SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/6/2015
10:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Introduction
to Revelation 20
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Revelation 20
Message of the
verses: It is hard for me to believe
that we have just finished the second, very long section of the book of
Revelation and now move on to things that will happen after the Tribulation
period of time is over and that will be explained in the last three chapters of
Revelation. I am not sure how long of
time it took for John to receive this entire book of Revelation, whether it
took more than a day or a week or even longer, but I can imagine that like
Daniel, he was very tired after he received all that is in the book of
Revelation. The church at that time, and
the church throughout all of its history needs to understand what is in this
book, and we have seen it stated that those who read this book will be blessed
and I can say that this is true for me as I have studied once again this
wonderful book.
I have been thinking about what it is that the Lord wants
me to do after this book is completed, as far as what book in the New Testament
that He wants me to study. Last year I
was sure that I wanted to study the book of Colossians but almost at the end of
last year the Lord made it very clear to me to once again study
Revelation. The gospel of John keeps
going through my mind as far as what to study when Revelation is complete. It does seem clear to me that I am to
continue in my study of the Minor Prophets which when completed will mean that
I have studied every book in the Word of God as least one time, but is also
seems clear to me that I am to continue looking at a New Testament book too,
and as I said John is the book that is going through my mind at this time, but
like last year the Lord may show me something else as I will be open to His leading. I remember a while back that our Pastor began
a study on the book of second Peter and he asked a question if this was anyone’s
favorite book to study, and went on to say that this probably was not a
favorite of anyone’s. I wrote an email
to him telling him that the book that I am studying at any given time is my
favorite book to which he agreed. Leviticus
was my favorite when I was studying it.
In John MacArthur’s commentary on the book of Revelation
he entitles chapter sixteen which covers the first ten verses of Revelation
chapter twenty “The Coming Earthly Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.” We will look at an introduction to these ten
verses in our SD for today and probably tomorrow as well.
Throughout the Prophets of the Old Testament we have
learned that God has promised a kingdom to Israel with Messiah ruling and
reigning over it, however there was never given a length of time for this
kingdom. When we read through chapter
twenty of Revelation we see the words “a thousand years” six times and so we
now know the length of it. We will see
in this short chapter what has been promised to Israel for many thousand years come
to fruition.
Many people today would love to live in a world that
would be dominated by righteousness and goodness, a world where there is no
injustice, a world where no court would render an unjust verdict, a world where
all would be treated fairly. They may
also want a world where the lion would lie down with a child and no harm would
take place, or a child could play with a viper and now harm would take place, a
world where if you died at 100 years old it would be like seeing a baby die. Well this is going to be a part of what will
happen during the Millennial Kingdom. I
suppose that one of the most wonderful aspects of this kingdom will be that the
curse is removed. Everything is affected
by the curse and it will be removed during the Millennial Kingdom. Paul writes the following in Romans 8:20-22 “For
the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it, in hope 21 that the
creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the
freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole
creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
John MacArthur writes “The millennial kingdom is called
by many names in Scripture. In Matthew
19:28 Jesus calls it ‘the regeneration.’
Acts 3:19 describes the kingdom as ‘times of refreshing,’ while verse 21
of that chapter calls it ‘the period of restoration of all things.’ The apostle Paul refers to it in Ephesians
1:10 as ‘an administration suitable to the fullness of the times.’”
John MacArthur gives a list of Old Testament passages
that speak of the earthly kingdom and I will quote this list at this time and
will also quote the passages so that we all can get a better idea of it.
Deuteronomy 30:1-5 “ 1 "So it shall be when all of these things
have come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and
you call them to mind in all nations where the LORD your God has banished you,
2 and you return to the LORD your God
and obey Him with all your heart and soul according to all that I command you
today, you and your sons, 3 then the
LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and
will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has
scattered you. 4 “If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the
LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. 5 "The LORD your God will bring you into
the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will
prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.”
2 Samuel 7:12-16 “12 "When your days are complete and you lie
down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will
come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 “He shall build a
house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 "I will be a father to him and
he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the
rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from
him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 “Your
house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be
established forever."’"”
Psalm 2:6-12 “6 “But as for
Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain."
7 "I will surely tell of the decree of
the LORD: He said to Me, ’You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 ’Ask of
Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, And the very ends
of the earth as Your possession. 9 ’You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’" 10 Now therefore, O kings, show
discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. 11 Worship the LORD with
reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the Son, that He not
become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How
blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Isaiah 2:2-4 “2 Now it will come about that In the last days The
mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the
mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream
to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us
concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will
go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge
between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will
hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation
will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.”
Isaiah 11:1-10 “1 Then a
shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear
fruit. 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and
understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and
the fear of the LORD. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He
will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 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. 5 Also
righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about
His waist. 6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie
down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will
graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the
ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the
hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9
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. 10 Then in that
day 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.”
Isaiah 12:1-6 “1 Then you
will say on that day, "I will give thanks to You, O LORD; For although You
were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, And You comfort me. 2 "Behold, God is my salvation, I will
trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has
become my salvation." 3 Therefore you will joyously draw water From the
springs of salvation. 4 And in that day you will say, "Give thanks to the
LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; Make them remember
that His name is exalted." 5 Praise the LORD in song, for He has done
excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. 6 Cry aloud and shout
for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, For great in your midst is the Holy One of
Israel.”
Isaiah 24:23 “23 Then the
moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed, For the LORD of hosts will reign on
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, And His glory will be before His elders.”
Isaiah 32:15-20 “15 Until
the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a
fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest. 16 Then justice
will dwell in the wilderness And righteousness will abide in the fertile field.
17 And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of
righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. 18 Then my people will live in
a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting
places; 19 And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be
utterly laid low. 20 How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters,
Who let out freely the ox and the donkey.”
Isaiah 35:1-2 “1 The
wilderness and the desert will be glad, And the Arabah will rejoice and
blossom; Like the crocus 2 It will
blossom profusely And rejoice with rejoicing and shout of joy. The glory of
Lebanon will be given to it, The majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They will see
the glory of the LORD, The majesty of our God.”
Isaiah 60:10-18 “10 “Foreigners
will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath
I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you. 11 "Your gates will be open continually;
They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth
of the nations, With their kings led in procession. 12 “For the nation and the
kingdom which will not serve you will perish, And the nations will be utterly
ruined. 13 "The glory of Lebanon
will come to you, The juniper, the box tree and the cypress together, To
beautify the place of My sanctuary; And I shall make the place of My feet glorious.
14 "The sons of those who afflicted
you will come bowing to you, And all those who despised you will bow themselves
at the soles of your feet; And they will call you the city of the LORD, The
Zion of the Holy One of Israel. 15 "Whereas you have been forsaken and
hated With no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, A joy
from generation to generation. 16 “You will also suck the milk of nations And
suck the breast of kings; Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior
And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 “Instead of bronze I will bring
gold, And instead of iron I will bring silver, And instead of wood, bronze, And
instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your administrators And
righteousness your overseers. 18 “Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation
or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and
your gates praise.”
Isaiah 65:20-22 “20 "No longer will there be in it an infant
who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the
youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age
of one hundred Will be thought accursed. 21 “They will build houses and inhabit
them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 “They will not
build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the
lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will
wear out the work of their hands.”
Jeremiah 3:14-18 “14 ’Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the
LORD; ’For I am a master to you, And I will take you one from a city and two
from a family, And I will bring you to Zion.’ 15 “Then I will give you
shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.
16 "It shall be in those days when
you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the LORD,
"they will no longer say, ’The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ And it
will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor
will it be made again. 17 “At that time they will call Jerusalem ’The Throne of
the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the
name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their
evil heart. 18 “In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of
Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that
I gave your fathers as an inheritance.”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 “5 "Behold, the days are coming,"
declares the LORD, "When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; And
He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the
land. 6 “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.’”
Jeremiah 30:3 “3 ’For
behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ’when I will restore the fortunes
of My people Israel and Judah.’ The LORD says, ’I will also bring them back to
the land that I gave to their forefathers and they shall possess it.’"”
Jeremiah 31:35-40 “35 Thus
says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the
moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves
roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: 36
"If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the
LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation
before Me forever." 37 Thus says the LORD, "If the heavens above can
be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will
also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,"
declares the LORD. 38 “Behold, days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when the city will be rebuilt for the LORD from the Tower of Hananel to
the Corner Gate. 39 "The measuring
line will go out farther straight ahead to the hill Gareb; then it will turn to
Goah. 40 "And the whole valley of
the dead bodies and of the ashes, and all the fields as far as the brook
Kidron, to the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, shall be holy to the
LORD; it will not be plucked up or overthrown anymore forever."”
Jeremiah 33:14-18 “14
’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ’when I will fulfill the good
word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15 ’In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to
spring forth; and He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 ’In
those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is
the name by which she will be called: the LORD is our righteousness.’17 "For
thus says the LORD, ’David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the
house of Israel; 18 and the Levitical
priests shall never lack a man before Me to offer burnt offerings, to burn
grain offerings and to prepare sacrifices continually.’"”
Ezekiel 34:23-24 “23 “Then
I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he
will feed them himself and be their shepherd. 24 “And I, the LORD, will be
their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have
spoken.”
Ezekiel 36:16-38 “16 Then
the word of the LORD came to me saying, 17 “Son of man, when the house of
Israel was living in their own land, they defiled it by their ways and their
deeds; their way before Me was like the uncleanness of a woman in her impurity.
18 “Therefore I poured out My wrath on them for the blood which they had shed
on the land, because they had defiled it with their idols. 19 “Also I scattered
them among the nations and they were dispersed throughout the lands. According
to their ways and their deeds I judged them. 20 “When they came to the nations
where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them,
’These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.’ 21 “But
I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among
the nations where they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ’Thus
says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am
about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations
where you went. 23 “I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has
been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then
the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD,
"when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 “For I will take
you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own
land.
25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you,
and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all
your idols. 26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit
within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a
heart of flesh. 27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My
statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. 28 “You will live
in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I
will be your God. 29 “Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and
I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on
you. 30 “I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so
that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. 31 “Then
you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you
will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your
abominations. 32 “I am not doing this for your sake," declares the Lord
GOD, "let it be known to you. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O
house of Israel!" 33 ’Thus says the Lord GOD, "On the day that I
cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited,
and the waste places will be rebuilt. 34 “The desolate land will be cultivated
instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. 35 "They will say, ’This desolate land has
become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are
fortified and inhabited.’ 36 "Then
the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the LORD, have
rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the LORD,
have spoken and will do it." 37 ’Thus says the Lord GOD, "This also I
will let the house of Israel ask Me to do for them: I will increase their men
like a flock. 38 “Like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem
during her appointed feasts, so will the waste cities be filled with flocks of
men. Then they will know that I am the LORD."’"”
Ezekiel 37:15-28 “15 The
word of the LORD came again to me saying, 16
"And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it,
’For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick
and write on it, ’For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel,
his companions.’ 17 "Then join them
for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your
hand. 18 “When the sons of your people speak to you saying, ’Will you not
declare to us what you mean by these?’ 19
say to them, ’Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the
stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his
companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them
one stick, and they will be one in My hand."’ 20 “The sticks on which you
write will be in your hand before their eyes. 21 “Say to them, ’Thus says the
Lord GOD, "Behold, I will take the sons of Israel from among the nations
where they have gone, and I will gather them from every side and bring them
into their own land; 22 and I will make them one nation in the land, on the
mountains of Israel; and one king will be king for all of them; and they will
no longer be two nations and no longer be divided into two kingdoms. 23 “They
will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable
things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all
their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And
they will be My people, and I will be their God. 24 “My servant David will be
king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My
ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them. 25 "They will live on the land that I gave
to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it,
they, and their sons and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant will
be their prince forever. 26 “I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will
be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them,
and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. 27 “My dwelling place also
will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. 28 “And
the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when My
sanctuary is in their midst forever."’"
Daniel 2:44-45 “44 "In the days of those kings the God of
heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom
will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these
kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever. 45
"Inasmuch as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain
without hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver
and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will take place in
the future; so the dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy."”
Hosea 3:4-5 “4 For the sons
of Israel will remain for many days without king or prince, without sacrifice
or sacred pillar and without ephod or household idols. 5 Afterward the sons of
Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they
will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.”
Joel 3:18-21 “18 And in
that day The mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with
milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; And a spring will go
out from the house of the LORD To water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt will
become a waste, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of the
violence done to the sons of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent
blood. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever And Jerusalem for all
generations. 21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the
LORD dwells in Zion.”
Amos 9:11-15 “11 "In
that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David, And wall up its breaches; I
will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the days of old; 12 That they
may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My
name," Declares the LORD who does this. 13 “Behold, days are coming,"
declares the LORD, "When the plowman will overtake the reaper And the
treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains will drip sweet wine
And all the hills will be dissolved. 14 “Also I will restore the captivity of
My people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, And make gardens and eat
their fruit. 15 “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again
be rooted out from their land Which I have given them," Says the LORD your
God.”
Micah 4:1-8 “1 And it will
come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be
established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills,
And the peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations will come and say, "Come
and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD And to the house of the God of
Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His
paths." For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem. 3 And He will judge between many peoples And render decisions
for mighty, distant nations. Then they will hammer their swords into plowshares
And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation will not lift up sword against
nation, And never again will they train for war. 4 Each of them will sit under
his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth
of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 5 Though all the peoples walk Each in the name
of his god, As for us, we will walk In the name of the LORD our God forever and
ever. 6 “In that day," declares the LORD, "I will assemble the lame
And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. 7 “I will make the
lame a remnant And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over
them in Mount Zion From now on and forever. 8 “As for you, tower of the flock,
Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come-Even the former dominion will
come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”
Zephaniah 3:14-20 “14 Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in
triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of
Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared
away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; You will
fear disaster no more. 16 In that day it
will be said to Jerusalem: "Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your
hands fall limp. 17 “The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice
over you with shouts of joy. 18 “I will gather those who grieve about the
appointed feasts-They came from you, O Zion; The reproach of exile is a burden
on them. 19 “Behold, I am going to deal at that time With all your oppressors,
I will save the lame And gather the outcast, And I will turn their shame into
praise and renown In all the earth. 20 “At that time I will bring you in, Even
at the time when I gather you together; Indeed, I will give you renown and
praise Among all the peoples of the earth, When I restore your fortunes before
your eyes," Says the LORD.”
Zechariah 14:9-11 “9 And
the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only
one, and His name the only one. 10 All the land will be changed into a plain
from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on
its site from Benjamin’s Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner
Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s wine presses. 11 People will
live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in
security.”
Spiritual meaning for
my life today: If God has this much
to say about the Millennial Kingdom then it has to be important to me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Trust the Lord to give me the right words to
say as I led a Bible study in the morning.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Israel” (1 Kings 16:29).
Today’s Bible
question: “What giant did David kill?”
Answer in our next SD.
10/6/2015 12:06 PM
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