The Millennial Reign of Peace The Lord shall

The Millennial Reign of Peace “The Lord shall be king over all the earth, and his name one. ” Bible Lecture MILLENIAL PEACE

The Millennial Reign of Peace “The Lord shall be king over all the earth, and his name one. ” This is universal monarchy instead of universal republicanism! A glorious monarchy such as the world has never witnessed before—a government which is theocratic, not popular; and one to which none are appointed by votes of majorities, but by the absolute will and pleasure of the Lord God alone. Herald of the Kingdom

The Millennial Reign of Peace Outline People’s righteous actions will yield blessings Nations are to be at peace Autocratic and Theocratic Rule of Christ and his brethren Work of the Saints and Mortal Jews Temple - The House of Prayer for all People and Nations End of Millennium

The Millennial Reign of Peace Mission of the Kingdom The kingdom of God is itself but an instrumentality—another step in the march of God's beneficent scheme—another stage in the accomplishment of His purpose to "gather together in one all things in Christ" (Eph. i. 10). It only lasts for a thousand years (Rev. xx. 6). What is to be accomplished during this period? Paul says "He (Jesus) must reign till he hath put ALL ENEMIES under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (1 Cor. xv. 25 -26). Hence the millennial mission of Christ is to subdue "all enemies, " which he will accomplish within the period of a thousand years. The "enemies" spoken of are not necessarily personal enemies, for death is mentioned as the last of them, which we know to be an evil event, and not a personal adversary. Hence, we may understand Paul's statement to mean that "he must reign till he hath subdued every evil. " This being so, we have a starting point supplied to us in our endeavour to understand the mission of the kingdom of God. It is to subdue "all enemies, " or every evil. Christendom Astray

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace • Abraham believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness • Those of faith are the children of Abraham • Gospel preached to Abraham “In thee shall nations be blessed” (Galatians 3 v 6 -8) At what time would the blessings occur? • “…and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies” (Future) • Nations to be subdued at the setting up of Christ’s Kingdom • Psalm 2, Daniel 2, Zechariah 2, Zephaniah 2, Micah 4: 1 -3 • …thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel (Psalm 2: 8 -9) • …it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms… (Daniel 2: 44)

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace • When Yahweh’s judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants will learn righteousness. How will they learn? • the people of the nations will be “taught” a righteous way of life • the laws will be effective and enforced • Psalmist says “thy law have I hid in mine heart” • …He will teach us of his ways … out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem (Is 2: 3)

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace 6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I. 7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! Isaiah 52: 6 -7 Publisheth : 8085 Shama (Shaw-Mah) means to “hear intelligently with the implication of being obedient, also paying close attention”. Peace : 7965 Shalowm (Shaw-lome) means to be safe, well, happy, at peace

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace 20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30: 21 Teachers : 3384 Yarah means to direct, instruct

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace Under the Mosaic order, the law was the schoolmaster (teacher or leader) to bring them unto Christ. Concerning this schoolmaster administration, bro Roberts says the following in Christendom Astray: In view of the evident conclusion that the promises to Abraham give an unconditional guarantee of "good things to come, " it may be asked, why the law of Moses, and the bitter national experience of the Jews, have been allowed to intervene between them and their fulfilment, Paul anticipates and answers this question in Gal. iii. 19 : "Wherefore, then, serveth the law, It was added because of transgression till the seed should come to whom the promise was made. " If we wish to know the purpose it served, we find the information five verses down : "The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ" (verse 24). On account of the almost undisturbed reign of ignorance and sin in the times when the promises were delivered, it was necessary to institute a schoolmaster administration of the divine mind, which should inculcate those first lessons

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace concerning God, without which nothing good could be accomplished, since their existence in the human mind is the very basis of that community between God and man which honours Him and saves them. It was necessary to engrain those first principles on the mind of the chosen nation, by way of paving the way for the development of the state of things promised to the fathers. This was done by the establishment of the Law of Moses in the midst of Israel—a system which, in itself, was a mere allegory of divine truth, as was meet in the training of children (Heb. x. 1), but which, by its exactions, severities, and scrupulosities, engraved in deep and lasting characters the estimate of the Deity's relation to mankind. The power, supremacy, and holiness of the Deity were made palpable by it, even to those who were disobedient; and, in the course of centuries, that conception of God was formed which existed in the days of Jesus, as the foundation on which to push forward the operations by which the seed of Abraham (faithful believers) should be provided by the promulgation of the word of faith. Without the law, there is no doubt that the knowledge of God would have perished from the earth, and mankind would have been wholly enslaved by the foolishness and unenlightened speculation, and abandoned to the wickedness which prevailed before the flood; the little

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace light of the promises would soon have been extinguished, and the world would have been sunk in the darkness of incurable barbarism —ripe for as complete a destruction as that which overtook it in the days of Noah. This great catastrophe was prevented by the establishment of a system which, while (superficially considered) it offered an obstruction to the glorious consummation promised to Abraham, was potently influential in developing the moral situation among mankind which was necessary to the bestowment of the promised blessing.

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace Jeremiah 33 v 7 to 11 – the voice of joy and the voice of gladness Zechariah 1 v 11 to 17 – Yahweh shall yet comfort Zion Zechariah 8 v 20 to 23 – men shall take hold of the skirt of a Jew Zechariah 14 v 9 – Yahweh’s Name One – no more war amongst false religion Psalm 22 v 22 to 28 – neither hath he hid his face Psalm 67 v 4 – let the nations be glad and sing for joy … judge righteously Psalm 72 – in his days shall the righteous flourish Isaiah 51 v 4 – for a law shall proceed from me

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace Isaiah 2 v 2 to 4 – no more war Micah 4 v 2 to 5 – beat their swords into plowshares … nation shall not lift up sword against nation Revelation 21 v 3 to 5 Isaiah 35 v 10 – sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isaiah 51 v 11 – they shall obtain gladness and joy Isaiah 65 v 19 - …. nor the voice of crying

The Millennial Reign of Peace Righteousness > Peace 14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. 15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. Nahum 1: 14 -15

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat V 33 “Then Pilate entered into the judgment hall again, and called Jesus, and said unto him, Art thou the King of the Jews? ” John 18: 33 Christ’s first mission, 2000 years ago, was to conquer the power of sin, sin in the flesh, in himself, and to be offered as a representative for the sin of the race. Christ’s second mission is to rule the world as King. -with power (autocrat) -appointed by the God of Heaven to rule the nations (theocrat) -with absolute authority Ask of me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance …. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2)

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat After his resurrection, the lord triumphantly told his followers: "All power is given me in heaven and in earth". He exercises that power now, and will do so more openly in the future. Democracy will no longer prevail. Meaning of “Democracy”: "State having government by all the people, direct or representative; form of society ignoring hereditary class distinctions and tolerating minority views. ” Democracy gives people freedom and choice. It fits in nicely with the notion that “every man does that which is right in his own eyes”. It is at the heart of all the world's problems today.

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat When Christ is King in the earth, there will be an autocratic rule (autocrat means absolute ruler, absolute government by one person). This describes the nature of Christ's rulership. You may think that autocratic nations have caused more problems in our day and in days gone by than democratic nations. The fact is, when mere men are in power, it doesn't matter what form of leadership they take - they will never be able to rule effectively to which history has testified for the last 6, 000 years. The difference with Christ being an autocrat and other autocrats, is that he will also be a theocrat - a theocracy is a form of government appointed by God. It will be a God centred kingdom. History abundantly testifies that society needs such a king, possessing the wisdom, ability and power to rule effectively. Failure has marked man's attempts to govern righteously, or to establish permanent peace.

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah. In those days and at that time, I will cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. " (Jer. 33 v 14, 15). "UNTO US a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, UPON THE THRONE OF DAVID, AND UPON HIS KINGDOM, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9 v 6, 7).

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat "Behold the man whose name is the BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place. . . and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne" (Zech. vi. 12, 13). "He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Isa. ii. 4). "And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name One" (Zech. xiv. 9). "Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment" (Isa xxxii. 1). "The Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously" (Isa. xxiv. 23).

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat "The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious" (Isa. 9 v 9, 10). "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee" (Isa. 12 v 6). "I will make them (the Jews) one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one King shall be King to them all" (Ezek. 37 v 22). "He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. . Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him" (Psa. 72 v 8, 11). (See also Dan. 7 v 14)

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat The outcome of an effective rulership: "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart" (Jer. 3 v 17). "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" (Isa. 2 v 3). The mortal population will go up to Jerusalm annually, as we learn from Zech. 14 v 16:

The Millennial Reign of Peace Autocrat & Theocrat "And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. " If a nation was to refuse to pay this annual homage to the king of all the earth, they will be summarily dealt with. No need for the world’s law enforcement agencies in that day. A word from the King will stay the supplies of heaven, and compel submission. It is written: "And it shall be that whoso shall not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem, to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, even upon them shall be no rain" (verse 17). These are the characteristics of Christ’s reign.

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Saints Primary role is to assist Christ in ruling the nations. “If we suffer with him (now), we shall also reign with him (in the Kingdom)” “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years…. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. ” (Rev 20 v 4, 6)

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Saints 5 6 7 8 9 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 149: 5 -9)

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Saints Revelation ch 3 v 21 Revelation ch 2 v 26 -27 The glorified saints will be the administrators and the mediators of the kingdom age. They will govern and guide the mortal populace in every aspect of life. Prominent among their tasks will be the education and instruction of mortals in divine ways. They will also administer the new law based upon the Law of Moses and judge with righteousness on Christ's behalf Isaiah 32 v 1, 16 -17 Psalm 72 v l-4

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Saints As priests, the saints will seek to take care of the spiritual needs of those over whom they are given responsibility. They will guide and instruct the mortals with the same compassion and insight now applied by Christ towards his brethren. Hebrews 2 v 17 -18 Hebrews 5 v 1 -2 They will be direct in their action towards straying mortals Isaiah 30 v 21 Isaiah 33 v 5 -6 Saints will have varying degrees of authority, and of responsibility. Mark 10: 40 and Matthew 19 v 28. Cp. also Luke 19: 17 -19 (ten cities).

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Jews As to Israel, the Lord will have gotten them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame; and have made them a name and a praise among all the people of the earth (Zeph. 3: 19 -20). "All nations shall call them blessed, for they shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3: 12). Instead of being a bye-word and a reproach, as at this day, the Gentiles will glory in their patronage; for "in those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, we will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8: 23). Yes, the kingdom and throne of David will then be in their midst again, and Christ the Lord God, and Holy One of Israel, sitting upon it in power and great glory. The gospel of the kingdom will be no longer a matter of hope, but a reality; and those who have believed it, and submitted cheerfully and lovingly to the law of faith in the obedience it requires, and have perfected their faith by works meet for repentance, will be shining "as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12: 3). This is the Hope of Israel. Elpis Israel

The Millennial Reign of Peace The work of the Jews The mission of the Kingdom is to subdue all enemies. The mortal Jews will help to instruct the nations in the ways of God and will assist Christ and the Saints to fulfil this mission. Zechariah 8 v 1 -5, 14 -23 (note verse 16) They are to be the chiefest of all nations, the true subjects of the Kingdom.

The Millennial Reign of Peace The Temple Ezekiel paints for us a wonderful depiction of the house of prayer to be built for all nations. Representatives of all the nations will go up yearly to offer sacrifices and to truly understand worship. The Temple is destined to be the Centre-piece of the entire world. It is a house that was promised to King David and his lineage. The earthquake decimates Gog’s forces and a huge cleanup operation begins As the nations are being judged, Christ will direct the building of the Temple which we completed for the start of the next Jubilee.

The Millennial Reign of Peace 1. The Temple 2. The materials for the Temple will be prepared by both Jew and Gentile 3. Isaiah 60 v 5, 6, 9 -ll, 13, 17 4. Many passages of Scripture tell us that Mt Zion is the location of the Temple 5. Psalm 132 v 13 -14 6. Ezekiel 43 v 2 -7 7. Zech. l: 16 8. Psalm 48 v 1 -3, 11 -13 9. Isaiah 2 v 2 -3.

The Millennial Reign of Peace The Temple The entire city of Jerusalem is to become a temple-city, ''built unto Yahweh“ Jeremiah 31 v 38 -40 Circle within a Square – eternity predicated upon the hope of Israel Entry is by the south and north – to go out opposite way you came in (Psalm 48 v 12) All visitors entering from the north and south will have to go through running water from the Altar so that the principle of baptism is maintained for salvation

The Millennial Reign of Peace The Temple On approaching the Temple, the visitor will see a magnificent building with symmetrical arches and pillars extending for over a mile, and rising to a height of some 120 feet. Here, met by a mortal Levite, the visitor will be instructed in the etiquette of worship and symbolism of the Temple (Ezek. 44: 9, 23, 24, 43: 10 -11). Sacrifice then having been made (Isa. 60: 7), the visitor will then be invited to ascend the seven (covenant) steps (Ezek. 40: 6, 26) to the entrance hall where a line of tall, slender, elegant pillars made like palms and teaching a powerful lesson (Ezek. 40: 16; Ps. 92: 12) will meet his gaze. There will be both compulsory (Zech. l 4: 16), and voluntary pilgrimages to the Land (Zech. 8: 21 -22), and services of various kinds will be continuous throughout the year (Isa. 66: 23).