Early Revelation of Two Resurrections

Transcript

GR1917
5/03/15
Early Revelation of Two Resurrections
Daniel 12:2; Revelation 20:4-6; 12-14
Gil Rugh

We are going to Daniel chapter 12. We have some overlap as we have come to two similar places in our study of 2 Corinthians chapter 5 talking about resurrection and judgment and we have come to the same place in Daniel chapter 12 talking about resurrection and judgment so there will naturally be some overlap. I trust that won’t bore you but we ought to have these things fixed in our mind. We keep going over them because there is much opposition in the evangelical world to the positions that we have on taking a literal view of future prophecy, the place of Israel in the plan of God and so on so we want to have a clear understanding of what the Scripture teaches on these matters.

We’ve moved into chapter 12. You remember the end of chapter 11 talked about that 70th week of Daniel and then particular events that would take place in the last three and one half years and that middle point becomes a key point. So he picked up to emphasize that as chapter 12 opened up. Similar to what Jesus did in Matthew 24 where he overviewed that 70th week of Daniel then He went back and picked up with the major event at the middle of that week. When you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place and that’s what happens with chapter 12, verse 1: “Now at that time, Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of Your people will arise. Then there will be a time of distress as has never occurred” and we looked at that event as unfolded in Revelation chapter 12 and there is war in heaven and we come to the final phase of the final phase.

If you put the chart up. Remind you and encourage you if you haven’t to clip out the chart in the back of your newsletter. That will give you a constant reminder but back to verse 1. It is in the middle of that seven year period. You see it divided into two three and a half year periods and we saw the war in heaven. Satan loses his access to heaven. He lost his position when he sinned at his original rebellion but he still continued to have access. Now when we get to the middle of the 70th week of Daniel he and his demonic hosts are closed out of heaven and we saw in Revelation 12 he knows time is running out. So he will accelerate his efforts during that last three and a half years to destroy the nation Israel. As we have noted repeatedly, why? Because the promises and prophecies of God regarding a coming kingdom required a restored nation of Israel and Satan’s relentless attempts throughout history to annihilate the Jews because God has chosen them and His future promises cannot be fulfilled without them. That is why it is a serious matter that so much of the church thinks it’s irrelevant; the future promises to Israel and thinks the church has taken over those promises. Satan knows that is not the case. So that is the situation we are in in verse 1.

Then we come to verse 2: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake. These to everlasting life, the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven. Those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” We come to the conclusion of the 70th week of Daniel. We will have the return of Christ to earth. That is the second stage of the second coming. The first stage involved gathering the church to meet Him in the air. We talked some about that resurrection and judgment in our earlier study today and we will look at it again further in our next study but when Christ returns there is going to be a resurrection. You see that in verse 2: “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake; these (those that are raised at that point) will be raised to everlasting life;” the others that are going to be raised but at a later time to everlasting contempt. As we talked about in our earlier study today that most of you would have been part of, the Bible talks about judgment, general judgment, judgment in a general way. We talked about Hebrews 9:27: “It is appointed unto man once to die; after this comes judgment.” If that is the only verse we had we might assume that resurrections and judgment all occurred together but Scripture further unfolds them. We looked in John chapter 5, verses 28 and 29. There Jesus talked about a resurrection to life and a resurrection to judgment but again there is no indication of the gap. This is not unusual. Remember on this chart the Old Testament prophecies moved from the first coming of Christ, the events around His crucifixion, resurrection and shortly thereafter and then they skip the church age and pick up with the 70th week of Daniel, that seven year period. So what God revealed was true but the revelation was not complete. What is revealed will not change anything. For example this passage in Daniel 12:2 indicates coming resurrection and really two resurrections that it does distinguish, those to everlasting life, the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. So it separates out the two groups as Jesus did in John chapter 5 when He said “there is a resurrection to life and a resurrection to judgment.”

Now the indication that there will be a significant space between those two judgments comes with further revelation. We emphasize this because many Christians hold and teach that there is just one general resurrection and it occurs at the second coming of Christ to earth but Scripture is clear that is not the case.

Come back to Revelation 20 where we were earlier today. But just the indication here of the two resurrections separated by 1,000 years. So you will see we have on our chart and you have a copy of that that the resurrection of unbelievers occurs at the end of 1,000 years. There is no doubt about that. Revelation is clear. How do they get confused? They don’t take Revelation literally. The 1,000 years is just indicative of a long time. Some believe the kingdom is present now so we are in the kingdom. We have been in the kingdom since Christ’s first coming and it will climax with His return to earth, resurrection judgment and eternity. But if you take if what we call a literal interpretation of Scripture, he repeatedly tells us there is a 1,000 year period here. He says it in verse 2, he says it in verse 3, he says it at the end of verse 4, he says it in verse 5, he says it at the end of verse 6 and he says it at the beginning of verse 7. That should help us to think he is talking about 1,000 years. When we conclude Daniel chapter 12 in a future study we will find out God gets very specific in days that will take place in the future.

So the division that occurs here, there is a resurrection in verse 4. The focus is on people who became believers in that seven year period and were martyred. So that is the substance of verse 4: “I saw a throne. They sat on them. Judgment was given to them. I saw the souls who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus, because of the Word of God. Those who had not worshiped the beast or his image had not received his mark on their forehead or hand.” And here that is taken to be a literal action that comes from Revelation 13, what we call the mark of the beast and the number 666 in Revelation chapter 13. People martyred, large numbers turn to Christ during that seven year period, martyred for their faith. “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” They are resurrected to share in the kingdom, the thousand year reign of Christ which is not all there is to the kingdom but the first phase of the eternal kingdom is 1,000 years. “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.” The first resurrection is a quality of resurrection.

Verse 6: “Blessed and holy is the one has part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no power. They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for one thousand years.” So, there is 1,000 years separating the resurrection of life and the resurrection to judgment. There should be no believers in the Word of God saying there is just general resurrection and it is all over unless you don’t take future prophecy literally. But I can’t find any reason. I am reading three books right now all which critique the position of those who take future prophecy literally because I want to be sure that I understand and treat them fairly when I show how wrong they are. I mean I just cannot understand why all of a sudden we change the way to handle the Word of God.

So it is clear. A thousand years separates the resurrection. There are two parts in the resurrection to life, the resurrection of the church at the rapture, the resurrection of Old Testament saints and tribulation saints. So we are going to talk about Old Testament saints in a moment. But you see this seven year period is the conclusion of what? Leave a marker in Revelation chapter 20 and come back to Daniel chapter 12 and then come back to chapter 9, verse 24. “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people, your holy city.”

Remember the 70 weeks? We looked through that. That is 70 seven’s. They end up being 77 year periods, 490 years. 483 years brought us to Palm Sunday, the week of Jesus’ crucifixion. After that 69th week, this section goes on, you remember said the Messiah would be crucified. Then that 70th week would begin, verse 27 of Daniel 9, when this coming antichrist, prince that is to come, the little horn of chapter 7 signs an agreement with Israel for one week, one seven. It is a week of years, not a week of days.

So this seven year period is the concluding part of God’s revealed program for the nation Israel, that 490 years so when we see the resurrection of those who die in that seven year period that gives us some indication that this is where the resurrection of Old Testament saints will take place as well. Crucial, Old Testament saints are not resurrected with the church. The church resurrection, we call it the first stage there that we refer to as the rapture is just of those who were believers during the church age beginning in Acts chapter 2 down until that event. I will have more to say about that in our next study out of Corinthians.

So, Old Testament saints have yet to be resurrected. They are resurrected with the tribulation saints because tribulation saints are part of the conclusion of God’s 70 sevens are determined upon your people, Daniel, your holy city. The Jews in Jerusalem to accomplish the six things that Daniel 9:24 said which will prepare the way for the coming of the kingdom.

Now Old Testament prophecy doesn’t talk a lot about resurrection but it does talk about it over in chapter 12 again, of Daniel. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake” and asleep is a picture of physical death as we have talked about. It is not soul sleep and we have talked about that in 2 Corinthians 5 because when you are absent from the body you are present with the Lord. So your soul is not asleep, your spirit is not asleep. The spirit has left the body and now is in the presence of the Lord but your body is temporarily inactive, somewhat like sleeping. I know some of you toss and turn and fuss in your sleep but the picture, none the less, is of a body that is asleep and we use the analogy sometimes at a funeral where they have an open casket people will walk by and say, “they look like they are sleeping.” Well, their body is. They have moved out. So they awake. So there is going to be a resurrection and there are two parts to the resurrection, a resurrection of life and a resurrection to disgrace and contempt and both are everlasting. Now it is important that we keep that in perspective. Everyone who has ever lived will get a resurrected body. Believers at the rapture will get a glorified body down until this time. Other times we have talked about there would be people who would go on into the kingdom in physical bodies who were saved and survived that seven year period but unbelievers as well as believers who die get resurrected bodies. We call the resurrected body of the Christian a glorified body, a believer. He is resurrected to life, righteousness. The others get resurrected bodies that are everlasting. They will never die but they are raised to suffer and endure hell for eternity.

People don’t like to talk about that, don’t like to think of it, think it is a terrible concept and it is awful. We don’t have any idea how awful it really is but that does not mean it is not true and trying to block it out of our mind, ignore it, won’t change the reality. There is everlasting disgrace and contempt. We have seen that in Revelation 20 by those who experience the second death. Revelation 14 says the smoke of their torment arises into the ages of the ages. That is why it is so important that men, women and young people hear the message of salvation, place their faith in Christ.

So we have resurrection here. So Old Testament talks about resurrection even though it is not developed in fullness. Old Testament saints were aware of resurrection.

Come back to the book of Job, chapter 19. Job is probably the oldest book in our Old Testament. Job probably was living in the times of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He’s functioning as the head of his family, the priest of his family. The Mosaic Law has not been instituted. Job as the patriarch of his family offers sacrifices for his children and so on but Job knew about resurrection.

Look in Job 19, verse 25: “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and at the last He will take His stand on the earth even after my skin is destroyed yet from my flesh I shall see God whom I myself shall behold; whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me.”

It is overwhelming. I know when this body is put in the grave, you know, the skin, the flesh, it will be disintegrate yet from my flesh I shall see God. You know there has been revelation given very early along this same line.

Come over to the book of Jude just before the book of Revelation, the book of Jude; just a reminder. God had revealed much that He did not see fit to have recorded in our Old Testament and much of this was passed on because remember Adam and Eve began with full revelation. They didn’t begin life as a cave man with a cave woman as a wife, they were very intelligent, knowledgeable human beings giving names to the animals and so on. Well in Jude, verse 14 talking about false teachers in Jude and verse 14 says: “It was about these men (these false teachers) that Enoch, the seventh from Adam.” So if you go back to the genealogy in Genesis Enoch is the seventh one from Adam. Remember Enoch is the one who did not die because God took him? “Enoch, the seventh from Adam prophesied saying, ‘Behold the Lord came with many thousands of his holy ones to execute judgment upon all, to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deed which they have done in an ungodly way, of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’” Enoch, all the way back, seven generations from Adam prophesied, God had revealed it. Note God will bring judgment on an unbelieving world. Sinners will be punished. God will come in glory to bring judgment so the fact Old Testament saints knew about resurrection but the details of resurrection that would not come until a later time. So Old Testament saints are going to be resurrected.

Come to Matthew chapter 16, Matthew chapter 16, verse 27 talks about the judgment associated with the resurrection. “The Son of man is going to come in the glory of His Father’s with His angels. They will replay every man according to his deeds.” We noted at the second coming there is a judgment of the living and there is a judgment that will be associated with the resurrection of the righteous, not unfolded out. This is in the context of talking about His kingdom so we know when this event is going to take place.

Come back to Isaiah. When you go back to Isaiah let me read you a verse from Luke while you go back there. You don’t need to turn there because I read it to you this morning. It is Luke chapter 14, verse 14 when he says “You will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” And the verse talks about eating bread with Him in the kingdom. So the resurrection of the righteous that He is talking about here is in the context of the kingdom and the setting up of the kingdom.

Come back to Isaiah chapter 26. You may be there. I am on my way. Chapter 25, verse 8: “He will swallow up death for all time. The Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces. He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth. For the Lord has spoken.” Again, in the context of establishing the kingdom He will take care of death.

Verse 6: “The Lord of Hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain” and it describes that banquet. In that context He will swallow up death for all time.

You come down into chapter 26, a familiar verse, verse 3, “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever for in God, the Lord we have an everlasting rock.”

Come over to verse 19: “Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust awake and shout for joy for your dew is as the dew of the dawn. The earth will give birth to the departed spirits.” Those bodies that had been vacated by the Spirit because James 2:26 says, “The body without the spirit is dead.” Now those bodies come back to life.

So you have resurrection anticipated in the Old Testament but the unfolding of the details of it are further revelation of resurrection. Keep in mind, later revelation does not change prior revelation. I keep emphasizing this because much of the evangelical church says everything changed with the coming of Christ. Now we go back and reinterpret the Old Testament in light of the coming of Christ and we find out everything promised was fulfilled in Him. There is no future land for Israel. Christ is the new Israel and that kind of reasoning. The promises of God have to be fulfilled as He gave them. These resurrection promises are an example. We are not talking about spiritual resurrection here we are talking about physical resurrection. We are talking about verse 19: “Your dead will live. Their corpses will rise. The earth will give birth to the departed spirits.” This is like a birth because these bodies are coming out of the grave to be re-inhabited again. In this context there will be a judgment because we have looked at the verses. I don’t want to take you back through them because if you were here earlier today we went through that emphasis on there is judgment and “As I live, says the Lord” and we looked at Isaiah 45, “Every knee will bow.” We must all stand before God and be judged. There are no exceptions. Even believers, the righteous, church saints and Old Testament saints must be judged and evaluated and for Old Testament saints they are raised to go into the kingdom.

I keep pointing at things on the chart. Here we are, resurrected at the second advent, the time of the judgment, the second coming of Christ to set up His kingdom, the objects of the judgment, resurrected Old Testament Saints and resurrected tribulation saints because they go together because the seven year tribulation is the completion of that 490 years promised in Daniel chapter 9. The results of the judgment, the righteous are rewarded for their faithfulness, they rule and reign with Christ in the millennium. There is clear indication of that. We saw that in Revelation chapter 20. You will note those resurrected, these tribulation saints they came to life at the end of Revelation chapter 20, verse 4: “And reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” So the resurrection and part of their reward will be the responsibility in reigning with Christ in His coming kingdom. One of the clear testimonies of the Old Testament was one of the Old Testament saints who is identified as being raised and reigning is David.

Come back to Ezekiel, chapter 34. The chapter opens up with God pronouncing judgments on the shepherds of Israel particularly talking about the kings. The kings were entrusted with the responsibility of God’s people in the Old Testament and yet they had not fulfilled that responsibility. Then verse 11 picks up: “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold I Myself will search for My sheep, seek them out.’” And then His care for them and He will bring them back and bring judgment on them, verse 16. Verse 17: Judge between the sheep, the goats, all of this and then you come down to verse 23: “Then I will set over them one shepherd, my servant, David. He will feed them. He will feed them himself, be their shepherd. I the Lord will be their God. My servant David will be prince among them. I the Lord have spoken.” Now some take this and say, “Well, that’s not David. David is used here to refer to his greater son, Christ, the Messiah because it is the Messiah who will reign.” Jesus Christ will reign over the earth but we read in Revelation the tribulation saints were raised to what, reign with Him. What does that mean? It means they will have responsibility. David is going to have responsibility as a prince under Christ who is king of the earth. He will rule over Israel. That is what it says. They have one shepherd, my servant David. So he will have responsibility over Israel under the broader oversight of Christ. Why would we cancel out David here? We start to now not take Scripture at face value. Why wouldn’t David reign? Old and New Testament saints are going to be raised to reign. Well you say, “This can’t be David.” Well what does it mean to reign? It means to rule, being entrusted to oversight responsibility that is going on in the kingdom

Come over to chapter 37. Look at verse 24. This is after talking about the coming restoration of the nation Israel, the dry bones. That is not talking about physical resurrection. That is talking about the restoration of the nation and bringing them into right relationship to God and the fulfillment of the New Covenant in the promises for them. Then you come on down to verse 24. The context here, verse 21: “I will take the sons of Israel from among the nation where they have gone, gather them from every side, bring them into their own land. Make them one nation in the land on the mountains of Israel. One king will be king for all of them. They will no longer be two nations.” No longer will the Northern and the Southern kingdom be divided as it was under Solomon’s son. “They will no longer defile themselves with detestable things” and so on. “They will be My people. I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them. They will all have one shepherd. They will live on the land that I gave to Jacob.”

I was reading a book this week that says you can’t really believe that that physical piece of land is what God is talking about. I believe that physical piece of land is what God is talking about. It seems pretty clear here. “Live on the land that I gave to Jacob, my servant.” And Jacob’s name, remember was changed to Israel. We are undergoing a transition. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and then Israel was changed to the church and then all the promises became fulfilled in Christ. I say, I’ve got to read this again. What does it say here? “They will live on the land I gave to my servant Jacob in which your father’s lived.” They will live on it. How many times does God have to say something?

How many times do you say to your kids, “How many times have I told you?” “Well, I didn’t think you meant it literally.” I never told my Dad that.

“They will live on it, their sons, their sons, sons forever and David My servant will be their prince forever. I will make a covenant of peace with them. It will be an everlasting covenant with them.” Verse 27: “My dwelling place will be with them. I will be their God. They will be My people. The nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel and My sanctuary is in their midst forever.”

Put the chart up again, would you please? I have to say something here because the reading I am doing you are going to hear more of this. Some say well, “You don’t interpret the Bible literally. They keep saying it’s a forever in the Old Testament but you believe it’s just a thousand years. A thousand years isn’t forever.” No, the thousand years isn’t forever, the thousand years is the first phase of the eternal kingdom. So we are not saying that forever means only a thousand years but in Revelation chapter 20 God reveals that that forever kingdom has a first phase of a thousand years. The kingdom does not end after the thousand years but certain things are accomplished in that thousand years.

So, don’t get off track. What we came here for was what? Verse 24: “My servant David will be king over them.” The end of verse 25: “Then David My servant will be their prince.” I take it, it’s clear. In the kingdom Christ will rule over the whole earth but there will be those designated ruling responsibilities in various areas of the kingdom, different levels of responsibility. David will be king over the Jews in Jerusalem; any problem with that? Not if you take the Bible at face value; any reason that couldn’t be so? Is David going to get a resurrected body? Are these resurrected saints as we just read in Revelation chapter 20 going to rule and reign with Christ? What does it mean to reign with Him? Just sit and watch Him rule? I take it that means they will have ruling responsibilities. David will be a prince with ruling responsibilities over Israel.

Come over to Hosea. Now we have been in Daniel so just go back to Daniel and the next book after Daniel is Hosea. You come to Hosea chapter 3 and this book of Hosea talks about the restoration of God’s people Israel. In chapter 2, verse 19 he is talking about, “in that day”, verse 16 and verse 18, “in that day” of Hosea 2. Verse 19: “I will betroth you to Me forever. Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness, in justice, in loving kindness and in compassion. I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness and then you will know that I am the Lord.” Verse 23: “I will sow her for myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion. I will say to those who are not My people, ‘You are My people.’ They will say, ‘You are not my God.’” He is talking about the church replacing Israel here? He is talking about the nation of Israel rejected by God for their continued rebellion is now are called back to Him.

Then you come in to chapter 3, look at verse 5: “Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” I mean, what God promises to do; so resurrected Old Testament saints rule and reign.

Come back to Jeremiah, one more verse on this. Jeremiah chapter 30, Jeremiah chapter 30 and we talk about coming tribulation, that seven year period. You see the Old Testament jumps from the first coming of Christ and remember this is why the Old Testament prophets couldn’t put things together. That’s why Peter said under inspiration, “The Old Testament prophets searched and tried to figure out how the Messiah could come and suffer and die being rejected and rule and reign in glory.” It was because God didn’t reveal that there would be a time lapse between the first coming and the second coming. Now nothing he revealed about the first coming changes. Nothing he revealed about the second coming changes. All we do is get additional information and now it is clear to us. How could He come and be rejected and suffer and die and rule and reign in glory? The disciples didn’t understand it in Acts chapter 1. What did they say to Christ when they met Him there at the mountain before His ascension to heaven? “Will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?” You think, okay, now I understand because He spent 40 days explaining to them how the Messiah had to suffer and die and be raised from the dead. Okay maybe now we can have the kingdom. He just tells them you don’t need to know when the kingdom is coming.

So here, Jeremiah chapter 30, verse 7: “Alas, for that day is great. There is none like it. It is a time of Jacob’s distress but he will be saved from it.” Jacob referring to the people. Jacob is called Israel, the people, he is one of the patriarchs, the fathers. What happens? “’It shall come about in that day,’ declares the Lord of Hosts, I will break his yoke off their neck, will tear their bonds; and strangers will no longer make them their slaves. But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, I will raise up for them. ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord, ‘do not be dismayed, O Israel; I will save you from afar.’” I mean the Old Testament reveals this. I just think it is a terrible disservice to the Scripture that we just say well none of that is literal. Churches absorb all these promises. I mean that is not so. So what has happened? There is a resurrection, there is a judgment and David is delegated significant responsibility in the coming kingdom but he is not the only one who reigns with Christ. Those who are part of the first resurrection will serve as priests and reign with Christ whose part of the first resurrection. Now we have some indication of what the church is going to do because the first resurrection is a quality of resurrection. It includes church saints at the rapture and Old Testament saints and tribulation saints at the second coming and all those who are part of the first resurrection over them the second death has no power, they will rule and reign with Christ.

So I take it Old Testament saints, tribulation saints will be raised here at the second coming to earth when they get their resurrected body they will have to appear before Christ for their evaluation. It is not a resurrection to condemnation it is a resurrection for reward. Here we are told David will be delegated the responsibility as prince over the Jews in Jerusalem.

Verse 22 of this chapter of Jeremiah: “You shall be My people. I will be your God.” And then at the end of verse 24, I like that last statement: “In the latter days, you will understand this. ‘At that time,’ declares the Lord I will be the God of all the families of Israel. They will be My people.” Verse 3: The Lord appeared to him from afar saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love.’” I mean, do words mean anything? Reading stuff that says “Well, modern language studies have showed us we don’t take things literally and there is more to language than we originally thought.” That’s not true. People have been communicating from day one and most of you have never read Wittgenstein. Me neither. Or Stanley Fish but we still talk to one another, amazing. We thought we were communicating; we don’t know, language has changed. It doesn’t mean what it used to mean but the person who wrote that book thought it did because you had to read it and understand it. This is God’s promises.

So there is resurrection, there is judgment. For Israel it comes at the end of the 70th week of Daniel. That would fit.

Come back to Daniel 9 and we will be done. Daniel chapter 9, verse 24: “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city.” What happens? Not until the end of that 70th week has all this been done. “To finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place.” We are going into the kingdom. That’s what we noted when we studied chapter 9. So it is fitting. Old Testament saints have been resurrected and judged. Tribulation saints who were martyred have been resurrected and judged. Those alive at the second coming of Christ have experienced their judgment. We move into the kingdom. Rewards have been given. Part of that will have to do with ruling and reigning in the kingdom because those part of the first resurrection reign with Christ. So we know what David will be. I don’t know what my place in the kingdom will be. You don’t know what your place. Others, we will know at the judgment. I take it that is part of the rewards that will be given.

So important and so clear and the Scripture fits together cohesively when we allow God to unfold everything in its place and we take it just at face value. How were the prophecies concerning the nations fulfilled, Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 7? Well, after Babylon would come another empire. What came? Another earthly empire. Then what? Another earthly empire, literally, just as He said. That is the way that every prophecy that has been fulfilled throughout Old Testament history was fulfilled. And that gives us hope and confidence in what God means when He prophesies about the future. So we live for Him in light of what He has promised is before us.

Let’s pray together. Thank You Lord for the revelation of Your Word. Thank You that You have unfolded Your truth. You have given us Your Spirit when we come to trust in You and enables us to understand, to take hold of those things which eyes have not seen and ears have not heard but they have been made known to us by revelation and Your Spirit has opened our eyes to see and understand what awesome truths they are and someday just as we are physically gathered here we will in transformed, physical bodies be gathered in Your presence, gathered before the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, assigned responsibility under His rule to reign with Him in the kingdom He will establish. What an awesome destiny is ours. May we use our time wisely as we prepare for that time. May the days of the week before us be pleasing to You in all that we do we pray in Christ’s name, amen.