21 ASTOUNDING FACTS ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Steven LeBlanc
Soon Jesus Christ will return to this earth to establish the Government of God over the nations. Though Christ spoke often concerning
the Kingdom of God, few churchgoers today are aware of what will take place when Christ comes to rule as King of Kings.
Notice the details of His rule—the GOOD NEWS, the Gospel message concerning that Kingdom:
1. Jesus’ return will not be a secret. His return will be stunning and visible to all. He likens his return to a blaze of lightning
crossing the sky east to west that will compass the entire earth (Matthew 24:27). Everyone on earth will see Him as He
returns to establish the Kingdom of God. A great trumpet blast will announce his return, and the dead in Christ will rise from their
graves. The saints who are yet alive will miraculously be changed from mortal to spirit (1 Corinthians 15:52-54).
2. The Nations will fight against Christ in a battle called, THE BATTLE OF THAT GREAT DAY OF GOD ALMIGHTY
(Revelation 16:14). The Bible does not tell us that Armageddon is the name of a battle; rather it is a geographic location
some 55 miles north of Jerusalem where armies gather, then they march down to Jerusalem. Great confusion will reign on the earth
at the time of the end (Revelation 13:11-18). People’s ability to judge events clearly will be severely impaired. Instead of welcoming
Christ, they will actually turn, to fight against Him when He returns. “And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see
the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). The battle takes place at the valley
of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:1-2), known also as the Kidron Valley, which is located between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. Christ
sends a plague, and millions die: “Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and
their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:12).
3. Satan will be cast away for 1000 years. Jesus Christ’s second coming (Revelation 19:11-16) will be followed almost immediately by the devil being bound by one of God’s angels: “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:2-3).
4. The Feast of Tabernacles shall be observed by all the nations: In Zechariah 14 we find, “all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.” Egypt along with any other nations that refuse to come to worship Christ at the Feast will suffer punishment for not keeping the Feast of Tabernacles. Christ will cut off their rain and will send plagues on them if they stubbornly refuse to come up and “keep the Feast of Tabernacles” (v. 18). Christ is Holy and only God’s appointed festivals will be observed in the Kingdom of God. Ezekiel chapters 45 and 46 also reveal that the other Festivals of God will be observed, including the Passover, and the Days of Unleavened Bread. Christmas, Easter, Ramadan (Islam), The Festival of Diwali (Hindu festival), the Chinese New year celebrations—none of these manmade days are mentioned in scripture and will not be observed during Christ’s reign as King over the earth.
5. David will be King over the tribes of Israel: But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up for them’” (Jeremiah 30:8–9). Ezekiel 34:23–24 and Ezekiel 37:24–25 describe David as the coming king over the tribes of Israel—with the Jews and Israelites finally reunited as one nation again (v. 19–22).
6. The 12 Apostles will rule over the 12 tribes of Israel: “So Jesus said to them [His 12 apostles], ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matthew 19:28). Notice that in the Kingdom of God, King David will reign over all Israel and each of the 12 apostles will rule over individual tribes of Israel—so there will be an orderly structure of governance.
7. The resurrected Saints will reign on the earth with Christ: After defeating the armies gathered against Him, Jesus will take over the physical kingdoms of this world and His saints will then begin ruling over the nations here on earth. As Revelation 5:10 makes clear, the saints will be “priests and kings serving our God, and they will reign on earth”. You cannot find any scripture in the Bible that says God’s saints spend eternity up in heaven. Christ clearly states, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).
8. A magnificent physical temple will be built in the Holy Land: The Book of Ezekiel, in chapters 40 through 47, describe a vision of a future temple in the Holy Land that will be in use during Christ’s reign on the earth. The building of this temple is one of his top priorities upon His return, and the importance of this vision is so significant that Christ interprets the event himself (Ezekiel 43:6-7). God tells Ezekiel to describe the temple to the Israelites who have survived the Great Tribulation. He says, “Let them consider the temple” so that they will be ashamed of their former iniquities (Ezekiel 43:9-11).
9. The return of Christ to His Temple is one of the high points of all history. From the east gate, Ezekiel, in vision, sees the breathtaking arrival of Jesus Christ—described as the coming of the “glory of the Lord” (Ezekiel 43:4). In this vision Christ arrives and enters the temple through the east gate. Once Christ has entered this gate, the door will be shut and never opened again during His millennial reign. Why? Because once Christ’s presence hallows the gate, no person will be allowed to enter through it. The temple will be the seat of learning. The world will learn about the plan of God as revealed by the Festivals of God, which spell out His plan for humanity; they are celebrated in the temple for the entire world to see (Ezekiel 45 and 46). People will come from around the world to learn the way of God and receive the teaching of His law: “For out of Zion shall go forth the Law”—the Ten Commandments (Isaiah 2:3).
10. The tribes of Israel and Judah will enter into a NEW covenant with God which is based upon the 10 Commandments: “ ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah . . . This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: After those days,’ says the Lord, ‘I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people’ ” (Jeremiah 31:31-33; compare Hebrews 8:10; Hebrews 10:16). The New Covenant is God’s commitment to give His people His Spirit so they can obey Him. Notice in this passage that God’s law is included in the New Covenant. His law has not changed. Remember, God did not find a fault in His law under the terms of the Old Covenant. The fault was in the rebellious thinking of the people. God’s law will be the standard code of conduct for the whole world.
11. The 10 Commandments will be the expected code of behavior for the whole world: God inspired the prophet Ezekiel to write that God’s statutes and judgments will be kept in His Kingdom, when David will once again be king over Israel (Ezekiel 37:24). God’s laws and statutes will be obeyed; they will become more relevant than ever, magnified by Christ as He administers them with the help of His saints. God inspired Isaiah to write that, during the Millennium, the law will proceed forth from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:2–4), and that knowledge of God’s way will ultimately cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9).
12. The physical tribes of Israel will experience great physical prosperity as God blesses them: “ ‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the LORD, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it…They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them’ ” (Amos 9:13-14). Isaiah compares this time to a perpetual feast with the best of everything: “On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear” (Isaiah 25:6).
13. God will change the nature of animals during the Rule of Christ on Earth: Isaiah 11:6-9 explains that the very nature of many animals will change: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. “The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain [God’s Kingdom], for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” Isaiah repeats part of this great prophecy in Isaiah 65:25.
14. Christ will cause the sick and the lame to be healed: The Bible clearly tells us, describing the time of Jesus Christ’s rule on the earth, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5–6).
15. The river of the water of life begins at the very throne of God in the Most Holy Place (Ezekiel 47:1, 43:7). In the millennial temple, the river emerges from beneath the eastern threshold, proceeding past the south side of the altar (also defined as the “right” side, as one faces east). The river grows wider and deeper as it makes its way through the land of Israel. Ezekiel mentions fruit-bearing and medicinal trees along the river (47:7, 12). According to Zechariah 14:8, the river will split, part of it flowing west to the Mediterranean and the other part flowing east to the Dead Sea. Ezekiel goes on to describe the effect of this river on the Dead Sea, which will spring forth with life and become a wonderful place with an abundance of fish.
16. Rebellious nations will be disciplined…Christ rules with a rod of Iron: He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). Not all nations will quickly yield to Christ’s leadership—these nations will be punished. Remember, some nations will be punished with drought: “And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, on them there will be no rain” (Zechariah 14:17, 19).
17. The Nation of Egypt, and other Islamic nations will come to repentance: In Isaiah 19, Isaiah delivers a message concerning Egypt. Ultimately Egypt will come under Christ’s loving leadership (verses 18-22). Verse 19 points out that Egypt will one day have its own altar to God, providing us a small insight into how God will be worshiped when more nations than Israel come under His rule. Eventually, Egypt will reconcile with God, with the people of Israel and with the Assyrians [central European Germans], and will become one of the leading nations in a world of peace (verses 23-25).
18. The Sabbath will be observed during the millennial reign of Christ (Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 46:1). Sabbath observance will once again be impressed upon all mankind. It will be demanded of the Jew and Gentile alike: “…and from Sabbath to Sabbath, All mankind will come to bow down before Me, says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:23). During the first six days of the week, the East gate of the Temple’s inner court will be closed, but on the Sabbath it will be opened for worship. The human prince will lead the people who are at the temple in worship, and will bring six male lambs, one ram, and a grain offering (Ezekiel 46:1-9) as a regular sacrificial offering on the Sabbath.
19. Some Nations [inspired by Satan], will rebel against Christ after 1,000 years: During the last generation living at the end of the Millennium, Satan will be released for a short time, and he will quickly go out to deceive the nations once more (Revelation 20:7–10). Some nations, even after experiencing the blessings of God’s government, will allow themselves to fall under Satan’s attitude of rebellion. Satan will gather armies, from many nations around the earth, they embrace the same rebellious attitude as Gog and Magog—two of the nations that fought against God in the beginning years of the Millennium (Ezekiel 38). These armies will move against Jerusalem, but will quickly be destroyed; Satan will be cast away forever.
20. A Great resurrection [2nd resurrection] takes place after the 1000 year period: In Ezekiel 37:1-14 God reveals He will raise all Israelites who ever lived. What is the time frame of this resurrection? Revelation 20:4-6 explains that the saints of God—from all ages—will be resurrected at the time of Christ’s return in what is referred to as the “first resurrection,” to reign with Him over all nations for 1,000 years. Verse 5 contains this parenthetical note: “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” It is clear that the resurrected Israelites of Ezekiel 37 are not saints—they receive God’s Spirit to physical life, only after they are raised from the dead (verses 13-14)—they will not be part of the first resurrection. Therefore they must be part of “the rest of the dead” in the second or general resurrection, which occurs after the Millennium. At this time many billions who never understood who Jesus Christ was or what He taught, they will be given a chance to repent. Revelation 20:12: “and I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened [the books of the Bible now opened to their understanding], and another book was opened, which is the Book of Life [they now have the opportunity to have eternal life], and the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” God in His mercy gives these people a chance to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their savior. Then they will have the opportunity for eternal life.
21. Christ hands over the Kingdom to the Father. The apostle Paul describes the order of people being raised to glory: “But each in his own order: the Messiah is the firstfruits; then those who belong to the Christ, at the time of his coming; then the culmination, when he hands over the Kingdom to God the Father …” (1 Corinthians 15:23-24).
A great future lies ahead for those who fear God. Time is short…Seek you first the Kingdom of God. (Matthew 6:33). “Behold the Bride Groom cometh!” (Matthew 25:6).