The Character Of The Kingdom Series

#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.