Notes of Faith September 30, 2024
The Coming Kingdom
For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:9
What’s ahead for earth? Perhaps your first thoughts are the Rapture and the Tribulation. Let’s start thinking about the thousand-year reign of Christ, which begins when He returns at the end of the Tribulation.
Isaiah anticipated this period throughout his book. In chapter 2, he said many people will say to one another, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…He will teach us His ways,” and the nations “shall beat their swords into plowshares” (verses 3-4). He also avows that Jesus will reign on the throne of David (9:7), and even nature will be changed: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb” (11:6). And so much more!
One day the earth will be as it should be! The future reign of Christ on earth—followed by eternity in the new heavens, the new earth, and New Jerusalem—is what we need to keep our hearts hopeful today. We can rejoice in our future!
In Jesus Christ we have been chosen from eternity, accepted in time, and united for eternity.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Isa 2:1-5
The word which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now it will come about that
In the last days
The mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains,
And will be raised above the hills;
And all the nations will stream to it.
3 And many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths."
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 And He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war.
5 Come, house of Jacob, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.
We might think that the 1,000 year kingdom of our Lord will be perfect. Indeed, the beauty of the earth will be restored as the beginning of creation. The wild animals will not devour one another, nor will mankind devour one another. We will live in peace with the true King of kings, Jesus Christ, ruling the earth. But mankind will still have his fallen nature that causes him to pursue things against God. There will be those that rebel and fight against God during this time. Sounds silly to fight against the Creator of everything that exists, but that is what will happen. Satan, who has been held captive for this time, will be released and gather hordes to battle the people of God. He will be defeated and cast into the Lake of Fire in eternal judgment. Let us pray as the Lord taught His disciples, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done one earth, as it is in heaven.” Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
Pastor Dale