The Millinneal Reign Of Christ

Isaiah 11

At the second coming, these covenants will be fulfilled as Israel is re-gathered from the nations (Matthew 24:31), converted (Zechariah 12:10–14), and restored to the land under the rule of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The Bible speaks of the conditions during the millennium as a perfect environment physically and spiritually. It will be a time of peace (Micah 4:2–4; Isaiah 32:17–18), joy (Isaiah 61:7, 10), and comfort (Isaiah 40:1–2). The Bible also tells us that only believers will enter the millennial kingdom. Because of this, it will be a time of obedience (Jeremiah 31:33), holiness (Isaiah 35:8), truth (Isaiah 65:16), and the knowledge of God (Isaiah 11:9, Habakkuk 2:14). Christ will rule as king (Isaiah 9:3–7; 11:1–10). Nobles and governors will also rule (Isaiah 32:1; Matthew 19:28), and Jerusalem will be the political center of the world (Zechariah 8:3).

The millennial kingdom is the future reign of Jesus Christ on earth as He sits on David’s throne in Jerusalem. Everyone who enters that kingdom will be redeemed by God and therefore righteous (see Isaiah 35:8–10). Among those redeemed will be two distinct groups of people: those with glorified physical bodies and those with natural, earthly bodies. Those who occupy the millennial kingdom with glorified bodies can be divided into three subgroups: the church, whose bodies were either resurrected or changed at the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:21–23, 51–53); tribulation martyrs, who are resurrected after Christ returns to earth (Revelation 20:4–6); and the Old Testament saints, who we assume are resurrected at the same time (see Daniel 12:2). Those who occupy the kingdom with earthly bodies have survived the tribulation and can be subdivided into two groups: believing Gentiles and believing Jews. Revelation 19:11–16 describes the second coming of Jesus Christ. This is distinct from the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18; 1 Corinthians 15:51–53), which is an earlier appearing of Christ in the air. (There is no mention in Revelation 19—20 of any kind of rapture event. This implies that saints who are on earth when Christ returns will remain on earth to enter the millennial kingdom in their natural bodies.) Part of Jesus’ setting up the kingdom will be His judgment of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31–46). The “sheep” are the righteous Gentiles, who showed their faith by their good works toward God’s people; the “goats” are the unrighteous Gentiles, who failed to aid God’s children. Christ will cast the unrighteous into the lake of fire for eternal punishment (Matthew 25:46). Because of this judgment, and because all Israel will believe at that time (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–32), no unbeliever will enter the millennial kingdom (also see Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43). So, those who occupy the millennial kingdom, at the start, will be the righteous of all previous dispensations: believing Gentiles in earthly bodies, redeemed Israel in earthly bodies, and resurrected/raptured believers in glorified bodies. Those who occupy the millennial kingdom will be from “many nations,” but the knowledge of the Lord Jesus will be universal: “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6). It will be standard practice for those who occupy the millennial kingdom to travel to Jerusalem and worship the Lord in person: “Many nations will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Micah 4:2). Those who occupy the millennial kingdom will see the nation of Israel exalted to its fullest glory. All will be restored spiritually and physically: “‘In that day,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will gather the lame; I will assemble the exiles and those I have brought to grief. I will make the lame my remnant, those driven away a strong nation’” (Micah 4:6–7). During the millennial kingdom, the saints in earthly, natural bodies will enjoy long lives (Isaiah 65:20), and they will produce children. By the end of the thousand years, the world is fully populated, and there are many—“in number they are like the sand on the seashore”—who rebel against the Lord (Revelation 20:7–8). Children born during the millennial kingdom will have the responsibility to exercise faith in Christ, the same as all people of past ages. Some of those born during the millennial kingdom will choose to not believe. That is why Scripture speaks of those who die under a curse (Isaiah 65:20) and why the Lord lays out consequences for nations that do not worship Him: “If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain” (Zechariah 14:17). For a further look at who will live in the millennial kingdom, see these passages: Isaiah 2:2–4; Zechariah 14:8–21; Ezekiel 34:17–24; Daniel 7:13–14; Micah 4:1–5.

Isaiah 11—The Branch and Root of Jesse

A. The character of the King [11:1–5]

1. A stem sprouts forth from the stump of Jesse (1)

a. Isaiah 10:33–34 left with the idea of the LORD chopping down the proud as if they were mighty trees. Now, the LORD is looking over the stumps, and causes a Branch to grow out of one of them, the root of the family of Jesse, David’s father.

i. Indeed, Jesus did come from the stump of Jesse. The royal authority of the house of David had lain dormant for 600 years when Jesus came as King and Messiah. When Jesus came forth, it was like a new green Branch coming from an apparently dead stump.

ii. The LORD wanted Judah to know that even though the Assyrians and others would come and bring judgment, God would still use them and bring forth life from them. Even if they looked like a long-dead stump, God can bring forth life.

iii. “We see a bare, withered tree stump, robbed of its trunk and top, and it looks as though the stump will never bear any fruit any more. But, a small shoot sprouts from the root of this dry stump which is the Davidic dynasty. Because of its unsightliness and misery, it is not named after David but after his father. When Christ was born, there was nothing royal about that dynasty. But a new shoot sprang from this old stem.” (Bultema)

b. In calling the Messiah a Rod from the stem of Jesse, the LORD is emphasizing the humble nature of the Messiah. Jesse was the much less famous father of King David. It is far more humble to say “from Jesse” than to say “from King David.”

2. The spiritual empowerment of the Messiah (2)

a. The Branch that comes from the apparently dead stump isn’t just barely alive. It is full of life, and full of the Spirit of the LORD. The Messiah has seven—the number of fullness and completion—aspects of the Spirit of the LORD.

i. He has the Spirit of the LORD. It is not a false spirit or a deceiving spirit or even the spirit of a man. The Spirit of the LORD God of Israel rests upon the Messiah. Once Jesus rebuked the disciples saying, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of (Luke 9:55). Jesus was of the Spirit of the LORD, and He knew it.

ii. The Spirit of wisdom is upon the Messiah. Jesus is perfectly wise in all things. He showed it among us during his earthly ministry, and He shows it now in His ministry towards us in heaven. 1 Corinthians 1:30 says that Jesus became for us wisdom from God. It isn’t just that Jesus has wisdom; He is wisdom!

iii. The Spirit of … understanding is upon Him. Jesus understands all things, and He understands us perfectly. He is perfectly suited to be our sympathetic High Priest in heaven (Hebrews 4:15–16). Understanding in Hebrew has the idea of a sharp sense of smell. Trapp says it describes Jesus’ “Sharpness of judgment in smelling out a hypocrite … His sharp nose easily discerneth and is offended with the stinking breath of the hypocrite’s rotten lungs, though his words be never so scented and perfumed with shows of holiness.”

iv. The Spirit of counsel is upon Jesus. He has perfect counsel to give us at all times. He has both the wisdom and the understanding to be a perfect counselor!

v. The Spirit of … might is upon Jesus. He has the power to do what He desires to do. Many would help us if they could, but are powerless. Others may have the power to help us, but don’t care about us. Jesus has both the love and the might to help us.

vi. The Spirit of knowledge is upon Jesus. He knows everything. He knows our hearts, He knows all the facts. Many times we have made decisions that seemed strange or wrong to others because they didn’t have the knowledge that we have. Jesus has knowledge that we don’t have, so it shouldn’t surprise us that sometimes His decisions seem strange or wrong to others.

vii. The Spirit of … the fear of the LORD is upon Jesus. He willingly kept Himself in a place of submission, respect, and honor to God the Father.

b. These seven aspects of the Spirit of God are not the only characteristics of the Holy Spirit. But they are grouped together in a “seven” to show the fullness and perfection of the Holy Spirit.

i. This passage is behind the term the sevenfold Spirit of God used in Revelation 1:4, 3:1, 4:5 and 5:6. It isn’t that there are seven different spirits of God, rather the Spirit of the LORD has these characteristics, and He has them all in fullness and perfection.

ii. The seven-branched lampstand that held the oil lamps for the tabernacle is also an illustration of the seven aspects of the Holy Spirit. “This candlestick had one stem in the center from which protruded three branches to the right and three to the left. Similarly, in this text, three pairs of the names of the Spirit are grouped around the central stem.” (Bultema)

c. Jesus lived and ministered as a man filled with the Spirit of God. The wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the LORD Jesus displayed in His ministry flowed not from His “own” deity, but from His reliance on the Spirit of the LORD who filled Him.

i. In His “own” deity, Jesus had all these attributes from eternity. But when He emptied Himself at the incarnation, he allowed the Holy Spirit to fill Him as a man, being an eternal example to us and a sympathizer with us.

ii. Jesus displayed the fruit of the Spirit to the uttermost, because He was a perfect vessel. Jesus received the Spirit without measure (John 3:34).

iii. There seems to have been times when Jesus did operate beyond what a Spirit-filled man could do, such as when He was transfigured or when He performed some of His miracles over nature. But certainly, Jesus fought all His battles as a man filled with the Holy Spirit.

d. These seven characteristics describe the nature of the Spirit of the LORD. They also describe the nature of Jesus. There is no difference between the nature of Jesus and the nature of the Holy Spirit. When we see Jesus, we see the Father (John 14:9). When we see the Spirit of the LORD at work, it should look like the ministry and the nature of Jesus.

3. The perfect character of the Messiah (3–5)

a. His delight is in the fear of the LORD: Nothing pleased Jesus more than doing the will of His Father. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. (John 4:34)

b. With righteousness He shall judge: Jesus did not rely on outward appearance, or by the mere words that someone said. He judged with righteousness. He didn’t cheat the poor justice, and if the poor and the weak are given justice, then all will be.

c. He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth: The mere words of Jesus have the power to judge the wicked. He only has to announce a judgment and it is done.

i. Bultema quotes Dr. V. Hepp on with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked: “From of old, the Rabbis have adhered to the first interpretation and seen in this wicked (one) … the Jewish Antichrist … this prediction of the wicked (one) may be unhesitatingly applied to the Antichrist.” Dr. V. Hepp makes this remark in light of 2 Thessalonians 2:8: And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

d. Righteousness and justice are so close to Jesus they are like belts around His waist. Everything He does is touched by His righteousness and justice.

B. The glorious reign of the King [11:6–16]

1. The new ecology of the reign of the Messiah (6–9)

a. The wolf also dwell with the lamb: When the Messiah reigns, nature will be transformed. No longer will there be predators among the animals, and seemingly all animals will be only herbivores (the cow and the bear shall graze … the lion shall eat straw like the ox).

i. Romans 8:19–22 says: The earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Nature is waiting for the transformation that will come when the Messiah reigns and believers are glorified.

b. And a little child shall lead them: Not only will the way animals relate to each other be changed, but the way they relate to humans will be changed. A little child will be safe and able to lead a wolf or a leopard or a young lion or a bear. Even the danger of predators like cobras and vipers will be gone.

i. In Genesis 9:2–3, the LORD gave Noah, and all mankind after him, the permission to eat meat. At the same time, the LORD put the dread of man in animals, so they would not be effortless prey for humans. Now, in the reign of the Messiah, that is reversed. For this reason, many think that in the reign of the Messiah, the Millennium, humans will return to being vegetarians, as it seems they were before Genesis 9:2–3.

c. For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea: The knowledge of the LORD—in a relational sense, not merely an intellectual sense—will cover the entire earth. The Millennial reign of the Messiah will be glorious!

2. The new Exodus of the Millennial reign of the Messiah (10–12)

a. For the Gentiles will seek Him: The glory of the reign of the Messiah will be not only for the Jew, but for the Gentile also. He shall stand as a banner to the people, lifted high to draw all peoples to Him.

i. The banner was used before to call the nations to judgment against Israel (Isaiah 5:26). Now the banner calls the nations to the blessings of the Messiah.

b. The second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left: In the reign of the Messiah, there will be another Exodus of the Jewish people, delivering them not only from Egypt, but from all nations where they have been dispersed.

3. The peace of the reign of the Messiah (13–16)

a. Ephraim shall not envy Judah … Judah shall not harass Ephraim: In the reign of the Messiah, the nations will not go to war any more. Conflicts will be justly and swiftly settled by the Messiah and His government. Disobedient nations (here, described as the Philistines and Edom and Moab and the people of Ammon, traditional enemies of Israel) will be punished.

b. There will be a highway for the remnant of His people: Any obstacle to the gathering of those dispersed among the nations will be taken away. Nothing can oppose the government of the Messiah!

Isaiah 12—Words from a Worshipper

A. The worshipper speaks to the LORD [12:1–3]

1. Praise to the LORD after His anger has passed (1)

a. And in that day you will say: Isaiah chapter 11 spoke powerfully of the reign of the Messiah as king over all the earth. This brief chapter of praise comes from the heart of the one that has surrendered to the Messiah as king, and enjoys the benefits of His reign.

b. O LORD, I will praise You; though You were angry with me: The worshipper decides to praise the LORD, even though he has felt the LORD’s anger against him.

i. Under the New Covenant, does God get angry with us? There is a sense in which all the anger and wrath of God against us was poured out upon the Son of God on the cross. In this sense, there is no more anger from God towards us, because His anger has been “exhausted.” But there is also a sense in which we receive chastening or discipline from the LORD, which certainly feels like His anger. This chastening feels unpleasant (Hebrews 11:11), but it really shows the fatherly love of God instead of His hatred.

c. Your anger is turned away: How glorious when the anger of God is turned away! In the larger sense, His anger is turned away because of what Jesus did on the cross. Jesus put Himself in between us and the anger of the LORD, and receiving that anger in Himself, He turned away God’s anger!

i. In the sense of God’s chastening or discipline in our lives, how wonderful it is when His anger is turned away, and “spanking” stops!

d. And You comfort me: God disciplines us as a perfect parent, knowing perfectly how to comfort us after we have been chastened. Sometimes, like rebellious children, we refuse the comfort of God after discipline, but that is always our fault, not His.

i. “Satan also tempts us by all methods, and employs every expedient to compel us to despair. We ought, therefore, to be fortified by this doctrine, that, though we feel the anger of the Lord, we may know that it is of short duration, and that we shall be comforted as soon as he has chastened us.” (Calvin)

2. A declaration of thanks and confidence in the LORD (2)

a. Behold: The worshipper wants others to see what he says is true. He is excited about what God has done in his life, and invites all to behold the work of the LORD.

b. God is my salvation: This is salvation! To say God is my salvation is also to say, “I am not my salvation. My good works, my good intentions, my good thoughts do not save me. God is my salvation.”

i. Many don’t ever feel the need for salvation. Instead, they think their lives are fine, and come to God for a little help when they feel they need it. But they never see themselves as drowning men in need of rescue, or see themselves as hell-destined sinners in need of salvation.

ii. The worshipper is so immersed in this idea that he repeats it in the same verse: God is my salvation … He also has become my salvation.

c. I will trust and not be afraid: This peace and security comes from knowing that God is my salvation. When we are our own salvation, it is hard to trust and not be afraid in ourselves. But when God is our salvation, we can trust and not be afraid.

i. Paul repeats the same idea when he writes in Romans 5:1: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The place of peace and trust and “no fear” comes only from seeing our salvation in God, and not in ourselves.

d. I will trust and not be afraid: This is a confident statement reflecting the will of the worshipper. He is deciding to trust and not be afraid. There are feelings of trust, but that is different than the decision to trust. We can say to our will, “I will trust and not be afraid.”

i. “Hearken, O unbeliever, you have said, ‘I cannot believe,’ but it would be more honest if you had said, ‘I will not believe.’ The mischief lies there. Your unbelief is your fault, not your misfortune. It is a disease, but it is also a crime: it is a terrible source of misery to you, but it is justly so, for it is an atrocious offense against the God of truth. (Spurgeon)

ii. “The talk about trying to believe is a mere pretence. But whether pretence or no, let me remind you that there is no text in the Bible which says, ‘Try and believe,’ but it says ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.’ He is the Son of God, he has proved it by his miracles, he died to save sinners, therefore trust him; he deserves implicit trust and child-like confidence. Will you refuse him these? Then you have maligned his character and given him the lie.” (Spurgeon)

e. For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and my song: The LORD is not only the worshipper’s salvation, He is also his strength and song. Some find it easier to consider the LORD their salvation in a distant “bye-and-bye” sense than to take Him today as their strength and song.

i. When the LORD is our strength, it means that He is our resource, He is our refuge. We look to Him for our needs, and are never unsatisfied. “Nor is he here called a part or an aid of our strength, but our complete strength; for we are strong, so far as he supplies us with strength.” (Calvin)

ii. When the LORD is our song, it means that He is our joy, He is our happiness. We find our purpose and life in Him, and He never disappoints.

iii. “The word Yah read here is probably a mistake; and arose originally from the custom of the Jewish scribes, who, when they found a line too short for the word, wrote as many letters as filled it, and then began the next line with the whole word.” (Clarke)

3. The result of the salvation of the LORD (3)

a. You will draw water from the wells of salvation: Jesus promised us whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14) We can come to Jesus and draw water from the wells of salvation!

i. When we remember the semi-arid climate of Israel, we see what a beautiful picture the wells of salvation paint. When water is rare, a well is life. To have a place where you can continually come and draw forth to meet your need is a precious gift.

ii. The LORD’s resource is not limited. There is not one well of salvation. There are many wells of salvation. This doesn’t mean that there are many ways to be saved. All of the wells draw forth from the same reservoir of salvation, Jesus Christ. But many wells can bring water from the same water table.

b. This means there is something for us to do: You will draw water. God’s doesn’t meet our needs as we sit in passive inactivity. We must reach out and draw forth what He has provided. At the same time, it is His water, His well, His rope, and His bucket that we draw with!

c. Therefore with joy: Because it is all of the LORD, we draw from the wells of salvation with joy. There should be no somber faces at the LORD’s well of salvation. We draw water with joy!

i. “Joy is the just man’s portion, and Christ is the never-failing fountain whence by a lively faith he may infallibly fetch it.” (Trapp)

ii. “Be of good courage, you very, very timid ones, and alter your tone. Try to put a ‘Selah’ into your life, as David often did in his Psalms. Frequently, he put in a ‘Selah,’ and then he changed the key directly. In like manner, change the key of your singing; you are a great deal too low. Let the harp-strings be screwed up a bit, and let us have no more of these fiat, mournful notes. Give us some other key, please, and begin to say, with the prophet Isaiah, ‘O Lord, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust, and not be afraid.’ ” (Spurgeon)

B. The worshipper declares the greatness of God to everyone [12:4–6]

1. Exalting God among the peoples (4)

a. Praise the LORD, call upon His name: This is an exhortation to praise, and an encouragement to worship the LORD and trust in Him. The worshipper has received from the wells of salvation, and now that living water is flowing out of him, encouraging others to worship and trust in the LORD.

i. It is as if the job of praising God is too big for this worshipper, and he needs to call in others to help him. “The saints are unsatisfiable in praising God for the great work of their redemption, and do therefore call in help, all that may be.” (Trapp)

b. Declare His deeds … Make mention that His name is exalted: The worshipper can’t stop talking about God’s greatness and the great things He has done.

2. Singing praise to the LORD (5–6)

a. Sing to the LORD: First, the LORD was the song of the worshipper (Isaiah 12:2). Now, he sings this song of the LORD to whoever will listen! If the LORD has become your song, then sing it!

b. Cry out and shout: This is excited praise! We should all abhor the artificial, “Let’s-whip-them-up-into-a-manufactured-enthusiasm” kind of worship. But if our worship will never cry out and shout, there is something lacking in it.

i. “We ought not to worship God in a half-hearted sort of way; as if it were now our duty to bless God, but we felt it to be a weary business, and we would get it through as quickly as we could, and have done with it; and the sooner the better. No, no; ‘All that is within me, bless his holy name.’ Come, my heart, wake up, and summon all the powers which wait upon thee! Mechanical worship is easy, but worthless. Come rouse yourself, my brother! Rouse thyself, O my own soul!” (Spurgeon)

c. For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst: This gives two reasons for great praise. First, because of who God is: the Holy One of Israel. Second, because of where God is: in your midst. Each of these gives everyone reason to praise God!