“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people— those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore. They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west. Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east. They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab, and Ammon will obey them. The Lord will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams so it can easily be crossed on foot. He will make a highway for the remnant of his people, the remnant coming from Assyria, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.”
Isaiah 11:1-16 NLT
A large portion of biblical prophecy centers around the person of the messiah. Yet, it is not simply around a person but a time and a location. The place is Jerusalem and the time is yet to come. In the book of Revelation, it is revealed that there will be a reign of Christ for a thousand years before the final destruction of Satan. The events preceding this time indicate that through the messiah has already come in Jesus, the time has not come yet. Because of this, Christians throughout the ages have waited with great expectancy for the time where they will be able to join as one congregation across all nations, worshipping their Lord. Yet still, a growing number of Christians have no sense of eschatology at all. They believe that Christ’s purpose is not to reign and rule but rather to serve a better life for them, here and now. And although, in most cases, the mere introduction of Jesus to stressful circumstances, has a curbing effect that alters the hearts of nations, this is neither the point of his work, nor its end goal. Christ’s reign is not a metaphor. It is a promise of a future that has a finite day and time. It will be for a relatively short time, before creation reboots into a new heaven and earth. This should be a focal point of any healthy form of Christianity. It should be longed for, anticipated and prepared for. Christ is more than our friend. He is our king and we should await his return.
JOSH McGARY.COM 