The Restoration of All Things

The Kingdom of God is such an exciting topic to cover. Really, for me, it's a pleasure to be able to delve into the Scripture today and share with you what it does say about the wonderful Kingdom of God. As Christians, the Kingdom of God is intended to be something that gives us hope, that gives us encouragement. As we hear about it and accept it and embrace it into our lives, the wonderful good news of the Kingdom of God is something that I think motivates us and really just structures the way that we live our lives on a daily basis. Now, I think we all understand, if we were to take an honest look at this world around us, that our society and our world is in a very troubled state of affairs. And in large part, it's a predicament of our own making.

Additionally, the Scripture shows that it's a predicament that's influenced heavily by the adversary of God, Satan the devil. A quick examination of the world in which we would live, find problems such as global corruption, political and economic upheaval, wars and crimes, and even poverty. And that's just to name a few. It seems like the way of mankind and the way that mankind governs themselves has a number of problems. That's something I've noticed in recent times as I watch the news and as I go online and read newspapers. I don't read them in print anymore, but I go online and read newspaper articles and different headlines. There's a particular word that keeps jumping out of me as significant, and I seem to notice it over and over as I read these headlines. And the word is restore. Let's restore. I'd like to give you a couple examples of what I mean. I pulled five headlines that were published here just in the last three weeks or so. I'd like to share them with you. The first headline comes from the LA Times, and it says, to restore jobs, U.S. has to ramp up exports. The second headline comes from the New York Times, and it's speaking of the uprising and issues in Libya, and it says, rebel government struggles to restore water and power in Tripoli. From the Nelson Daily News, speaking on the environment, it says, new plan to restore 150 million hectares of forest globally. And I wasn't really sure what 150 million hectares of forests were, and so I looked at it. That translates into 580,000 square miles.

From the Times Republic Online, it says, Obama seeks to restore faith in U.S. credit.

The final headline we have today comes from the Jacksonville Daily News on the topic of unemployment, and it asks the question, what will it take to restore hopes? What will it take to restore hopes? It seems like wherever you turn, people in this world are seeking restoration of one type or another. It may be economic restoration. It could be political restoration.

Some are even seeking a restoration to what they would consider a time of peace.

You know, tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks, and this country has been at war for 10 long years now, and many people are war weary. And they think about having a time of restoration. They crave a time of restoration to perhaps a time of peace, and when things were lighter and didn't seem to have such a heavy burden. The word restore means to bring something back as it was in its former state. It means to renew it. It means to make it again as it once was.

This world is seeking restoration in many ways, and it's looking for the setting right of things that ought not to be as they are now. Unfortunately, the way to that restoration is not clearly seen. It's not easily obtainable by humans in this world. As we recognize that this world has problems, we also need to recognize that mankind can't solve them on their own. The reality is this world needs restoration. Now, true restoration, and that is restoration in this world back to its intended form, as it was from the beginning, can only come by the hand of God, by the establishment of the kingdom of God. The reality is, ladies and gentlemen, this world needs the kingdom of God, and it needs it now. This afternoon, I'd like to talk to you about the restoration of this world. In other words, I'd like to share with you the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Now, as I've already mentioned to you, to restore something means to bring it back to its former condition. It means to bring it back into the state in which it was intended from the beginning. And if we're to understand what type of restoration will take place in this world, we need to understand as this world once was. We need to understand the state and the form of this world as it was intended from the beginning. Let's turn, please, to Genesis 1. Because it may surprise you to know that the kingdom of God and the way of God once reigned over this earth.

Personally, please, to Genesis 1, we're going to go to the beginning of the book.

As we're going there, I think it's important we understand that there are four basic elements that need to be in place in order to make up a kingdom. If you're going to identify something as a kingdom, you have to have these four basic elements in place. These elements are government, territory, subject, and laws. So we're going to see here in Genesis that these four criteria existed on this earth in the form of the kingdom of God. Beginning in Genesis 1, in verse 1, it says, in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

That's a simple statement. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And in the nutshell, that was the kingdom of God. God ruling over all of His creation. So if we look for our four elements, as we will here in the first part of Genesis, first we need to look for government.

And here we have it. It's the creator God. He's the King. He is God. He is the King of that government. Next we look for territory. And that's easy enough. It's the universe. It's the heavens and the earth. But next we need subjects. We know that angels are subjects in the kingdom of God, but what else? What subjects can we find on this earth? Let's go to Genesis chapter 2 in verse 7, jumping forward just a page or so. Genesis chapter 2 in verse 7, and it says, "...and the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. And man became a living being." So here we see subjects on the earth. Mankind.

Man was created and subject to and under the authority of God. Now for the final part that we need for our kingdom is laws. We'll jump forward to Genesis chapter 2 in verse 8, and it says, "...and the Lord God planted a garden, eastward and Eden. And there he put man whom he had formed.

And out of the ground the Lord made every tree to grow that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.

And the verses go on to explain where those rivers ran to. Verse 15, it says, "...then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend it and to keep it.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may eat freely, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat. For in the day you eat of it you shall surely die." And here we find an example that law existed from the start. Not laws of oppression, not laws of burden, but laws of life and liberty. So here we have God in the beginning. He's the king. He's ruling over the earth where he created man and subjected them to his authority and to his laws. Clearly the reign of the kingdom of God is established over the earth.

Now I think we understand, and as we can see from the first part of Genesis, basically it was a paradise-type condition. Adam and Eve lived in a beautiful garden that was productive and it was fruitful. It provided for all of their physical needs. There was abundance of food, abundance of fresh water, abundance of everything that they needed to sustain their physical life. And they still needed the work. God put them in the garden. He told them to tend the garden. They still had the responsibility to be productive and to produce fruit in their lives. It wasn't just a welfare state that God plugged them into, but he desired that they would be productive. So God did bless Adam and Eve abundantly. He poured out his blessing on them. And the greatest blessing of all was that they had a direct relationship with their Creator God.

God taught Adam and Eve directly. He instructed them on the way that would make them fruitful, that would make them abundant in their physical lives. As a result of the reign of the kingdom of God, all of creation on this earth were in harmony. It lived in peace, and it was subject to Him. Mankind lived on this earth. They were in harmony with God, with one another, and with the rest of creation. I think we would all say that the Garden of Eden was a pretty wonderful place.

Now, wouldn't that be a pretty good thing to have today? Wouldn't it be great to be living under Eden-like conditions, where God was the King over all the people of this earth, get a direct relationship with them, He instructed them as to His knowledge and His understanding that He desired we would live by? Wouldn't it be great if all mankind and all creation lived on this earth with harmony with one another and with God? Well, the good news of the kingdom of God is that it will be that way again. It will be that way again. Now, coming back here to the story of Genesis, I think we can obviously understand that this condition didn't stick. Something happened.

Something happened in the course of mankind here to change this Eden environment. And the answer is sin entered the picture. Sin entered the picture. Remember there was law in the Garden, righteous law and holy law. It was law that was designed to be for the benefit of man and to be to the benefit of their relationship with God. But something happened. Let's go to Genesis chapter 3 in verse 1 and pick up the story. Genesis 3 in verse 1. It says, Now the serpent was more cunning, and the serpent, by the way, is Satan the devil. It says, Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? You know, he's saying, Come on, did God really say that? Did God really mean that? Verse 2, And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God had said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Now oftentimes the question comes up at this point. People want to know, why did God even create that tree?

You know, in the middle of the garden of Eden, why create something so dangerous and so deadly to mankind? And the answer is that God created man with the ability to choose their own path. Created mankind with the ability to choose their own path. God doesn't force his will on anyone. He doesn't force his way on anyone. But he wants mankind to have the option to choose life and happiness or death and evil. They had both options that came before them at this point, and God wanted to know, would they choose life? Satan, on the other hand, he wants mankind to choose the way that leads to sin and death. In the verses we just read, God told Adam and Eve that this tree was there. But he said, I don't want you to go near it. I don't want you to touch it, lest you die. God's instruction to Adam and Eve was that they would obey him. He desired that they would obey him unto life. Satan, the devil, on the other hand, decides and desires that mankind should disobey God unto sin and death. So let's continue the story here in verse 4.

Verse 4, it says, And the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So here we see that the devil takes advantages of the same opportunities to tempt unto sin and death. And again, that's where we see clearly the difference in the way between what God operates and how the devil operates. He desires to entice mankind unto sin. God desires to give mankind a choice desiring that they would choose life. Verse 6, it says, So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. And so we see that sin entered the world. And what was the result of that? What was its consequences? Well, in the immediate, it was paradise lost. Adam and Eve were driven out of that paradise. They were driven out of the garden of Eden, and they were denied access to the tree of life. They were denied access to the tree that represented obedience, leading unto eternal life. And it represented eternal relationship with God the Father and His kingdom. They were driven out to endure the ultimate wages of sin, which is death. Romans 6.23 says that the wages of sin is death.

That's the just compensation. That's the fair wage that sin earns us. That's death, not life.

Now, since that time, humanity has followed in Adam and Eve's steps. They have become corrupted by sin. Romans 5 verse 12 says, therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, that's Adam, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all have sinned.

The reality is sin and death have been the way of mankind down through the ages.

Because the Creator, God, was rejected through sin, He's allowed this world to experience the consequences of choosing that way of life. Now, God still reigns supreme in the universe. He's still God. He's still on His throne. He's still working out a plan on this earth at this time. But the big problem in this world is that sin cuts mankind off from God. It's disruptive to the relationship with God, because sin is contrary to God. It's contrary to His way. It's contrary to His nature. Sin separates mankind from God. Let's go to Isaiah the 59th chapter.

We'll see how this is expressed. Isaiah chapter 59. We're going to begin in verse 1. It says, Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, nor is ear heavy, that it cannot hear. God's capable of intervening when He desires to, and He affairs with this world. He has the power and He has the knowledge. He has the ability to intervene when He desires to do so. And He has in many ways, but sins become a stumbling block between men and God. Verse 2, it says, But your iniquities have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden its face from you, so that He will not hear. Now, let's look at this passage again for just a moment. Look at verse 2, and notice how many times the word you is used here. He says, But your sins have separated you from your God, and your sins have hidden its face from you, so that He will not hear. I think we see where the responsibility for the separation does ultimately lie. It's not with God, it's with man. Now, since the time that sin entered the world, there's been another God, small g, another God that has had sway over this world. And that's Satan the devil. He's the co-perpetrator in the sins of mankind. Satan the devil is attempting to build his own kingdom at this time. It's a kingdom that is contrary to the kingdom that God is building. Satan the devil's kingdom is a counterfeit kingdom. It's not the kingdom of life, but rather the kingdom of death and destruction. First, we please to Ephesians the second chapter. We take a look at this adversary of God and us. Ephesians chapter 2. We're going to look at verse 1 and 2.

And it says, You, He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins. Speaking of the restoration that can take place through Jesus Christ. You, He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the Prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Satan the devil is the Prince of the power of the air, and he influences the course of this world. He's influencing the way that mankind interacts with one another. He influences the rebellion of mankind against God.

Revelation chapter 12 also has a reference to Satan the devil. Revelation 12 and verse 9.

It says, So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world. He was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Clearly, Satan the devil is the one, according to Scripture, that deceives the whole world.

And this reveals to us the realization why this world is in such a bleak condition today, why this world needs so much help. Satan's way of sin is to be a part of the world. Satan's way of sin and destruction reign over this earth.

And that's the way that mankind is chosen for the large part. It heavily influences the actions of man. It heavily influences the way that mankind relates to one another and relates to God.

Now that leads us back again to the concept of restoration.

Restoration. Again, this world needs to be restored. It needs to be restored to a state of harmony and oneness. It needs to be restored into relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. If this current age of man is going to survive, it needs to see the restoration and the establishment of the kingdom of God. Now, I think if we're going to understand the manner in which this restoration takes place, we need to explore the plan which God is working out to bring that restoration to pass. In Genesis 12, we find a man by the name of Abram, and through him God made some remarkable promises. Let's go to Genesis 12.

We're going to begin in verse 1.

Genesis 12.1. It says, Now the Lord said to Abram, Get out of your country from your kindred and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. So God brought Abraham out from the land of his father. Abraham is a Brahm. He was later renamed Abraham by God. But God brought him out from the land of his father, and he settled him in the land of Canaan. Verse 2. He said, I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. And it really was an incredible blessing as Abraham and his wife Sarah were not able to have children except by God's blessing as he gave to them. And we know from biblical and secular history that their descendants have been a blessing to this world. Many modern-day nations of the world have descended from Abraham. The United States and Great Britain can trace their lineage back to Abraham as well. And they have, in fact, in their abundance been a blessing to the rest of this world over the last couple hundred years. Verse 3. God says, I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Now this is a messianic prophecy. It's a prophecy about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was a descendant of Abraham physically through Mary, and it's through Jesus Christ that all the families of the earth will be blessed. That's because Jesus Christ is the Savior. He's the Messiah. He's the one who takes away the sins of the world. He's the one who's paved the way for all humanity to one day be restored in relationship to God and his kingdom. Now much of the remaining books the Old Testament, they go through the history of the relationship that God had with the descendants of Abraham through the nation of Israel. It shows that God desired to prepare them for service to him, into his kingdom, but most didn't obey. And as a result, very few found favor in God's eyes.

The Old Testament also contains scriptures that were written by God's prophets. They were servants who not only passed on God's instructions and warnings to the physical nation of Israel, but they also prophesied about the coming of Jesus Christ and the establishment of the kingdom of God. So I think as we could understand, if you've read through all the scripture, you understand that the kingdom of God and the restoration of the kingdom of God is the central thread that ties the word of God, this holy Bible, together. I'd like to jump forward now to the time of Jesus Christ because most Christians recognize that it's through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that sins can be forgiven. They recognize that through Jesus Christ that ultimately we can be saved.

That it's through His shed blood that sin can be forgiven and the death penalty can be removed.

It's through Jesus Christ that reconciliation to God the Father is made possible. But many don't understand the fact that the gospel that Jesus Christ came preaching is not only the message of having your sins forgiven, but it's the restoration of the kingdom of God to this earth and it's the glorious destiny of all mankind.

I turn to Mark 1.

Now, the books Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called the Gospels, and it's primarily because they speak about the gospel that Jesus Christ taught, which was the gospel of the kingdom of God. The word gospel means good news.

Jesus Christ came teaching humanity the good news of the kingdom of God, and that was central to the focus of this ministry. Let's look at Mark the first chapter and beginning in verse 14.

In Jesus Christ, this is when Jesus Christ had come on the scene in his ministry, Mark 1, verse 14.

It says, Now, after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent and believe in the gospel. That's quite a statement. Jesus Christ said, The time is fulfilled. His arrival on the scene actually fulfilled prophecies that had been declared among men for thousands of years. He was also declaring the fact that the time was running out for the age of man, and it was time to begin the fulfillment and the process for the restoration of the kingdom of God. Jesus Christ went on to say, The kingdom of God is at hand.

That was literally the case, because Jesus Christ is the king of that kingdom. He's the king walking among men. He was literally at hand. This phrase also means that the kingdom of God is soon to be established to this earth. That was true in the time of Jesus Christ, and it's true in our age as well. Because of the message that Jesus Christ brought, He instructed mankind, and by extension, us, on the actions that we need to take in response to His message. He said, Repent and believe in the gospel.

Now, as Christians, that lays a very heavy responsibility on us. It lays a heavy responsibility on us to recognize what sin is in our life, recognize what it is we're doing in this life that is contrary to God's way of life, and contrary to God's calling. It lays a responsibility on us to turn from those ways to seek repentance, to seek a relationship with God, the Father, and Jesus Christ, and to establish that in our lives today. Jesus Christ said to repent and believe in the gospel. Now, the term belief could also be translated faith, and we need to understand that we must have the belief that Jesus Christ will bring about these things which He has promised. Of course, at all times, by the hand and the authority of His Father in heaven, Almighty God. So, again, the good news of the Kingdom of God was central to the ministry of Jesus Christ. Let's go to Luke 14th chapter. Let me revise that. We're going to Luke 4.

Luke 4 and verse 42.

We're going to establish a fact that Jesus Christ came preaching the gospel. Luke 4 and verse 42, and it says, Now when it was day, Jesus Christ departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him and tried to keep Him from leaving them. But He said to them, I must preach the Kingdom of God to the other cities also. Because for this purpose, I have been sent. And He was preaching the gospel, or He was preaching in the synagogues of Galilee. So Jesus Christ was sent by God the Father to preach the gospel of the Kingdom of God. And He said, look, I've preached it to you, and I have to go preach it to these others as well. Jesus Christ showed through His teachings that as Christians, we have to make the Kingdom of God the top priority in our lives. I'm not going to turn there because Mr. Michelson went there earlier, but Matthew 6.33, if you'll recall, said to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Now, those things that Jesus Christ was talking about were our daily needs. Those are things that we spend so much of our time and our effort and so much of our energy day after day chasing after. And what Jesus Christ said is that if you make the Kingdom of God and make putting on the righteousness of God in your lives the top priority, then I'll see that you don't suffer need in these other ways. As Christians, the Kingdom of God is to be the top priority in our lives. It's to be the vision by which we structure the manner in which we live our lives today. It's to be the vision by which gives us hope and gives us encouragement, because as Christians, we need that hope. We need that encouragement as we walk through the troubled times that our world is facing today. The admonition, again, is to seek first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness of God. It was also mentioned that in the model prayer Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray Thy Kingdom come. So that should be the focus, once again, of our prayers. It should be the focus of the way that we live our lives. We should model our lives after Jesus Christ being the example of the Kingdom of God today. Now, the end result of Jesus Christ's physical life was death. It was death. He came and He paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind. Jesus Christ was brutally beaten and He was crucified and He died on the stake. Remember, the wages of sin is death. Jesus Christ came to this earth to take on the penalty of sin so that mankind could be forgiven, so that mankind could be reconciled with God. Now, His sacrifice did not do away with the law, but His sacrifice did make it possible that that stumbling block and that separation that comes about by sin could be removed and we could be restored in relationship, once again, to God.

The news that gives us incredible hope as we walk through our lives today is the fact that we can have a relationship with God, but it's also the fact that Jesus Christ did not stay dead. After three days and three nights in the grave, Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. He ascended to heaven and He now sits at the right hand of the throne of God.

And the encouraging news is that Scripture tells us that He will come again. Jesus Christ will come again. Let's go to Acts, the third chapter. Acts, chapter three. We're going to be looking at the words of the Apostle Peter. Acts, chapter three and verse 17. The Apostle Peter says, Yet now, brethren, I know that you did it in ignorance, as did also your rulers.

He's talking about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, talking about the fact that they didn't realize exactly what it was that they were doing. Verse 18, But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His holy prophets, that Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled. Remember, Jesus Christ said the time is fulfilled. He did come and fulfill those prophecies. Verse 19, again, what are we supposed to do with this? Verse 19 says, Repent therefore and be converted. Now, repentance, it leads to forgiveness and it leads to being able to again to reestablish and reconcile that relationship with God.

To be converted means that you have repented. It means that you've recognized your sins, you've come before God, you've repented, the blood of Jesus Christ is applied, and then you've turned and gone the other way. You've changed your behavior. So to be converted means you've repented, that you've developed a personal relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ, and that you've received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

So the admonition here, then, is to repent therefore, verse 19, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Jesus Christ, again, is currently in heaven, but God the Father will again send him to this earth at the restoration of all things, and that restoration will be the establishment of the kingdom of God. It's a time that, as we're going to see shortly, and as the scripture says, was spoken by all the prophets of God since time began.

Now the bottom line here is that Jesus Christ came to this earth once, and he will come again. And today, you and I live in between those two times. We live in an age where man's rule over the earth is clear, and it's influenced heavily by the adversary of God, Satan the Devil. And prophecy shows that this age will have to come to an end, and will come to an end at the establishment of the kingdom of God in the return of Jesus Christ.

We were in Matthew 24 earlier, but I'd like to head back to that passage, or if you please go to Matthew 24. I'll read through some of this again that we covered the first time around. Matthew 24, and we'll pick it up here in verse 3. It says, Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many.

And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Verse 7, For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places. All of these are the beginning of sorrows. It says this is just the beginning of what's to come. Verse 9, Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

Then many will be offended and betray one another and hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. Because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. So what we see is that climatic events will take place, leading up to the return of Jesus Christ.

Let's go to verse 21. It's coming on in this passage, verse 21. It says, For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no ever shall be again. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened.

The elect, those are the saints of God. Those are the ones who are converted, who have received God's Holy Spirit and gone through that conversion process. When Jesus Christ returns, the elect are going to be the ones who believe and are His at His coming. Now, it's both at the time that's going to have to come to pass before the end of this age. It says, War and Disease and Famine and Death will be rampant on this earth. When Jesus Christ intervenes. It's the way of man without God. It's the way that this society and this world at large will lead to, because they're ruled primarily by the God of this world, Satan the devil, by their own ambitions. And Jesus Christ said, unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved alive.

The good news of that, though, is that through a dramatic series of events, Jesus Christ will insert Himself into this world. And into the troubles of this world, He'll insert Himself and establish the Kingdom of God. Let's look at verse 29. It's still here in Matthew, the 24th chapter.

Verse 29. And it says, Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. That's supernatural power. That's the power of God. That's not the power of man and warfare of man. That's the power of God, Jesus Christ, as He begins to insert Himself into the affairs of this world.

Verse 30. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great authority. And He will send His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect.

From the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

So Jesus Christ will come with great power.

At the sound of the trumpet, the elect, again the saints, those are His at His return. They're going to be gathered to meet Him when He comes to this earth. And it's at this time that the Scripture reveals to us will be the resurrection of the dead saints. All those who have lived and died in Christ will be raised from the grave.

We can see that in 1 Corinthians 15 chapter. 1 Corinthians 15.

We're going to begin in verse 50.

1 Corinthians 15 verse 50 says, Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. We can't inherit the kingdom of God in this fleshly form. We have to be changed. We have to be changed to eternal spirit life by Jesus Christ at His return.

Verse 51.

Behold, I tell you a mystery.

It says, We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet, remember again the trumpet was sounded at the return of Jesus Christ.

Said at the last trumpet, For the trumpet was found, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

The living and the dead, what we mean Christ, will be changed to spirit at the return of Jesus Christ.

Now the Bible uses this term sleep, and when it speaks about sleep, it's describing the state of the dead.

The Bible uses the term sleep to describe being dead and in the grave. And the fact is, when you're asleep in the grave, there's no knowledge, there's no understanding, and in the grave, the saints await the resurrection at the return of Jesus Christ.

Let's look at 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13. Again, it reiterates this point.

1 Thessalonians 4, getting to verse 13.

Here's the apostle Paul, he's speaking to the church in Thessalonica, and the fact is, he's trying to encourage them because they fully expected Jesus Christ to return in their lifetime. And as time passed and Jesus Christ hadn't returned and individuals began to die off, people became concerned, and they were wondering what would the end result of these things be. So here in 1 Corinthians 4, verse 13, the apostle Paul is encouraging the church here in Thessalonica.

He says, Let me start this again. Verse 15. He goes on to say, So what we have here is all the faithful saints are going to be resurrected from the dead.

They're going to rise up to meet Jesus Christ in the air and return to the earth.

And as we will see as we come into the next passage, Jesus Christ is going to return to the earth. He'll stand on the Mount of Olives, and all the saints will be with him. And it's in that venue that'll fight a great battle with all the human forces that have converged at that point to resist the coming of the kingdom of God. Let's go to Zechariah the 14th chapter.

Take a look at Zechariah chapter 14.

Zechariah 14 in verse 1 says, So we know what the context is. It's the day of the Lord. And your spoil will be divided in your midst.

For I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem. The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, the women ravaged. Half of the city shall go into captivity. For the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

Verse 3, Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. And in that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem to the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley. Half the mountain shall move toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

Verse 5, Then you shall flee through my mountain valley. Again, it's that remnant there. Jerusalem, you shall flee through my mountain valley. For the mountain valley shall reach Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of the Udaya king of Judah.

He says, The Lord my God will come and all the saints with you.

What we're looking at is the events that have to occur at the return of Jesus Christ, the events that will subdue the powers of this earth and allow the kingdom of God to take hold.

Now at that time, victory is then going to be proclaimed over the powers of the earth. Jesus Christ will claim all nations as part of the kingdom of God. Let's turn to Revelation 11. We'll see how this plays out.

Revelation 11. We're going to begin in verse 15.

Revelation 11.15. It says, Then the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world had become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.

Jesus Christ's first coming to this earth was as a suffering Messiah, was as a suffering Savior. The second coming to this earth will be as a conquering Messiah, will be as King of Kings. And it's here that we'll see the four elements of the godly kingdom established once again on the earth. We'll have the government, the territory, the subject, and the laws, which will be established over the entire earth.

Again, the King of that kingdom, Jesus Christ, arrives on the scene. He claims the territory of this world, and claims the nations of this world as part of the kingdom of God.

The subjects are humanity, and as we'll see in a bit, this world will be ruled over once again by the law of God. Let's go to Revelation, the 19th chapter. Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11.

It says, Then I saw heaven open, and behold the white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns. This is Jesus Christ, the King of all nations, the King of Kings. On his head were many crowns, and he had a name that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. And the armies in heaven clothed in linen, fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses. Verse 15. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it he should strike the nations, and he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and the wrath of Almighty God, and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, Lord of Lords. Jesus Christ will return to the surface, King and King of Lord of Lords, and he will subdue all things unto himself. Now a critical element that needs to take place at that time will be the binding of Satan the Devil. Binding of Satan the Devil. His disruptive influence will have to be removed to the benefit of all mankind. Look at Revelation chapter 20. For just a little bit, Revelation chapter 20 verse 1. It says, Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, that is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast them into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were finished. But after these things, he must be released for a little while. So Satan the Devil is going to be removed. He's not going to be allowed to influence the way of mankind for the thousand years. Now you may have heard the phrase, the Millennium. The Millennium simply means a thousand years. This is a time where the saints will overrule Jesus Christ over the earth, and Satan's influence will be locked away. Now during this time, the world is going to understand the blessing. It's going to understand the benefit of having the kingdom of God restored, and the way of life restored over this whole world. Now it's important we understand that the saints, those who were resurrected at the return of Jesus Christ, will play a very important and a very valuable role in the kingdom of God. Revelation 20, verse 4 speaks to this point.

Revelation 20, verse 4, It said, I saw thrones, and they that sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus Christ, before the word of God. And those who had not accepted the beast or his image, were not received as mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead, though they did not live again until the thousand years were finished, this is the first resurrection. So the faithful saints of God are going to reign with Christ during the millennium. They're going to reign during that thousand years.

Now we'll recall that this is a world that became full of war, full of death, full of destruction, full of disease. This world will need to be restored. The people in it will need to be healed, both physically and spiritually. They'll need to learn how to be restored in relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. As kings and priests, the saints will assist Jesus Christ in that process for a thousand years. And that is going to be the time that those individuals who live physically on the earth during that time will receive the opportunity to have salvation, the opportunity to be saved, and to come into a direct relationship, once again, with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Now, as Christians, again, this lays a heavy and a very personal responsibility on us because God has called us to be a part of that kingdom. He called us to be a part of helping to establish the kingdom of God on this earth. And so today, that needs to be a focus of how we live our lives today, seeking to have that goal to come to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ now, so we can be a part of the ruling kingdom of God when it's established on this earth.

Now, you probably noticed the term, the rest of the dead, in the passage that we read, the rest of the dead. The rest of the dead consists primarily of those down through the ages who never understood, who never had a relationship, or never heard of Jesus Christ. Those who never had the opportunity to establish a direct relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. The rest of the dead will live again physically after the thousand-year period. They'll be given the opportunity as well to establish that relationship. And that's the time that we'll talk about in one of our upcoming seminars here in a few months. Now, during the thousand years, during the kingdom of God, in the rain that the saints will share with Jesus Christ in that kingdom, during that millennial period on the earth, this world will see the blessings of the restoration of all things.

And when this takes place, the circumstances and the whole atmosphere in this world will change dramatically. The way and the likeness of life as it was in the beginning, as it once was in the Garden of Eden, will be established across the whole earth. Mankind will seek repentance, and as they seek that and receive forgiveness from God the Father and Jesus Christ, they'll be restored in a very wonderful and a very personal direct relationship with them. And as a result of that, an abundant and a very productive and a very fruitful way of life will spring forth on this earth. Let's turn to the book of Isaiah. Because we need to see that as a result of the reign of the kingdom of God, all the servants will once again live in harmony, once again live at peace with God the Father and with Jesus Christ and with one another. Isaiah chapter 2. We'll look at Isaiah 2, verse 2 through 4. Again, this is a millennial prophecy, about the age of that thousand years. Isaiah chapter 2 verse 2, it says, Now it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above all the hills, and all the nations shall flow to it. Now mountains and hills, they're symbols for governments, mountains being larger governments, hills being smaller governments and nations. And so the government of God is going to be established above all the governments of this earth. That's what this is saying. And all nations will flow to it. Verse 3, Many people shall come and say, Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us 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.

He shall judge between the nations, and shall rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

So what we see is that the laws of God, and the ways of God, and of Jesus Christ, are going to be sought in the millennium. People will seek them, they will find them, and they will live them. And as a result, things on this earth change dramatically.

Peace that comes to this world is not going to be a result of no weapons. It's not going to be a result of taking plowsh, plowsh, and making them out of the weapons that once existed. And now you plow up the ground, and it's a peaceful agrarian society just because there's no weapons. But it's going to be a peaceful environment because the kingdom of God reigns, and there will be a nature change that will take place in the heart of mankind. As mankind is once again reconciled to the way of God, as mankind once again seeks the law of God and seeks to live it in their lives, they will be restored to a way of peace and harmony with God and one another.

Let's look at Isaiah 11, which I'm going to put forward a few verses. We're looking at prophecies again of what that thousand years will be like under the reign of the kingdom of God on this earth. Isaiah 11, verse 6, it says, The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and the little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young one shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, and the ween child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, nowhere under the kingdom of God, where there will be destruction. And why will that be?

The scripture continues on, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. God's way will be worldwide. All of mankind will be without excuse. They can't say, I never knew the Lord, because all the earth will know the Lord their God. His way will reign across the whole earth, and even as a result, the animals will be tame.

And the tame animals, it's nice to have tame animals, so I suppose it'd be nice to go up and pet a lion, pet a bear. The kids would love to do that, but the tame animals are actually a reflection of the nations and of the world around them, because nations won't be killing one another. Mankind won't be at war and disputing with one another, because mankind will be dwelling at peace. That will be reflected as well through the rest of the creation. When God's way reigns, it will spread out through all the earth and through all its creation, and it will be at peace and harmony with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Amos chapter 9. Amos chapter 9. Amos 9, beginning in verse 13. It says, Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowmen shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes, him who sows seed. He says, You know, you won't be able to harvest the crop before the next crop is coming in. It will be fruitful abundance, because we're not going to have poverty. We're not going to have drought. We're not going to have these adverse conditions like we see in the world today if mankind is obedient to the way of God. God will bless mankind with abundance. He says, In the treader of grapes, him who sows seed. The mountains will drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. And God says, And I will bring back the captives of my people Israel, that physical nation who God has worked with down through time. He says, I'll bring back the captives of my people Israel, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them. They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them. They shall also make gardens and eat the fruit of them. I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land which I have given them. Says the Lord their God. So again, it's going to be a time of great abundance, a time of great blessing. God is going to bring the scattered nation of Israel back together. He's going to reestablish them in the Promised Land, and they will bear fruit.

And one final scripture this afternoon. One I'm sure we're probably all familiar with. Probably all of us have heard this scripture. Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6.

Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6. But as we read the scripture today, hopefully we've gained a little bit of a deeper and fuller understanding into what it is it's saying. Isaiah 9 and verse 6.

And it says, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.

Upon the throne of David and over his kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.

So the rulership of the kingdom of God under Jesus Christ will be a government that will be forever abundant. A government that will be forever at peace, and it will be a kingdom that will be forever increasing and expanding in this universe. The good news of the kingdom of God is that Jesus Christ will once again return, and he will restore all things as is intended from the beginning. God the Father and Jesus Christ desire a relationship with their creation. They desire to see the handiwork of their hand, which is mankind, coming into a direct relationship with them. So today we've seen the good news of the kingdom of God. We've seen the restoration of all things. I'd like to close with the words that Jesus Christ spoke in Mark chapter 1 and verse 15, because we quoted them to you earlier. We walked through them earlier, but again, they're important to us because I believe they should motivate us to desire to direct our attention and direct our lives developing a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ. Mark 1 verse 15 says, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. What did Jesus Christ say that he desired?

He said, repent, believe in the gospel.