12 - The Lord is King over all the Earth

Chapter 12 - Perfect Government

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The Lord is King over all the Earth

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“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:12).

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When Jesus was asked by His disciples how to pray, He taught them, “Pray then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9-10, Emphasis Added). One day this great prayer is going to be answered. A kingdom that has been in heaven will come to earth.

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When Jesus stood before Pilate, just hours prior to the crucifixion, Pilate asked, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (John 18:33). Jesus had been silent before Pilate like a lamb to the slaughter. But to this question, “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm” (John 18:36).

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“Pilate therefore said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king” (John 18:37).

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The King and Lord of Glory who was innocent would be exchanged for the guilty. The crowds cried out “Crucify, crucify!” (John 19:6). Pilate attempted to release Jesus but to no avail. When given a choice between the release of a man known for insurrection and robbery and the Son of God who worked many miracles. The crowds shouted for the release of a man named, Jesus Barabbas. They could have had the release of Jesus the Son of the Father, the true and living God, but instead choose Jesus Barabbas.

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The name Barabbas if broken down into two words, Bar and Abba, means Son of Abba or Son of the Father. They had a choice between, Jesus the son of the father who everyone knew was guilty or Jesus the Son of the Father who was the spotless and innocent Lamb of God. The people choose to release the guilty, and Jesus the real Son of the Father would die in place of the guilty to establish a kingdom that would have no end.

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The Bema Seat

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Pilate “brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha” (John 19:13). Jesus the Lord of all creation was judged on our behalf. Where every person ever born on the earth should have been rightly judged guilty, innocence was exchanged for the guilty. Pilate then “said to the Jews, “Behold, your King!” (John 19:14).

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The people cried out again, “Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priest answered, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15).

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Our king then carried His own cross to the place of the Skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha. “And Pilate wrote an inscription also, and put it on the cross. And it was written, “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19).

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The Bible calls Jesus, “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8, KJV). This means that it was always the plan of God that the innocent would be exchanged for the guilty to all who would put their faith and trust in Him. This is why the Bible says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

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This exchange of the innocent for the guilty is called, “the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

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Worthy is the Lamb who was Slain

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This is why it is written, “And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Revelation 5:11-12, Emphasis Added).

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This is why Jesus is worthy to take the scroll found in Revelation chapter 5. The Bible says those gathered around His throne, “They sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art Thou to take the scroll, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth” (Revelation 5:9-10).

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Jesus is the savior of the world. “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and of the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever” (Revelation 5:13).

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Jesus is the Messiah, the King of heaven and the soon and coming King of the earth. Jesus told His disciples prior to the departure of His first coming, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus is the promised King, He’s the one, He’s the way and the truth and the life. His kingdom shall have no end.

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God’s Promise to a man after His own heart

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Nearly three thousand years ago, a man named King David was given a promise from God. Nathan the prophet came to King David and told him these words straight from the lips of God; “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 the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me” (2 Samuel 7:12-14).

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I love it God says, “One of your descendants after you, I will establish the throne of His kingdom forever. And I will be a Father to Him and He will be a Son to Me.” God the Father would establish a kingdom upon the earth which His own Son would be the heir and king, forever and ever.

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Isaiah the prophet saw this same thing. Isaiah prophesied, “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 will 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 from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

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The government will rest upon Jesus. A Son has been given to us. His name is above all names. He shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and Prince of Peace. He will sit on the throne of David. Jesus is a righteous and just king and shall rule forevermore.

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The Psalmist saw this same thing. The Psalmist prophesied, “For the kingdom is the LORD’S, and He rules over the nations” (Psalm 22:28). God is king and through the person of the Son, He rules over the nations.

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He is a good King who rules in uprightness

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The Bible is filled with passages about this same theme. God is a great king and the Father pronounces over the Son; “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated wickedness; therefore God, Thy God, has anointed Thee with the oil of joy above Thy fellows” (Psalm 45:6-7).

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Jesus has been anointed king of heaven and earth. The disciples asked the king, “How should we pray then?” Jesus told them, “Pray for the kingdom to come and the will of the Father would be done on earth as it is in heaven!” This kingdom was always going to be His kingdom. The Father has anointed Jesus with oil of joy to be that King.

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Over and over the Psalmist proclaims this kingdom of God that would come to earth. The Psalmist proclaimed, “All Thy works shall give thanks to Thee, O LORD, and Thy godly ones shall bless Thee. They shall speak of the glory of Thy kingdom, and talk of Thy power; to make known to the sons of men Thy mighty acts, and the glory of the majesty of Thy kingdom. The kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Thy dominion endures throughout all generations” (Psalm 145:10-13). It’s an everlasting kingdom and it shall have no end.

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Daniel saw a Kingdom that shall have no end

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This is why Jesus came proclaiming, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand, it near!” The kingdom spoken of by the prophets in the Old Testament, “It’s at hand, it’s near!”

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The prophet Daniel deciphered a dream that God gave to King Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel revealed to the king; “And 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. 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” (Daniel 2:4-45).

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This stone cut out of a mountain without hands is none other than the Son of God. This kingdom that is coming to earth will crush all the previous kingdoms of the earth. The kingdom of heaven will arrive on earth. This kingdom will be established forever and ever.

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The Salvation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego

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Our entrance to this kingdom is by the grace of the king, through our faith. Three men from the time of Daniel the prophet had a choice. They could bow before the idols of an earthly king or follow the king of heaven and earth. When these men were given a choice they choose a heavenly king.

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A decree had been made that when six instruments where played, these three men, Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-nego were to worship “an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits” (Daniel 3:1).

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These men refused to bow before any other God, as their God was king. The king became very angry with the men and told them, “If you do not bow down to this image, you shall face a fiery death.”

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These men replied to the king, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (Daniel 3:17-18).

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King Nebuchadnezzar heated the fire seven times hotter and cast the men into the fire. Then the amazing happened. Daniel records, “Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he responded and said to his high officials, “Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.” He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loosed and walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods!” (Daniel 3:24-25).

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Most theologians agree that this is a pre-incarnate Jesus walking in the midst of the fire with Meshach, Shadrach, and Abed-nego. The king was so impressed that the men were not consumed by the fire that the three of them where removed from the furnace. The king then gives this response, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielding up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God” (Daniel 3:28).

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Then the king makes the following decree to any people, nations or tongues; “How great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:3, Emphasis Added). Our God is a great God to deliver those who worship no other God except the true God of heaven and earth. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and it shall never end.

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The Cripple and the King

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One of my favorite Old Testament stories gives a prophetic parallel of the kingdom which in its fullness is shortly to arrive on the earth. This story shows the fallen broken state of man and the great king who has not forgotten us. Spend time in meditation on this special story and realize the state you once inhabited and the king who did not forget his promise.

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The story has two main characters, the first is King Jesus played by King David in our story and the second is fallen man played by Mephibosheth. I am going to start our story in the 9^th chapter of 2 Samuel, which reads:

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“Then David said, “Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1). The house of Saul represents a fallen king. Adam was the original king of the earth, but then he fell, becoming our fallen king. So using this Bible story as a metaphor, King Messiah is looking for any descendants of fallen Adam that He might show kindness toward them.

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Our passage continues, “Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” And the king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar” (2 Samuel 9:2-5).

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There is a lot going on here so far in the story we find that there is a descendant of Saul who is still alive that David can show the kindness of God. It turns out to be Saul’s grandson, a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet that is living in Lo-debar. This son of Jonathan, whose name is Mephibosheth, is residing in Lo-debar. If you read too fast it’s easy to miss the details, Lo-debar means in the Hebrew a place with “no word.” Lo is the word translated in our English Bible from the Ten Commandments, as “Thou shall not”, it really means “God says no!” While Debar is the Hebrew word for “word” and many times is the reference to the word of God. May I say all of us once lived in a place with no word from the Lord.

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I want to introduce Mephibosheth to you so let’s turn back a few chapters and see the beginning of the story for Mephibosheth. The Bible says, “Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth” (2 Samuel 4:4).

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Mephibosheth was dropped by the person that should have taken care of him. He was left broken at the hands of another from a previous generation. He should have grown up and been heir to the king. Instead, his whole future was lost; everything he should have inherited including the throne of his grandfather was lost in one moment. This sounds relatively familiar to the story of Adam’s descendents.

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Back in the 9^th chapter of 2^nd Samuel our story resumes, “And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly” (2 Samuel 9:6-7).

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What a great promise our King makes to us that we could dine with Him at His table. This is the story of grace and we descendents of Adam have been shown this grace if we will receive Him and believe in our Lord King Jesus. But please notice that not only are we invited to dine with our King at His banquet table but He promises to return all the lands of our grandfather Adam. Our grandfather had dominion over the entire earth; these are our lands by the promise of our King.

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Our passage continues, “Again he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?” Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. And Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet” (2 Samuel 9:8-13).

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Mephibosheth represents all of us who will humble ourselves before our loving King, eats at the King’s table as one of the King’s sons. And now instead of dwelling in a place with “no word” he dwells in the city of our God, Jerusalem. This our future as true believers in our King Jesus.

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Our story of Mephibosheth takes a turn as he is betrayed by his servant, so some of the prophetic parallels don’t match up just perfectly. We’ll pick of the story of Mephibosheth in the 16^th chapter of 2^nd Samuel. It reads, “Now when David had passed a little beyond the summit, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and on them were two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a jug of wine. And the king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these?” And Ziba said, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, and the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine, for whoever is faint in the wilderness to drink.” Then the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me’ ” So the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours.” And Ziba said, “I prostrate myself; let me find favor in your sight, O my lord, the king!” (2 Samuel 16:1-4).

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The important part of what is happening in the story is not that Mephibosheth has been betrayed by his servant. What’s important is how Mephibosheth reacts to the betrayal. Mephibosheth must decide if his devotion to the king is based on the promises or the one who has made the promises. As you read about the continuation of Mephibosheth’s story watch for his devotion to his king, this should be the devotion of every true believer.

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“Then Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither cared for his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace. And it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” So he answered, “O my lord, the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself that I may ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame. Moreover, he has slandered your servant to my lord the king; but my lord the king is like the angel of God, therefore do what is good in your sight. For all my father’s household was nothing but dead men before my lord the king; yet you set your servant among those who ate at your own table. What right do I have yet that I should complain anymore to the king?” So the king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I have decided, ‘You and Ziba shall divide the land.’ ” And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house” (2 Samuel 19:24-30).

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Is your love for Jesus based on His promises or the one who is promising? Where you will spend eternity will depend on your relationship with each of the leaders of the two kingdoms which are in cosmic battle. Is your love and devotion to King Jesus strong enough to overcome even the toughest of situations? Or have you lost faith in Jesus and trusted only in the lies of the enemy?

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It all comes down to faith. I pray even now no matter what your situation is that you will trust in the one who can save you and that your love for our King Jesus would match that shown by Mephibosheth. Eternity hangs in the balance, what is your relationship with the kingdom of light vs. the kingdom of darkness?

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His Kingdom Come, on earth as it is in heaven!

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From eternity God has seen all things and predestined that Jesus would be the only way for the salvation of fallen man. The rise of the King of Kings had the most humble of beginnings with His birth coming to a teenage virgin named Mary. The mother of our Lord had to be the person most surprised when the Angel Gabriel told her the following:

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“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 house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end” (Luke 1:32-33).

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The cosmic battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent will reach its climax in the book of Revelation with the kingdom of darkness is defeated. The defeat of the kingdom of darkness will be the most joyous event in the history of man, save creator itself and possible the birth of our Lord. I can’t wait to hear the cry in heaven recorded in the book of Revelation:

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“And the seventh angel sounded; and there arose loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give Thee thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who art and who wast, because Thou hast taken Thy great power and hast begun to reign” (Revelation 11:15-17).

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Satan bound for a Thousand years

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The kingdom of God coming to earth, the old things are gone and new have come. The Bible records that when the Lord returns Satan will be defeated and thrown into the abyss for 1,000 years. Here is how it is recorded in Revelation:

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“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, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him 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” (Revelation 20:1-3).

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Then peace shall come upon the earth. I love the Hebrew word for peace, Shalom. Shalom is spelled in the Hebrew, Shin, Lamed, Vav, Mem. In the Hebrew each letter holds specific meaning, where in English you might sound out the meaning to read the word, in Hebrew you can actually find the meaning of the word through the meaning of each of the letters. The letter Shin looks like our “w” and stands for fire and means, to devour. The letter Lamed looks like a shepards cane and it holds the meaning of authority. The letter Vav, looks like a nail and it means to hold together. Lastly is the letter Mem, which many times stands for water and is the letter for testing, but in this case the letter stands for chaos.

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The Hebrew word Shalom, holds the meaning of The one who devours, the authority, which holds together, chaos. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He will devour the authority which holds together chaos. True peace comes with a fight.

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The Feast of Booths

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The people of this world who are left that did not take the number of the beast will give honor to the true prince of peace. Zechariah the prophet saw the one thousand year reign of our Lord upon the earth. He prophesied, “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them” (Zechariah 14:16-17).

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The nations of the world will come up one time per year on the Feast of Booths to celebrate and give honor to the King. The Feast of Booths is the last of the seven Biblical feasts to be fulfilled. Each feast held a specific appointed meeting time with the Lord.

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Isaiah prophesied this, “And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me,” says the LORD. Then they shall go forth and look on the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence to all mankind” (Isaiah 66:23-24).

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Lord Jesus will inhabit Jerusalem and all of mankind will bow down before Him. This is just as it is written in Philippians 2 where it says, “Every knee will bow and every tongue confess.” What is strange though about this passage is that all the people will be able to look upon the corpses of men who transgressed against the Lord. It appears that the valley of Gehenah will be almost like an open view into hell. Just look again at what Isaiah records, “Then they shall go forth and look on the corpses of men who have transgressed against Me.”

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It’s almost as if all mankind will shake their heads at the enemies of God who rejected the free gift of eternal life.

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1,000 Years of Peace

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Then one of the strangest things in the Bible happens, Satan who was chained and cast into the Abyss is released for a short season. There are many why’s with the Bible and this has to be one of them. But God is faithful and those who trust in Him shall not be put to shame. The Bible records the event like this:

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“And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:7-10).

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The battle will be finished. The seed of the serpent bruised the heel of the seed of the woman, but He shall bruise his head. The prophecy of Genesis 3:15 shall be complete! What was lost in the garden will be restored and redeemed. The whole world will have made its choice either to follow darkness and the seed of the serpent or to follow light, the seed of the woman.

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There will be a day

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That choice will leave all of mankind to spend eternity with one of two kingdoms; an eternity in hell or eternity with our God. The ones who choose God through the shed blood of our King Jesus will see what John saw in the 21^st chapter of Revelation:

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“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband” (Revelation 21:1-2).

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Our God makes all things new. He renewed our soul with the death of Jesus on the cross, “to as many as would receive Him” (John 1:12). He renewed our body, “in a moment at the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:51). And will the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, He has renewed our land. The will be a new heaven and a new earth, the old is gone and the new has come.

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The Bible then says, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from the eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

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I can’t help but think about the song by Jeremy Camp, “There will be a day.” If you haven’t heard it, go and listen. It will deepen your understanding of all this in just four minutes. Jeremy says it this way in his song, “There will be a day when the burdens of this place, will be no more we’ll see Jesus face to face. There will be a day, He’ll wipe away the tears” (There will be a day, Jeremy Camp).

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There will be a day, when God shall make His tabernacle among men. It won’t be temporary but permanent. He shall be our God and we shall be His people. And there shall be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, and He shall wipe away every tear. The old is gone and the new has come!

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The City of Perfect Government

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The only way to have perfect government is if God is our King. Our God and our King shall rule out of the New Jerusalem. John saw this New Jerusalem which he said, “Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper” (Revelation 21:11). This great city which comes out of heaven has “twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names written on them, which are those of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel” (Revelation 21:12).

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What’s really amazing is the overall size of the New Jerusalem. “And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, twelve thousand stadia [fifteen hundred miles]; its length and width and height are equal. And he measured its wall, one hundred forty-four cubits [seventy-five meters], according to human measurements, which are also angelic measurements” (Revelation 21:16-17).

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The New Jerusalem will be like no city that our world has ever known; 1500 miles are its length and width and height. This will be a city with gates as of giant pearls, streets of gold, a city that shines like a very costly stone. This is the city of our God.

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They shall see His face

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Then the thing which no man has seen will be revealed, “They shall see His face.” John recorded it like this, “And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bondservants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4).

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What Moses was denied we will behold! Moses had asked the Lord, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!” (Exodus 33:18). The Lord replied to Moses, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20). The Lord place Moses in the cleft of the rock and passed by and Moses saw the backside of the glory of the Lord. So what Moses was denied, His bondservants shall behold.

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Relationship with our Creator

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The entire story of the Bible has its foundation a relationship between man and God. The relationship was broken in the garden. What was lost at one tree was regained at another tree. God did not leave man without a way out. God so loved mankind that He sent Jesus, that whosoever should believe should not perish but have eternal life.

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And this is eternal life that they might know the one true God and His son whom thou hast sent. The whole reason we were created is that we might have intimate fellowship with the one who created us. If you have named Jesus as Lord but are living without that intimate fellowship, something is wrong. Begin today, begin right now. Stop living for the world and live for the one who died for you. He is a great King and the Father desires that none would perish but all would come into intimate fellowship with Him.

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I am coming quickly

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Jesus made these His final words to all the world until He returns; “Behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:12-14).

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There is a God who loves you. The same word which Jesus spoke to Peter and Peter went from walking in the natural world to the supernatural. Jesus said to Peter, “Come!” And Peter walked on water. This is the word spoken in Revelation; “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost” (Revelation 20:17).

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Final Admonition

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You can only come in faith. Faith is the key to heaven, it’s the key to a true relationship with God, the Bible says, “without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11). The antithesis of faith is unbelieving.

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Look who is at the top of the list for those cast into the second death which is hell. It is not the murders or the rapist or adulterers, no it is those without faith. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 21:8).

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How many times did Jesus scold His disciples, “Oh you of little faith”? Trust in Jesus! James said it this way, “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (James 2:5).

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So no longer desire to be rich in the currency of this world; Dollars and Euros will be of any value in the world to come. Be rich in the currency of heaven. “Be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him!”

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I pray faith in Jesus the Christ over you. These are the ending words of Bible from Jesus by John the Revelator; “He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Revelation 22:20-21).

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11 - Jubilee the King returns a Day of Atonement

Chapter 11 – Divine Order

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Jubilee the King returns a Day of Atonement

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“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me… To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2).

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Last chapter our focus was the seven years in heaven, and although I am sure none of us want the party to end, we at least need to pack the party up and move locations. The Old Testament prophet Joel saw this and prophesied, “Let the bridegroom come out of his room and the bride out of her bridal chamber” (Joel 2:16).

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The bride and the bridegroom shall exit the chambers of heaven and return to the earth. There are two major events taking place with the return of the Lord. First, it is the Day of Judgment for those who have fought against the Lord and His people, Israel. Secondly, we have a bridegroom saying to His bride, “Let’s go, I’m going to get your stuff back!”

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The Bridegroom and His bride return

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Joel gives prophecy pointing to signs in the heavens that have taken place during the tribulation, saying “The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes” (Joel 2:31). The sun, moon and stars will give signs to point directly to the great and awesome day of the Lord.

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Joel continues to prophesy saying, “For behold, in those days and at that time, “When I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations, and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land” (Joel 3:1-2).

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Lord Jesus is coming back for a nation that was scattered throughout the earth, a people who have had their land divided again and again since their return in 1948. Then the Lord will bring all the nations that gather together against His people to a valley named Jehoshaphat. The name Jehoshaphat means “Yahweh Judges”. This is known as the famous valley where “the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon” (Revelation 16:16). The valley of Jehoshaphat is the location of the famous last battle between Jesus and the nations that fought against Israel, called the battle of Armageddon.

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Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven

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The tribulation is seven years of judgment upon the earth. That entire time there is a wedding banquet taking place in heaven. Then the Lord will return and this is what has been called by every major theologian, “the second coming.” The second coming is the kingdom that has been in heaven coming to earth.

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Remember the Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed by Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10). The return of the Lord brings the kingdom of heaven to earth as it is in heaven. This is literally heaven invading earth.

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God’s Plan has Three Redeemings

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As I have written this book about decoding the second coming of Jesus, I knew the first thing I had to do was explain the first coming. You’ll never understand the second coming until you understand the first coming. Amazingly, the book didn’t break into halves, but into thirds.

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In the first third of the book, our spirits are redeemed. This is what the entire first coming was about, Jesus coming to redeem our spirits. Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit (John 19:30). Jesus exchanged His life for ours, giving up His spirit for our spirit.

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As believers in Jesus our spirit is renewed through faith in Jesus. This is the first redemption which Ezekiel prophesied saying, Thus says the Lord GOD, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

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As believers we walk in the Spirit of Christ, but sadly we still inhabit fallen earthly flesh. Paul gave this admonition, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Galatians 5:16-17). So although we had been redeemed by what Jesus did on the cross, there still waged a battle between our flesh and our newly redeemed spirits.

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In the second third of the book, our bodies are redeemed. This is what the rapture of the church is about; “For this perishable must put on imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). This secret coming of the Lord is entirely us being changed, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we [who are alive] shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:52).

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Finally this last third of the book is about the land being redeemed. Jesus is return to redeem the earth, to bring a kingdom that has been in heaven to the earth. The king is returning to establish His kingdom upon the earth and fulfill a promise given 4,000 years ago to Abraham.

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A Promise made 4,000 Years Ago

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God made a promised long ago to a man named Abram, later known as Abraham. This promise was given in the 12^th chapter of Genesis where it says, “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3, Emphasis Added).

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God lays out specific promises to Abraham. He gives land to Abraham and says I will make you a great nation. The Lord says, “I will bless those who bless you”, the blessing is resurrection. This blessing is bestowed by the seed of Abraham, our Lord Jesus. The Lord said, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed”, again this blessed one who is in Abraham is our Lord Jesus, the seed of Abraham.

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The Lord also says, “The one who curses you, I will curse.” This is the devil and those who go against Jesus and follow the serpent. These are cursed with destruction.

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The first coming, the catching away of the church and the return of the Lord are all fulfillments of these promises given to Abraham nearly 4,000 years ago. God promised that all the nations would be blessed by Abraham’s seed and all the nations are blessed through faith in Jesus for the redeeming of their spirits and bodies. Lastly, God is going to redeem the land promised to Abraham and his Seed.

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The Year of Jubilee and the Sabbatical Year

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One of the most important unstudied matters of the Old Testament is the Year of Jubilee. There are so many important hidden treasures about the Jubilee that there is no way to do an explanation of the return of the Lord without understanding the Jubilee. The Jubilee is discussed in the 25th and 27th Chapters of Leviticus.

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The first thing the Lord teaches us in these chapters is about the Sabbatical Year. God then commanded; “When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a Sabbath to the LORD” (Leviticus 25:2). I love the hidden parallel here. God did give us the land, saying, “rule over all the earth” (Genesis 1:26). Man has been given rule over the earth for 6 days, “but with the Lord one day is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 2:8). So these six days are with the Lord 6,000 years to rule over the land until the day of the Lord which shall be a time of rest.

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The writer of Hebrews confirms this when he says, “There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9). These people of God do have a future rest; “and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).

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God further commands; “Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a Sabbath rest, a Sabbath to the LORD” (Leviticus 25:3-4). Six thousand years man shall, sow and prune and gather in crops, this echoes exactly what is in Genesis; “Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).

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Understanding the Jubilee

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We can see the parallels between the sabbatical year and the millennial reign where man will be given rest from the enemy of our soul, the devil himself. Let’s now turn to the year of Jubilee; this may be the most important foundation to decoding the return of the Lord. The Jubilee is the returning to the origin, property is returned, servants are released, debts are discharged, and the original owner takes back what was once his.

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The Lord commands, “You are also to count off seven Sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven, so that you have the time of the seven Sabbaths of years, namely, forty-nine years. You shall then sound a ram’s horn abroad on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall sound a horn all through your land. You shall thus consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim a release through the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family” (Leviticus 25:8-10).

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There is so much to take note of, first, this is done in the fiftieth year with the sound of a horn through all the land. This shall proclaim a release to all the inhabitants of the land. Everyone returns to his property and return to his family. This is for everyone, all people, a release, a returning, a restoring and just so it is clear. God repeats, “It shall be holy to you… On this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his own property” (Leviticus 25:12-13).

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God had given man dominion over the earth in Genesis. “In the year of jubilee the field shall return to the one from whom he bought it (or got it), to whom the possession of the land (originally) belongs” (Leviticus 27:24). The jubilee is all about restoring, don’t forget the very last question Jesus was asked prior to the ascension. “Lord is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6).

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When Jesus returns, it will be a great jubilee where all things are restored, where the Kingdom that was established in the Garden of Eden will be restored. If you want to grasp what the entirety of the Bible is about, read the first two chapters of Genesis and the last two chapters of Revelation. By the end of the His story, all things are renewed, restored, and returned. Man again dwells with God, where we are His people and He is our God.

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Jubilee hidden in the story of Ruth

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There is an amazing Old Testament love story that unveils Jesus, the Gentile church and the Jewish nation ending with Jubilee redemption for all. It is the story woven throughout the book of Ruth. The main characters of the story are Jesus played by Boaz, the Gentile church played by Ruth, and the Jewish nation played by Naomi. I will refer to each of these three characters in their unveiled names, Jesus [Boaz], the church [Ruth], and the Jews [Naomi] throughout my retelling.

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The story begins with a famine in the promise land prophetically similar to the one declared by the prophet Amos, “Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water, but rather for hearing the words of the LORD” (Amos 8:11). This famine causes the Jews and her husband Elimelech to depart on account of the famine. So the Jews and her two sons Mahlon [Israel] and Chilion [Judah] head into the Gentile land of Moab.

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In the midst of their stay there the Jews lose their husband and two sons. The Jews weep over this tragedy. The Jews hear news that the famine has ended back in the promise land. Prophetically the Word of the Lord has appeared in Bethlehem. The Jews set out to return and two daughter-in-laws begin the journey with her. She says to her two daughter-in-laws, “Go back to your people, I have no more sons for you, and have no husband that another son might be born.”

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The first daughter-in-law, Orpah, represents those Gentiles who reject the God of the Jews. Orpah turns back and returns to her Gentile lands. The second daughter-in-law the church follows the Jews to their Messiah and says to the Jews, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God” (Ruth 1:16).

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In the second chapter of Ruth, we learn that the Jews have a kinsman of her late husband Elimelech who name is Jesus. The church on the advice of the Jews begins to glean in the field of Jesus. Jesus reapers begin to leave handfuls of harvest for the church.

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Jesus then blesses the church saying, “May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge” (Ruth 2:12). The church is invited to the communion meal with Jesus. Where Jesus says, “Come here, that you may eat of the bread and dip your piece of bread in the vinegar” [vinegar wine] (Ruth 2:14).

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When the Jews hear of the success of the church and they have found the kinsmen redeemer of the Jews, they exclaim, “May he be blessed of the LORD who has not withdrawn his kindness to the living and to the dead… The man is our relative, he is one of our closest relatives” (Ruth 2:20). I want to pause in our story for just a minute, the Hebrew word Ga’al is used to describe “one of our closest relatives”. This word Ga’al literally means to ransom, to deliver, to redeem and it means to purchase back something like land or a slave or something consecrated to God. This word Ga’al is used throughout Leviticus chapters 25 and 27 which speaks exclusively on the idea of Jubilee and redemption.

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Jesus is the kinsmen redeemer of the Jews and not only the Jews but the whole world. This was prophesied by Caiaphas, “that Jesus was going to die for the nation, and not for the nation only, but that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:51-52). This confirms the singing we see in heaven in Revelation 5:9 where it says, “For Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe an tongue and people and nation.”

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The Jewish nation through the sacred writings of the Law and the Prophets point the Gentile church to Jesus. By these writings, the Jews say to the church, Jesus, “Our kinsmen… Behold, he winnows barley at the threshing floor tonight. Wash yourself therefore, and anoint yourself and put on your best clothes, and go down to the threshing floor” (Ruth 3:2-3).

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This may be the toughest part of the story to decode. The threshing floor represents the throne room of God as this is where King David was commanded to build the temple of God. David was instructed to, “Go up, erect an alter to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite” (2 Samuel 24:18). This threshing floor purchased by King David became the eventual site for the Temple of the Lord.

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So the church is instructed by the Jewish writings to wash, anoint and put on best clothes, and go to the throne room floor of God. This is exactly what is described in Revelation 19:7-8 where it says, “His bride has made herself ready. And it was give to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean.” Those in the church ask Jesus if He will redeem them.

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Here is another twist in the story as Jesus says, “There is a relative closer than I” (Ruth 3:12). Jesus explains that if this closer relative will not redeem the church then He will. This closer relative says, ‘He cannot redeem’ the church, “Lest I jeopardize my own inheritance. Redeem it for yourself; you may have my right of redemption, for I cannot redeem it” (Ruth 4:6).

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Who is this closer relative that would not redeem us? I struggled with this for a couple of years. The Hebrew word for jeopardize is Shachath and it mean to become corruptible, to decay, to become imperfect. So Jesus is incorruptible, but should this closer relative attempt to redeem us it would become corruptible and imperfect. I finally figured out that this closer relative was the Law.

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In the letter to the Romans, it is written, “By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested… through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe” (Romans 3:20-22). So the Law could not risk its perfection to redeem us, so Jesus our kinsmen redeemer did it.

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So Jesus in front of many witnesses redeemed the church. Jesus took the church, “and she became his wife” (Ruth 4:13). This gives us a parallel to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

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Women then went to the Jews and said, “Blessed is the LORD who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel. May he also be to you a restorer of life and a sustainer of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you and is better to you than seven sons” (Ruth 4:13-14).

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One last and most important parallel is that Jesus redeemed, “all that belonged to Elimelech” (Ruth 4:9). The name of the husband that the Jews lost was Elimelech. His name comes from two Hebrew words, El and Melech, El means God and Melech means king. So Elimelech translates to mean, God is King! This means that Jesus redeemed all the property of God is King.

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Redeeming all the property of God is King

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Jesus came to redeem what was given to man in the Garden and lost. The Lord God breathed into the nostrils of man, and man became a living soul. But with the fall came spiritual death and fallen flesh. Man also gave his dominion of the earth over to the enemies of God and man’s souls the devil.

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This is why when Jesus began His ministry, He proclaimed, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord… Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-19, 21).

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Jesus quoted this passage from the prophet Isaiah, saying today you are seeing this fulfilled. But there is a phase from this passage in Isaiah that is missing. It says, “And the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). This is missing because the day of the Lord’s vengeance is connected to the return of our Lord.

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However, the year of the Lord’s favor is a definite reference to the year of Jubilee. Seeing that the passage says, “To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:2). Is it possible that the day of vengeance will happen on the Jubilee year?

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The entire gospel has a theme of Jubilee; it is all about redeeming, redeeming our spirits [souls], redeeming our bodies, and redeeming our land! This message was first given to the Jews, then to the Gentiles. Jesus when He first sent His disciples said, “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6).

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The first shall be last and the last shall be first

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It turns out, however, that the Gentiles are the first to be redeemed, just like in the story of Ruth. Maybe this is why Jesus said, “Many who are first will be last; and the last, first” (Matthew 19:30).

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This theme of those last being first and the first being last, not only shadows the Gentile church and the Jewish people but also continues in prophecy. Let’s examine the very first Messianic prophecy of the Bible, found in Genesis 3:15, which reads:

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“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel” (Genesis 3:15, Emphasis Added). This enmity, this hatred, is the cosmic battle that has waged from the day the serpent was cast from heaven to the earth. At the return of Christ, we will witness the end of that battle.

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The seed of the woman is none other than Jesus of Nazareth. Everyone knows that seed comes from the man, but by the miraculous birth of a virgin, we find the one called the seed of the woman. The seed of the serpent is the seed of the one who sows tares in the hearts of men. The one who sows lies; “the thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).

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This battle between light and darkness was not all completed at the cross. Yes Jesus was bruised on the heal at the cross. I have seen photographs of the heal of first century crucifixion victims. In the photo, the nail is going directly through the heal and if this represents how Jesus was nailed to the cross, then the enemy really did bruise His heal.

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He shall bruise you on the head

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Although Jesus was crucified at the place of the skull, Golgotha, Jesus has yet to bruise the serpents head. Today the battle for truth and righteousness wages all over the world; from the slums of Calcutta, India to the strip in Las Vegas, Nevada; from abortion clinics in Tampa, Florida to the road side bomb in Bagdad, Iraq; from the torture chambers inside North Korea to the temple mound in Jerusalem, Israel. The cosmic battle is being fought between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent wages.

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Jesus refers to Satan three times as, “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31, 14:30, and 16:11). The Apostle Paul refers to Satan as, “the god of this world [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (2 Corinthians 4:4). John the beloved refers to Satan, saying, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

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The kingdom of light vs. the kingdom of darkness

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The kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness will shortly have one final battle and light shall overcome darkness. This battle was foretold by the prophet Zechariah when He wrote:

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“Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach Azel; you, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD, my God, will come, and all the holy ones with Him! And it will come about in that day that there will be no light; the luminaries will dwindle. For it will be a unique day which is known to the LORD, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light” (Zechariah 14:1-8, Emphasis Added).

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The Lord returns with many thousands of His holy ones

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Zechariah sees the Lord returning will His saints from heaven, ready to do battle. The Lord is ready to fight for His land and His chosen people. Jude the brother of our Lord quoted from the book of Enoch and wrote, “And about these also Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 14-15).

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The return of our Lord is with many thousand, some write ten thousand of ten thousand of His saints. He will come to execute judgment upon the acts of an ungodly world and those ungodly sinners who spoke against our Lord.

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He will back in just the same way

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Remember, nearly 2,000 years ago the disciples gathered on the Mount of Olives and said, Goodbye as our Lord Jesus was lifted up and returned to heaven. “He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; and they also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).

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A Cloud Received Him

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“A cloud received Him out of their sight.” The Greek word for cloud here is nephele which come from the root word nephos which means, a large dense multitude. This is the same word for cloud as we find in Hebrews 12:1 where it says; “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us.” It could easily read, “Therefore, since we have so great a ‘large dense multitude’ of witnesses surrounding us.” This cloud is really a crowd and this Greek word is the same word that Greeks would use to describe a large crowd like you might find in a stadium for a sporting event.

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Jesus was received into a great multitude of those raised with Him as first fruits to the Father. Matthew described these when he wrote; “and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many” (Matthew 27:52-53).

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Jesus is going to return with His saints just as He left with His saints. “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). This cloud of saints that is returning with Jesus is the same saints that met the Lord in the air at the rapture along with all the Old Testament saints raised with Him following the resurrection.

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The Lord returns on a White Horse

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The great cloud of saints from the Old Testament will be joined together with the New Testament saints of the body of Christ along with the 144,000 who are raptured out of the tribulation. The Lord and His army will return to the earth to judge her wicked.

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John the Revelator wrote it like this; “And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses” (Revelation 19:11-14).

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Heaven will open and they will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky” (Matthew 24:30, Jesus quotes from Daniel 7:13). This passage in Revelation says He judges and wages war. He judges His enemies and wages war to reclaim the land of His bride.

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Out of His mouth comes a Sharp Sword

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Jesus is all powerful; He is the Word of God, and by His Word all things hold together. The Bible then says, “And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His Robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:15-16).

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Our king rode a donkey colt into Jerusalem on the way to the cross. But when He returns to the earth after 2,000 years it will not be with a lamb on His shoulders. No it won’t be, gentle Jesus, meek and mild. He is a King, He brought His sharp sword, and He is ready for battle. He comes in fierce anger wearing a robe dipped in blood. He will lay waste to His enemies and those who are the enemies of His people.

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All the Birds which Fly

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John the Revelator then writes, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God; in order that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great” (Revelation 19:17-18).

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“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed he signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh” (Revelation 19:19-21).

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The Return is a Day of Atonement

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“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:31-34).

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“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).

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Judgment or Salvation

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The return of the Lord is either good news or bad news depending on your perspective.

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Sadly those who have not received Jesus and believed in Him are judged already. The Bible says, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:17-18).

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Your relationship with Jesus will determine your eternal future. Your future is either salvation or judgment. Those who receive and believe will be saved through Jesus. This passage says, “He who believes in Him is not judged, but he who does not believe has been judged already!” What is your relationship with Jesus?

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