine what that will look like during the thousand year reign of Christ. Next time you're in good Skip weekend division of presentation of connection so you guys never changing and ever changing time