MATTHEW 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. Jesus clearly said that the Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached to all nations before He returns.
What is the Gospel of the Kingdom? The Church is not the kingdom of God; it is a part of the kingdom.
The Kingdom of God is God’s rule in heaven and on the earth and throughout the entire universe. Long before the church existed, the Kingdom of God was flourishing. Only later did the church become a part of that kingdom.
The church is made up of those called out of one kingdom into another Kingdom
(Ekklesia G1577: a calling out). The Gospel or Good News of the Kingdom encompasses the following:
• God’s rule before man was created
• The fall of Lucifer
• The battle between light and darkness or the two spiritual kingdoms
• Man and his place in the Kingdom of God
• Redemption through Jesus
• The coming literal Kingdom of God in the earth
Much of the above has been covered or taught to some degree within the body of Christ; however, some aspects have been neglected.
The coming literal Kingdom of God in the earth is not being preached.
Throughout the ages, the power and reign of Satan has manifested itself in the individual as well as in corporate society.
Society, as well as the individual, has become evil.
Conversely, redemption is also manifest in the individual and in society.
Many large corporations around the world have become evil in their business practices with the imbedded philosophy of profit at any cost.
Most governments of the world today likewise have become evil in as much as their inner workings are corrupt and anti-God.
Many non-Christians are aware of this, which in turn gives rise to the many protest groups and movements.
Where is the voice and message of the church as the world continues to spiral downward?
The New Age movement preceded the church with its message of a Coming New Age, sweeping millions of people into this movement while the church stood by and just criticized it.
What is the future of our planet earth?
Where will it all end?
Is there a plan, a purpose, a meaning to history and what is the final outcome?
Will global warming determine the future of our planet?
Why are we all on this planet anyway?
How did we get here and for what purpose?
If the church does not respond to the growing need that mankind has for answers to these questions, Satan will.
There is a famine in Millennium Teaching
The church, on the whole, has been very remiss in not addressing these fears and questions that man has.
The Gospel of the Kingdom answers these perplexing questions.
When did you last hear a sermon on the Millennium Reign of Christ?
Has anyone explained to you why you were born on this planet where you found the Lord, only to be faced with the prospect of eventually dying and going to heaven?
What is the point of it all?
REVELATION 20:1-6 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season 4. 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. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The Scriptures clearly teach that Jesus will return again to the earth to set up His literal Kingdom and reign and rule for a thousand years.
God will not allow Satan to exercise his power in human history forever.
Man will not destroy himself, becoming an extinct species.
There is a great future for Planet Earth and for those who survive the coming clash between light and darkness.
A Glorious New Age is on the Horizon
Jesus is coming again soon to set up His kingdom on this earth. This generation needs to know this.
PROVERBS 29:18 Where there is no vision (Hb. teaching), the people perish: (Hb. cast off restraint)
In the late sixties, a whole generation of young people rebelled, they cast off restraints and generally ran amuck. The hippy movement was born.
The reason: they had been taught in schools and universities that they existed by chance or accident and there is no meaning to life, so, as the phrase goes, if you have no hope, “eat drink and be merry for tomorrow you die.”
The theory of evolution is just that – a theory. It cannot be proven; in fact, it is so far outside of generally accepted guidelines for scientific proof that it has been said that “to believe in it should be grounds for insanity”.
As a direct result of this philosophy, lawlessness broke out on campuses all over the world. The human soul cannot survive in an empty meaningless universe.
A glorious new age is about to dawn and the world need to know it Soon, the last bullet will fall to the earth and the battle of Armageddon will be over.
The doors will swing open to the 1000-year reign of Christ, an age of peace and joy, a time when equity will prevail, a wonderful period of learning to rule and reign with Jesus.
REVELATION 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean 15. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
REVELATION 20:1-3 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3. And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
It’s time for the Kingdom of God to be preached; only then can the end come.
The gospel we hear preached today is, for the most part, a fire insurance policy to avoid going to hell.
However, the gospel Jesus preached was much more than that – it was the Gospel of the Kingdom. Jesus constantly emphasized the coming Kingdom of God.
Today much of what we hear is what we can get out of the Gospel: Peace Joy, Provision, Healing, Prosperity, etc.
But Jesus made statements such as these:
• “Take up your cross and follow Me.” (Matt 16:24)
• “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.” (Matt 10:39)
• “Unless a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone.” (John 12:24)
The Kingdom of God is mentioned 68 times in the New Testament
Often, the gospel is presented in reverse – come to Jesus and receive all of these blessings.
But Jesus said Seek FIRST the Kingdom God and all these other things will be added. “Unless you forsake all you cannot be My disciple.”
LUKE 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not (to detest (especially to persecute); by extension to love less) his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. (If we put these things first, we cannot be His disciples) 27. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
MATTHEW 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”
In heaven there is excitement and fervent preparation in anticipation of the return of Jesus to set up His kingdom on earth.
All of heaven is alive with the expectation of this coming event; the angels were keyed in and working towards the momentous occasion.
Why aren’t we, the church, living in anticipation of this event? It is because our focus is wrong.
If we are honest with ourselves, most of us live for the here and now, with little thought to the future life we have in God.
MARK 10:29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s, 30. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. 31. But many that are first shall be last; and the last first.
The spiritual state we are in when we die will determine our position in the coming Kingdom of God on earth.
To the degree to which you have become love will be the primary factor in determining your place in the Kingdom of God.
What will those who enter into the Millennium Reign of Christ do during those 1000 years?
Let us look at The Parable of the Talents.
In Luke 19 we are given a prophetic illustration of the roles some will play in the coming literal Kingdom of God on earth. This parable illustrates how each of us has been given special abilities and gifts by the grace of God; how these gifts were used will be the determining factor in the rewards each will receive.
The rewards were positions of authority in the coming Kingdom of God on the earth.
LUKE 19:16 Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. 17. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. 18. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. 19. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities
This clearly illustrates the importance of how we live our lives here and now. When Jesus sets up His literal kingdom on this earth, how is this kingdom going to be run?
It will be run with Jesus as the head and his blood-washed overcoming people under Him in various positions of authority.
When this earth finally comes into rest on the seventh day, the curse over the earth will finally be lifted and the inauguration of a new and different world will be ushered in.
As this present age comes to a close, God will have a people prepared to take over the reigns of the government of this earth, a people who qualify to reign with the Lord.
The true New Age is about to dawn; an age of peace and equity will prevail, an age when all of nature will be in harmony.
ISAIAH 2:2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. 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.
Nature will be changed radically as the earth returns to its Eden-like origins.
ISAIAH 11:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea
ISAIAH 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the hurt-injuries of his people, and healeth the sever wounds he inflicted ( a blow stroke, the strips of a whip).
The whole of creation is in travail, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8-22). The earth will come into rest, storms will cease and a perfect climate will prevail worldwide. There will be no more earthquakes as the earth releases its tension in one great and final cataclysmic earthquake.
REVELATION 16:18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.
With one great and final earthquake, God will shakedown all that is decadent in this world, leveling the cities in order to build a brand-new world.
Who will be the architects and builders and supervisors in the rebuilding of a new world?
Who else but God’s people!
God needs many supervisors trained and ready to build a new world. These people will at times be taken to heaven for training and preparation.
Traveling between heaven and earth will be very common during the millennium. I have seen some of the architecture in heaven and nothing on this earth can compare to it.
Many will be needed to supervise the landscaping of the new cities. Rulers will be needed on every level of God’s government on earth. That is why we must begin to gain a working knowledge and experience in the ways of the Lord. We have to be taught, trained and prepared.
We must develop Godly Qualities
The qualities we must develop are the qualities of God such as:
• Love – the primary quality
• Justice
• Mercy
• Meekness
• Faithfulness
• Discernment
• Obedience
We must have the ability to make decisions; we must develop determination with patience. These are some of the God-qualities needed.
All of the trials, successes and failures, disappointments and setbacks and how we respond to them in this life are part of the training.
You see, it’s not so much what we have done or accomplished in this life, as much as what we have become.
Can the Lord see His image in us?
As we come to the end of the sixth day, the six thousand years from Adam, we come to a climax of the ages when His kingdom comes “on earth as it is in heaven”.
When the thousand years come to a close and the heavenly city descends to earth, God’s major purposes will just be beginning.
REVELATION 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
REVELATION 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto his servants the things which must shortly be done 7. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
REVELATION 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be 13. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.
As the New Jerusalem comes down to earth, the earth becomes the capital of the universe and God’s people, after gaining 1000 years of experience ruling and supervising God’s Kingdome on earth, now stand poised to extend His Kingdom out into the universe, worlds without end.
LUKE 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
The trials, pressures, disappointments, and injustices of this life will all have been worth it.
ROMANS 8:18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
We are living at the end of the sixth day. 6000 years have passed since Adam, and we are ready to enter the day of rest – a thousand years of peace on earth and goodwill to all men.
In knowing this, what kind of people ought we to be?
2 PETER 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness
Life is becoming more complex as this age rapidly counts down to the end.
Life on this planet will become more treacherous as fear, hate, and violence grip the nations of this world. This earth is hurtling towards its final apocalyptic climax.
But for the overcoming Christian, he knows that the encroaching darkness and Earth’s convulsions are just the birth pangs of a glorious New Age.
We can’t lose confidence now; we are about to break out of 6000 years of conflict into a brilliant new millennium world were the cares, pressures, disappointments of the past will give way to fulfillment yet undreamed of.
There is yet a great and mighty harvest of souls to be gathered in as massive outpourings of God’s Spirit are seen in every Nation and this Gospel – the Gospel of the Kingdom – will be preached to the entire world.
Then, and only then, this present age will depart with a roaring crescendo of unbelievable destruction, with wars raging and the whole of creation convulsing with earthquakes, famines, and unimaginable storms.
ZEPHANIAH 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly 15. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, 16. A day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. 17. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. 18. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD’S wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land
The dying age will mercifully expire with Armageddon.
The millennium is not a rest cure for neurotic Christians; it is the dawning of a fantastic New Age where God’s people will rule and reign with Him.
We will be Rebuilding a New World
After the devastating wars of the end of this age and the final battle of Armageddon, the world population will have been greatly reduced, and most of the world’s buildings will lie in ruins.
The devastation with be unimaginable.
Just clearing away and disposing of the rubble will be a major task at the beginning of this New Age – just burying the dead will be an enormous task.
EZEKIEL 39:11 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog. 12. And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land. 14. And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search15. And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog. 16. And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah. Thus shall they cleanse the land.
Quite often we have the idea that the Lord will just wave His hand and everything will be restored – not so.
When God put Adam and Eve in paradise, they were to subdue the earth and tend the Garden. Man destroyed this paradise and man will have to restore it.
Building a New World First, a government under Jesus will have to be set up. Some will rule and reign over cities, others over provinces and so on.
In heaven there is order; the Bible makes it very clear that in God’s Kingdom there is orderly government.
Rebuilding: A massive building program will get underway. Civil engineers, architects, and planners will be needed.
God’s people will be involved in planning and rebuilding the new world of tomorrow.
Ecology will need to be re-balanced as a new climate takes hold.
Science and Technology will not be discarded but will reach its zenith.
Economics: The present economic systems of the world based on profit will be discarded for an equitable and fair system with plenty for all.
The Music and Arts will reach a level unprecedented in human history.
There will be No More Famine:
EZEKIEL 34:29 And I will raise up for them a plant of renown, and they shall be no more consumed with hunger in the land, neither bear the shame of the heathen any more.
Unshackled Minds: Because God’s people will have resurrection bodies, their minds will be released and free to function at the highest level.
It is said that man at present uses less than 10% of his brain capacity.
A sudden unshackling of human creativity will translate into beautiful creations in this new World.
A University at Jerusalem: There will be a teaching center at Jerusalem where the Lord Himself will teach us of His ways.
Can you imagine the subjects that will be taught: Planet Management, Astral Physics, Agriculture, Science, Celestial Music, Cosmic Energy, The Power of Love, Secrets of the Universe, Economics, etc.
Because we are destined to rule with the Lord as Joint Heirs in the age to come, such knowledge will be needed.
God is preparing a people for this New Age and you have been chosen to live in this century when the climax of these things will occur.
Your destiny is tied up with this. God is looking for a people. He is running an ad. Throughout the body of Christ, the cry of the Spirit is:
Wanted: (To build a New Age)
• Wanted – men, women, and young people.
• Must be disciplined, faithful, and committed.
• Qualities needed: meekness and humility.
• Must be compassionate and grounded in love.
• Must be able to follow orders without question.
• Must be willing to lay down your lives.
• Must have an assurance that you were born for this.
• Training is already underway, so don’t delay in applying.
• Your commitment will be recorded in heaven
1 CORINTHIANS 9:24Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. 25. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible 26. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
PHILIPPIANS 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
As the new day is about to break, we need to be like Jacob.
GENESIS 32:26 And he (God) said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he (Jacob) said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. May the Lord inspire you to press into the prize of the high calling in Christ Jesus; you were born for this hour, so rise up and fulfill your destiny.