Seek First the Kingdom - Part 13

(1) Creating Shalom Out of Chaos
(2) The Fall Brought Chaos Back Into Creation
(3) The Kingdom: God’s Plan to Restore Peace to the World
(4) Jesus Was Sent for This Purpose
(5) What is the Kingdom?
(6) Patterns of the Kingdom in Scripture
  - The Garden of Eden
  - The Wilderness
  - The Promised Land
  - The Kingdom of Solomon
  - The Days of the Apostles
(7) The Life and Ministry of Jesus
(8) Attributes of the Kingdom
  - Prosperity and Joy
  - Peace
  - Righteousness
  - Holiness
  - Knowledge of the LORD
(9) The Millenium Kingdom (Part - 13)
(10) The Believer’s Responsibility to Progress the Kingdom


THE MILLENIAL KINGDOM

“While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. So He said, ‘A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.’” (Luke 19:11-12)

As Jesus approached Jerusalem just prior to the crucifixion, the people “supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately,” (Luke 19:11). The words of Luke reflect the expectation of the people that the kingdom of God would be mainifested in a physical fulfillment on the earth.  Jesus then tells the parable of “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom…then return.” The parable does not dispute the coming of the kingdom, but indicates that the fullness would not appear until the return of Jesus. Two months later, the disciples had similar expectations,

“‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.’” (Acts 1:6-8)

Again, in response to the expectations of the kingdom’s imminent fullness appearing, Jesus told His disciples to preach the world and the Father would bring about the fullness at a time “fixed by His own authority.” Peter refers to this future time as the “times of refreshing,” that would follow the repentance that comes from the preaching of the kingdom.

“Repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:19-21)

The “times of refreshing” and “restoration of all things” appears to be different than the “new heaven and a new earth” (Rev 21:1), or the time when "Behold, I (God) am making all things new,” (Rev 21:5).   The “restoration” is a time when the present world will be restored to a condition that existed prior to the fall and the kingdom reaches its greatest fullness, exhibiting many attributes of the World to come.   

The kingdom exists as the transitional period between the present world and the world to come.   The kingdom functions to renew the world, moving the present world toward greater subjection and unity in the Son, “Christ is all and in all” and the Father, “so that God may be all in all,” (1 Cor 15:28). If this world contains shadows of what is to come, the joys we experience in this life will be multiplied beyond comprehension as the kingdom moves toward the world to come. The 1000-year reign of Jesus Christ on the throne of David, spoken by John (Rev 20:1-6), will come as the final and greatest fulfillment of the kingdom in the present world.   At the end of this world will come the final resurrection, judgment of all creation, and the appearing of the new heaven and the new earth.

Many believers have dismissed the 1000-year kingdom of Jesus, or allegorized the words of John to mean something different than what is being stated. As the life of Jesus demonstrates through fulfilled prophecy and the renewal of Israel testifies to our generation, the words of the Bible bend toward a literal interpretation. Jesus was literally born of a virgin, rode on a donkey, and died in a manner foreseen by the prophets. Jesus will reign for a literal one thousand years on the earth.

1) The Concept of a 1000-year Kingdom Existed in Jewish Understanding Before John

The idea that the kingdom of God will achieve its greatest fullness on earth before the world to come was not a new revelation to the apostles. The prophets spoke of it (Isa 2:2-6), the people in Jesus' days were looking for it (Luke 19:11), the disciples longed for it (Acts 1:6-8), and the apostles wrote about it, (Rev 20:6).   The concept of a Millennial Kingdom is not unique to the New Testament.  What is unique to John's writings are the sequence of events that precede and follow the fullness of the kingdom. The rabbis living around the time of John and the sages who lived after that time period widely held to the expectation that the reign of the Messiah on earth would last 1000 years. The Jewish Talmud records the following commentary in relation to this matter.

“Kattina said: “Six thousand years shall the world exist, and one [thousand, the seventh, it shall be desolate, as it is written, ‘And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.’” Abaye said: “it will be desolate two [thousand, as it is said, ‘After two days will he revive us: in the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.’” It has been taught in accordance with R. Kattina: “Just as the seventh year is one year of release in seven, so is the world: one thousand years out of seven shall be fallow, as it is written, ‘And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,’ and it is further said, A Psalm and song for the Sabbath day, meaning the day that is altogether Sabbath and it is also said, ‘For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past.’” (Sanhedrin 97a)

Many Jews hold the seven-day creation week as a pattern for the history of mankind. The six days of God s creative hand rest represent the initial six thousand years that man will dwell on the earth beginning with Adam and the one day of rest that followed represents a thousand year Sabbath rest. The concept of a 7000-year world is derived from the words of David who wrote, “a thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by,” (Psa 90:4).   Peter likewise said, “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.“ (2 Peter 3:8).

2) Prophecy Remains for Jesus to Fulfill

Among its many purposes, the fullness of the earthly kingdom will provide an opportunity for all remaining prophecy to be literally fulfilled. Unfulfilled prophecy remain as one of the primary reasons the Jewish nation continues to reject Jesus as Messiah. These prophecies include:
(1) Gathering the dispersed tribes of Israel,
(2) Rebuilding the temple,
(3) Sitting on the throne of David,
(4) Ushering in national and world peace, and
(5) Teaching the commandments of the LORD to the entire world. 

There is a time coming when the descendants of Israel who have been scattered throughout the nations will be gathered and returned into the land of Israel. So great will be this future re-gathering that the experience will displace the annual remembrance of the Exodus.

“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when they will no longer say, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up and led back the descendants of the household of Israel from the north land and from all the countries where I had driven them.’ Then they will live on their own soil.” (Jer 23:7-8)

The promise of this regathering was foretold by Moses (Deut 30:1-5), retold by the prophets (Ezek 28:25-26)(Jer 29:14), and alluded to by Jesus who sought to gather the children of Israel, “just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings” (Luke 13:34). Scripture tells us that at the time of His return, Jesus will “send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven,” (Mark 13:27).

The idea of an earthly gathering of Jews to Israel runs contrary to the long held belief of many Protestants that Jesus will gather believers into a heavenly kingdom and the world will immediately end. The totality of scripture does not appear to support the traditional Church position. Among other remaining prophecy, Jesus is foreseen to build a literal temple foreseen by Ezekiel,

“Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne.” (Zech 6:12-13)

According to Jeremiah, the name of the Branch is, “The LORD our righteousness,” (Jer 23:5-6).

Building a temple at His return would be consistent with Moses who began constructing the tabernacle after he descended Mount Sinai following a second forty-day period on the mountain. Solomon also began to construct the temple early in his reign, in the second month of the fourth year, (1 King 6:1). The temple was completed seven and one-half years later in the eighth month of the eleventh year of Solomon’s reign, (1 King 6:38). Following this pattern, we would expect Jesus to construct the temple of Ezekiel’s prophecy shortly after He returns, (Zech 6:12).

Hosea speaks of the re-gathering, repentance, and “David their king.”

“For the sons of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. After the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hos 3:4-5).

The prophecy of Hosea looks toward a time when the sons of Israel will return to the land and the throne of David will be restored, fulfilling the words of the prophets and the apostles, 

"David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,” (Jer 33:17).

“For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, " All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:25-28)

Jesus has been a prophet, as His words in the Greek text testify. He now stands as our High Priest at the right hand of God interceding for His people, (Heb 4:15).  In the future, when the kingdom reaches its fullness, Jesus will return as King to rule the world,

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever… ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.’” (Rev 11:15&17)

Because David’s throne was an earthly throne, we would expect the reign of Jesus as King to be an earthly reign. Scripture tells us that the reign of Jesus will continue until “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD” and “all things are subjected to Him.” Jesus earthly reign will conclude with the judgment of the creation before the Great White Throne followed by the end of death at the conclusion of the existing world.

3) Other Prophecy Appears to Have No Home Apart From The Kingdom 

Some prophecy simply cannot find a home in history absent the kingdom. Some of the more notable examples include:

“There will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Will be thought accursed.” (Isa 65:19-20)

The words of Isaiah are difficult to foresee in a fallen world. When will there be a time when life is extended and the voice of weeping no longer be heard, but death will still reign? The explanation is the days of the kingdom.

“Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." (Ezek 47:1&12).

The description of water flowing from under the threshold of the house is understood to be the Temple, often referred to as the “the house of God,” (Ex 34:26)(Luke 2:49). There is no recorded previous incident in scripture of water flowing under the threshold of the temple. Since John saw no temple in the world to come (Rev 21:22), the vision of John must occur before the new heaven and new earth.

One of the more concise summaries of the kingdom found in the prophets appears in the book of Isaiah.

"And I will make peace your administrators And righteousness your overseers. 18 Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. 19 No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. 20 Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over. 21 Then all your people will be righteous; They will possess the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. 22 The smallest one will become a clan, And the least one a mighty nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time." (Isa 60:17-22)

I long for this time in a world gone mad.

(almost finished - Scott)