#10~ MORE ABOUT THE KINGDOM #3 8-24-13
The last two broadcasts we talked mainly about the people that would populate the millennial Kingdom of King Jesus, so we'll not dwell on that subject again today.
Today we'll talk for a few minutes regarding the character of the kingdom; the book of Isaiah has much to say regarding kingdom prophecies.
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~In Isaiah chapter 11, we're told that animals that we know today to be naturally dangerous and meat eaters will eat only vegetation during the Kingdom, they'll be as the old saying goes, "as gentle as a lamb".
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~ The quality of the Messiah's kingdom will be one of complete peace and harmony.
>Isaiah 11:6-9 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; (a young goat) and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, (Egyptian cobra, very poisonous snake) and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. (Aggressive poisonous snake) --- Around here we know the water moccasin to be aggressive.
9They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: (Kingdom) for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
~ There are many people through out the world who deny the deity of Jesus Christ, including many who even deny the existence of God. But that will not be the case in the kingdom. -- (for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.)
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~ Animals that we consider to be dangerous such as the, wolf ... leopard ... lion ... bear, here in this passage are to be taken literally and not symbolic as some seem to think, as some want to apply it to different types of hostile people.
~ We notice in these verses that these ravenous animals are set in deliberate contrast against the more defenseless lamb ... kid ... calf ... cow and ox.
~ The reference to a little child and the sucking child shows that there will not only be harmony between men in the Messiah's kingdom, but there will also be harmony between the animals and between man and all the animals.
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~ God, Who created all things, includes all the animals, and the animals will be obedient to His will and command.
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~Before the great flood, neither man nor beast ate meat, all were vegetarians.
>Genesis 1:29-30 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (Food)
30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
* Notice at the beginning every living creature eat only vegetation.
~ to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life--
~ Both Adam and the beasts are given the herbs and fruits to eat. So man and beast were all vegetarian. However, God changed things after the great flood.
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Genesis 9:2-3 God says to Noah, 2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat ** for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
~ So the animals began to fear man, because man was given permission to eat the animals. This is also when many animals became meat eaters.
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~People will have the potential to live the entire thousand years, people will still farm and enjoy the fruit of their labor without being fearful of it being taken over by some one else, they'll build houses and live in peace at last.
„« Isaiah 65: 20- 25
20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
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~In the genealogy from Adam to Noah given in Genesis 5 through 9:29, there are extremely long life spans.
~ With the exception of Enoch who was raptured by God Gen. 5:24 at the age of 365 years and Lamech who died at the age of 777 years, we find that all of the other eight lived between 895 and 969 years.
~But after the great flood, there was a rapid drop in life span to a little over 400 years. Around the time of the tower of Babel, life spans dropped to a little over 200 years. Then they began to slowly decrease to more modern life spans over a period of hundreds of years.
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~But like many other things in the Bible, many will say that the idea of people living for more than 900 years is ridicules.
~LISTEN dear heart, we read in the bible that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, and we that are believers believe it.
~But we as believers would have also believed that Jonah swallowed the great fish if it was in the bible, we believe the Bible whether we understand it or not.
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~LISTEN- Prior to the flood it didn't rain on the earth, instead the earth was watered by a mist that came up from the ground Gen. 2:5-6.
~Also after the great flood man began to eat meat for the first time Gen. 9:3.
~ Also the removal of the layers of waters above the firmament Gen. 1:7 and 7:11 may have affected the sun's rays, and possible the earth's magnetic field, or the air pressure, these could possible be a factor of people living shorter lives, but all these things God knew about. --- We that are saved have eternal life, and we've had eternal life from the instant we were saved, we don't receive eternal life after the rapture, we have it now.
>John 10: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
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~After the flood, the human race was replenished through only eight people Gen. 6:18, ** (eight- number of new beginning).
~ God was in control of the gene factor in those days, today having children by a close relative often causes physical and or mental problems.
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~Let me say, one common misunderstanding is to think that only those who are resurrected or changed into immortal bodies will enter the kingdom, if that were the case then no one in the kingdom could possibly sin or die.
~ We've said much about the "SHEEP & GOATS" IN Matt. 25:31-46, they will bear children who are mortal as well.
~ The same is true for the many Israelites who will survive the great tribulation, and will bear children in the kingdom. -- remember no one enters the Kingdom accept saved people, but their children will be capable of both sin and death in the millennial kingdom, even though Satan will be in chains and unable to influence them.
~ Rebellion against King Jesus and His ruling rod of iron will be a sure way to join the countless number in hell awaiting the white throne judgment that takes place after the Millennium.
>Ezekiel 37:25-26 And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever.
26Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.
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~Jesus said in Matt. 8: 11-12 And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob will at that time have glorified bodies, along with all the O.T.saints.
12But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
~ So again, this verse tells us that some people that are born in the Kingdom can and will sin and be cast into hell.
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„« There will be tremendous geographical changes in Israel.
~When Jesus Christ returns to the Mount of Olives, just east of Jerusalem, an earthquake will split the mountain in two as His feet touch MT. Olivet -- the Almighty Powerful God has returned.
~Jesus will physically place His feet on the Mount of Olives, the last place He stood at His Ascension in acts 1:10-12
~This will cause a literal and massive upheaval in the geography of the landscape, producing a valley through which water will flow.
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> Zechariah 14:4-5 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.
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~Also the fountain of living water described in Zechariah and Ezekiel will have a geographical impact.
>Zechariah 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.
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>Zechariah 14:8 tells us where the waters will flow.
And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former (eastern) sea, and half of them toward the hinder (western) sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
~Life will flow from a place that has been for centuries the focus on war and death. But at this time Christ will be there as King of kings.
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>Zechariah 14: 9-10 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
10All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, --
~ Water will easily flow as now the land is elevated.
>Zechariah 14:11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
~Jerusalem will never again be attacked and overrun by anyone. The Jews and all believers will have a safe refuge and dwelling there.
The region has seen little peace, but when the Prince of Peace reigns, only peace will be allowed.
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~ The living waters will flow out of Jerusalem in two directions, to the west to the great sea (Mediterranean Sea) and to the east to the Dead Sea (eastern or Salt Sea).
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„« The Dead Sea will be healed.
~The Dead Sea is about 10 miles wide and 50 miles long running north and south along the eastern side of Judea.
~ It has no outlet and is seven times more salty than the oceans. -- No fish live in the Dead Sea, and ocean fish placed in its waters soon die.
~ Only certain types of microbes live in it.
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„« But In Ezekiel 47:8-11 we're told the waters of the Dead Sea will be healed.
>Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof (swamps and marshes) shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.
~Engedi, mentioned above, is on the western coast of the Dead Sea about 25 miles southeast of Jerusalem.
~A peninsula juts out into the sea from the east. -- South of this peninsula the Dead Sea is shallow, less than 20 feet deep in most places. -- But the majority of the sea is north of the peninsula, where the central and northern part of the sea is more than one thousand feet deep. -- Perhaps verse 11 refers to the shallow southern end, furthest from Jerusalem, that will remain too salty for aquatic life.
~ Much mineral will be extracted from it.
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This passage is not in conflict with the passage that refers to there being no sea.
That's in Revelation 21:1 and it refers to the new heaven and new earth and occurs after the one thousand year kingdom that is being described here.
