Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 2. I want to speak to you tonight—instead of the one that I mentioned to you this morning that I might speak to you from, I'm going to speak to you on the subject of the Millennial Kingdom. It's been almost two years since I've preached, I just realized a few days ago when I was studying on this subject again, I went back and checked some of my records of when I'd preached on it. It's been almost two years since I've preached specifically on this subject. And so I thought this would be a good chance to do it tonight since it's just us here to preach on the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

This is a vision that men have had all down through the ages, of a Utopia, of a perfect kingdom coming upon the earth. And I've got news for them, it's really coming. All of these stories that they tell about it in literature and in mythology and all the ideas that men have had down through the ages of history about a perfect age that they were going to bring upon the earth, they were just so many words. So much hot air.

But there is coming a day --- and I believe not long from now when there will be a real Utopia on this earth. A genuine, honest to goodness, glorious kingdom which will be world-wide and fantastic and marvelous in its scope.

So let's read in Isaiah chapter 2, beginning with verse 2. We'll read through verse 4 there and then we're going over to Revelation 20.

Isaiah 2:2-4 --- "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. 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."

Now let's turn over and read another passage in Revelation chapter 20, beginning with verse 4 and reading down through verse 6. Revelation 20:4-6 --- "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. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 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."

Now basically what we've read here in Revelation tells us that the unsaved dead will not be in the Millennium. That is one of the main messages that we got from that little short passage we read in Revelation 20. The unsaved dead won't even be resurrected, in other words at that time until after the thousand years. That's one of the things we want to keep in mind now as we go through this together.

Let us begin to think about this in an organized fashion. This glorious Millennial Kingdom that's soon coming upon this earth, what does that word Millennium mean? Well, it is very simple what that word Millennium means. People these days, the modern scientists, the modern religious scientists I should say, all the modernists who want to tone everything down in the Bible and take away most of the miracles, they try to interpret this word Millennium which Bible believers commonly use, to mean just what they want it to mean.

(Neither the word "millennium" nor the word "millennial" as such is found in the Bible, but the meaning of the words is clearly there! Both words refer to a period of time of 1,000 years, and anyone who says otherwise is either an ignoramus or a liar). But modernists sometimes try to re-interpret the meaning of this time period as a day, a few days or a few years, which they may or may not call the Millennium. But that's contrary to the very meaning of the word!)

The meaning of the word Millennium is a thousand years (and the correct word for a thousand year time period is "millennium". It comes from two Latin words: the word milli meaning one thousand, and anum meaning year. So there's just no way that they can take this word Millennium and make it mean anything except a thousand years. And yet some of the modernists today say it's just a little short period of time and they don't worry about whether it's a few years or a few months or twenty years or fifty years. But they say it's certainly not a thousand years. But, of course, we know that it is, because even the meaning of the word is a thousand years and besides that, there are several passages of Scripture, one of which we just read to you from Revelation, which also clearly indicates a thousand years reign on the earth for the faithful ones who follow the Lord.

From these two words, though, this milli and anum comes the word Millennium, meaning a thousand years. And it's a standard measurement of time just as much as the word century. The word century is a common measurement of time we use. No one fusses against the idea that a century means a hundred years. In fact, I don't think you could find anyone, any sensible person anywhere who would fuss with the idea that the word century means a hundred years. And yet, they try to abandon this idea that Millennium means a thousand years. But it does, just as much as century means a hundred years.

No one would fuss with the idea that the word decade means ten years. But they just don't like to admit that there's coming a time when Christ is going to be supreme. We love to admit that. In fact, we love to brag about it don't we? But the modernist, he doesn't like to admit that there's ever going to be a time when Christ is really going to be supreme. But the word Millennium does mean a thousand years and it cannot mean anything else. It is not possible either by Scripture reference or Scripture context to make this period of time when Christ will reign personally in His Kingdom on the earth to mean anything except a thousand years reign.

This concept of a perfect kingdom on the earth is a little bit hard for us to understand --- you might say, "Well, why is that? Why is it hard for us to understand?" This is one of the reasons why people who claim to be Christians sometimes reject the idea of a perfect kingdom on the earth, because it is hard for us to understand. And one reason why it is hard for us to understand is because we've never known a world without sin being in control! We've never known a world where sin did not reign. We've never lived in any circumstance where sin was not generally in control of all of our surroundings.

Therefore it is difficult even for a Christian to understand the idea of a perfect kingdom where sin will be suppressed and controlled. That is, it won't be in control any more as it is now. And instead a righteous King shall reign over all the earth. That is difficult to conceive because of the fact that we have nothing with which to compare it because we've never known anything except a time such as we have now when sin more or less controls the world. There's never been a time when we didn't have to battle against iniquity both high and low. You can't remember any time in your life when we didn't have all kinds of problems of sin and iniquity all around you --- Everywhere you went and everywhere you looked. And therefore it's hard for us to imagine such a perfect kingdom on the earth and understand it properly. We've never lived in a world which was not overgrown and over-sown with sin. It's always been that way, since the fall. It's become the normal thing to us. And yet we need to reject that idea of allowing it to become normal to us.

One way we can reject that idea in our mind of sin all around us being normal, is to look forward to this perfect kingdom, isn't it? It'll help us to reject the idea of sin all around us being normal. Weeping and sorrow and sickness, bereavement, separation and despair have always been our lot ever since we've grown up enough to understand anything about anything. That's always been our lot. Yet there's coming a day when all those things will mean nothing anymore. They will cease to be.

So it's because of our own present experiences that we cannot understand everything about the Millennium. We can't really conceive it in our mind because of this lack of any reference with which to compare it. There is nothing in our personal experiences with which to compare.

But you say, "Well, since we can't understand everything about the Millennium, isn't that a serious problem for us?" No. It's not really a serious problem for us; there's not a need to understand everything about the Millennium, is there? We do need to understand that this Kingdom is coming, and we need to understand some of the outstanding things about it. And we can clearly understand those from what the Scripture tells us. But we don't need to know every little detail. We don't need to know what day of the month or even what part of the year everyone will go up to Jerusalem to worship. We don't need to know that, do we? It doesn't matter to us now. Of course, the bride, the queen, the King's Queen will be there with Him all the time anyway, so it won't really matter to us what time of the year the others come up to Jerusalem to worship. Because we'll be there all the time with the King.

But it's sufficient for us to know and to understand that there's going to be a completely new order, a new dispensation, that all these old things are going to pass away and change at the time of the Millennium. There'll be a new age and it'll be a golden age for man, won't it? A marvelous golden age. It will be glorious, as we can read in the Scriptures which we do understand. We can see that it's going to be a glorious kingdom.

Man has dreamed down through history of a golden age. If you go back and study the old historians, or historical studies of all of the various great kingdoms of the earth, you'll find that everyone of them have some sort of myth or legend or plot or hope or plan for a perfect kingdom. Each one of them did! As long as the human race has existed, man has dreamed of a golden age, of a perfect kingdom.

The beginning of this dream is lost so far back in history that we don't even know when it began. I would have to assume that it must have begun way back at least before the tower of Babel. That presumably may have been part of what the tower of Babel was all about, was man's own effort to set up a perfect kingdom. It very likely was part of man's idea in that. So at least, we'd have to say it goes way back almost to Adam, couldn't we? Almost back to Adam.

But it's shown in the literature of all the races where we have their literature preserved, we can trace this idea in their history of a desire for or a plan for or a hope for a future perfect kingdom or golden age.

In Egyptian history, we can find it. In Babylonian history, in the Chaldean history, we can find it. You may remember some of the things that we have recorded even some things that Nebuchadnezzar said lead clearly to this idea that he thought and believed in and hoped for a great and glorious worldwide kingdom that would be a golden age for man.

The ancient Medes and Persians had such an idea. It appears in the bits of their history that are preserved. It appears in the midst of the Greeks and the Romans. They all had a desire for this golden age and looked forward to it and hoped for it and dreamed about it in one way or another. Of course, what was the golden age and what was a perfect kingdom to one was not always necessarily what the next group dreamed about as a perfect kingdom. But they were all looking for some glorious, perfect kingdom to come upon the earth.

We can also find this same vision of a perfect kingdom dreamed of all the way through Scriptures but with a difference. Because in the Scriptures, in many places and by many different writers we can find an inspired record of their revelations from God about this future glorious kingdom which is coming upon the earth. This golden age for the earth and mankind.

A lot is said by the Bible prophecies about the Millennial age, much more than many other subjects. You might wonder about that statement, but if you go back and read the Old Testament prophets, you'll find that there's a tremendous amount of writing there, a huge amount of material about this Millennial age.

If you look at Daniel chapter 2:44 and 45, you'll find it says this: "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure."

So, even here in Daniel chapter 2 we have a record of this glorious Millennial kingdom. There's clearly coming a kingdom to be established by God Himself. We'll read a lot of other details about this kingdom. Some of the other details are given later on in Daniel 7.

Peter speaks about this. He says in Acts 3:21 that this great event of earth's jubilee has been spoken of by all His holy prophets since the world began. So, that shows that it's been spoken of by every prophet since the beginning of the world, every prophet of God since the beginning of the world has spoken of this golden age, this glorious kingdom that's coming. Because Peter said so in Acts 3:21.

There's never been a time when this re-creation of Eden has not been spoken of through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It's repeatedly referred to all down through the Scriptures. Even the angels and the voices from heaven are going to proclaim the coming kingdom.

If we look at Revelation chapter 11, verse 15, we'll find these words: "And the seventh angel sounded," (this is Revelation 11:15). "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Now that's voices from heaven saying that, isn't it? In Revelation 11:15, when the seventh angel sounded.

Turning on a little further to look at another aspect, turn to Daniel chapter 7. It tells us there a little bit about this King of this glorious kingdom. In Daniel 7, beginning with verse 13, it says this, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

So Daniel is clearly speaking here of the glorious King of this glorious kingdom, Jesus Christ, the Savior. This passage in Daniel chapter 7, verses 13 and 14 is clearly describing a slightly different view of the same scene that we see in Revelation chapter 5, verses 6 through 10. Daniel is giving just a slightly different viewpoint of what's recorded in Revelation 5:6 through 10. "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." So this is clearly a little different viewpoint, a little different directional look at the same general event, here in Revelation 5!

The form of government during the Millennial Kingdom is going to be something that we're not familiar with today. But the old Jews were familiar with it in the good, old days, back in the time of the Judges, for example. In the time back before the kings and even to a limited degree we could say that they were familiar with it even during the time of the Jewish kings. It's called a theocracy.

Now, a theocracy is literally God reigning --- That is what it amounts to; the definition and meaning of it. God reigning. But in this case, of course, the kingdom or the theocracy that will exist will be God reigning directly and visibly in the person of Jesus Christ. He won't be reigning through the Judges as He did back in the time of the Judges of Israel. He won't be reigning through the Jewish kings or the Israelite kings as He did when they were faithful to Him. Or as He did under Moses when Moses was leading them, or when Joshua was leading them. That was a theocracy even then. God was leading His people through a certain man. But in this case, He'll be leading, He'll be reigning in the person of Jesus Christ.

Luke chapter 1, verses 30 through 33 tells us a little bit about this. You may remember that here the angel is speaking to Mary telling her about the birth of Christ. "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end." So, it is coming. And the theocratic kingdom will be set up when God will reign directly and visibly in the person of Jesus Christ.

There are seven different "shalls" in this little short passage from Luke. Seven different "shalls" and four of these have already been fulfilled. And there are three yet to be fulfilled. And they will all be fulfilled just as surely as the first four have already been fulfilled. But these three: "He shall reign over the house of David," "and of His kingdom there shall be no end." And then, I missed the first one there: "shall give unto Him the throne of His father David." These three have not yet been fulfilled. But the first four have been, and these last three will also be as certainly fulfilled as have already the first four.

The blessings and glories of this coming kingdom on earth are going to be incredible to think about. Turn to Isaiah 65. We'll read a few verses there beginning with verse 19. Isaiah 65, beginning with verse 19: "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days." Now what that's amounting to there in that first part of that twentieth verse, he's saying that people are going to live a long time. It seems that people will live many hundreds of years during the Millennium. In other words, a youngster, just a babe, will be a hundred years by comparison.

"There 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." See what I'm talking about? He'll still just be a youngster when he's a hundred years old. "But the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They 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. They 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."

So there won't be any more of this business of you get a place and just get it fixed up and then some shark comes along and you lose it some way. You know what I'm talking about. All of you've had experiences like that when you either lost a place or somebody tried to fiddle you out of it, whether they succeeded or not. Well, there won't be any of that in the Millennium. That will be a time when they will build their houses and they'll live in them in peace and plenty and happiness. There won't be any of this business of watching out to see that that fellow you bought your house from on a deed of sale doesn't cheat you out of your money and keep his house besides. Won't have to worry about that in those days like you do now.

Many wonderful things are promised in this passage that we just read here in Isaiah 65. In the first place you may have noticed one of the first things he promised was that there'd be no more weeping or crying to be heard. Just won't be anymore sorrow. No need to weep or cry. And we need to remember also that during this period of time Satan is going to be bound in the bottomless pit during the Millennium. Therefore he won't be around to bother us! He'll be out of our way during that time.

And when Jesus reigns from the throne in Jerusalem, the sorrows which now beset the world will be removed. No more sorrows, no more weeping, no more crying to be heard. Life will be greatly prolonged as we just read to you there in Isaiah 65. A youngster will be a hundred years old. Life is going to be much longer then. Remember what it says in verse 20? "There 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."

Now as we said it appears from this passage that a minimum life-span is going to be a hundred years. And that one will still be a youngster at the age of a hundred. And if you look at the last part of verse 22, notice what it says: "As the days of a tree are the days of my people and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." So that again indicates long life and prosperity.

Death will only come about during this period of time, I believe, from open rebellion against the King. I don't think you can find any other place, any other indication of death during the Millennium except that caused by open rebellion against the King. In no other case can you find it. The curse being removed, man can live out a thousand blessed years, a day in God's time, in a state of joyous peace and plenty and happiness from day to day.

The Jews that are living in the Millennium will all have been converted to Christ. There won't be any of these Judaic Jews left; they'll all be Christians then. They'll all be followers of the Messiah. They will have already looked on Him whom they pierced and will have wept for Him as one weeps for their first-born son, as Zechariah (and Joel) tells us. The Jews will all be re-gathered by God to Palestine.

And Jeremiah chapter 23 speaks along these lines in verse 3 through 6. Jeremiah 23:3 - 6 says: "And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them." Then if you jump on down to verse 5 and 6, he says, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch." Now who's this righteous Branch? That's Jesus, the King. "I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord Our Righteousness." One of the names of Jesus, the coming King.

God made all kinds of great promises to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David and to all Israel. He made four main covenants with them. He made the Abrahamic, the Davidic, the Palestinian and then the Covenant of a New Heart. And God does not change. He doesn't go back on His covenants. Men will make covenants with us, they will make contracts and then fail to live up to them and even when you sue them, they still don't live up to them. But God, when He makes covenants, He fulfills these covenants. He does not change as man does and every covenant that God has made will be exactly and perfectly fulfilled. This Abrahamic, this Davidic, this Palestinian and the Covenant of a New Heart will all be perfectly fulfilled.

The Jews of the Millennium age who are in unglorified bodies, that is Jews who were saved and living and went right into the Millennium without dying and going to heaven first, those in unglorified bodies will be the remnant that's saved by divine intervention when they come to recognize the Messiah.

If you read in Zechariah with me, in chapter 12, verse 10, it speaks of this quotation that I was giving you a while ago --- it's from Zechariah, the quote that I was giving you earlier. Zechariah 12:10, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." There are some references of the kingdom blessings and of the turning to God also in Joel, but the one I was trying to quote to you a while ago was this one, rather than one from Joel.

But there'll be peace in all the earth then. Blessed rest from war. There won't be any of our boys out there dying on the border to keep the terrorists from coming in and blowing us up. (When this was preached in Africa, the terrorists were sneaking into South Afric through the bor5ders with Angola, and Mozambique especially). There won't be any of that anymore. There will be worldwide peace on earth during the Millennium. No fighting of wars anywhere.

Our text Scripture that we read to you over in Isaiah chapter 2, verse 4, remember, says this, "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." There won't even be anybody trained to be soldiers then. No need for it at all.

No more daddy's going off to war and leaving their wife and their children behind, as we see it every day now. No more of that. No more young men cut down in the prime of life by terrorist bullets. No more of that. No more crippled boys. None blown up in land mines and paralyzed for the rest of their life. None with missing arms and legs from fighting in the wars --- Won't be any more of that. No more weeping widows and mothers. No more weeping sweethearts. Because there won't be any more war. And they won't even be learning war anymore. No more need to spend so much of our productivity on armaments and defense.

You know, if we really knew how much of the productivity of the world, including South Africa, is spent on armaments, we would be absolutely, as they used to say when I was a kid, flabbergasted. We'd be completely shocked. We wouldn't be able to conceive of what a big percentage of the world's income is wasted on armaments. And yet, the way the world is now, don't misunderstand, we've got to spend a lot on armaments, otherwise the goat nations would eat up the sheep nations overnight, wouldn't they? But then there won't be any need for it because we won't have to spend all of our productivity on armaments anymore. There'll be peace, blessed peace, over all the earth.

No more Middle East powder kegs trying to blow up all the time, like it has been now for how many years? Well, at least since about 1920 or somewhere along there. About sixty odd years (this was preached in 1982) now, it's been just trying to blow up all the time, hasn't it? And it seems to be getting a little bit hotter all the time --- a little bit more dangerous day by day.

In Isaiah chapter 19, reading verses 24 and 25: "In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Assyria." In other words, in that day they're going to be friends together with Egypt and Assyria. And Assyria includes the area which is now Syria, plus some other territory. "In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: Whom the Lord of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance."

So Syria and Egypt and Israel will all be buddies, as we would say; friends together and under the blessing of God during this time, even these nations that are used --- you may remember that Egypt is used as a type of enemies of God --- even they are going to be blessed. Egypt and Assyria in many places in Scripture are used as a type of the enemies of God or a type of the evil world. And even they are going to be blessed of God in that coming day. And all the saved Jews and all the saved Gentiles will rejoice and be blessed in the glorious Millennial Kingdom of our soon coming King of kings and Lord of lords.

Sickness and poverty and economic strife will be unknown in that day. There won't be any more of that. We won't have to get out and wonder how we're going to pay the bills next month, Tom. We won't have to do any more of that. Every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree. And that, of course, clearly indicates to us that every man will have his own little place where he can be comfortable and prosperous and cared for.

And anyway, as part of the bride, we're going to be living in the mansion, aren't we? The special mansion that He's building for us. So we're going to have more than just a little vine and fig tree for all those in the bride, aren't we?

All sickness will be banished from the earth. Isaiah 33:24, says this: "And the inhabitants shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity." They won't say that they're sick because they won't be sick anymore. That's what he's talking about --- Won't be any more sickness. If you look at verse 5 and 6 of chapter 35 of Isaiah, you find these things: There won't be any more blind people. I can prove there won't be any blind people in the Millennium. No more deaf, dumb, or lame people there either, because it says here in Isaiah 35, verses 5 and 6, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."

Won't it be glorious? All these people that are deaf or dumb or crippled or blind and yet have come to know the king, they'll be in this great Millennial Kingdom and they won't be that way anymore. They'll sing with the rest of us. The dumb will. And the deaf will hear the beautiful music as we sing "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain." Or, as we sing "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me." They'll hear it all, these people that are deaf and dumb now, they'll hear it all and sing with us then.

And the ones who have been blind, then they'll be able to look on the face of the One who saved them by His grace. They'll be able to look at the face of their loved ones that are there with them, that are in Christ that are in the Millennial Kingdom. The blind shall see and the lame shall walk. These that had an incurable illness that brought about some sort of crippling effect on them, it'll all be gone then --- it won't be any more. The lame man shall leap as an hart. Now that is like a springbok we'd say here in South Africa. It's a deer like animal, the hart. And the deer, you know, can really jump, the various kinds of antelope and deer.

There'll be no housing problem, no poverty. Isaiah 65, verses 20 and 21 which we read earlier says: "And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat." So, there's not going to be any building contractors there either, you see. We can prove that also by this Scripture can't we. All the building contractors are going to miss the Millennium. That is, when they get there they won't be building contractors anymore. I hope there'll be a lot of them there, but they won't be doing that kind of work anymore.

Everyone in the kingdom except those who serve with Christ in ruling the kingdom will be self-employed. You can prove that by Scripture as well. They'll be self-employed. Won't be anymore of some big rich man up at the top just squeezing the last little nickel he can out of all of his employees --- None of that. Because everybody except those who work in the government of the king will be self-employed. So there won't be any rich guy at the top that can squeeze every nickel he can out of his employees. It can't happen. Because all except those who work in the kingdom, in the government of the kingdom, will be self-employed.

Micah chapter 4, verse 4 says: "But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid." Boy, they're going to a be a bunch of independent rascals, aren't they? None shall make them afraid. Won't be anything to be afraid of. "None shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it." That's Micah 4:4. They're going to be like we used to say when I was a youngster in Texas, they're going to be as independent as a hog on ice. Now that's pretty independent if you don't know how independent a hog on ice is, that's pretty independent. That's the way they'll be.

Every inhabitant will own his own home, as we've already showed you. No mortgage bonds either --- won't have to worry about whether you're going to get your bond or not, Jack. We won't need any bonds then. No mortgages at all. Every one will provide for his family in abundance. There won't be any more little children being hungry because daddy goes out and blows all the money on liquor. No more of that, it just won't happen. There'll be no hunger, no want, no famine and no distribution problem. All will have enough and be satisfied. And the Scripture clearly teaches all these things.

Nature and the animals will be restored to their Edenic perfection. That's going to be a glorious thing, isn't it? We can go out and romp around and play with the lion and the tiger and the leopard and the cheetah. And go out and pet the old elephant on the snout and say, "Watch it there, Jumbo." That will be nice, won't it? It's really going to be good.

Paul speaks about this deliverance of creation from the curse over in Romans chapter 8, beginning with verse 19. If you read down through verse 23, you'll see there what he says about it. But I'll just mention two or three things of what he says in that passage. He speaks about the fact that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth together in pain until now. Now that's because of the curse being on it, of course. But then there won't be any thorns on the roses. You can go out and pick the roses without getting the thorns sticking you. The curse will be removed. No poison bites from the snakes. And no animals even killing each other in that day.

If you turn to Isaiah again, you know, Isaiah is a wonderful book that gives many wonderful pictures of the coming kingdom. But if you look at Isaiah chapter 11, beginning with verse 6, it says this, this is one of the most vivid pictures given in Scripture of the perfection of nature during the Millennial Kingdom. Isaiah 11, beginning with verse 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. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den." These are poisonous snakes, poisonous serpents.

"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." This passage here in Isaiah 11, beginning with verse 6, gave rise to this famous Millennial picture that I'm sure most of you have seen, where it shows a little child walking along with his hand on the mane of a lion and shows the sheep there nearby and young calves and various other animals in the picture. I don't remember now who did the picture, but there's a very famous piece of art that was done that has been reprinted many times and I'm sure you've seen some of the reprints on them.

So in conclusion and summary of the whole thing, let's look at it this way: this Millennial Kingdom is what's often referred to as the glorious day of the Lord. The curse of Genesis chapter 3:17 through 19 will be removed, wiped out; from nature as well as from its effect on man—on men who are living at that time. The dream of mankind down through the ages about a perfect kingdom will be fulfilled with an Eden here on earth --- A perfect Eden. And our glorious King of kings shall reign over all the earth in perfection. A perfect reign on a perfect earth by a perfect King. "And we shall reign with Him," the Scripture says.

All of these marvelous promises that we've read and many others that we haven't time to read tonight will come true. And every man will dwell in peace and happiness, in abundance and in health, in his own house and he will be self-employed, except those who are employed in the government of the kingdom. Even all of nature and the animals will be restored to Edenic perfection and innocence. And the proper worship of the Lord will be universal everywhere.

There's a passage that speaks of the fact that there won't be anyone saying to another, "Tell me about God," --- this is a modern day paraphrase that I'm giving you now, but they will all know about God. Nobody will be asking about God because they'll all know about Him, and proper worship of the Lord will be universal.

The only question here and now is, "Are we ready for this coming kingdom?" The only way, of course, to be ready for this coming kingdom is to know the King. And if you know the King Himself as your own Savior and friend, then you can be ready for this kingdom when it comes.

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