{"id":19213,"date":"2018-01-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-01-31T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/the-coming-kingdom-033\/"},"modified":"2018-01-31T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2018-01-31T06:00:00","slug":"the-coming-kingdom-033","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/the-coming-kingdom-033\/","title":{"rendered":"The Coming Kingdom 033"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[111],"series_event":[470],"sermon_service_type":[474],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-19213","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-revelation","series_event-the-coming-kingdom","sermon_service_type-wednesday-evenings","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"The Coming Kingdom 033","sermon_date":"20180131","sermon_month":"1","sermon_year":"2018","sermon_notes":5385,"sermon_slides":5390,"sermon_mp3":5391,"sermon_id":"131181613261","series_or_event":470,"service_type":[474],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":111,"chapter_and_verse":"20:1-10","sermon_transcript":"Andy Woods\n\nThe Coming Kingdom\n\n1-31-18\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Revelation 20:10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lesson 33\n\nWhy don\u2019t we take our Bibles and open them to Revelation 12 and just a quick announcement.\u00a0 11:00 a.m. this Friday morning at the Sweetwater Country Club there\u2019s going to be 18 local candidates, filling all kinds of elective positions so this is kind of a chance to hear from them and ask them questions and those kind of things.\u00a0\u00a0 There\u2019s lots of contested races so this would be a good one to attend if you could.\u00a0 And early voting starts in about three weeks.\u00a0 So if you want to know who\u2019s running for what office I would encourage you, if you\u2019re interested, to go Friday morning, 11:00 a.m. Sweetwater Country Club.\n\nPolitics is sort of a way to extend common grace to the culture.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 I kind of look at politics like stewardship; you know God gives us a lot of things to be stewards over and one of the things we have is freedom to pick our rulers.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they have that in Saudi Arabia so we\u2019ve got some privileges that other countries don\u2019t have.\u00a0 So it\u2019s always good to figure out who\u2019s running for what and what folks stand for.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 Because the Bible says if the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; when the wicked rule the people groan.\u00a0 [Proverbs 22:9, \u201cWhen the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.\u201d]\u00a0 And I think we do a lot of groaning sometimes because we don\u2019t show up and make well informed decisions on the voting place.\u00a0 Enough of that.\n\nLet\u2019s take our Bibles and go to the Book of Revelation if we could, chapter 12.\u00a0 And if you\u2019ve been tracking along with us in this study we are talking about what does the Bible say about the kingdom and we\u2019ve sort of traced all the way through the Old Testament right up to the life of Christ, the concept of the kingdom and how it was offered to Israel on a silver platter and then the kingdom was turned down in Matthew 12, as\u00a0 you know.\u00a0 God, at that point, began an interim work that we\u2019re part of but it\u2019s not the kingdom.\u00a0 And one of these days this interim work, called the church, will be over.\u00a0 The earthly mission of the church will be over, the church will be raptured to heaven and the kingdom is going to be re-extended to Israel and it\u2019s going to come to the earth.\n\nSo we\u2019re sort of in that part of the study, number 13, 14, and really 15 of that list there, kind of explaining what God is going to do once the church is translated to heaven and how He\u2019s going to bring His kingdom to the earth.\u00a0 So to help us understand that we started a lesson last week called The Coming of the Kingdom and The Coming of the Kingdom has four parts to it.\u00a0 Number 1, the re-offer of the kingdom to Israel.\u00a0 Number 2, the transfer of earthly authority from Satan\u2019s domain to God\u2019s domain.\u00a0 And then number 3, the establishment of the kingdom.\u00a0 And then finally the end of this is the duration of the kingdom, exactly how long is the kingdom going to last?\n\nWe began last time, I think we completed talking about the reoffer of the kingdom.\u00a0 So you\u2019ll recall in the Gospels the kingdom was offered by John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Twelve and the Seventy to Israel through the expression, \u201cRepent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.\u201d\u00a0 So it was right there within their grasp and they could have had it had they enthroned Christ on Christ\u2019s terms.\u00a0 I don\u2019t have it underlined there but you\u2019ll notice verse 6 the instructions were, as this offer was extended, \u201cgo\u201d only \u201cto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.\u201d\u00a0 [Matthew 6:10]\u00a0 So this was a unique opportunity for Israel to receive the offer of the kingdom.\n\nAnd as we have studied that offer is rejected in Matthew 12:24, which is the hinge verse; it changes the whole direction of everything in Matthew\u2019s Gospel when the religious leaders attributed Christ\u2019s miracles to the devil.\u00a0 [Matthew 12:24, \u201cBut when the Pharisees heard this, they said, \u2018This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.\u2019\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 The moment they went that far the offer is removed, as we have studied.\n\nAnd God today is working in an interim program called the church, but it\u2019s not to be confused with Israel or the kingdom, as we\u2019ve studied.\u00a0 But one of these days the earthly mission of the church will be over, the bride will be made complete, the translation of the church will occur and the offer of the kingdom, sometimes called the gospel of the kingdom, will be re-extended to Israel at which time the nation of Israel will get it right and will receive the offer of the kingdom because one of the things you learn about the nation of Israel is Israel always gets it right, which time around?\u00a0 The second time.\n\nAnd here\u2019s a few examples I gave last week.\u00a0 I don\u2019t want to redo the examples I gave last week; here\u2019s a few more I thought of just to solidify this point.\u00a0 You take the first King of Israel, a guy named Saul.\u00a0 That\u2019s who the nation of Israel wanted,\u00a0 and I think they enthroned the wrong guy because Saul was from which tribe?\u00a0 He was from Benjamin, and the kings, according to Genesis 49:10 are supposed to come from which tribe?\u00a0 Judah!\u00a0 [Genesis 49:10, \u201cThe scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.\u201d]\n\nSo if they\u2019d waited on the Lord instead of enthroning Saul they could have had David, who was the right man for the job.\u00a0 So they got it wrong the first time with Saul but they got it right the second time with David.\u00a0 So that\u2019s just another example of how Israel typically gets it right the second time.\u00a0 And of course, as I was thinking about that I\u2019m reminded of the prophet Jonah.\u00a0 Have you studied Jonah lately?\u00a0 Jonah 3:1, \u201cNow the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,\u201d so the first two chapters of the book he is told to preach to Nineveh and he goes the opposite way, to Spain.\u00a0 So God sort of has a way of getting his attention, like He does all of us, and so \u201cthe word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time,\u201d so chapters 1 and 2 in a four chapter book he gets it wrong; chapters 3 and 4 he gets it right.\u00a0 So Jonah is sort of a type of the whole nation; they get it right the second time.\u00a0 And that\u2019s how it was with the generation coming out of Egypt, they got to the border of Kadesh-Barnea and they became fearful because of the giants; they fell into fear.\u00a0 But the next generation under Joshua entered the land with great courage.\u00a0 So there\u2019s another example where they got it right the second time.\n\nAnd Stephen, in his speech that got him executed, brings this up and he uses Moses, the acceptance of Moses by the nation, as an example.\u00a0 And he also uses the brothers, the nation\u2019s acceptance of Joseph as an example.\u00a0 So there it all is, you put all these Old Testament verses together whether it be Joseph, Saul, David, Moses, the Kadesh-barnea generation, Jonah, I mean, it\u2019s the same pattern, they get it right the second time, never the first time.\u00a0 If that type is true it would work its way out prophetically, wouldn\u2019t it?\u00a0 The nation in the first century had a golden opportunity to enthrone Christ and receive the kingdom.\u00a0 They rejected it but they\u2019re going to get it right the second time, in the tribulation period.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 So it\u2019s interesting how God is kind of tying together all this typology in the end times.\n\nSo they are going to receive the offer of the kingdom this time and what will happen, taking us to number 2 here, is the transfer of earthly authority.\u00a0 The world, as we talked about last time, is under satanic bondage.\u00a0 It\u2019s been under satanic bondage ever since Genesis 3.\u00a0 Satan, as we talked about, is the god of this age, the god of this world.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the significance of Jesus taking, in Revelation 5, and opening the seven sealed scroll.\u00a0 And I think we walked through a little bit of that last time, didn\u2019t we?\u00a0 The seven sealed scroll is the title deed to the earth and once that is opened essentially what\u2019s happening is the title deed to the earth is being reclaimed.\u00a0 And this is all commensurate with God\u2019s instrument that He\u2019s using to accomplish all of these things, the nation\u00a0 of Israel who in the Tribulation itself is receiving the offer of the kingdom and getting it right a second time.\n\nSo one of the things that\u2019s very interesting to study in the Book of Revelation is how the judgments in the Book of Revelation mirror the judgments in the Book of Exodus.\u00a0 Have you ever noticed that?\u00a0 For example, we have sores in the\u00a0 sixth plague in the Book of Exodus and sores break out on people in the first bowl judgment in the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 Rivers to blood, that\u2019s in the first plague in the Book of Exodus and Rivers to blood occur in the third bowl judgment in the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 Darkness, that occurs in the ninth plague in the Book of Exodus and that is the fifth bowl judgment in the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 Hail, that\u2019s the seventh plague in the Book of Exodus and it\u2019s also the seventh bowl judgment in the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 So as you go through the Book of Revelation you should be kind of slapping your forehead and saying gosh, I\u2019ve read all this before.\n\nAnd if you go down to Revelation 16, verse 13, it says, \u201cAnd I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like\u201d what? \u201cfrogs;\u201d does that sound like the Book of Exodus at all, where God multiplied frogs all over Egypt?\n\nSo one of the interesting questions is why is it that the Book of Revelation looks so similar to the Book of Exodus. Why do the ten plagues in Exodus look so similar to the various judgments in the Book of Revelation?\u00a0 And I think the reason for these parallels is that in the Book of Exodus God is taking His people out of 400 years of bondage; they had been in captivity in Egypt for 400 years, which is a long time.\u00a0 That\u2019s the length of the United States of America times two, roughly.\n\nSo in the Book of Revelation what is happening is God is taking the whole planet out of the bondage or the chains that it\u2019s been in ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden and ever since Satan became the prince and power of the air and the god of this age.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s why these parallels are here.\n\nSo Pharaoh, in the Book of Exodus, is a type, if you will, of Satan.\u00a0 Every time a plague came in the book of Exodus Pharaoh\u2019s grip over God\u2019s chosen people got weaker and weaker and weaker.\u00a0 Pharaoh kept hardening his heart against God.\u00a0 And his will got weaker and weaker and weaker because he was being defeated by these plagues and finally when the firstborn all over Egypt were killed, including his own firstborn, and by the way, the Egyptians worshipped the firstborn, that\u2019s why that plague was so horrendous, because God was showing that He\u2019s higher than whatever it is they\u2019re worshipping.\u00a0 By the way, they also worshipped gnats and they also worshipped frogs and they also worshiped the Nile River.\n\nSo through each plague in the Book of Exodus God is showing His sovereignty over all the things that they worshipped in Egypt.\u00a0 So by the time you get to plague ten Pharaoh\u2019s will is broken and he finally makes a decision to let Israel go.\u00a0 And so in essence as this scroll is being opened every time Christ pulls back a seal and unwraps this scroll that\u2019s given in the Book of Revelation, Revelation 5, the title deed to the earth is being reclaimed and Satan\u2019s grip over this world that he\u2019s enjoyed for all these millennia is growing weaker and weaker and weaker.\u00a0 See that.\n\nSo Pharaoh, to a large extent, is a type of Satan, just as these Exodus judgments are types of the liberation that God is going to take the whole world through in the events of the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 So people say well do you take the judgments in the Book of Revelation literally?\u00a0 Let me ask\u00a0 you a question.\u00a0 Were the judgments in the Book of Exodus literal?\u00a0 Of course they were, so they\u2019re actually geophysical judgments.\u00a0 These are real things that happened so why wouldn\u2019t I take the Book of Revelation the exact same way given the parallels?\u00a0 See that.\n\nAnd something else that\u2019s sort of interesting is God, in the Book of Exodus, keeps turning up the thermostat; the judgments keep getting more and more intense, more and more severe. I think that\u2019s Christ\u2019s point in Matthew 24 where He analogizes these birth pangs, that I actually think are the seal judgments, to pregnancy as they grow in intensity and frequency you know that birth is near.\n\nSo as you go through the Book of Revelation as these judgments grow in intensity and frequency you know that birth is near.\u00a0 Birth of what?\u00a0 Birth of the kingdom where God\u2019s rule is manifested over planet earth and Satan\u2019s grip is released from planet earth.\u00a0 So the judgments in Revelation are literal just like they are in the Book of Exodus and the judgments in Revelation grow in intensity and frequency just like they did in the Book of Exodus.\u00a0 God just kept turning up the heat to the point where Pharaoh finally let Israel go.\u00a0 And that\u2019s how it\u2019s going to work in the Book of Revelation, where Satan is finally going to release His grip over this earth.\u00a0 That\u2019s kind of an interesting parallel, isn\u2019t it.\u00a0 And it\u2019s interesting, you go through commentators on the Book of Revelation and a lot of them don\u2019t really acknowledge that point.\u00a0 I\u2019ve found very few commentators explaining the similarities with the Exodus judgments.\n\nSo one of the things to understand about this seven sealed scroll is the seventh seal will unleash the trumpet judgments.\u00a0 The seventh trumpet judgment will unleash the bowls.\u00a0 So the whole thing kind of pulls out like a telescope, if you will; every time you reach a seventh in the series a new set of judgments is taking place, a new set of judgments is beginning.\u00a0 So by the time Christ opens seal number seven on the seven sealed scroll we know exactly what\u2019s going to happen.\u00a0 The world is going to be liberated because the seventh seal is going to launch the trumpets and then the seventh trumpet is going to launch the bowls.\n\nAnd as we mentioned before every time one of these judgments hits the earth the grip of the devil over this world gets weaker.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 So that\u2019s why this seven sealed scroll in Revelation 5 is such a big deal.\u00a0 It, once opened, triggers everything else on the chain.\u00a0 And once the chain starts to be triggered we know exactly what\u2019s going to happen, we know that victory is ultimate.\u00a0 And as long as that seven sealed scroll remains closed the earth is going to remain in a state of bondage it\u2019s in to Satan\u2019s grip.\u00a0 See that.\u00a0 That\u2019s why John weeps in Revelation 5 verses 2-4, upon contemplating the fact that no one is worthy to open this seven sealed scroll.\u00a0 But then he stops weeping when he recognizes that Jesus is worthy.\u00a0 [Revelation 5:2-4, \u201cAnd I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, \u201cWho is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?\u201d [3] And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. [4] Then I began<\/em> to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it;\u201d]\n\nSo what is happening in the Book of Revelation is the kingdom is finally coming to the earth.\u00a0 That\u2019s the point of the book.\u00a0 Revelation 5:10 says, \u201cYou have made them to be a kingdom of priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 So if you want to know what the point is of the Book of Revelation that\u2019s the point; the point is the kingdom is coming to the earth and Satan is being kicked off the earth.\n\nAnd one of the things you want to do when you study a Book of the Bible is you want to try to settle on what you think is the key verse of the book.\u00a0 I think every book of the Bible has a key verse in it that tells you what that book is about better than any other verse.\u00a0 And for years and years and years I struggled really to find that summarizing verse that would summarize the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 For a long time I thought the key verse was Revelation 1:7.\u00a0 Why did I think that?\u00a0 Because everybody else told me it was so I believed them.\u00a0 \u00a0Revelation 1:7 is very good, by the way, it says, \u201cBEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.\u201d\n\nSo that talks about the Second Coming of Christ and most people would say well that verse really is the key verse of the book.\u00a0 But I really don\u2019t think that\u2019s the key verse; I think the key verse is in Revelation 11:15.\u00a0 It says, \u201cThen the seventh angel sounded;\u201d so this is trumpet seven, \u201cand there were loud voices in heaven, saying, \u2018The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Personally I believe that\u2019s the key verse of the book because it summarizes what the book is about, the transfer of earthly authority from the grip of Satan back to the grip of Jesus Christ.\n\nAnd all of these people today that think we\u2019re in the kingdom and we\u2019re bringing in the kingdom, you can see how silly that is because what this book is telling us is the kingdom is not going to come to the earth until Jesus, in heaven, starts to open that seven sealed scroll.\u00a0 Until that happens there are chains about this earth under Satan\u2019s dominion, as we\u2019ve talked about.\n\nSo what, then, is the goal of history?\u00a0 You see a typical prophecy chart there,\u00a0 you see the tribulation period.\u00a0 First you see the church age, then the church age ends with the rapture, then you have the tribulation period seven years, then Jesus returns and then right after the second advent of Christ you see this square there that says \u201ckingdom,\u201d Revelation 20, specifically verses 1-10. That\u2019s the goal of history right there.\n\n[Revelation 20:1-10, \u201cThen I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. [2] And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; [3] and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it<\/em> and sealed it<\/em> over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.\u00a0 [4] Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw<\/em> the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. [5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. [6] Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. [7] When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, [8] and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. [9] And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. [10]And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.\u201d]\n\nIt\u2019s the reclaiming of the title deed to this earth and the reassertion of that authority by God over \u00a0the earth that was lost in Eden.\u00a0 And guess what folks\u2014we\u2019re part of it, because according to Revelation 5:10 what are we going to be doing when we return with Christ at the end of the tribulation period. \u00a0We\u2019re going to reign under His delegated authority. [Revelation 5:10, \u201cYou have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.\u201d]\n\nSo that\u2019s our future in God and the degree of authority that we will wield under His delegation\u2026 you know, it\u2019s not like He needs our help but He gives us the privilege of exercising authority in His kingdom and the degree of authority we wield depends on our faithfulness to what God has called us to do now.\u00a0 So we are destined for authority on this earth under Christ\u2019s kingdom. And people aligned themselves with David when Saul was on the throne and when David finally ascended to the throne those that had aligned themselves with David when Saul was on the throne were given positions of authority in his kingdom.\u00a0 See that.\n\nSo we have this unique opportunity to align ourselves with Christ.\u00a0 David is a type of Christ while Saul, or Satan is on the throne.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 But one of these days Satan is going to be deposed from the throne and those of us who have aligned ourselves with Christ by faith are given authority in the kingdom.\u00a0 So you align yourself with David by walking by faith and not sight, because David was anointed king, wasn\u2019t he, 1 Samuel 16, long before he actually took the throne.\u00a0 David is anointed as king while Saul was still governing the nation. So what has happened is Jesus, thanks to His resurrection from the dead, has been anointed as king, but Satan is on the throne and that\u2019s why there\u2019s so much in the Bible about we should not walk by sight but we should walk by faith.\u00a0 If you walk by sight you just align yourself with Satan or Saul; if you walk by faith you align yourself with the anointed king that\u2019s not there yet but will be there one day and to do that requires faith.\u00a0 See that?\n\nIt\u2019s a marvelous thing what our future is in God and that\u2019s why Paul is so frustrated with the Corinthians who are so petty with each other in 1 Corinthians 6 that they\u2019re suing each other, if you can imagine that, and discrediting the gospel before unsaved people.\u00a0\u00a0 And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6 says don\u2019t you know that we\u2019re going to judge the angels one day? What is he talking about? He\u2019s talking about the authority that we are destined to wield under Christ once He establishes His kingdom.\u00a0 [1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?\u201d]\u00a0 What is he talking about?\u00a0 He\u2019s talking about the authority that we are destined to wield under Christ once He establishes His kingdom.\u00a0 [blank spot for 3 minutes]\u00a0 \u2026 all of us that have aligned ourselves with Jesus Christ by faith in this age.\n\n[Revelation 20:4]\u00a0 \u201cThen I saw thrones and they sat on them and judgment was given to them and I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God,\u201d so we\u2019re going to be on thrones and here it\u2019s talking primarily about tribulation, martyrs will be on these thrones, \u201cand those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. [5] The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.\u00a0 This is the first resurrection.\u00a0 [6] Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.\u201d\n\nNow you see how we\u2019re called priests, exercising authority?\u00a0 That\u2019s why we are called at the beginning of this book Revelation 1:6, God has made us a kingdom of what?\u00a0 Priests! \u00a0And then Revelation 5:10 says He has made us into \u201ca kingdom of priests\u201d and \u201cthey\u201d or we \u201cwill reign upon the earth.\u201d\u00a0 [Revelation 1:6, \u201cand He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father-- to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.\u201d \u00a0Revelation 5:10, \u201cYou have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.\u201d]\n\nSo we\u2019re this kingdom of priests but we\u2019re not yet reigning because his kingdom is not here, because we\u2019re living in the devil\u2019s world.\u00a0 But it\u2019s very clear that we will reign, not up in the clouds, you know, a lot of people have the view of the future that we\u2019re just sort of floating on clouds wearing white sheets with halos singing the Hallelujah chorus ten billion times, bored to death.\u00a0 And we think these things because we don\u2019t consult the Scripture.\u00a0 The Scripture is telling us that yes, we\u2019re with the Lord for seven years in the Father\u2019s house but we are actually going to have a role as reigning upon the earth under His delegated authority.\u00a0 So this is when our kingdom of priests status is fulfilled, during this thousand year kingdom.\n\n\u201cThen when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison.\u201d \u00a0[Revelation 20:7] \u00a0Now notice that in the kingdom age Satan only gets out because God allows it.\u00a0 So Satan is under God\u2019s thumb during this time. And that\u2019s not what\u2019s happening today, right?\u00a0 Satan is ruling this world.\u00a0 \u201cThen when the thousand years are completed Satan will be released from his prison\u00a0 [8] and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.\u201d\n\nNow these would be the mortals, mortal descendants of those who survived the tribulation period and began to repopulate the earth.\u00a0 Everybody in the kingdom when it starts is a believer and there are some that are survivors of the tribulation period, they enter the kingdom in their mortal bodies and they begin to repopulate the earth and what just got passed down through the blood line?\u00a0 The sin nature.\u00a0 So they\u2019re going to have children, their children are going to have children, their children are going to have children, and this goes on for about a thousand years so that the earth is repopulated and there\u2019s going to arise a generation that\u2019s been living in that perfect environment for a thousand\u00a0 years and yet they hate Jesus Christ\u2019s guts. In fact, there\u2019s a prophecy in the Book of Zechariah, chapter 14, verses 16-18 as to the fact that these people will not want to go to Jerusalem to worship Christ but they\u2019re sort of coerced into it because He\u2019s ruling with a rod of what?\u00a0 A rod of iron.\n\n[Zechariah 14:16-18, \u201cJudah also will fight at Jerusalem; and the wealth of all the surrounding nations will be gathered, gold and silver and garments in great abundance. [15] So also like this plague will be the plague on the horse, the mule, the camel, the donkey and all the cattle that will be in those camps.\u00a0 [16] Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. [17] And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. [18] If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall<\/em> on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.\u201d]\n\nSo eventually Jesus lets Satan out of his prison, called the abyssou<\/em> or the abyss, and he stimulates a worldwide rebellion very quickly.\u00a0 And then the rebellion is immediately judged because this is the kingdom age, this is a time period when anybody that steps out of line is immediately dealt with by God.\n\nSo \u201cthe number of them is like the sand of the seashore\u201d I mean, how much sand is on the seashore?\u00a0 That\u2019s an awful lot, isn\u2019t it?\u00a0 And so I think God is allowing this to demonstrate that changing someone\u2019s environment does not correct the sin nature problem.\u00a0 We live in this society where we\u2019re told if we could just fix the environment of people, raise their standard of living, give everybody job security, give everybody a great education, that crime would decrease, because we don\u2019t have a biblical view of man.\u00a0 We don\u2019t understand that our depravity starts from our heart.\u00a0 So we think education is going to fix things.\u00a0 Well guess what happens when\u00a0 you educate a blue collar thief?\u00a0 \u00a0He becomes a white collar thief.\u00a0 And if you want to look at a society that has the highest literacy standards and rapes, and had more PhD\u2019s per capita than any other society that\u2019s ever existed, do you know which society I\u2019m talking about?\u00a0 I\u2019m talking about Nazi Germany because education doesn\u2019t fix people on the inside.\u00a0 The gospel fixes people on the inside.\u00a0 So God allows these thousand years to go forward to finally resolve once and for all, at least to us, where evil comes from.\u00a0 It comes from the heart.\n\nSo Satan is released from his abyss, he stimulates this worldwide rebellion, and look how fast it\u2019s crushed because Jesus is reigning from David\u2019s throne.\u00a0 \u201cAnd they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,\u201d now what do you think \u201cthe beloved city\u201d is?\u00a0 Jerusalem, that\u2019s the capital, so Satan attacks the headquarters of the whole millennial kingdom, \u201cand fire came down from heaven [and devoured them].\u00a0 [10] And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where\u201d his buddies, \u201cthe beast and the false prophet\u201d now they\u2019re thrown there a thousand years earlier, Revelation 19, but look at what it says here, \u201cwhere the beast and the false prophet\u201d what? \u201care also;\u201d in other words, they\u2019ve been in there a thousand years, and that\u2019s important because a lot of people are out there teaching that if you\u2019re an unbeliever and you die\u00a0 you just get annihilated.\u00a0 The Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses, not if, but when they come to your house, believe this.\u00a0 And there are some people, even in the evangelical theological society like Clark Penick, and others that teach this.\u00a0 And very clearly here the souls of the beast and the false prophet didn\u2019t just get annihilated, they continued on a thousand years later. \u00a0And if that wasn\u2019t clear enough, look at what it says here, once Satan is reunited with his buddies in the Lake of Fire, \u201c\u2026 and they will be tormented day and night\u201d for how long?\u00a0 Not just forever but \u201cforever and ever.\u201d\u00a0 That\u2019s the Greek word ai\u014dnios<\/em> two times; ai\u014dnios<\/em>, eternal, is a word used to describe God Himself.\u00a0 He\u2019s called the eternal God, Romans 16:26.\u00a0 So if God is eternal, if aioni\u014ds<\/em> in Greek means eternal in reference to God then hell itself has to be forever also.\u00a0 See that? And to get the point across it doesn\u2019t\u00a0 use aioni\u014ds<\/em> once, it uses it twice, translated \u201cforever and ever.\u201d\n\nSo this is the kingdom, this is the apex of where history is headed.\u00a0 So Satan, do you think He wants the kingdom to come?\u00a0 I don\u2019t think so!\u00a0 This chart gives the sevenfold defeat of Satan.\u00a0 He\u2019s not defeated all at once; he\u2019s defeated progressively as history unfolds.\u00a0 He\u2019s kicked out of heaven, there\u2019s all the verses there, you can look them up.\u00a0 [Isaiah\u00a0 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17)\n\n[Isaiah 14:12-15, \u201cHow you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!\u00a0 [13] But you said in your heart, \u2018I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.\u00a0 [14] \u2018I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.\u2019\u00a0 [15] \u2018Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.\u201d\u00a0 Ezekiel 28:12-17, \u201cSon of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, \u2018Thus says the Lord GOD, \u2018You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.\u00a0 [13]\u00a0 You were in Eden, the garden of God;\u00a0 every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you.\u00a0 On the day that you were created they were prepared.\u00a0 [14] You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. \u00a0<\/u><\/em>You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. [15] You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.\u201d\n\nEzekiel 28:12, \u201c Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say to him, \u2018Thus says the Lord GOD, \u201cYou had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.\u00a0 [13] \u201cYou were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you.\u00a0 On the day that you were created they were prepared.\u00a0 [14] You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there.<\/em>\u00a0You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire.\u00a0 [15] \u201cYou were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.\u201d]\n\nHe is defeated in Eden when a prophecy is given that there\u2019s coming one from the seed of the woman who\u2019s going to crush his head.\u00a0 [Genesis 3:15]\u00a0 His tampering of the pre-flood gene pool to prevent the birth of the Messiah in Genesis 6.\u00a0 He was defeated in that realm.\u00a0 The angels involved in that sin are incarceration and that\u2019s why Jesus, in between His crucifixion and resurrection descended to where those fallen angels are involved in that sin and peached victory over them.\u00a0\u00a0 And you\u2019ll see that described in 1 Peter 3:19-20. \u00a0[1 Peter 3:19-20, \u201cin which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison,\u00a0 [20] who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.\u201d]\n\nThe word there for \u201cpreached\u201d is not the word for evangelism, that\u2019s euaggel\u00edz\u014d<\/em>,, evangelism, this is a totally different verb, it\u2019s k\u0113russ\u014d<\/em>, He descended to where they were and proclaimed to them victory.\u00a0 Their attempt to thwart the birth of the Messiah by trying to tamper with the genetics of the human race in Genesis 6, sons of God, daughters of men, Nephilim <\/em>on the earth, all that stuff, it failed.\u00a0 The Messiah has been born.\n\nNumber 4, Satan is defeated at the cross.\u00a0 Now did you know Satan still has access to heaven?\u00a0 He can go into heaven, not to worship and serve as he once did as a high ranking angel but to communicate and to accuse.\u00a0 That\u2019s what is happening with Job.\u00a0 Right, the early chapters of the Book of Job.\u00a0 But halfway through the tribulation period that privilege is taken away and he descends to the earth knowing he has but a short time, and he tries to devour Israel.\u00a0 I\u2019ll explain that in a second.\u00a0 Why is he going after Israel?\u00a0 Because she\u2019s the covenanted nation; she\u2019s the instrument through which the kingdom will come.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 Satan believes in preemptive attacks.\u00a0 A preemptive attack is I\u2019m going to take you out before you take me out.\u00a0 He knows the significance of Israel and his goal has always been to destroy Israel because he knows that the kingdom is going to come through Israel by the covenantal design of God.\n\nAnd then once the kingdom starts, as we just saw, he\u2019s going to be bound in the abyssou<\/em>, the abyss, for a thousand years.\u00a0 And then at the end of that kingdom age he\u2019s allowed to kind of go forth and manufacture one more rebellion against God which is short lived and he\u2019s judged.\u00a0 Fire comes down from heaven, destroys his rebellion and he\u2019s thrown into the Lake of Fire.\n\nSo what is Satan trying to prevent? He\u2019s trying to prevent this kingdom from coming to the earth because once the kingdom comes he will be bound for a thousand years and at the end of the kingdom he will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.\u00a0 So that\u2019s why he is portrayed in the Book of Revelation as going after Israel.\u00a0 He knows what God has promised, going back to the time of Abraham, concerning Israel \u201cin you\u201d that\u2019s Israel, \u201call the families of the earth will be blessed.\n\nIsaiah 42:6 says the same thing, Israel is a light to the nations.\u00a0 [Isaiah 42:6, \u201cI am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, \u00a0I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,:]\n\nIsaiah 49:6 says the same thing, \u201cYou are a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.\u201d\u00a0 [Isaiah 49:6, \u201cHe says, \u2018It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth.\u2019\u201d]\n\nSo it always has been the plan and program of God to bless the world through Israel.\u00a0 Israel is chosen to be a blessing to the world.\u00a0 And there are three great blessings God purposes to bring to the earth through Israel.\u00a0 The first of the three is the Bible; we understand that, right?\u00a0 If God had not strategically worked through the Jewish people we wouldn\u2019t have this book.\u00a0 Every writer of the this book, the only one they debate any more is Luke, who wrote Luke and Acts, every single writer of this book was Jewish.\u00a0 There\u2019s not even a Southern Baptist writer in there.\n\nAnd then the second blessing is the Savior.\u00a0 Jesus was Jewish, right.\u00a0 John 4:22 says salvation is of the Jews.\u00a0 [John 4:22, \u201cYou worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.\u201d]\u00a0 Matthew 1 traces the genealogy of Christ back to David and back to Abraham.\u00a0 Had God not worked through the Jewish people we wouldn\u2019t have a Savior.\u00a0 And most people think that\u2019s all God is going to do through Israel.\u00a0 But all I can say is Israel is the gift that keeps on giving because there\u2019s a third blessing yet to come through the Jewish people\u2014the kingdom, because the kingdom is going to be located where, in terms of headquarters?\u00a0 In Jerusalem!\u00a0 That\u2019s why when Satan is released from the abyssou<\/em> or the abyss at the end of the kingdom age he immediately attacks the beloved city because that\u2019s the headquarters \u00a0of the kingdom.\n\nSo you can see why Satan has great hatred for the nation of Israel and he continues to be at war with the nation of Israel because he thinks he can stop blessing three from coming to the earth.\u00a0 If he can stop blessing three from coming to the earth who remains in authority over the earth?\u00a0 The devil does.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 So this gives us a perspective, if you will, on the great hatred for the Jewish people throughout the earth today, and really throughout the centuries and throughout history.\u00a0 There\u2019s an irrational hatred towards the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and it is largely satanic because Satan knows the Scripture, he knows that the kingdom is going to come through Israel and so he seeks to eradicate Israel so the kingdom can never come.\n\nLook at all these blessings we have because of the Jewish people: the Patriarchs, the Law, the Prophets, the Messiah, the apostles, the biblical writers, the early church, the early Christian martyrs, Paul the apostle, the future kingdom, all of this is a reality because of God\u2019s work through Israel.\u00a0 Genesis 12:3, Romans 9:4-5.\u00a0 [Genesis 12:3, \u201cAnd I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.\u201d Romans 9:4-5, \u201cwho are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple<\/em> service and the promises, [5] whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.\u201d]\n\nSo real quickly let\u2019s go over to Revelation 12.\u00a0 Take a look at Revelation 12:1-5, Satan, as the kingdom authority is being transferred he\u2019s not just going to sit there and let it happen.\u00a0 See that. So John writes this: \u201cA great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; [2] and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. [3] Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were<\/em> seven diadems. [4] And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and he cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. [5] And she gave birth to a son, a man child,<\/em> who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.\u201d\n\nSo we have three characters here, the son, s-o-n, the dragon and the woman.\u00a0 Who do you think the son is?\u00a0 Jesus, He says He\u2019s going to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; that comes right out of Psalm 2:9. He was caught up to God in His throne, that\u2019s the ascension, Acts 1:9.\u00a0 \u00a0[Psalm 2:9, \u201c\u2018You shall break them with a rod of iron, You shall shatter them like earthenware.\u2019\u201d\u00a0 Acts 1:9, \u201cAnd after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.\u201d ]\n\nSo who do you think the dragon is?\u00a0 The devil, because verse 9, we didn\u2019t read it but verse 9 tells you the dragon is the devil.\u00a0 [Revelation 12:9, \u201cAnd the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.\u201d]\n\nWho is the \u201cwoman clothed with the sun, and the moon and the stars\u201d?\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to go back to the Old Testament to get that answer and this is related to Joseph\u2019s dream when he was 17 years old.\u00a0 Genesis 37:9 says, \u201cNow he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun\u201d s-u-n, \u201cand the moon and eleven stars\u201d Joseph being the twelfth star, \u201cwere bowing down to me.\u201d\u00a0 Does that imagery sound familiar?\u00a0 It\u2019s right there out of Revelation 12:1, \u201cA great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe related it to his father;\u201d that would be Jacob, right?\u00a0 \u201cand his father rebuked him\u201d and in the process of the rebuke Jacob, his father, interprets the imagery in Joseph\u2019s dream, which John is using in the Book of Revelation. See that?\u00a0 \u201cHe related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, \u2018What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother\u201d that\u2019s the sun and the moon, \u201cand your brothers\u201d that\u2019s the eleven stars, Joseph being the twelfth star, \u201cactually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?\u2019\u201d [Genesis 37:10]\n\nIt\u2019s a prophecy about how Joseph would become second in command at age 30 and how Jacob and his sons would come to Egypt from Canaan about Genesis 46, about the year chronologically 1876 B.C. roughly, looking at Bible chronologies, and come to Joseph, who God\u2019s providence was elevated to second in command in Egypt after his brothers sold him into Egypt as a slave, left him for dead.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Joseph, at the end of the book to his brothers said \u201cyou meant it for evil, God meant it for good.\u201d\u00a0 [Genesis 15:20, \u201cAs for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.\u201d]\u00a0 So God used this evil set of events to rescue Israel in the midst of a famine.\n\n\u201c\u2026Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?\u2019\u201d\u00a0 The Book of Revelation is not going to give you all this background imagery in terms of the explanation; it assumes we know all this stuff before we approach the Book of Revelation.\u00a0 So if you\u2019re a good student of the Bible and you see that image in the Book of Revelation you know where it\u2019s coming from?\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 So the son is Jacob, the moon is Leah, because Rachel is dead by this time, Genesis 35, and Jacob had two wives, not that that\u2019s a good thing, not that God is promoting having two wives but that\u2019s how it worked in Jacob\u2019s case.\u00a0 The eleven stars would be Joseph\u2019s brother.\u00a0 Who\u2019s the twelfth star?\u00a0 Joseph, and so who are these twelve stars?\u00a0 The twelve tribes of Israel, Jacob\u2019s sons, Jacob\u2019s dozen, so the sun, the moon and the twelve stars of Israel.\n\nSo what\u2019s happening in Revelation 12 is Satan is standing in front of Israel trying to prevent the birth of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we read about on Christmas, Matthew 2, where Herod is in insecurity over his own throne, he\u2019s basically trying to kill all of the Bethlehem innocent males.\u00a0 Remember that?\u00a0 The infants I should say.\u00a0 And then you get to Revelation 12:6 through the end of the chapter and this is what Satan is doing after he is cast out of heaven.\u00a0 See, verses 1-5 is a past strategy that failed; he tried to prevent the birth of Christ and he failed.\u00a0 So what he is doing after he is cast out of heaven midway through the tribulation period is he\u2019s trying to gobble up the woman clothed with the sun and the moon and the twelve stars.\u00a0 And who\u2019s the woman? Israel. Why is he trying to do that?\u00a0 Because she is the tool that God is using to transfer the authority of this earth from Satan\u2019s grip back to God\u2019s grip.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 She\u2019s receiving the offer of the kingdom.\u00a0 So Satan says I\u2019m going to shut this down right now, this transfer of authority that\u2019s happening, I\u2019m going to gobble up Israel, the instrument that God is using.\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 To transfer the authority.\n\nSo that\u2019s why Revelation 12 is a description of the satanic hatred for Israel; wrath, persecution, he wants to sweep her away, he\u2019s enraged by her he declares war against her.\u00a0 And you remember what Jesus said to Israel in Matthew 23:37-39?\u00a0 It\u2019s very clear He\u2019s speaking to Israel here because He says what? \u201cJerusalem, Jerusalem.\u201d\u00a0 He says in verse 39, \u201cFor I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, \u2018BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!\u2019\u201d\u00a0 In other words, I\u2019m not coming back to rescue you from the antichrist\u00a0 until you acknowledge Me as the Messiah.\u00a0 See that?\n\nSo if that\u2019s true, if the whole return of Christ and the setting up of the kingdom is contingent upon Israel\u2019s response to her Messiah, and that\u2019s what the prophecies and the covenants dictate that we\u2019ve consistently studied all the way through this course, what would you do if you were Satan.\u00a0 You\u2019d blot out every single Jew on planet earth because if there\u2019s no Jews left on planet earth there\u2019s no one left to call Messiah back to the earth. See that?\u00a0 See how Satan\u2019s mind is thinking in its darkened way?\n\nAnd that explains the utter hatred that Satan has towards the woman (or Israel) and this whole thing kicks into high gear in the second half of the tribulation period.\u00a0 So what is happening in Revelation 12:13-16 is God, two times, supernaturally steps in and protects Israel, just as He wouldn\u2019t allow the Messianic line to be blotted out leading to Christ.\u00a0 Every attempt by Satan to stop that line God protected that line and Jesus was born.\u00a0 That\u2019s why Jesus proclaimed k\u0113russ\u014d,<\/em> victory to the fallen angels that were trying to tamper with the genetics leading to Christ.\u00a0 So just as God had supernaturally protected the line leading to Christ He\u2019s protecting His first coming. God, in these verses, is supernaturally protecting the woman, or Israel, so that the kingdom can come to the earth.\u00a0 Do you see that?\u00a0 Do you understand why this transfer of authority that\u2019s happening here is invoking spiritual warfare?\n\nAnd through this whole process what is God doing?\u00a0 He is allowing two-thirds of the Hebrew people to be cut off.\u00a0 The two-thirds unbelievers are being cut off.\u00a0 That\u2019s who Satan is killing (I would say) through this spiritual warfare that\u2019s going on that reaches its zenith in the second half of the tribulation period.\u00a0 And God is actually using Satan\u2019s wrath against Israel to purge off the two-thirds unbelievers to retain a one-third of the remnant who are believers.\u00a0 Why is God doing that?\u00a0 Because He\u2019s got to fulfill His covenants through Israel which is the manifestation of the earthly what?\u00a0 Kingdom.\n\nI mean, if\u00a0 you\u2019re the devil you like running the world and you don\u2019t like the idea of being deposed. We\u2019ve seen earlier how he\u2019s going to be deposed so what he is doing is attacking, attacking, attacking to keep his grip over this earth.\u00a0 This whole thing is the outworking of Genesis 3:15, which is the first Messianic prophecy given in the whole Bible, where God says, \u201cI will put enmity\u201d now He\u2019s talking to the serpent when He says this, \u201cI will put enmity between you and the woman,\u201d the woman here is Eve, \u201cbetween\u00a0 your seed and her seed.\u201d\u00a0 See that?\u00a0 \u201cHe shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.\u201d\u00a0 Now if you had your choice would you rather have your heel bruised or your head crushed?\u00a0 I\u2019d take the heel bruise because if your head\u2019s crushed you\u2019re defeated.\n\nSo what is predicted here is there\u2019s coming this Messiah, Satan along the way is going to be able to inflict a lot of temporary damage; that\u2019s the imagery of the bruising of the heel, but ultimately the Messiah is going to sin, Satan\u2019s head is going to be crushed because what will come to the earth?\u00a0 The kingdom, which will result in the binding of Satan for a thousand years and at the end of the thousand years he\u2019ll be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Do you see that?\u00a0 You see how this verse here unpacks the whole Bible?\u00a0 If you miss what\u2019s going on here in Genesis 3:15 you can\u2019t understand the Bible because the whole Bible is an unpacking or an explanation of this verse.\n\nIf\u00a0 you don\u2019t understand the import of this verse it\u2019s like going to a movie and getting there ten minutes late and missing a key fact in the movie that\u2019s introduced early.\u00a0 And you\u2019re confused for the whole movie because you missed this key fact at the beginning.\u00a0 See that.\u00a0 That, in essence, is what happens to a lot of Christians because we have our one-year Bible reading programs, right, where we\u2019ve got to rush through everything to keep up our schedule and so your average Christian, their eyes just glaze right over Genesis 3:15 and consequently they\u2019re lost as to the rest of the Bible.\n\nI mean, why does Cain kill Abel in the next chapter?\u00a0 It\u2019s an outworking of Genesis 3:15.\u00a0 Why does Herod kill all the babies in Bethlehem?\u00a0 It\u2019s an outworking of Genesis 3:15.\u00a0 Why is Satan midway through the tribulation period going after Israel to gobble her up?\u00a0 It\u2019s an outworking of Genesis 3:15. He\u2019s working in history to stop God\u2019s plan.\u00a0 And yet the prophecy predicts you can bruise that heal all you want Satan, but your head is going to be crushed.\u00a0 And God, through tiny Israel, the third that\u2019s left, is going to fulfill His covenants in the thousand year kingdom, resulting in the banishment of Satan from this earth.\n\nThis is how the kingdom comes.\u00a0 So we\u2019ve seen the reoffer of the kingdom; how all of this represents the transfer of earthly authority, and then next week I\u2019ll show you exactly what this world is going to be like once the kingdom is established.\u00a0 And then we\u2019ll make a few comments about the duration of the kingdom because John, in Revelation 20 is pretty clear, he says a thousand\u00a0 years six times and I can\u2019t tell you how many evangelicals, so called, I run into that would say that\u2019s not a literal number.\u00a0 And so I\u2019ll show you exactly that it is a literal number and God wants us to understand that it\u2019s going to be a thousand year kingdom. Okay, I\u2019m finished talking so if you want to go pick up your kids or whatever else, feel free to go.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t