Through the Bible with Les Feldick
LESSON 1 * PART 2 * BOOK 47
The Coming Glorious Earthly Kingdom – Part 2
Hebrews 2:4-9
Turn to Hebrews chapter 2 verse 5. Remember in this Book of Hebrews we’re trying to see Jewish people, some of which were believers, and some were what I call on the fence, and the pull of Judaism was still having it’s effect on these people. So Paul is trying to make the point, that this Jesus of Nazareth, whom the nation for the most part rejected, was Who He said He was. He was indeed the Christ, He was indeed God the Son, and He was indeed the Creator, and is the coming King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. So this is what we’re really looking at here in chapter 2. And since He is the heart of the plan of salvation, this was the question in the last 5 program, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” Which began with Christ’s earthly ministry, and was confirmed with the signs and wonders and miracles as we saw in the last program. But now verse 5, and we’re looking ahead instead of looking back at what He has accomplished, we’re going to look ahead to what He will accomplish.
Hebrews 2:5
“For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.” Now, the casual reader would say, “The world to come? That must be heaven, and eternity.”No, because the Greek word here spoken of as the world, as the inhabited earth, so just look at it that way and read it in that context.
Hebrews 2:5
“For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, (the inhabited earth that is coming. So what’s he talking about? The Kingdom! The thousand-year reign with Christ over which He is indeed going to rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. ) whereof we speak.” Now let’s read it again.
Hebrews 2:5
“For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, (the inhabited earth, the Kingdom that is coming) whereof we speak.”
Now I’ll never forget, I hadn’t been on the air very long, and we had just branched out to one of our far off states, and I had a call from a pastor who was really upset over just one thing. He said, “Where in the world do you get this idea that there is going to be an earthly kingdom?” I said, “Well, the Bible is full of it.” Well, fortunately he volunteered to break off the conversation, and said, “I would like to debate with you.” And I said, “No, I don’t debate or argue,” and he hung up. Well that was my first inkling that there are a lot of people out there who have no concept of this coming earthly kingdom.
Now those of you who have been hearing me for the past 10 or 11 years on television, have heard me say it more than once. “The Kingdom, is the Kingdom, is the Kingdom! There is only one Kingdom, and it’s the Kingdom that Christ will establish on earth, ruling from Jerusalem when He returns at His second coming, and set everything straight. At that time Satan will be taken off the scene, and it will be heaven on earth, but it will be on the earth. That’s why the Greek word for world here means the inhabited earth. Not up in heaven, but here on the inhabited earth. So we’re going to spend this half hour just looking at various Scriptural connotations concerning this coming earthly Kingdom, and you’ll see the Old Testament is full of it.
First, go back to Isaiah chapter 2, because that’s one verse that I like to use over and over. It just says it so clearly, that the time is coming for that to happen. Now lets begin with verse 2, and this will be when Jerusalem, as the capital of this coming Kingdom on earth, is going to be the very fountainhead of everything.
Now just to make a secular reference to that, I like to think of Washington D.C. in our present time. The whole world, you might say, is dependent on what comes out of Washington. Even other world economies – if it wasn’t for Washington, I just wonder how long they would last? And wherever Iris and I travel overseas, and when you see a lot of promotion of things, and we can ask our guides, “Well, I thought this was a poor country?” He answers, “It is!” Then we ask, “Then where are they getting the money for all this beautiful, whatever?” Well, I’ll never forget the answer for one of those situations. He just said, “From you!” Well what did he mean? The American taxpayer. So Washington D.C. you might say, to a certain degree, is the very core of all the world’s economic, political, and military activity. Well it’s not going to be Washington, in this day of the Kingdom on earth, but rather it’s going to Jerusalem. Now look what Isaiah 2:2 says:
Isaiah 2:2
“And it shall come to pass (when the Bible says, ‘this is going to come to pass, it’s going to, I don’t care what the theologians say, it’s going to come. So it shall come to pass) in the last days, that the mountain (kingdom. The word mountain and kingdom are synonymous) of the LORD’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, (or the Kingdom over all the other kingdoms) and shall be exalted (that’s also the word the Bible uses for Christ’s position as King. He will be exalted) above the hills: and all nations shall flow unto it.”
Get the picture? Just like the spokes in a wheel, everything will go to the very vortex of that Kingdom, which will be Jerusalem. Now as you come through the Book of Isaiah, there is a constant reference to this coming Kingdom. So as we’re turning, I see one in Isaiah chapter 11. I wasn’t even expecting to use this one, but we will. And I like this, especially when people ask me if we can have our pets when we get to glory. Well I don’t think we’ll have pets in the heavens of Heaven, but when this earthly Kingdom comes about, every animal is going to be a household pet. The lions and tigers and everything else will be part and parcel of that glorious Kingdom that is coming. And let’s just jump in at verse 6. Now this is just a little preview:
Isaiah 11:6-7
“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, (remember at that time, the curse will be lifted. The whole ecology will be made right as it was in the beginning) and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; (or baby goat) and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. (or play amongst them) 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed: (they’ll forage in the same meadow) their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.”
Now what does that tell you? Come back to Genesis chapter 1 verse 30 and let’s see how it was in the beginning. This is what makes Bible study so interesting, because everything fits. And the reason we’re coming back is because Isaiah says that the lion is going to eat forage much like cattle do. Well here’s the reason, the curse will be lifted, and everything will revert back as it was originally before Adam fell.
Genesis 1:30
“And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, (God says) I have given every green herb for meat: (food) and it was so.” What does that mean? Everything ate of what grew naturally. Nothing killed something else for its sustinance as in our present day ecology. So it’s all going to revert back to this, where everything will feed on the things that grow naturally. Now coming back to Isaiah chapter 11 and continuing on in verse 7.
Isaiah 11:7b-8
“…and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8. (and again the reference to little children) And the sucking (nursing) child shall play on the hole of the asp, (that poisonous snake of the middle east) and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.” All to show that we’re going to have various stages of children, but now verse 9.
Isaiah 11:9
“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: (this 1000-year Kingdom) for the earth (We’re not talking about heaven, it’s going to be here on the earth) shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”
Well, I could take verse after verse, coming up through the Old Testament, that are references to this coming glorious Kingdom on earth. But let’s jump all the way up to Daniel chapter 2, where Daniel of course gives several views of this coming Kingdom. The first one is in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, and we always use it as a jumping off point for teaching prophecy. We’ll just jump in at verse 35, and it’s from this passage that we understand the Gentile empires that would be the precursor of this glorious Kingdom that is coming upon the earth.
Daniel 2:35
“Then (after he sees this huge image in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream) was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, (everything that was ever part of these tremendous Gentiles will disappear) that no place was found for them: and the stone (the second coming Christ) that smote the image became a great mountain, (Kingdom) and filled the whole earth.”
Let’s move on up to chapter 7. Daniel of course sees these same Gentile empires coming down through the corridors of time, only as animals, as beasts of prey, rather than metals in a statue of a man, but what I want you to see is in verse 13. And this is all the same Kingdom. We’re not talking about different ones, but rather about the one and only Kingdom in Scripture.
Daniel 7:13
“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.”
If I’ve got time after while, we’ll go back and look at Revelation chapter 5, where we have the same set of circumstances, where God the Son comes before God the Father, and I think you have the same personalities here in verse 13. Now verse 14.
Daniel 7:14
“And there was given him (the Son. The One we’re talking about in our study of Hebrews. And there was given Him) dominion and glory, and a kingdom, (and in this Kingdom) that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: (they’ll be under His domain) his dominion (His power, His government) is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom (that He’s going to set up is one) that which shall not be destroy.”
We understand that He Himself will do it in an interlude leading into eternity, but nevertheless we always maintain that this 1000-year earthly Kingdom will be just the precursor of the eternal state. Now let’s turn to Joel chapter 3. I’m just hitting a few of them. Some evening just grab your Bible and start flipping through the Old Testament, and wherever you see these Kingdom references just stop and read them. They’re almost always toward the end of these prophetic Books, and the reason, the first part of these prophecy books will be dealing with Israel’s near-term judgment of one sort or another, whether it’s the Babylonian captivity, or the Syrians or other. But almost in every case, by the time you get to the end of these prophecy books, you have the promises of Israel being restored, and enjoying this earthly Kingdom. And this is what you have here in Joel chapter 3 verses 17 and 18.
Joel 3:17-18
“So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, (and Zion is Jerusalem) my holy mountain: (Kingdom) then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more. 18. And it shall come to pass in that day, (when this Kingdom is set up, and Christ is ruling and reigning from Jerusalem) that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.”
Well whenever you see those terms, it’s speaking of the future earthly Kingdom. I had to explain that to one of my classes here in Oklahoma the other night, that when you see the reference in Scripture of the milk and honey, the promise of the mountains flowing with milk and honey, remember it’s not that the milk and honey will come flowing down the valleys of the Middle East, but rather everything that is physically necessary to produce milk and honey will be in abundance. Now, in other words, to get honey, what do you have to have? A lot of blossoms! Whether it’s clover or whether it fruit trees, there’s going to be an abundance of blossoms from which the bees can make their honey. Well it’s the same way with milk. You don’t get milk with cattle running out on bare sand, but rather what do they need? Lush pastures and abundant water, and so this is all implied then when we speak of a land flowing with milk and honey. It’s a land that can be agriculturally productive. Now turn to Amos chapter 9 verse 13 for another one. Like I said, I’m only hitting a few of them, but we’ll just stop and pick out a few of the more obvious ones.
Amos 9:13-15
“Behold, the days come, (oh it’s still future, but it’s coming. God’s Word says it) saith the lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. 14. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, (in other words, He’s going to bring them in from their dispersion from all the nations of the world) and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; (that has already begun to a degree) and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. 15. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.” Now go to Zephaniah 3, verses 19 and 20.
Zephaniah 3:19-20
“Behold, at that time (when the Kingdom is set up) I will undo all that afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to shame, 20. At that time (when the Kingdom is finally established) will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make (these are all promises to the Nation of Israel) you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD.”
Over and over you can find these, but let’s look at one more, and that will be in Zechariah chapter 14, and we use these verses quite routinely, because again they are so clearly put, and there’s no room for argument. And remember what the Book of Hebrews called it? The world to come. And here, this is His second coming, just exactly like the angels told the eleven in chapter 1. “This same Jesus that you have seen going into heaven, will come again in like manner, as you have seen Him go.” Well, here is the Old Testament record of it, prophetically of course.
Zechariah 14:4
“And his feet shall stand in that day (the day of His second coming, and the setting up of this Kingdom) upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, (so there’s no argument here, this is not a figurative Mount of Olive, but rather this is the real one) and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the south.” And now go to verse 8.
Zechariah 14:8
“And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, (Mediterranean) and half of them toward the hinder sea: (Dead Sea)in summer and in winter shall it be.” That river will never dry up, but now verse 9.
Zechariah 14:9
“And the LORD (Jesus of Nazareth as we know Him. God the Son as the Book of Hebrews put it) shall be king (not over heaven, but) over all the earth: in that day (when He establishes His Kingdom) shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
Now let’s go to Matthew chapter 19 verse 27 – this is Jesus speaking, and it’s in full accord with the prophets. Nothing is out of place. They have just about finished their three years of His earthly ministry, and they have left their fishing businesses and families upon on Galilee.
Matthew 19:27-28
“Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? (in other words, what’s going to be our reward for doing that? They’ve got their salvation, so don’t worry about that.) 28. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, (speaking to the Twelve) in the regeneration (when the curse is lifted, and the planet is reverted back to it’s beautiful original state) when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, (that speaks of a King seated upon His throne. Now here comes what’s in it for the Twelve. Now granted, when this takes place, Judas is out, and Matthias is in) ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” So what does that tell them? Hey there’s coming a day when these 12 men are finally going to be in places of authority. But you see when you get to Acts chapter 1, and Jesus is about to leave them, what’s the last question Peter asks on behalf of the rest of them?
Acts 1:6b
“…Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” And although He told them “it is not for you to know the times or the season, …” We know it’s coming!