The King Reigns In His Kingdom Part 1

Looking to Jesus and perfecter of our nation shall not lift up sword against nation, shall they learn war anymore.

That's the millennium thousand years of enforced peace on earth under the rulership of Jesus today what the millennium is all about church in Chicago. This is when Sir teaching help make it across the finish line. Master loser you believe William will be literal 1000 years. I really do. I realize that the book of Revelation is the symbolism but at the same time it says so expressly and clearly in Revelation chapter 20 it talks about reigning with Christ for a thousand years and then it discusses what happens after that period of time. I know that prophecy can get very confusing and it gets confusing when we think that we know exactly when things are going to take place, but God has given us enough truth that we can see that the future is going to be glorious for believers and terrifying for unbelievers. I've written a book entitled the King is coming and I wrote it so that people would not only have a roadmap of the future because as I mentioned, sometimes we may get the sequence wrong, but that we might know for certain that these events are going to take place and they will impact us for a gift of any amount.

This book can be yours.

Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 ask for the book the King is coming. I did get my message today with a question. When you pray by kingdom, in the Lord's prayer.

What are you praying are you expecting God to do what do you think this kingdom would be like if it were to ever, the idea of utopia is something that is in every human heart and every generation has look forward to utopia all the way from the time when the word was invented by Thomas Moore in the year 1516 when he wrote a book entitled utopia to speak about utopia.

It's coming some things about it in God's time and in God's way and were also to talk about your part in this utopia so I want you to listen carefully today. I have many passages of Scripture to give you.

In some instances, I will simply summarize them and in other instances quote them, and then eventually we will turn together in the Scriptures, but I need to do some background work first and second Samuel chapter 7 God came to David and said something interesting.

He said David after you. There's going to be a son who's going to build the temple and I will discipline them when he becomes evil, but in the end you will have no that your house and your kingdom is going to endure forever as that happened, house, meaning genealogy and kingdom meaning territory over there and Israel were David ruled I don't think so.

When Jesus was born when he was conceived in Mary's womb you member the angel said this to her. He said that he shall be great, and shall be called the son of the most high, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David, and he shall rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no and that been fulfilled has Jesus reigned over the house of David and over the tribe of Jacob is that happened.

I don't think so.

Jesus has never rule from Jerusalem. He's never ruled over the territory. The David ruled over. What is this business of Jesus ruling on earth you know it's interesting that in the Old Testament you have chapter after chapter oftentimes devoted to this idea of utopia when the Messiah rains, may I invite you and you can if you wish turn to as Isaiah chapter 2 for just a moment. Isaiah chapter 2 you read these passages and you've asked yourself the question, where do they fit Isaiah chapter 2 it says verse two it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted above the hills. All the nations will flow into it. House of the Lord. Speaking of Jerusalem. Many people shall come and say, come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways. We may walk in his paths for out of Zion. By the way, Zion is a poetic name for Jerusalem for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He Messiah shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning outs nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Most assuredly, that has not happened. It was interesting about verse four. If you go to the United Nations building in New York and then you cross the street to the Plaza where there is a wall on that wall is inscribed one half of verse four, not the whole thing just the last half and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. That's all that's there. Obviously they didn't include the first part debate that he that is, Christ shall judge among the nations United Nations may be doing many good things but one thing they are not doing is trying to establish peace on earth under the authority of Jesus. So they snatched the last part of verse four and then at the base of it.

You simply say, Isaiah they didn't even give the reference less somebody happened to look it up and realize that it's a messianic passage and that's why that wall is referred to today and you can Google it on the Internet it's referred to today as the Isaiah what the Scripture is going to be fulfilled. But it's going to be fulfilled when he Jesus judges among the nation there so many passages like this, I shall turn to another one very briefly.

Isaiah 11 it says his daylight speaking of Christ. In verse three shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what is I see her decide disputes by what is here. He's not going to govern by hearsay but with righteousness he will 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 kill the wicked righteousness shall be on the belt and faithfulness the belt of his loins, and then notice this the wolf and the lamb shall dwell together.

Another tech says the lion and the lamb are going to lie down together.

That is not happening today you notice very carefully today when the lion and the Lamb lie down when the lion gets up lamb is missing, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat in the calf and the lion and the fatted calf together and a little child shall lead them.

What is Isaiah talking about he's speaking about the rule of Jesus on earth the coming kingdom. What we have to do is to put this in context, if you been with us and this happens to be.

Message number eight in a series entitled, when he shall come, you know that we have emphasized that it is best to see the return of Christ into stages. First of all, Jesus comes for his church and we are with him in glory. Then Antichrist arises and you have the tribulation. You have the temple being built in Jerusalem and as we learned last time, there's this glorious appearing of Jesus to the Mount of olives and that the nation Israel looks on him whom they have pierced and an multitudes of Jewish people who are alive at that time recognize Jesus to be the Messiah and they look on him whom they have pierced, and they believe there are several reasons for the glorious return of Christ that we spoke about last time. One reason is to judge the world because of its evil and that judgment as we learned is terrifying.

But there's another reason and that is to establish the kingdom to finally fulfill all the promises that God made all the way through the Old Testament about a coming Golden age about utopia with Jesus, terrain, and so that's why he returns to Jerusalem to finally fulfill the promises now when you look at it that way, you begin to understand here that this particular age. This particular age of the coming of Jesus is very important. The topography of Jerusalem changes we learned last time that the Mount of olives splits into Jerusalem is exalted. It says Jerusalem is going to be on a plateau at that time and what it kingdom it is going to be now because we have to hurry. I have to answer another question who gets into the kingdom who gets into the kingdom well for this. Let's turn to Matthew chapter 25 Matthew 25 and I'm giving you time to find it. It's on page 831. If you have a Bible like mine. Matthew is the first book of the New Testament.

You'll notice it says in chapter 25 verse 31, when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne before him will be gathered all nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

I understand that sheep and goats don't get along very well and sheep are usually quite docile. Where is goats are very unruly. So this would be a familiar image and he will place the sheep on his right and the goats on the left, then the King will say to those on his right, you who are blessed by my father and inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world and so there's going to be a separation at the end of the tribulation.

When some people go into the kingdom and some do not. Many people if we took time to read the text they think here that Jesus is changing his view of salvation because he says that you'll get into the kingdom because you did, kind things to my brothers. They were in prison and you visited them they were hungry and you fed them. They were naked and you clothed them so is that the way to get into the kingdom. We need to understand, remember, during the tribulation. There are those who do not take the mark of the beast.

They are under persecution. They are jailed. Many of them are killed and during that period of time. Many Jews are coming to recognize Jesus as Messiah and those Gentiles and others who recognize that these Jews are believing. If these Gentiles are believers that they're going to do all that they can to support the Jews.

They are going to bless them and what we're fine here is not the root of faith. But the fruit of it showing the true faith always is seen by works. Those who took care of the Jews who refused to take the mark of the beast. The Jews who believed on Jesus and trusted Jesus now recognizing him to be the Messiah. They obviously are in the company of those who are blessed because they too have put faith in Jesus Christ.

Bottom line, all those who enter into the kingdom will be believers, but don't be in their natural bodies now.

Are y'all doing out there.

By the way is everybody still with me. Maybe a little bit like drinking from a fire hydrant today but I want you to stay with me because we've got some things to still share that will dazzle your imagination. What are some of the characteristics of this kingdom that we hear about what one of them is most assuredly the Jesus rules. I mean you can go to the Psalms and you can song to. I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion all the way through.

God is talking about a time of utopia on earth when Jesus Christ rules so Jesus rules the curse is partially lifted. Not totally lifted there's another passage in Isaiah that says a child shall die when he is 100 years old.

That's obviously not a reference to heaven.

That's a reference to the kingdom and it means that there will be longevity. In other words, if you die at the age of 100 your dying young words today to guide the age of 100 is to die very old and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, there's not going to be any overt rebellion. But eventually there will be an Jesus shown rule by the way, to understand now that Christmas Carol that all of us. Love, Joy to the world. I often sing it with a smile, especially when we get to verse three and four because you see the Joy to the world. The first stanza can apply to the coming of Jesus in the manger in Bethlehem, Joy to the world, the Lord is, let Earth receive her King. But when you get to the other stances to 3M for that's millennial reign of Jesus is not in stanza four. It says he rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glory of his righteousness, and the wonder of his grace. I don't think so. I don't see that today when I read today's headlines. Jesus is not making the nations prove anything. He's being faithful to his people, but that is millennial reign on earth and in fact another stanza says no more. Let sins and sorrows grow North thorns infest the ground gotta be kidding. I'm a farmer's boy there plenty of thorns infesting the ground. Those are millennial passages but we sing them at Christmas and it's fine to sing them but just let them know that Isaac Watts was not. I think about the first coming of Jesus, but the second coming of Jesus in Bethlehem. Well folks, now we get to the big game's time for you to take your Bibles and everybody has a Bible because everybody brings his or her Bible to church and where in the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation and what a book it is now, but we need to do is to read a few passages from the 20th chapter of Revelation chapter 19 we learned last time Jesus return chapter 20 now follows with the millennial kingdom that we've been describing in all the promises of the Old Testament. It says then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand. The key to the bottomless pit and a great chain and he sees the Dragon that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, then bound him for a thousand years and threw him into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. And then he must be released for a little while wow tape and I for us to stop by the way when it says the pit that is not held yet. That is a holding place for evil spirits and Satan.

This passage an unnamed angel. We don't know in the world. It is Jesus says to an ordinary angel hey come here. I got a job for you and can empower you take Satan and put them into the pit now. Undoubtedly, the chain is probably symbolic, but the point is, he is a chain. He is the key to the bottomless pit and all that the angel has to do is to say Satan I'm I'm under God's authority. Now, come over here.

We got a place for you.

You're going to be incarcerated for a thousand years.

Come on, get into the pit and Satan says if God says that I have to do it. Don't you like that, the absolute authority of Jesus and his angels, and when you read this six times you read for a thousand years. Ever wonder where did the idea come from that the millennial kingdom was a thousand years.

Well it's in this passage when I am teaching you today is called pre-millennialism the word millennial referring to a thousand years pre-millennial means that Jesus returns before the millennium now with that introduction.

Let's go through the passage so one of the other characteristics of this period of time is that Satan is bound by the way, this is a parenthesis I read on millennial people who believe that we are in the millennium now that's one of the ways to explain it and I have in my library a book on counseling that says if you ever encounter someone who says that he's encountered a demon or the devil you can be sure he's wrong because this is the millennium and Satan is bound anybody out there believe that I have to say today that if Satan is bound in this era is got a very long chain. I need to tell you know. We believe this is future. So we continue.

Satan is bound and then there are a host of people who ruled with Jesus.

Verse four then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed to my friend, this is Pastor Luther.

I certainly hope that you listen to running to win next time so that you hear the conclusion of this message, but at the same time I have to tell you that the future painted in the book of Revelation for believers is awesome. It has not only to do with triumph.

But ruling with Jesus Christ. We can't really get our minds around it, but when we are reminded of that it enables us to live successfully here on earth with biblical eternal values in view. I've written a book entitled the King is coming and I wrote it to encourage us and to help us to see not only that things are going to be very different as God wraps up history but also that we as individuals live differently for a gift of any amount.

This book can be yours. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 thank you so much for your interest in our ministry for your gifts for your prayers because together we are making a difference. I know another chance for you to ask Pastor look certain question about the Bible or the Christian life. Susan is a faithful running to win listener. She has some concerns for her family. Here are some of her questions.

When Catholics pray to statues of Mary and various saints is this idolatry.

What about when they put their trust in Marion apparitions instead of in God alone, some in my family say they believe both of these things are okay. I told them we are only to pray to God, can they lose their salvation by doing this, Susan. I want to thank you so much for writing to ask this question and I can tell that it is a burden to your heart for your family, couple of comments. I'll take your question sort of phrase by phrase or line by line. Rather, first of all is that idolatry to pray to statues of Mary and the various saints will you know it says in Exodus chapter 20, that we should not make a graven image, or bow down to it now if you talk to our Roman Catholic friends.

They will tell you that they do not worship these images. They only venerate them but it said distinction that often times is not practiced practically and you can tell this because sometimes images and objects even become good luck charms.

Of course, even in Old Testament times when they bowed before an image. They knew that the image itself wasn't God, but it represented God and I think the very same thing sometimes happens among our Roman Catholic friends then the other question is what about them putting their trust in Marion apparitions. This is very unfortunate but you're right that happens, we must realize that Satan is so deceptive that if you're Protestant. He will appear to you as Jesus if he you are a Catholic, he may appear to you as Mary we really can't trust these apparitions and I could say more about that and so we must be very careful and then finally you say will this cause them to lose their salvation know if they are true believers.

They will not lose their salvation but there is a prior question that has to be answered and that is how does one become a true believer will certainly that does not happen by bowing before statues or believing apparitions. It comes about by trusting Jesus Christ alone is one Savior Christ alone is a free gift. And so that's really the issue and that's where you need to keep the focus is how are we saved and once that becomes clear a lot of other things fall into place. Thanks again for writing.

God bless you and I hope that you have a good day. Thank you Susan and thank you Dr. lutes are if you'd like to hear your question answered.

Go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us have run into when 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614 one reason for these during the millennium, Satan will be locked up for the whole time free from his mischief. The redeemed entering this wondrous hero will find even nature changed as the lion dwells with the lamb. Next time I'm running to win.

Join us for more teaching on a literal thousand year reign of Jesus on her.

Thanks for listening to our series on the return of Christ for Dr. Erwin loser this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the church