The Coming Earthly Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, Part 4

The world is just absolutely still hold with deception and lies. Why because the god of this age has blinded the minds of the people of this age were perishing, and they have bought into his deception because they love their sin so Satan comes out and deceives the nation violent crimes that we see images of every day in the news. It's clear that our society is not getting better. Instead, evil is growing in in our governments the will to fight against evil seems to be shrinking so in times like these. Is there any reason for hope. Well, as John MacArthur will show you if you're Christian. The answer is yes, there is a day coming when Christ will usher in an eternal kingdom of peace and joy in righteousness. John MacArthur shows you what Scripture says about that amazing day as he continues his study when Jesus comes here on Grace to you and I with the lesson. Here's John the hope of the world is the return of Jesus Christ to earth, and the establishment of his great glorious kingdom as we know, God made a paradise, originally called Eden and he will remake a paradise. Finally called the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, man didn't write the first chapter in history and he won't write the last chapter, God wrote the first one. God will write the last one God himself will act to end man's day on this planet and that very act of God in ending man's day in bringing about the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is the theme of the book of Revelation. In fact, we've called this book back to the future in ancient prophetic book that is not only up-to-date but takes us clear into the future right to the very end. So this is a sweeping prophetic panorama, taking us from the present time the age of the church through the time of great judgment. The coming of Jesus Christ.

The establishment of his kingdom and then on into the eternal state. So in the flow and the chronology of the book of Revelation, we come out of chapter 20 and find ourselves. Learning about the period of the kingdom.

It's a period of 1000 years that is repeated over and over again in the first part of chapter 20, the term of thousand years or the thousand years is used numerous times six or seven. As I recall, this is the thousand year period in which Christ will reign over a restored earth and universe. This marvelous kingdom is not just introduced here. In fact, it is merely further defined here.

It was introduced among the prophets of the Old Testament. They spoke about it as we saw Jesus himself spoke about it. New Testament writers spoke about it but nowhere in the New Testament. Is there a clearer, more unmistakable presentation of the kingdom than right here in Revelation chapter 20 and here we have a framework sort of skeleton on which you can hang all the other prophecies about the kingdom this sort of gives us the basic structure so as we look at these opening verses, we remember that in verses 1 to 3 as we are introduced to the kingdom. The first thing that happens is the removal of Satan in verses four through six. We came to the reign of Saints from the removal of Satan to the reign of Saints and then we came to the third point in verse seven from the removal of Satan, the reign of Saints to the return of Satan that takes us to the fourth point in verses eight through 10 and the culminating point in this skeleton of the kingdom.

The revolt of society would go from the removal of Satan, the reign of Saints to the return of Satan and then the revolt of society.

This is really an incredible thing that happens, reminds us, as I've been saying that nothing external can change men judgment in the great tribulation. Think of that God is pouring out his fury.

Angels flying through heaven preaching the gospel hundred and 44,000 witnesses preaching the gospel, who are invincible to witnesses preaching the gospel worldwide to rise from the dead right, in full view of the whole world incredible miraculous judgments falling all around people.

They are hearing the gospel like it's never been preached before. It is everywhere.

The truth is everywhere judgment is everywhere and people still hate God and hate Christ and will not repent they will not change. In a time of judgment, and they will not change. In a time of righteousness.

They will not change. In a time of war. They will not change. In a time of peace, they will not change under Antichrist rule, they will not change under Christ's rule. Men love sin in every age and under every condition. They love sin. So after a thousand years of the perfect environment of the Utopia paradise restored. Satan comes out verse eight and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war. The number of them is like the sand of the seashore and they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

And fire came down from heaven and devoured them the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Another you have the revolt of society and its end and very rapidfire staccato presentation. The deception comes in verse eight, the war in verse nine and halfway through verse nine the destruction and then into verse 10 where Satan himself is dealt with eternally. I want us to look at this and I think there's some really wonderful things to understand about it. As we look about the details of this text. First of all, in verse eight it says the Satan comes out to deceive the nations were not surprised by that because that's what is made out of made a career out of doing.

He is a deceiver. In fact, back in chapter 12 verse nine he calls them Satan, who deceives the whole world to me.

That is his character. That is what he does. He is a deceiver ever and always back in verse three of this chapter is put into the abyss, so we should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years are finished.

Now he comes back he will deceive people.

In other words, it will not be clear to them why they're doing what they're doing. They will be under a deception is primary operation has always been to lead people astray from the truth from reality.

You wonder, why don't you the world is just absolutely filled with deception and lies, false religions everywhere. False views of morality everywhere false understandings of virtue everywhere. Why because the god of this age has blinded the minds of the people of this age were perishing, and they have bought into his deception because they love their sin so Satan comes out and he deceives the nations.

So, while Satan is released and Satan is the deceiver is the plan of God that is being executed. It is no different than when Jesus died on the cross and and Peter reminded the people who killed Christ that they had done that that they had killed the Prince of life they had wanted to murder rather than the Prince of life, but what they had done was by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, so God is behind the whole thing. It was God. Of course, who gave the angel the authority to incarcerate Satan. It was God. Of course, who provided the means of releasing him from the pit. It is God who allows him to pull off his deception and it is God who gathers by allowing the enterprise of Satan to run its course. All of these posts against his people and against his land and against his city. So Satan you will remember always functions within the sovereignty of God.

He always functions within the stated purpose and goal of God in his redemptive intention. Now it says also in verse eight. They will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth.

Obviously, the earth is round. We don't take this as some indication the people in the Bible times thought the earth was square. It simply means East, West, North and South.

The points of the compass from all over the globe. Back in chapter 7, four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, and there again is that same reference to East-West North and South meaning global four points of the compass of Satan's deception is global. I don't know how he pulls it off. I don't know how he dispatches his demons because the Bible doesn't tell us we don't know by what means he will bring about the deception but the deception is going to basically at its heart be this kind of deception we can conquer Christ. That's at the heart of me that would have to believe that or they wouldn't do this and that's going to be a very, very interesting deception because after all they have lived under the rule of Christ for a thousand years and many of them have surely lived for hundreds of years because life will be elongated again and they lived a long time under the rule of Christ. They have seen the rod of iron. It is well known to him that he rules with justice and righteousness and swiftness and there is no escaping. They understand his power. They understand his invincibility so the deception has to involve the idea that they can actually overthrow Christ's. They are so deceived by Satan, but that's all within God's plan. So back to verse eight, the nations from all over the globe are deceived and then it says Gog and Magog. What is that while there's only one way to see that that has to be the title for these enemies of the King of Kings gives them this title they are called Gog and Magog.

The world is going to march against Christ under that name.

Gog and Magog that is not a nondescript or an obscure name that is not something just pulled out of a hat that has significance prophetically now Magog. We know Magog was the grandson of Noah.

Magog was the second son of Japheth.

Remember, Noah had three sons, Jim Hammond, Japheth is Japheth second son, grandson of Noah therefore was Magog and Magog. This child of Japheth founded a great kingdom, and the great kingdom that Magog founded was north of the Black and Caspian Sea in ancient times it was known as Cynthia in modern times is known as Russia, Scripture says little about this kingdom at all. All we know about it is just a little bit of the history of the name because she is a grandson of Noah and we know the location. We don't know much else. So from a historical standpoint, we don't know much. And furthermore, there is no way to know what God is.

We have nothing about Gog by way of descriptive in Scripture. Perhaps it is best to refer to Gog as the leader of the Magog power Magog being this great power this great nation. This great group of people to the north and Gog, perhaps being the leader of Magog, but were not looking at history were looking at prophecy and here is a prophecy that in the future. Gog and Magog are going to appear so. Gog, if he is indeed the leader of the Magog power here refers not to someone in the past but to someone in the future. Satan then comes back collects a world of sinners from the corners of the earth. They are given this title. Gog and Magog because that represents the HH an enemy that descends on the people of God, Satan gets all these people gathers them together for the war, the absolutely final battle. That's it folks. There ain't no more than we've seen a lot of battles to Revelation.

This is it. This is the last battle the next battle that occurs in the Bible is the battle you have to find the right thing in the concordance because after this there aren't any battles left the absolutely final battle and it says amazing the number of them is like the sand of the seashore on that's hyperbole. It doesn't mean that if you could count the number of grains of sand in the seashores of the world you know exactly how many soldiers there would be in that battle that's hyperbole that is simply a way to illustrate this massive number and that is so tragic that there will be a number of a massive number of people who will join the Satan's rebellion, so it's going to be a W population explosion in the kingdom people than little longtime conditions are to be perfect. I told you the earth is going to be restored. Things are going to change the not to be the natural enemies. I don't think the disease factors going to be there. I think when you saw Jesus coming in his first coming in healing and healing and banishing disease from Palestine that was a taste of the age to come, it will be an age of healing and wholeness of long life of high reproduction will be a time of peace.

People will be dying as they died today in wars in crime and all of that and so people will live long, healthy lives, and they will be highly reproductive. There will be a population explosion exponentially that will create a massive population of millions on the earth.

By the time that thousand years is complete, the conditions of health and safety and peace are going to make a lot of people available for Satan to gather his host in verse nine, when the Army was gathered and it's an amazing thing to see how is able to gather them from all over the earth. They came up with up on the broad plain of the earth. Now remember the earth hat has been reconfigured.

We remember that we remember back.

For example, in Revelation chapter 16 in verse 20. Every island fled away in the mountains were not found.

There has been during the time of the tribulation.

A rearrangement of typography and geography. The Holocaust of judgment is reshaped the earth mountains of come down in islands of fled away. That indicates barriers being removed access being given feature of the kingdom and so this tremendous arm doesn't mean there is no hill anywhere. It just means that the earth is reconfigured, there is still amount on which Zion exists in which Christ rules and and there may still be some pills here and there is the prophets look for that time, but in general the earth is flattened out and so they come up on the broad plain of the earth, and they surrounded the camp of the saints that that's what thereafter, the Saints encampment would be of course nothing other than the land of Israel.

They go up against the people of God, the camp of the saints that were camp is used to in the New Testament speak of a military encampment. It is used to speak of Roman barracks is used in the acts 20 1X 20 2X 23. In that same way so they come up against the camp of the saints and the saints would've encamped around the city and around the throne of Jesus Christ. They want to be where he is. They want to be in his glorious presence to the capital city of the millennial kingdom is the point of attack where Christ reigns where the saints live. The battle is very brief, barking down from heaven and devoured them all and of battle fast sudden instantaneous and devastating what you mean by that, while they were there really physically killed, which meant their body was dead there soul.

Then went into the realm of punishment waiting to be resurrected, because even the ungodly will be resurrected as we will see in the next section they were devoured. That means they were physically annihilated, devastating and horrible judgment against the last one and then the final feature verse 10 and the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are also they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. The devil Satan led them to deceive them, was now thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone of sulfur like chemical fire symbolizing torment Satan joins his cronies. Remember back in chapter 19 verse 20 the beast receives the false prophet was seized and they've already been in the lake of fire for a thousand years.

They've already been burning with fire and brimstone.

Now Satan joins them joins his cronies.

His head is finally bruised is John 1231 says now the ruler of this world shall be cast out. And here is where that is fulfilled, and this is final hell. This is the final place. This is the last place every kind of imaginable torment will be there in every conceivable way in which this creature can suffer, he will suffer in every conceivable way in which a fallen angel can suffer, he will suffer and they are frankly inconceivable to me because I cannot comprehend how spiritual beings suffer in fire and brimstone. God knows that in this horrible statement and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. The day and night means it's unrelieved. There's never a moment when they're not tormented and they will be tormented without relief forever, forever and ever.

Absolutely astounding thought in Revelation 1411 it says those who drink of the wine of the wrath of God. The smoke will go up forever and ever. The smoke of their torment and they have no rest day and night, and here's talking about human beings, whereas in chapter 20 is talking about Satan, hell for Satan and his angels is eternal. But remember the beast and the false prophet are human and for them it is eternal as well.

You say, are you sure hell is eternal. As sure as I am that heaven is eternal when it says forever never uses the same phrase in chapter 1 verse six and there it says to God be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. And if hell is in forever never. Then God is inglorious forever. People want to come along and deny that that hell is forever and to do that you have to deny that God is forever because the same expression is used to describe chapter 1 verse 18 it says Christ speaking. I was dead, and behold I am alive forever.

If hell is not forever.

Christ is not forever. Neither is heaven. But if God is forever in Christ is forever in heaven is forever and so is hell.

There's no way around it. The language of Scripture is clear chapter 4 verse nine the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne to him who lives forever and ever. Verse 10 we will worship him who lives forever and ever. Chapter 5 verse 13. To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. Chapter 7 verse 12. Amen. Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 10 verse six they swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in earth, and the things in it see in the things in it. Chapter 11 verse 15 the kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever. Whatever, forever and ever means in connection with God and Christ.

It means in connection with hell ice to use Iona's. So the demise of Satan, the destruction of Satan was, was assured at the cross and executed at the end of the millennial kingdom. So what we learned, but the removal of Satan, the reign of saints, the return of Satan in the revolt of society and understanding that you have the picture of the kingdom and we try to fill in a lot of details over these four messages. This is the future of the world. It never ceases to astound me how that so many people in our society can run from pole to pole, trying to figure out the future and here it is one. What a wonderful reality were already citizens of the kingdom right. Our citizenship is already there. That's our place. That's our home. He's arcane. We will come back with him in glorified form terrain alongside those who are still living in human form, we will enjoy the kingdom. Even more than they, and we will rule under Christ carrying out his wishes on behalf of those who live in the world will enjoy the peace and righteousness, the joy, the part of the truth. The wisdom that reigns supreme, and we will rule with Christ, what a glorious future and it awaits us. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us. John has been our featured speaker for over five decades.

He's also Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary in today's encouraging look at the future is part of John's end times study called when Jesus comes now John, there's an interesting statement you've made before and it relates well to the study that you've just finished but I think you said once that the older you become, the less often you laugh, and the less often you cry so explain what you mean by that, while it's just that you accumulate life and life doesn't get funnier. Life gets sadder. I mean, there's plenty to rejoice about. I don't want to say that I don't rejoice because I do. There is a joy in my heart that is unassailable. That is, on affected by circumstances. It's the joy of the Lord over my salvation and his continual pouring out of grace upon grace in my life. It is the joy that comes from the countless blessings that poured down from heaven. It is the joy that comes in the anticipation of eternal life. All of those joys are expanding increasing joys, but at the same time.

From a human viewpoint. The longer you live, the more you accumulate, the sorrows of life and because we live in a in a media explosion culture.

We not only have to deal with our own sorrows, but we have the deal with everybody else's sorrows.

Once he had to deal with your own.

Maybe your families and the people you knew now we have to deal with the pain of everybody on the planet because they're all exposed to us in the media. It's just a sad world it's it's a sorrow upon sorrow and I think that was that was kind of our Lord's experience. There's nothing in the Bible that says God laughs and Jesus never laugh, but he did cry. I think that's life. Understanding our Lord's view of the world brings a certain amount of sadness.

You don't want to be uninformed about the end time. You don't want to have your joy touched. We want you to get your hands on the servers we've just done, when Jesus comes now available in seven CDs in an album or you can download the seven messages free of charge at our website.

Yes friend. Keeping your mind on Christ's future kingdom is really the key to knowing peace and joy in any circumstance. And so I would encourage you to download John study titled when Jesus comes and you will find that there is hope. Despite where the future seems to be headed.

So do that today our website Jide TY.org and there you can download the series titled when Jesus comes and many other prophecy studies also lend any of John's 3500 messages from decades of pulpit ministry. All of those are free@jidety.org website is also where you can go to get John's book because the time is near, which is a detailed easy-to-read explanation of every verse in the book of Revelation.

You might also want to order John's book, simply titled the second coming. That book examines key texts about the end times and how you can be ready for Christ to return for a clear look at what the Bible says about our Lord's coming kingdom pick up those books by calling 855 Grace or go to Jide TY.org and friends. Let me encourage you to follow us on social media. We regularly post about John's newest books and upcoming series and the latest grace to you news. You will find us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube L4 John MacArthur on Phil Johnson. Remember, grace to you.

Television errors this Sunday, go to our website and see when and what channels it's on, and then be here tomorrow for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth one verse at a time on grace to you