The History of the Ages – Lesson 64
- Continuing on with the spiritual dynamics of the Millennium, there will be universal knowledge of the Lord. In Isaiah 11:9 we see the statement, “for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord”; where “knowledge” is dheah, knowledge or knowing. The Septuagint uses the Greek gnosis, knowledge based on experience. At this point in time how could the nations of the earth not know who the Lord of heaven and earth is? When you consider all the things we have looked at so far (and factor in the things we’ve yet to list), every aspect of life on earth has changed. And the changes are due to the fact that Christ, resurrected saints and angels are present on the earth and the Lord is in charge. His authority cannot be challenged. Everyone on the earth is experiencing Him! People from all over the earth will go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord and ask for His blessing (Zechariah 8:20-23).
- The ministry of the Holy Spirit in revealing Christ and His eternal plan and purpose for mankind will flow freely during this time. As in other points, this starts with Israel (Isaiah 32:15; Ezekiel 36:25-28), and then spreads to the other nations. Joel 2:1-11 talks about the armies of God at Armageddon, then verses 12-26 describe the restoration of Israel at the beginning of the Millennium. Verses 27-28 follow, beginning with this statement, “And after these things come to pass, I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh”. The manifestations of this ministry will be prophecy (the definition of which is not predicting the future, but explaining the present spiritual reality with clarity and purpose), dreams and visions, all to enhance people’s knowledge of the Lord.
- During the Millennium Jews will become the spiritual leaders of the earth (Isaiah 61:6). In point 20 above I used Zechariah 8:20-23 to reference the fact that people from all over the earth will go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. In verse 23 of that passage you see, “…. men out of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the robe of him who is a Jew, saying, Let us go with you (to Jerusalem), for we have heard that God is with you.” The Jews that escape the Antichrist’s efforts to exterminate them during the tribulation will be sent to declare God’s glory among the nations “that have not heard of My fame nor seen My glory” (Isaiah 66:19).
- There will be a continuously visible manifestation of the glory of God coming from the temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 43:1-5). This physical manifestation will be a confirmation of the Lord’s presence in Jerusalem and Gentiles and their kings will be drawn to it (Isaiah 60:1-3). Later, when we get to the eternal earth and a description of the heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, we will see that the glory of God will light this massive place (Revelation 21:23). Just trying to look at the overall scene to this point (Christ, saints and angels present on the earth, Satan bound in the abyss, all the factors that make for peace and the prosperity of people, prevailing righteousness and justice, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, etc.) it’s easy to see how people will begin to see and experience the benefits of serving Christ and turn to Him.
Now, we’ll look at a couple of things that will directly affect the people who are allowed to enter into this time.
- There will be healing available to all. In the previous lesson I talked about the temple being built in Jerusalem and the river that would flow out of the east gate (from Ezekiel 47:1-12). Everywhere the river flowed, life (both plant and animal) flourished in abundance. And one of the things described in that passage is the trees that grow on each side of the river. The fruit of these trees are for food and a new crop is produced every month. The leaves were “for medicine”. Let’s compare this with Isaiah 35:1-6. When you read this you will see two things: the first is that waste places and deserts are restored and compared to other places known for their beauty and fertility (verses 1-2); and the second is that the people experience both emotional and physical healing (verses 3-6). And both of these things are connected to this last statement in verse 6, “Because waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” The passage in Ezekiel emphasizes that the fruit will not be used up, but will always meet the demand. And the leaves will not lose their healing properties, “because their waters came from the sanctuary” (Ezekiel 47:12). So, let me make a couple of observations here. One is that these waters obviously have supernatural qualities. Everything they touch experiences health and vitality. Another is the size of the river described by Ezekiel. When you convert the numbers given in 47:3-5 (1,000 cubits is about 2,080 ft.), from one side of the river to the approximate middle of it is over 1½ miles. You then have to double that number to arrive at the total distance across the river. Then you have to consider that it is at least 6 feet deep, probably deeper (“waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over” (verse 5). The reason I point this out is simply that this is a river that will flow continuously and I have to assume will eventually reach beyond the Dead Sea and Mediterranean Sea, as previously discussed. Yet another is the fact that this river will never stop, but will flow for all eternity (the temple and the sacrifices of the temple are eternal, as already discussed). If a river of this size flows continuously, could it not eventually effect the whole earth with its supernatural properties? The last is that when you look at the description John gives us of the New Jerusalem that comes down from God to the earth in Revelation 21-22, a river flows out from the throne of God and of the Lamb and down through the middle of the city. The water gives life, the trees produce a new crop of fruit every month and the leaves are for the healing of the nations (22:1-2). The point being, that throughout eternity there will be two sources of this supernatural water flowing to the earth and its inhabitants. And, I suspect this will change the whole earth. The implications are of this are difficult to imagine.
