The Golden Age, Part 1

Through the ages, people have longed for peace, but there's only one condition in which that would ever be possible. Global peace is directly tied to the literal reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem, where He will subjugate and rule over the nations.

You can't have the last part of the verse without the first part of the verse. You can't have the golden age of the crown until Jesus Christ returns and wears the crown as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Global peace, global unity, global harmony.

When you hear phrases like that, it sounds too good to be true. In our world right now, global peace is impossible. The only time that true global peace is possible is when Jesus returns. And when He does, He will be personally ruling over the affairs of the earth. Here on Wisdom for the Heart, we're working through a series from Revelation called Thy Kingdom Come.

Today, Stephen Davey is looking at this future period of world peace. Again, the series is called Thy Kingdom Come, and Stephen has called this message the Golden Age. There are three words that come out of Greek mythology to express a time of perfect harmony and peace and prosperity. It is the phrase the Golden Age. Frankly, it has been the pursuit of mankind from the days of Adam's fall and exile from the Garden of Eden to find this epic era, this Golden Age. It was Nimrod's grand design when he built Babylon. It was and will be the antichrist's agenda as he attempts to rule the planet and usher in a one-world government and one-world religion and with it a global period of great peace and prosperity. There's something in the heart of mankind that longs for a utopia where peace and justice reigns supreme.

I believe it is nothing less than the tracing of divine truth on the heart of mankind. God has also built into the heart of man a sense of coming disaster, coming judgment, and the belief is nearly universal in some sort of coming world disaster. Recent events in Haiti only heighten the sense of our planet crumbling in some future series of disasters. Just one more movie was released to seize the attention of our culture, simply named 2012. The caption underneath the movie title, I saw a picture of it and the word simply said, you were warned. Now, would anybody stand in line to watch a movie that just adds to their anxiety that the world is going to collapse with all these cataclysmic events?

Well, this opening weekend grossed worldwide $200 million. But isn't it interesting that tens of thousands of people all around the world would feed their already brimming anxiety with one more description of a coming cataclysmic upheaval of planet earth? These are two incompatible notions. We believe we can make it to the utopia and peace and harmony and something bad is going to happen on the planet.

For the believer, these two notions are not impossible at all, nor incompatible. In fact, the Bible provides the information and the details, and they are both going to occur on planet earth. The tribulation, as we have seen in Revelation chapters 6 through 19, in fact, most of the book of Revelation is dealing with the tribulation, is a series of cataclysmic events, one after another brought about by the wrath of God as he judges humanity and all the nations of the world, and at the same time prepares a redeemed people, those who will believe in the gospel during the tribulation after the rapture, and most specifically, preparing Israel as a redeemed nation for her returning Messiah. And when the tribulation is over, the majority of people on the planet will be dead, and most of the planet utterly devastated. The Bible records that of the last events of the tribulation, the majority of the remaining nations and their remaining armies will coalesce in one massive army to battle the Lord in what we have already studied, the battle of Armageddon as Jesus Christ descends and stands upon the Mount of Olives. That global army is defeated by one word of the living logos, the word of his power, and Jesus Christ will then usher in the Golden Age. It really does come true, since the idea of the Golden Age is also stamped upon the heart of every human being, and it's nothing more than the tracings of the etchings of God's truth written into the mind of mankind.

It causes them to both fear a coming disaster and long for a coming utopia. I Googled the words the Golden Age. Such a great resource for preachers nowadays. It's absolutely wonderful if I ever lack anything I can Google.

I'm not getting my material from the Internet, but illustrations are rampant. I ended up page after page on the Golden Age, Golden Age of Sports, Golden Age of TV. Of course, we think of it in apocalyptic terms. It's interesting, one particular guru, I watched him for about five minutes talking about the coming age, and he said this, and I thought it was fascinating. He said, we are approaching the Golden Age, and it will be the age of the crown. He said that over and over, it will be the age of the crown.

He doesn't know how right he is. But of course, mention to him that that crown will be on the head of Jesus Christ and discussion ends. Isn't it tragically ironic that our world, in fact our current United Nations, now numbering a little over 190 nations, strong reject the truth of Christ and the coming rain they reject of course in fact despise the concept of a creator God who came to earth as God the Son and died on the cross for the sins of mankind and by faith in him we will one day reign with him upon the earth.

They reject all of that, but they long for a united global peaceful community where war is a distant memory. Isn't it ironic that the United Nations longs for that moment in biblical terminology that directly across the street in the plaza there on one avenue at 44th downtown New York you have the United Nations building where political rallies have been taking place in that plaza for the last 60 years. It's ironic that on that plaza this monument is an engraving. Engraved on the monument are the words of the prophet Isaiah and they read, they shall beat their swords into plowshares or plows and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore Isaiah.

Although mankind doesn't want anything to do with surrender to Jesus as ruler they can't resist the biblical promise and they long for the hope revealed in the words of God's own prophets of this global period of peace where mankind will reshape swords into plows to harvest bumper crops. There's another view of the monument I found online with people getting their picture in front of it. It shows a better perspective of just how magnificent this monument is. Again you can see the verse engraved into the wall and at the end of the quote is the prophet's name Isaiah. It's nicknamed this wall by the way is nicknamed the Isaiah wall. Now by the way the specific reference in Isaiah has been left out. We don't have chapter and verse perhaps are afraid somebody will look it up. It comes from Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 4 and it's interesting to me that they have cut the verse in half which isn't all that ironic but it is sad. The portion they engraved into the wall says nothing of course about the Lord whom we know as Jesus Christ. Again on the wall it says and they shall beat their swords into plowshares or plows and their spears into pruning hooks nations shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore.

It's a wonderful promise isn't it. Here's the first part of the phrase where the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem a reference to his reign. He will judge between the nations and he will render decisions for many peoples and they will beat their swords into plowshares. In other words this prophecy of global peace is directly tied to the literal reign of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem where he will subjugate and rule over the nations.

You can't have the last part of the verse without the first part of the verse. You can't have the golden age of the crown until Jesus Christ returns and wears the crown as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You see our world wants a peaceful solution without a personal savior. Our world longs for peace. They just don't want the Prince of Peace. The world really doesn't want to hear talk of Jesus Christ returning a sovereign ruler and because of their unbelief according to the Bible all those who refuse the claims of Christ will one day be excluded from this coming golden age.

They're not only going to miss heaven but they're going to miss this glorious prelude to heaven which we rarely study in the church which we will. What will the kingdom be like? One author wrote imagine a world described by the prophets throughout the Old Testament a world dominated by righteousness and goodness a world where there is no injustice where no court ever renders an unjust verdict where everyone is treated fairly. Imagine a world where that is true where everything that is true right and noble marks every aspect of life including interpersonal relationships commerce education and government. Imagine a world where there is complete total permanent peace where joy abounds and good health prevails so much so that the world's growing population lives for hundreds of years.

Imagine a world where the curse is removed where the environment is restored to the pristine purity of the Garden of Eden where peace reigns even in the animal kingdom so that the wolf will dwell with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the young goat and the calf and the young lion together and the little boy will play with them or lead them. There are prophecies throughout the Old Testament of Christ's first coming. They were all fulfilled literally about one hundred and nine of them I've learned. We have about two hundred and twenty prophecies about his second coming. They are yet to be fulfilled of the forty six Old Testament prophets less than 10 spoke of Christ's first coming. Thirty six of them spoke of his second coming with great precision. There are around fifteen hundred Old Testament passages dealing with the second coming of the Messiah in the New Testament. One out of every twenty five verses on average have something to do with the second coming of Jesus Christ. There are nearly two thousand references to the second coming of Jesus Christ throughout the Bible. I didn't see any of you writing that down.

You're going to need another for the test. I just want to warn you. OK. Now how do we know that the coming king is Jesus. How do we know that this ruling king in the coming kingdom is the same person. Many Jewish scholars believe there are two messiahs one who would suffer and one who would reign. And if all you had was the Old Testament prophecies you might be led to the conclusion that conclusion since the Old Testament prophets often did not make a clear distinction between the first coming of Christ and his second coming a gap that we now know has lasted some two thousand years with this new creation the prophets knew nothing of at all called the church. But by comparing the Old Testament and the New Testament you have a clear picture that these are not two men but one man the God man Jesus Christ. And by way of introduction I'll take you just in your memory to Genesis the Bible records all the way back in Chapter forty nine that the ruling scepter that is the king's staff will belong to someone who descends from the tribe of Judah. Compare that to Luke in his gospel who carefully traces for us that Christ genealogy traces back to and through the tribe of Judah Luke Chapter 3 the prophet Micah revealed the birthplace of the Messiah as Bethlehem Micah Chapter 5 verse 2 Luke Chapter 2 verses 4 to 7 revealed that Christ was indeed born where in Bethlehem Isaiah prophesied behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and call him a manual that is God with us as a seven the angel Gabriel then comes to a virgin named Mary with the stunning news that God will by his power cause her to conceive though a virgin and he says the angel Gabriel to her behold you shall conceive and bear a son and verse thirty five a chapter one says he will be called the son of God that is God has come to be with us Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would in his reign one day exalt every valley and make every mountain low and the crooked path straight and the rough places plain Isaiah forty verses three to four John the baptizer appears centuries later as the forerunner of the Messiah and he says oh by the way he will make every crooked path straight every mountain low every valley lifted and every rough way smooth David prophesied that the Messiah would be hated without a cause in Psalm thirty five nineteen John's gospel records our own Lord saying they hated me and they have hated my father but this has come to pass so that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law they hated me without a cause John fifteen twenty three and twenty five is the Old Testament Messiah the same person as Jesus Christ the prophet Zachariah said that the king of Israel would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey and he prophesied that people would rejoice throughout Jerusalem at his coming Zachariah nine verse nine centuries later Jesus Christ rides into Jerusalem on a donkey in the crowd shouts Hosanna to the son of David Mark eleven seven to eleven even more specifically David foretold of the Messiah's close friend with whom he would share bread bread from his own hand that close friend would lift up his heel against him and betray him Psalm forty one verse nine in Matthew's gospel Judas Iscariot receives bread from the hand of Jesus and then slips out to betray him to lift his heel against him Matthew thirteen twenty six Zachariah even promised that the price of that betrayal would be thirty pieces of silver in chapter eleven verse thirteen Matthew chapter twenty seven verse three tells us of that event where Judas filled with remorse though not repentance returns to the the chief priests and scribes and he says to them I have betrayed innocent blood and they say to him we don't really care and Judas throws onto the temple floor thirty pieces of silver Matthew twenty seven verse three David prophesied of the crucifixion of the Messiah as he wrote with divinely ordained precise foresight as he says in Psalm twenty two sixteen a band of evil doers has encompassed me and they have pierced my hands and my feet is that the method of execution of the Messiah John twenty twenty five has Jesus Christ the resurrected Lord entering that room where the disciples have assembled and Thomas with them and he says to Thomas see my hands he's retained the scars for all time Paul would write in Philippians chapter two verse eight he will humble himself even unto death death on a what cross David also wrote in Psalm twenty two they divided my garments among them and for my clothing they cast lots Matthew's gospel records and when they had crucified him the soldiers divided up his garments among themselves by casting lots listen how specific can you get how many more prophecies would you need of the one hundred and nine I'll give you a few more is the crucified Messiah the Savior who died for the sins of mankind Isaiah fifty three says he was pierced for our transgressions he was crushed for our iniquities the chastening for our well-being fell on him and by his scourging we are healed all of that happened as he was beaten all we like sheep have gone astray each of us has turned to his own way but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on him God the Father speaking of God the Son the Apostle Paul will write centuries later in Romans five verses six to nine while we were helpless at the right time Christ died for the ungodly one will hardly die for a righteous man though perhaps for a good man someone might dare even to die but God demonstrates his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us much more than having now been justified by his blood we shall be saved from the wrath of God through him David also wrote of our Lord's resurrection and leading he uses this phrase leading captivity captive I believe emptying paradise from Hades and into the place of heaven with him Psalm sixty eight eighteen Paul uses the same language when Christ descended up on high he led captivity captive Ephesians four eight to ten is the Lord of the Old Testament the suffering Messiah of Isaiah fifty three the same person as the resurrected and ascended Christ of the New Testament absolutely the prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the New Testament agree in unison and without any contradiction he is one in the same but let me ask another question if the Messiah of the Old Testament is the same person as the Messiah of the New Testament how do we know that that Messiah will one day come back literally to rule the world I mean think about it isn't it enough that he died for us isn't it enough that he will take us to heaven how do we know that this same one will reign and we with him in the kingdom how do we know that he's going to come back and rule on planet Earth well for starters we know that he's going to come back for a second time for the same reason we know he came the first time the scriptures and in fact the very record of history as a witness testify to the first coming of Christ and his death and the witnesses testify to his resurrection the same inspired book tell us he's coming back again and one day all of history will culminate in the appearing of Jesus Christ and his redeemed with him won't be at that occasion to knock on the side of the United Nations building and politely asked to be included in their plans when he comes the second time the days of invitation will be over and he will judge the nations and set up his undisputed uncontested unchallenged invincible throne Psalm chapter two reveals that the rule of Christ will be universal it prophesies of this coming rain with precision in fact just turn there turn to Psalm chapter two okay just listen to David as he as he writes sometimes it's a conversation between God the Father and God the Son they speak of one another it's it's amazing listen to what what he writes in verse one of Psalm chapter two why are the nations in an uproar and the people's devising a vain thing well David what's the futility of their their devising verse two the kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed that's a phrase in the Old Testament for the Messiah saying let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us in other words we're not going to be accountable to try in God we're not going to bend our knee to him we're not going to be restricted to his anointed now watch verse four he who sits in the heavens laughs the Lord scoffs at them then he will speak to them in his anger and terrify them in his fury saying but as for me I have installed my king upon Zion my holy mountain that's Jerusalem I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord he said to me you are my son today I've begotten you ask of me and I will surely give you the nations as your inheritance in the very ends of the earth as your possession in other words the king is coming now how do you respond to that well here's how look at verse 10 now therefore oh kings show discernment take warning oh judges of the earth you know for heaven's sake wise up that's my paraphrase verse 11 worship the Lord with reverence and rejoice with trembling do homage to the son that he not become angry and you perish in the way for his wrath may soon be kindled how blessed are all who take refuge in him is that a picture of revelation 6 to 19 or what is it an introduction to revelation chapter 20 or what perfectly the wrath of God is revealed against the nations and you have all of these cataclysmic events and then the son will take the throne you'd better bend your knee to him now so that you can reign with him then or you'll have to be subjugated by him then forever in his great and terrible judgment and then as he takes the throne thus begins the golden age it really does come true you know what it's also written on the hearts of men and women as an intuitive truth a dying wish surely this world could somehow get along surely it'll one day be unified let's try to do it now surely we can somehow usher in global peace it will happen one day but only after the prince of peace comes and the kingdom of his glory the climate the topography of our world the geography the animal kingdom the lifespan the new temple the city of Jerusalem all of it magnificent but here at the outset just as an introduction I wanted to just talk about the king because there can be no peace without this prince there can be no kingdom without this king I hope you're encouraged by the truth that Jesus Christ will bring true and lasting peace to the earth when he ushers in his literal kingdom you're listening to wisdom for the heart with Stephen Davey Stephen's message today is called the golden age he's only halfway through with it so we're gonna bring you the conclusion to this message on tomorrow's broadcast Stephen is the teaching pastor at the shepherds church in Cary North Carolina I'm Scott Wiley and I thank you for listening today please be sure and tune in for the conclusion to this message here on wisdom for the heart