♪♪♪
Wallace Smith: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the
loudly declared hope of many people all over the world.
Yet, how many think of what the world
will be like after his return?
In fact, how many even understand that there will be a
world here on earth after his return?
Yet, the Bible gives many astonishing details concerning
just what that future world under Jesus Christ will be like.
And in today's world of sin, concern,
and despair, understanding what tomorrow's world will bring is a
beautiful source of hope, confidence, and inspiration.
Join us here on "Tomorrow's World" as we open the Bible to
look into tomorrow's world, a time when Christ will be able to
finally say, "Welcome to the Millennium."
Stay tuned.
♪♪♪
Wallace Smith: Greetings and welcome to "Tomorrow's World,"
where we help you make sense of your world
through the pages of the Bible.
The name of our program and our magazine is "Tomorrow's World"
because Jesus Christ has commissioned us to preach the
gospel of the kingdom of God and his promise to bring a new world
under his rulership, doing away with the sins and corruptions of
today's world and replacing them with the glorious hope-filled
wonders of tomorrow's world.
That message does include warnings concerning the world
today, and concerning what Christ says must take place
between now and then.
But it also includes many details about tomorrow's world
and the joys that await mankind when that world arrives.
Today, we're going to discuss a relative handful of those
details and we pray they will fill you with hope for a future
and a yearning desire to be a living part of that world to
come, and possibly a desire to be part of proclaiming that
message today.
Now, at the beginning of the biblical book of Acts,
the inspired author, Luke, tells us of the last moment Jesus's
disciples saw him on earth.
After he had spent 40 days after his resurrection,
teaching them about the coming kingdom of God.
It says that he then rose out of their sight and disappeared into
the clouds, at which point, two angels told them that he would
be returning to this earth from heaven
in the exact same fashion.
And since then, the church he founded and those who have
believed his message of the kingdom of God have longed to
see that day.
But what will happen after he returns?
After the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,
what happens next?
As we will see shortly, the Bible describes the time
following Jesus's return as a 1000-year period,
in which the world is transformed.
Because it lasts for 1000 years, we often call this period the
Millennium and while many may wonder about the details of that
time, God's Word, in fact, provides copious details,
prophecies and descriptions about people
and life during that time.
They're all there waiting to be read by those who have eyes to
see and a heart to believe.
On the rest of today's program, we're going to discuss seven
facts about life in the Millennium,
and it's our hope that this small preview will help you to
imagine yourself there and stir your desire to be a part of
helping Jesus Christ build that world.
The first fact we'll discuss about the Millennium is that the
world will be ruled by a divine world government.
While few associate Jesus Christ with literal world government in
the future, in reality Jesus's gospel
is very much about government.
Let's turn to Isaiah chapter 9 and verse 6.
Now, while this passage is familiar to many,
how many truly take it seriously?
"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace there will
be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice from
that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this."
Jesus Christ is King of kings.
And he is coming back to literally rule the world.
The Bible describes the return of Jesus Christ and the
resurrection of his saints at the end of the age in Revelation
chapter 11 and verse 15: "Then the seventh angel sounded:
And there were loud voices in heaven,
saying, 'The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms
of our Lord and of His Christ,
and He shall reign forever and ever!'"
And this is crucial.
He will not rule alone.
Revelation chapter 20 speaks of those who have struggled to
overcome sin in this age who will rule alongside Christ
in that age.
In verse 4, the apostle John says that in his vision of that
time, he saw thrones and that those who followed Christ in
this age, now resurrected and transformed,
were given judgment and authority.
Verse 6 says: "Blessed and holy is he who has part
in the first resurrection.
Over such the second death has no power,
but they shall be priests of God and of Christ,
and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
Now note, there is that mention of 1000 years.
And note too, this is not a metaphor.
When asked directly by Peter what he and the rest of the 12
disciples would receive for leaving everything behind and
following him, Jesus Christ told him directly: "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."
As many places in the Bible teach,
in tomorrow's world, those who have followed Christ today will
have under Christ power and authority over the nations as
kings and priests with him.
Jesus explains that those who have loved him and obeyed him in
this life will be resurrected as full children of God in power
and majesty just as he is right now.
Those who overcome with Christ in this age will rule with
Christ in that age, as glorified sons of the Almighty,
helping to transform this world with God's laws of love,
mercy, and righteousness.
Wallace Smith: To help you study the topic more deeply,
we've prepared this unique resource,
"The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?"
This booklet is completely free and takes you deep into your own
Bible to explore details and insights about the coming
Millennium under Jesus Christ that we simply don't have time
to cover completely on today's program.
Here's the information you need to request your copy,
and after that, I'll be right back to explain what you need to
know about the Millennium and Satan the devil.
So don't go away.
male announcer: For today's free offer,
call...
or go to TWTV. org/Ahead.
This clear and straightforward resource will help you
understand this vital truth straight
from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time,
you will also receive a free annual subscription to
"Tomorrow's World" magazine, ten inspiring issues discussing
news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense
of your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning
to "Tomorrow's World" for truth, prophecy,
and hope in these confusing times.
Call now
or go to TWTV.org/Ahead.
Wallace Smith: In the first portion of our program,
we saw that after his return, Jesus Christ and his glorified
saints are going to establish a government to eventually reign
over the entire world, beginning the process of turning this
world into everything God wants it to be.
Yet, a key task awaits Jesus Christ before his rulership of
the world begins in earnest.
Before the new ruler of this world can begin his transforming
work, the old ruler of the world must be dealt with.
In today's free offer, "The World Ahead:
What Will It Be Like?"
author and evangelist Roderick C. Meredith explains:
"However, during this present age,
Satan the devil is 'broadcasting' wrong attitudes
and he influences people to take wrong actions continually.
The Apostle Paul reminded the Christians of Ephesus that they
had 'once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air,
the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.'
So, Satan the devil is busy.
He 'works' continually--turning mankind away
from God and God's true ways.
He is the source of much of the suffering and evil--the wars,
rapes, tortures, and various other abominations--
occurring in today's world."
How can tomorrow's world become all God would have it to be
while the great deceiver and corruptor of mankind,
the devil, is allowed to continue operating on the minds
and hearts of mankind?
It can't.
This leads us to the second fact about life in the Millennium.
Immediately after his return, Christ will oversee the
banishment of Satan the devil.
In vision, the apostle John saw this glorious event take place
immediately upon Jesus's return.
He recorded what he saw in Revelation 20,
beginning in verse 1: "Then I saw an angel coming down from
heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain
in his hand.
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."
Yes, the great deceiver of mankind,
the serpent of old, whom the Bible calls "the ruler or god of
this world," will be removed for a thousand years,
unable to influence humanity in his ways of competition,
envy, strife, hatred, lust, and brutality.
Can you imagine what will become possible on earth over the
course of the next 1000 years with Jesus Christ himself
reigning and ruling in the affairs of men from Jerusalem,
with his glorified brothers and sisters aiding him in the family
of God, ruling the kingdom of God and with the influence of
Satan the devil completely removed from this world?
For those who have lived through the great Tribulation and the
calamities at the end of this age,
on into this glorious time, what sorts of things will they see?
What sort of world will be created around them?
We begin to see the possibilities when we consider
the next fact about life in the Millennium.
With Satan banished, the world will see God's laws and way of
life taught to all humanity for 1000 years.
That teaching will begin in Jerusalem.
We see this in many places in Scripture,
including here in Isaiah chapter 2 and verse 3: "Many people
shall come and say, 'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.'
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."
With the clouds of the devil's deceptions gone,
and seeing the fruit of the way of life God offers,
people will hunger for the laws and principles of righteousness
that Jesus Christ and his glorified saints will be ready
to teach.
Look at this moving description in Zechariah chapter 8,
and imagine this being said in today's world in which so many
seem so antagonistic against the nation of Israel.
"'Thus says the Lord of hosts: "In those days ten men from
every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a
Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you,
for we have heard that God is with you.'"'"
In today's world, not gonna happen.
But in tomorrow's world during the Millennium,
every nation in the world
will want the true biblical laws of God.
And the glorified saints themselves will have a role in
teaching those laws.
Chapter 30 of Isaiah gives us an intriguing peak into that world,
where true Christians now glorified like their Savior and
empowered, will help serve those in the Millennium seeking to
live God's ways.
Beginning in verse 20: "And though the Lord gives you the
bread of adversity and the water of affliction,
Yet your teachers will not be moved into a corner anymore,
But your eyes shall see your teachers.
Your ears shall hear a word behind you,
saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' Whenever you turn to the
right hand or whenever you turn to the left."
The servants of Christ will be working with people,
teaching them, helping them understand God's way
and live it every day.
As a result, Isaiah 11 and verse 9 says: "The earth shall be full
of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea."
And where the law of God goes and hearts are willing to keep
it, beautiful things follow, as we'll see in our next segment.
Wallace Smith: But first, let me give you another opportunity
to request our special offer this week: "The World Ahead:
What Will It Be Like?"
Written by the late evangelist, Roderick C.
Meredith who preached the gospel of the kingdom of God to the
world for over 60 years, this free booklet will point you to
so many verses in your Bible that you have probably never
seen before, verses that will bring the Millennium
to life in your life.
Don't wait and risk forgetting to order it later.
Order your free copy today and I'll be right back to explore
what prophecy says happens when a world is truly willing to
follow its Creator for a thousand years.
announcer: This clear and straightforward resource will
help you understand this vital truth,
straight from the pages of the Bible.
Call now or go to TWTV.org/Ahead.
Wallace Smith: Welcome back.
In our last segment, we described some of the changes
that will take place at the foundation of the Millennium in
tomorrow's world: the setting up of a divine government and the
banishment of Satan the devil.
And we noted that God's laws and way of life will begin to be
taught to all mankind.
With these new foundations in place,
in the Millennium, what sort of world will Christ build?
In today's world, the terrors and brutality of war have left
many lame, crippled, and broken, and the degeneration of our
bodies in this sinful world and our ignorance of God's laws of
health have brought disease, illness,
and calamity to the human race.
But Christ and his glorified family
will bring an end to such suffering.
For instance, in the Millennium there will finally be global
peace for all nations.
The great statue at the United Nations of a man beating his
sword into a plowshare as described in Isaiah 2 and verse
4, will no longer be a symbol of man's impotence at achieving
real peace, because the King of kings will make it so.
Let's read that passage, but let's begin with what we read
earlier in verse 3: "Many people shall come and say,
'Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.'
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
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."
This world will no longer ultimately be run by impotent,
inept, and corrupt governments, incapable of producing the peace
they preach, but it will be run by the ever-living one,
the Creator of heaven and earth, who will enforce his laws in
this world in a way no human can and with a wisdom no human has.
And more than bringing an end to war,
he shall teach peace.
Our nations and peoples war because they do not know the way
of peace, yet Luke 1:79 proclaims that Christ will "give
light to those who sit in darkness," and will "guide our
feet into the way of peace."
In addition, the Millennium will see an end to widespread
sickness and disease.
Turn a few chapters over to the beautiful verses of Isaiah
chapter 35.
We read there of this time to come: "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."
Imagine a world with no more blindness,
no more disease, no more suffering.
Not only will divine and miraculous healing be available
to the sick, but the very designer of life and health will
teach the laws of life and health to a world finally open
to learning those laws.
But Scripture says that Jesus Christ
will do more than heal people.
He will heal the land and teach the peoples of earth how to farm
the land and care for the earth as only the Creator of that
earth could know.
As a result, the Millennium will see a restored and beautiful
planet for all to enjoy.
We read of the healing of the land in Isaiah 35 which we read
from earlier: "The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad
for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water."
In such a restored and vibrant land,
crops will be abundant, food will be overflowing.
Amos 9 and verse 13 describes this wonderful aspect of that
time in beautiful terms: "'Behold, the days are coming,'
says the LORD,
'When the plowman shall overtake the reaper,
And the treader of grapes him who sows the seed;
The mountains shall drip with sweet wine,
And all the hills shall flow with it.'"
In a world where there is true peace, real solutions for
disease, and a restored and beautiful planet,
want for food and lack of necessities shall become a thing
of the past.
Over 1000 years, they will become increasingly distant
memories of a world long gone, replaced by new memories of a
world the way God wants it to be,
a world ruled and cared for by Jesus Christ,
the Son of God.
My friends, what the Bible says about the amazing world Christ
will create after he returns, is like a deep,
deep well, and we're only cupping our hands to drink from
its surface.
In this last brief break, please take the time to request our
free resource, "The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?"
And begin the process of plumbing the depths of the
Bible's astonishing truths about that world to come.
How will that world and the kingdom of God be structured?
What will families and marriages be like?
Who will live in that time?
What can we do now to prepare for it?
This free, easy-to-read booklet will help you begin to answer
those questions from your own Bible.
Order yours now and I'll be right back to wrap up and
explain the one aspect of the Millennium
that catches many by surprise.
announcer: For today's free offer,
call...
or go to TWTV.org/Ahead.
This clear and straightforward resource will help you
understand this vital truth straight
from the pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first time,
you will also receive a free annual subscription to
"Tomorrow's World" magazine, ten inspiring issues discussing
news, science, and modern culture will help you make sense
of your world from a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning
to "Tomorrow's World" for truth, prophecy,
and hope in these confusing times.
Call now
or go to TWTV.org/Ahead.
Wallace Smith: So far, we've seen that the Millennium will
feature a divine world government,
and it will begin with the banishment of Satan the devil.
During that time, God's laws and way of life will be taught to
all humanity.
This will help bring global peace for all nations as well as
bringing an end to widespread sickness and disease and bring a
restored and beautified planet.
And finally, Jesus Christ will bring the restoration
of biblical worship.
After all, the new leader of the world will not be merely a
president or prime minister or even merely a human king.
He will be the living Creator and he will restore true faith
in God and true biblical worship practices to the whole earth.
For instance, Isaiah 66 and verse 23 speaks of the
Millennium and says that "'from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship
before Me,' says the LORD."
Similarly, Zechariah 14 and verse 16 clearly says: "It shall
come to pass that everyone who is left of 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."
Yes, mankind will no longer wander in ignorance,
inventing his own religions and worship practices.
In the Millennium, the entire world will finally be turned to
worship the true God of the Bible and his glorious Son who
will be reigning in Jerusalem.
Of course, the Millennium is not the end of God's plan.
There is more, much more, beyond the Millennium.
And the Bible discusses details about that time as well from the
Millennium on into eternity.
But that discussion will have to be for another time since our
time is just about up.
Wallace Smith: But before we go,
let me say that you don't have to wait until the Millennium
arrives to begin living according to the principles that
will make it everything it is.
You can live according to those principles right now and begin
tasting tomorrow's world today.
"Tomorrow's World" has representatives all across the
globe, ready to help you as you begin to act on the things
you're learning on this program.
In fact, all over the world, members of the Living Church of
God, the sponsor of this telecast,
meet together on the seventh-day Sabbath every week to learn
about the Word of God together, to worship,
to edify, encourage, and support each other,
to fellowship with others of like mind,
and to point one another to this remarkable world to come.
If there is anything that "Tomorrow's World" or the Living
Church of God can do to help you begin living the principles,
laws, and way of life of the coming Millennium in your life
today, we stand ready to help.
And ordering today's free booklet,
"The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?"
would be a wonderful way for you to start exploring
that way of life today.
I hope you'll do that and I hope
you'll return again for our next program.
Gerald Weston, Richard Ames, Rod McNair,
and I will be right here waiting to share with you the good news
of the kingdom of God, the teachings of Jesus Christ,
and the endtime prophecies about your future,
all from the pages of your own Bible.
So until next time, take care.
announcer: For today's free offer,
call...
or go to TWTV.org/Ahead.
Call today and join millions around the world who are turning
to "Tomorrow's World" for truth, prophecy,
and hope in these confusing times.
announcer: The preceding program is produced by the
Living Church of God.