THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM
Psalms 67:1-7 “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. 2 That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. 3 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. 5 Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 6 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. 7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.”
There are Messianic Psalms, Praise & Adoration Psalms, Deliverance Psalms; Historical Psalms; there are Penitential Psalms. There are also Prophetic Psalms (Psalm 22 for instance). The Psalm we will look at is a Prophetic Psalm. The prophetic picture given us in this psalm is that of the Millennial Reign of Christ.
Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost wrote, “A larger body of prophetic Scripture is devoted to the subject of the millennium...than any other one subject. This millennial age, in which the purposes of God are fully realized on the earth, demands considerable attention...that which is clearly revealed in the Word can be our only true guide as to the nature and character of that period.”
In our present day there is a considerable lack of knowledge about the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. Largely because there is much confusion concerning the differences between Israel and the church.
Romans 15:4 says, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” I believe it’s appropriate to make application of this Psalm in challenging the CHURCH with a greater missionary zeal.
C. H. Spurgeon wrote concerning this Psalm, “How admirably balanced are the parts of this missionary song! The people of God long to see all the nations participating in their privileges, ‘visited with God’s salvation, and gladdened with the gladness of his nation’ (Psalm 106:5). They long to hear all the nationalities giving thanks to the Lord, and hallowing his name; to see the face of the whole earth, which sin has darkened so long, smiling with the brightness of a second Eden. The desire is so expressed as to connect with it the thought of duty and responsibility. For how do they expect that the happy times are to be reached? They trust, in the first instance, to the general diffusion of the knowledge of God’s way, the spreading abroad of the truth regarding the way of salvation. With a view to that, they cry for a time of quickening from the presence of the Lord, and take encouragement in this prayer from the terms of the divinely-appointed benediction.”
This is one of the magnificent proofs of inspiration that there is often an immediate view and a prophetic view of scripture. This Psalm is primarily Prophetic of the Millennial Kingdom of Christ and is addressed to the sincere believer.
The Fact of The Millennium: “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in
their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Rev 20:4
The Purpose of The Millennium:
To Reward The Righteous. Matthew 25:34 “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” Colossians 3:24 “Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.”
To Answer The Oft-prayed Model Prayer. Luke 11:2 “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.’
To Redeem the Creation. In Genesis 3 God curses creation because of Adam’s sin and man’s paradise became man’s wilderness. During the Millennium all this will change.
Romans 8:19-22 “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”
To Establish Jesus Christ As KING of Kings & LORD of Lords. Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Understanding These Purposes For The Millennial Kingdom Let’s Examine Psalm 67.
#1. THE PRAYER OF EVERY SINCERE BELIEVER – v 1. “God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.”
Numbers 6:24-27 “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”
#2. THE CONCERN OF EVERY SINCERE BELIEVER – v 2. “That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.”
#3. THE HOPE OF EVERY SINCERE BELIEVER – v 3. “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.”
World Peace & Prosperity Under The Monarchy of Christ – v 4.
Isaiah 2:4 “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”
Zephaniah 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over
thee with singing.”
Universal Belief In The One True God – v 5.
The Redemption of Creation – v 6. See Isaiah 35.
Prepared by Pastor Kevin Burden ~ Carter Creek Baptist ~ For Wednesday, May 31, 2006
