The Wolf and the Lamb

Let's pray together. Lord Jesus, thank you for the glorious birth, the glorious birth of our King. Lord, we thank you that as we gather together on this Lord's Day, we can celebrate you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that this season is about you. It's not about us. It's not about what we receive. It's about what you gave. And I pray, Father, that we would understand that even all the more. As we understand this season, its implications for our lives, may we live for the glory and honor of our God. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. If we were to go around and ask different ones of you, what is your favorite Christmas song, we would have different ones of you give us your own rendition of that song and how it is, it means or what about that song means so much to you. All of us have favorite Christmas carols. We sing them when we go to church. We sing them when we do caroling in our neighborhood. We do them throughout the year. We hear them in the mall when we go shopping, different Christmas carols. And one of the most familiar ones that we hear on a regular basis is joy to the world.

It goes as follows. I'm not going to sing it for you, but I'll just read it to you. It says, joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room in heaven and nature sing. Joy to the world, the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love.

Now, as I spoke those words, you went over the tune in your mind, joy to the world. It's a beautiful Christmas song, except for one major problem. It was never written for Christmas. When Isaac Watts wrote that beautiful hymn, he wrote it based on Psalm 98. He wrote it because it was about the millennial reign of Christ upon the earth. He wrote it for us to sing about the coming of the King. When he would set up his kingdom, he would rule and reign and righteousness would prevail in the land. It's all about the second coming of the Messiah.

It's not about the first coming of the Messiah. We sing it at Christmas time because we assume it's a Christmas song, but in reality, it's a song we should sing all year around because we anticipate the arrival of the Messiah, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We as Americans, we as people have always longed for a utopia, a time in which righteousness and peace prevails, a time in which oppression and war cease, a time of perfect harmony. Poets have written about it. They write poems about the bliss of perfect harmony.

Songwriters sing about that peace and harmony. Politicians like to pontificate about that wonderful time and when there will be peace that will reign in the world. Preachers preach about it. Prophets have prophesied about it. But the only time there will be complete harmony and complete peace on this earth is when Jesus Christ, the ruler of the world, comes back, sets up his throne in the city of David and reigns forever. There's coming a time when the Prince of Peace will arrive. It's spoken of in Isaiah chapter 11.

That's our devotional in our Jesse Tree devotional book this day. It's all about how the wolf and the lamb lie down together. There's coming a day where there will be perfect harmony, perfect peace on this world. It's located Isaiah chapter 11 verse number one.

Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse and a branch from his roots will bear fruit and the Spirit of the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And he will delight in the fear of the Lord and he will not judge by what his eyes see or make a decision by what his ears hear. But with righteousness he will judge the poor and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth. And he will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

Also righteousness will be the belt about his loins and faithfulness the belt about his waist. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze. Their young will lie down together and the lion will eat straw with the ox and the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Then it will come about in that day that the nations will resort to the root of Jesse who will stand as a signal for the peoples and his resting place will be glorious. That is the anticipation of the arrival of King Messiah. It's what will happen when that branch that root of Jesse will begin to reign. How the spirit of the Lord will rest upon that branch and how that branch will rule with a rod that will proceed from his mouth. And during that time there will be perfect harmony on this earth. The only time there will be perfect harmony.

That is the anticipation of the coming king. And all the Old Testament prophets would look to that time over in Jeremiah chapter 23. It says it this way in verse number five. Behold the days are coming declares the Lord when I shall rise up for David a righteous branch and he will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely and this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 9 that very familiar verse probably on some of the Christmas cards you'll receive this season.

It says in verse number six for a child will be born to us a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name shall be called wonderful, counselor, mighty God, eternal father, prince of peace. There will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness for then on and forevermore the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this. There is coming a day where there will be peace.

The prince of peace will make sure that peace is the ongoing entity of the day. There will be peace in the animal kingdom. There'll be peace in the realm of human lives. There'll be peace in the relationships with people because the king himself will rule on the throne of David. This is the anticipation of the coming king. You can read about it in Psalm 2 verse number 6 where Christ will reign as king. Second Samuel 7 verse number 16 where Christ will reign on David's throne.

In Luke chapter 1 verse number 32 it tells us that Christ came as a king. In Mark 15 he was rejected as a king. In Matthew 27 he died as a king and Revelation 19 says he will come back as a king. He truly is the king and all the writers of the Old Testament anticipated the arrival of king Messiah and what he would do when he was upon this earth and that's why Isaiah would write about it. You can read about it over in Second Samuel 7, Psalm 2, Isaiah chapter 2, Isaiah 11, we just read it, Isaiah 35, Isaiah 40 through verse or through chapter 48, Jeremiah 23, Jeremiah 33, Ezekiel 34, Daniel 2, Daniel 7, Hosea 3, Joel 3, Zephaniah 3, Zechariah 14.

It's all about the arrival of king Messiah. The prophets of old anticipated the arrival of the king and one day he will come. He will come back. He came the first time veiled in the form of a child.

The second time he arrives he will be recognized by all. The first time Jesus came a star marked his arrival.

The next time he comes heaven will be lit by his glory. The first time Jesus came wise men brought him gifts.

The second time Jesus comes his reward will be with him. The first time Jesus came there was no room for him.

The second time Jesus comes the world won't be able to contain his glory. The first time Jesus came only a few attended his arrival.

The second time Jesus comes every eye will see him. The first time he came he came as a baby. The second time he comes he comes as sovereign king to rule over the world.

The anticipation of that coming king and that anticipation will lead to the arrival of that king in Revelation 19 verses 11 to 16. It says he comes and on him are the words faithful and true. He said he would come again. He is true to his word and when you speak about the arrival of the king you know the bible speaks of the fact that he will come visibly, personally, gloriously, powerfully to set up his kingdom. The bible is very clear about the arrival of the coming king and we as Christians we anticipate that second coming of the messiah and so there was this anticipation about the coming king and then one day there will be the arrival of the king and when he arrives then there will be the annihilation by the king.

That is he will annihilate everybody who does not obey the gospel, who has not come to the knowledge of the truth. You can read about it in Revelation chapter 19. The bible says he comes and on his robe are the words king of kings and lord of lords and when he comes he will destroy all those who opposed him.

How will he destroy them? The book of Zechariah tells us exactly how that's going to happen. In the book of Zechariah the 14th chapter it says these words, verse number 12. Now this will be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who have gone to war against Jerusalem. Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet and their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongue will rot in their mouth. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns he speaks the words and the people actually actually incinerate.

It's a wonderful picture of what's going to happen to those who rebel against the authority of the king. Zechariah 14 verse number 12. You can read about it in Acts chapter 19 because when he returns he tramples the wine press alone. You can read about it in Isaiah chapter 16, excuse me Isaiah 63. As you go through the book of Revelation you know that it's the angels who enact the judgment of God until the king returns. And when the king returns he enacts the judgment because that's who he is. And so throughout human history there has been this anticipation of the arrival of the king who will make peace on this land.

Revelation 19 speaks about the arrival of that king. It also speaks about the annihilation of that king and it also speaks about the adjudication of that king. He will pass judgment upon all men. You can read about it in Joel chapter 3 and in Matthew chapter 25. It's in the Kidron Valley, the valley of Jehoshaphat, the valley of decision in the land of Israel. The king will make his way to Jerusalem. He will split the Mount of Olives and he will judge man right there. He will put the sheep on his right, the goats on his left, and the sheep will enter into his kingdom.

And the goats, well they will be cast away into everlasting punishment. It's the adjudication of the king. And then comes the administration of the king. The king will begin to rule this land. It's a beautiful story all throughout the Old Testament about the arrival of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We at Christ will come and he will set up his kingdom. I want to talk to you about that kingdom this morning. We don't have a lot of time and so I'm not going to give you a lot of details. I have three tapes on this in Revelation chapter 19.

You can you can get those tapes. In the new year we will talk about the return of the king and the title of that is Ready or Not He's Coming Again. And we're going to talk about the return of the king but that will be later in the summer into the fall of 2009. But if you want to get some great details about this you can pick up the tapes in Revelation, I'm sorry, Revelation chapter 20 verses 1 to 10. We have a three-part series on the return of the king. But today I want to talk to you about this reign of the king and what characterizes this reign and what exactly is going to happen.

You need to understand this because at Christ Community Church what we believe is not viewed by most people in modern-day Christianity. We are among the minority, not the majority. Why? Number one is this.

We believe in the literal rule of God upon the earth. That's what the millennial kingdom is. Millennium is just a Latin word for a thousand years. And that thousand years is depicted for us in Revelation chapter 20. And in Revelation chapter 20 six times in four verses it tells us that the reign of the king will be for a thousand years. The reign of the king will be for a thousand years. Now what we believe at Christ Community Church is we believe in a literal, historical, grammatical, contextual hermeneutic.

That is we take God's Word at face value. We read it and we believe it. And yet what we believe about the literal rule of God upon earth, we're among the minority. We believe in what is called pre-millennialism. That is the king will return. He will set up his kingdom and he will rule for a thousand years. We know the length of that rule because Revelation 20 tells us. The Old Testament didn't talk about the length of that rule but it forecasted the rule of the king. Revelation 20 tells us how long it's going to be.

But the majority of people in modern-day Christianity believe in what we call an all-millennial view. That is there is no millennium. Those of the reformed persuasion, those of the covenant theological persuasion do not believe in a literal 1,000 year reign of Christ upon the earth. They take the book of Revelation as symbolic. They take the book of Revelation as figurative. They don't take it literally. But they have a couple of major problems. You need to understand this because a lot of you listen to radio personalities who believe in an all-millennial view.

And they have some problems. Number one is this. And that is the phrase 1,000 years in Revelation chapter 20. 1,000 years is mentioned six times. Do you know that all the numbers in the book of Revelation are literal numbers? There are two witnesses. Those two witnesses are not symbolic of witnesses. There are two witnesses. There are 12 tribes. There are 144,000 Jews chosen to be witnesses from those 12 tribes. The tribulational period is 1,260 days or three and a half years. All literal numbers in the book of Revelation proven by the book of Daniel.

Also there are seven churches in the book of Revelation. All literal churches. Seven of them named. The Bible also says that there are seven seals. Literal seals. There are seven trumpets that are blown. Seven bowls of judgment that are poured. All of those are literal numbers. They're not figurative numbers. The only numbers that you could even begin to imagine as figurative in the book of Revelation are two areas. One is the seven fold spirit. The seven spirits. And we know that the seven spirits are symbolic of the perfecting work of the spirit of God based on Isaiah chapter 11 which we read this morning.

Isaiah 11 verses 1 to 4. The seven fold ministry of the spirit of God. It's a number of completion. It's a number of perfection. And the seven spirits are the completed work of the spirit of God upon man. That could be taken symbolically. Also the number 666. No one knows exactly what that number is. Is it the exact number 666? Is it the number of a man? Because we know the number of God is seven. The number of man is six. So is it the fact that man always falls short of the perfect God? We don't know that for certain.

So you could take those two instances as symbolic in the book of Revelation and maybe that's the case. And yet every other number is absolutely literal. But six times in four verses it tells us that the king will reign for a thousand years. Those are literal numbers not figurative numbers. But those of the all millennial persuasion say well listen we believe that the book of Revelation was written somewhere between 58 and 64 AD during the time of Nero's reign. And that all that took place in the book of Revelation happened it's symbolic of what took place in AD 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Well the problem with that is this that during the reign of Nero between 58 and 64 AD the churches were flourishing. But the seven churches in the book of Revelation were not flourishing. They were on a major decline. So the church fathers say, which is true, that the book of Revelation was written somewhere between 94 and 96 AD after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. So therefore the book of Revelation could not be symbolically defining for us what took place in 70 AD. Make sense? You understand that?

That is so clear. But you must understand something. This is the literal rule of God upon the earth. And let me give you one verse one word that will share this with you that will help you understand that there's coming a king and there is coming a kingdom where the king will rule upon the earth.

You see the all millennial view says there is no thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth and all the promises given to Israel are now fulfilled in the church and Israel will never receive them. Well that's a problem. Because you see that de-emphasizes the importance of Israel while the Bible always emphasizes the importance of Israel. But look at Luke chapter one with me for a moment.

Luke chapter one. In Luke chapter one I want to give you a verse that talks to you about the literal coming of the king. Luke chapter one. Mary receives word from the angel Gabriel about the arrival of the Messiah. It says this. Verse 31. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over the Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end.

Okay. Luke one thirty one to thirty three. Now listen carefully. Verse thirty. And the angel said to her. Did the angel Mary, angel Gabriel speak to Mary? Answer. Yes. Are you sure? If you're sure say yes. Yes. Okay good. Alright. Now number two.

Did Mary conceive in her womb and bear a son? Answer. Yes. There was a literal conception and there was a literal son that was born. Is that not true? Okay. Read on. And you shall name him what? Jesus. Was there a son born to Mary named Jesus? There was a literal son conceived in the womb of Mary who was born whose name is Jesus. Okay. Read on. And he will be great. Was Jesus great? I would think so. And will be called the son of the most high. Was Jesus the son of the most high God? Answer. Yes.

And the Lord will give him the throne of his father David. Will he do that? Or is that all of a sudden now figurative? You see that? Either he will do that or he won't do that. Where do you draw the line when something is literal and something is figurative? Well there was a woman. Her name was Mary. She was approached by an angel Gabriel. Yeah that's all literal. He told her she would conceive in her womb a child. That child's name would be Jesus. All that happened just like it said. He was great.

He was the son of the most high God. But it's figurative that he will sit on the throne of his father David. That makes sense does it? And then it says this. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and his kingdom will have no end. Well either that's literal or it's not. You see? See there's a problem with the all millennial view. Which is the most popular view among Christians today? It's the all millennial view. Most radio preachers believe it. Most preachers who write books believe that.

Very few people believe in a pre-millennial kingdom of God where the king will come and he will set up his kingdom and he will rule and reign on the throne of his father David for a thousand years. We believe that. We believe it because Revelation 20 says it. And I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold of the dragon and serpent of old who was the devil and Satan and bound them for a thousand years and threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he should not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed.

After these things he must be released for a short time. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given to them and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection.

Over these the second death has no power but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

There is coming a king, king messiah, who will sit on the throne of his father David and he will rule on this earth for a thousand years. We pray Matthew 6 verse number 10, thy kingdom come, thy will be done. We believe in the universal reign of Christ. Psalm 103 verse number 19 states it this way. Psalm 103 verse number 19 says the Lord has established his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. We believe in a universal king. He rules over all. Psalm 24 1 talks about the earth and all of the earth is the Lord and all that is in the earth is the Lord.

Why? Because he is the king of the earth. He rules over all. So we believe in a universal kingdom. We also believe in a literal kingdom. There's coming a time where the king will come to earth, he will set up his kingdom and he will reign upon this earth. He will specifically for a thousand years. And what Isaiah talks about in Isaiah 11 is exactly what's going to happen. It will be the literal rule of God upon the earth. So we pray thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We know that the will of God is done in heaven perfectly, obediently, rapidly.

Why? Because God rules there. But we are praying and asking God to bring his kingdom to earth. We talk about kingdom, you're talking about the rule of God. Lord, we want you to rule on earth as you rule in heaven. We want there to be the perfect rulership of God here among us. We want your will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. And the Lord taught his disciples to pray that. Why? Because there was coming a kingdom. A kingdom that will come. That's why when it was all said and done at the resurrection of Christ and Jesus was with his disciples for 40 days, teaching them things, according to Acts 1, things pertaining to the kingdom of God, they said, Lord, is it at this time that you're going to restore the kingdom to Israel?

Why do they ask the question? Because the kingdom had not yet been restored to Israel. That's why. It had yet to be restored. Yet the prophecy of Isaiah 9 states very clearly that a son will be given, a child will be born, and the government will rest upon his shoulders. Okay? So if the son is given and the child is born, that's all literal. Then the government will reign upon his shoulders. That too will be literal and his peace will be unending. And he will rule with righteousness because that's all a part of the Christmas prophecy.

It's all about the prophecy of the coming Messiah to rule and reign upon the earth. Very important. We believe in a literal rule of God himself upon this earth. Based on Matthew 6, verse number 10, Luke chapter 1, verses 31 to 33, Psalm 103, verse number 19. We believe in a universal king and we know that he will have a literal reign upon this earth and we believe that. The all millennial people, they don't believe that. They believe that the kingdom is in the heart of man. It's a spiritual kingdom only.

It's a spiritual kingdom only. And that Christ rules in the hearts of man. You see, the premillennial view that is Christ will come, set up his kingdom, reign for a thousand years, believes that things are going to get worse because we know the tribulation happens before the millennium happens. If you're a post-millennialist, that means you believe that things are going to get better, not worse, because you have a liberation theology. You have a reconstructionism theology. That is, you believe that if you just put Christians into the office of president, Christians in the office of governor and mayor and senator, that we'll have a Christianized world and then the king will come.

We will prepare the kingdom for the king. That's a post-millennial view, okay? The all millennial view says things are not going to change. They are the way they are. That's the way they're always going to be because the kingdom is spiritualized. It's in your hearts. That's what they believe. Well, we sit our children around a tree, a literal tree, in your house, and you talk to them about the word of God. When you begin to say things like, well, you know, the book of Revelation, it's not really literal.

It's kind of symbolic. What's going to keep them from saying, well, you know what the Bible says about salvation?

It's kind of symbolic. It's not really literal. You know, the repent of your sins, that's kind of symbolic. You don't have to really believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's kind of symbolic. It's kind of figurative language. When does the literal translation stop and the figurative translation begin? You see, it's like saying, well, we don't believe in a literal six-day creation. Really? No, we believe that those six days are really periods of time, ages. So when do you start taking the Bible literally?

Genesis chapter two? Genesis chapter three? Or is that figurative too? Or Genesis chapter four? When do you actually begin to take the Bible literally? At Christ Community Church, we take it literally from Genesis to Revelation. Why? Because we believe that God's word is true from beginning to end. And what God says he's going to do, he's going to do.

Boy, I wish I had the time to be able to talk to you about this, because you're going to talk to your children about the day it's going to come where you can pick up a snake and hold a snake and cuddle a snake. It's not going to bite you. It's Isaiah chapter 11. Well, you'll be able to go to a lion and pet a lion without any fear, because God will take from that lion the fear that's in them because of you. And that lion, that bear, that leopard, you'll be able to pet without any fear. That's the kind of peace that's going to rule this earth.

Let me talk to you a little bit more about it, and I'm just going to run rapidly through it, then give you some principles at the end.

Okay? So I'm sorry, there's just so much to cover, so little time to do it in. I'm just trying to give you an overall general view. So when you sit down with your kids and talk about the kingdom of God, you're able to explain something to them about it. We believe in a literal rule of God upon the earth. We believe, number two, in a personal reign of Jesus Christ as Messiah on the throne of his father David, based on Luke chapter one, verses 31 to 33.

Jesus Christ is the king. He's the king of the Jews. He's the king of Israel. He is the everlasting king. He is the king of kings and Lord of lords. And so we believe in a personal reign of Jesus Christ as Messiah in the land of Israel. We know that based on Revelation 1115, Revelation 1916, Jeremiah 23, five and six, Isaiah nine, six and seven. I know that's a little fast for you this morning. I'm sorry, but you can always buy the CD, but we believe in a personal reign of Jesus Christ as Messiah on the throne of David.

We believe in the literal rule of God upon the earth. We believe in the continual restriction upon Satan, his activity, and his evil devices based on Revelation 20, verse number one, Satan will be bound for a thousand years.

If you talk to an all millennialist today, you ask him, is Satan bound? They'll say, yes. You'll say, well, how? They'll say he was bound at the cross. Satan wasn't bound at the cross. Satan was crushed at the cross. He's not bound to Revelation chapter 20. That's important to understand that because Peter says that Satan goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. That's not a bound Satan. Or Christ said to Peter that Satan is asked to sift you like wheat. That's not a bound Satan.

The Bible says in second Corinthians four, that the Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. That's not a bound Satan. Paul said, do not be ignorant of Satan's devices. Why? Because he's not bound. He goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He's not bound to Revelations chapter 20. And so what happens during the revelation is that there truly is a continual restriction put upon Satan and all of his activities because there's an angel that binds him and throws him into the abyss for the period of 1000 years.

Why? What does that happen? Well, the Bible says very clearly that in Isaiah chapter two, verse number four, there will be no more war upon this earth.

Isaiah 11 verses three to five, Isaiah 42, one to four says there will be no injustice. And we pray the disciples prayer, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And we pray, Lord, deliver us from evil. The only time you are completely delivered from evil is when the kingdom actually comes to earth. Because the literal translation of Matthew six is deliver us from the evil one. And when are we delivered from the evil one? When the king rules upon this earth. And during that time, there'll be no one that says, well, the devil made me do it.

I was tempted by Satan. No, because there was a continual restriction upon Satan, all of his evil activity for a period of 1000 years. The kingdom of God is the literal rule of God upon the earth. It's the personal reign of Jesus Christ as Messiah, as king over all the earth. It's a continual restriction upon satanic activity and evil. And it is the final removal of the curse upon the earth. Read about it in Romans chapter eight, verses 19 to 23. It's seen first of all, in the land itself.

You can read about it in the book of Isaiah chapter 32. It's seen in the fruit of the land. The fruit of the land will be so plenteous during the millennial reign of Christ. You can read about that in Isaiah chapter four, verse number two, Isaiah 30, verse number 23, Isaiah 43, verse number 19.

It's seen in the animal kingdom, Isaiah 11, verses 69, Isaiah 35, verse number nine. It's seen in the light upon the earth, the light upon the earth. The light upon the earth will increase seven fold during the millennial reign of Christ. Isaiah 30, verse number 26, Isaiah 60, verses 19 to 20. It's seen in the physical condition of people. When a man lives to be a hundred years of years of age, it will be as if he's still a baby. You can read about that in Isaiah 35, five, Isaiah 49, verse number 10.

And you know what? It's also seen in the emotions of God's people. Isaiah 35, 10, Isaiah 51, 11 speak of the constant joy. There is no depression in the millennial kingdom of God. No depression because the king rules. He rules with perfect justice, perfect harmony. The millennial kingdom is the universal reverence of God by all who live upon the earth. The Bible says in Isaiah 66, verse number 23, all flesh shall come to worship before me, says the Lord.

And you know what's going to happen during the millennial kingdom of Christ? We're going to practice all the Jewish feasts. Did you know that? For one reason, to commemorate the fact that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all those feasts. Because there will be people who are born, who will be born during the millennial reign of Christ who need to be told about Christ. And in the operation of all those Jewish feasts, we'll be able to give testimony as we do with communion. When we partake of communion, we commemorate what Christ himself has done.

When we partake of the feasts during the millennial kingdom, we will be commemorating the fact that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of every one of them and be able to explain them fully to all who ask. So they'll know who Jesus Christ truly is. But the millennial kingdom is also a critical reminder of man's problem and man's need. Man still has a problem. It's not solved by having a perfect world. It's only solved by having a pure heart. Only Jesus Christ can make a dirty heart clean. Only Christ can do that.

And throughout the millennial kingdom, there will be people who will rise up and at the end of that thousand years rebel against the Messiah and his King. If you read down in Revelation 20, Satan is bound for a thousand years and then he's released. And when he's released, he gathers, listen carefully, he gathers all those who rebel against the kingdoms of the King's leader, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. And the Bible says that their number is as the sand on the seashore.

Perfect environment, perfect King who rules for a thousand years with no satanic influence to draw men away, man still will fall away from the truth because it proves the depravity of man. It proves the evilness of man's heart. That in a perfect society with a perfect King who rules, man will still rebel against the truth. And so Satan is released. And then he is thrown into the lake of fire. And the great white throne judgment happens in Revelation 20 verses 11 to 15. And then there's a new heaven and the new earth.

Folks, listen, the kingdom of God, the kingdom of God is that which must be examined by each and every one of us. Let me ask you a couple of questions.

Have you examined the value of the kingdom? Remember the Bible says in Matthew chapter 13, that there's coming, there's a man who looked and sought a great pearl.

The kingdom of God is like a great pearl, the pearl of great price. The kingdom of God is like a valued treasure. That once the man found it, he sold all that he had in order to obtain it. It's the value of the kingdom. And Christ emphasizes how valuable it is to be a part of the kingdom of God. Have you examined the value of the kingdom? Are you a child of the King? If the King was to return, would you be a sheep or a goat? When the King returns, he will judge the nations. Matthew 25 speaks about the judgment of the nations.

But have you examined the value of the kingdom? You see those, listen, those who examine the value of the kingdom want to enter that kingdom. When they examine how valuable it is, and that's why Christ gives the parable in Matthew 13, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure. The kingdom of heaven is like a pearl of great price where the man will sell all that he has in order to obtain the kingdom. Why? Because it's so valuable. Nothing can compare to it. That's why it's called the indescribable gift.

In 2 Corinthians 9, 15, the gift of eternal life is indescribable. You can't describe it in human terms because its value is so immense. And so the parable is given and the question is asked, have you examined the value of the kingdom? Because once you examine its value, you will do all you can to enter that kingdom. And the Bible says once you've examined its value, you will enter the kingdom violently.

You will enter it violently. What? Yeah. Listen to what it says. Luke chapter 16. Luke chapter 16, verse number 16. The law and the prophets were proclaimed to John. Since then the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone is foreseeing his way into it. What? What do you mean foreseeing his way? It means to enter violently. Listen to Matthew chapter 12. I'm sorry. Matthew 11, verse number 12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.

Do you know that that's how you enter the kingdom of heaven? Violently. You don't hear that preached much anymore, but that's what the Bible says.

It says that when you examine the value of the kingdom, you will enter the kingdom violently. Why violently? Because once you realize the pearl of great price and once you realize the immense value of the treasure, you will do everything to obtain it. And Satan will do everything he can to keep you out of it. And that's why there's the violence that's there because Satan fights against your entering the kingdom of God. Spiritual warfare is at its height during the time of salvation. That's why when you tell people about coming to Christ, tell them, don't tell them life will be easier when you give your life to Christ.

You tell them life will be all out war once you come to Christ because you enter the kingdom violently. And those who understand that take the kingdom by force because they want it so badly. Nothing will keep them out. If you've examined its value, then you enter it violently. If you've entered it violently, let me ask you this.

Have you experienced its victory? Have you experienced its victory? The Bible says this in the book of Colossians, the first chapter, first number, Colossians chapter one, verse number 13, for he delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son.

Have you experienced the victory of being transferred into the kingdom of his beloved son? Listen to what the Bible says over in first John chapter five, verse number four, whoever is born of God overcomes, listen, the world.

Whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. You see, once you've examined the value of the kingdom, you will enter the kingdom violently. Why? Because spiritual warfare is at its height when you give your life to Christ. And when you enter the kingdom, it's a battle that never ends until the king returns. And yet you can experience his victory because the Bible says that you have overcome the world.

You are an overcomer. You are the victorious warrior. It's the word nakao, which means victorious warrior, the one who always wins. Why do you always win? Because Jesus Christ is the ultimate winner. He never loses. And you are the overcomer. And what caused you to overcome your faith? You believe everything God says.

Once you've examined its value, you enter it violently. And once you enter it violently, let me ask you this.

Have you experienced its victory? If you've experienced its victory, let me ask you another question.

Do you enjoy its virtue? Do you enjoy its virtue? The Bible says that Matthew 6, verse number 33, but seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Do you enjoy the virtue that the kingdom gives? Christ says, I want you to hold context of Matthew 6.

Be anxious for nothing. Don't worry about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Don't worry about tomorrow because today, this afternoon, you're going to have more trouble than you can deal with. So don't worry about tomorrow or Tuesday or Wednesday. Don't worry about what you're going to get for Christmas or not going to get for Christmas because each day has enough trouble of its own. Be anxious for nothing. Don't be anxious about what you're going to wear tomorrow, what you're going to wear today.

Don't be anxious about what you're going to eat? Don't be anxious about those things. The birds of the air, our Father takes care of them. They never lack for food, they never lack for shelter because God takes care of them. And so Christ says, but seek ye first the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.

Folks, when you get up in the morning, most of you seek what's happening in the stock market. Oh, are they going down? Oh, what's going to happen? It's all going to crumble. Folks, let me tell you something, Revelation 17 and 18 talk about the great economic crumble.

It's going to happen. It's inevitable. But if you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these things shall be added unto you.

The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, Romans 14, 17. It is peace, righteousness, and joy in the Holy Spirit. That's the virtue of the kingdom. Do you enjoy those virtues? The virtue of peace, righteousness, and joy? Because you have experienced the victory of the kingdom? Because you have entered violently into the kingdom? Because you've examined the value of the kingdom? If so, you need to explain the veracity of the kingdom. You need to explain the veracity, the truth of the kingdom. And that's what you're going to do with your children tonight when you sit around your Jesse tree.

You're going to explain to them the truth of the kingdom. And you're going to ask them, are you in the kingdom of God? When Jesus came preaching, he came preaching the kingdom of God. When John came preaching, he came preaching the kingdom of God. When the Old Testaments prophesied, they prophesied about the coming kingdom of God. When you preach, you preach about the kingdom of God. Why? Because you're giving your life to a king, and that king rules your life. And once you give your life to that king, he rules you, and you submit to his ultimate authority.

And you ask your children, are you a part of the kingdom of God? Because one day the king is going to return, and one day he's going to set up his kingdom, and ask them, will you be a part of that kingdom? If they say, no, I'm not, what does that mean? You can explain to them the veracity of that kingdom. You can explain to them the truth about the kingdom of Almighty God and what it entails, because you were here today. Those who weren't can't, unless they get the tape, but you can explain it to them.

Help them understand that there's coming a day when the king will return, and he will rule on this earth. And he will rule from the throne of his father David in Jerusalem. And when he rules, Satan will be bound for a thousand years. And the peace that will encompass this earth goes beyond anything we can ever imagine, because the king will rule with a rod of iron. And the whole earth, the curse will be reversed. Paradise will be regained. One more time, for the last time. And yes, always that reminder that you need to give your life to Christ, so you can be a part of that kingdom.

Are you? I trust that you are. Let's pray together. Father, we thank you for today and the opportunity you give us to rejoice in you. We thank you for the glorious kingdom of God and the opportunity we have to be in subjection to the king. I pray if there's one person here today who does not know you as king, that today they give their life to you and submit to you as their ruler, so they could be a part of the kingdom of God. Pray in Jesus name. Amen.