His Perfect Love

Matt VanderVen: Today on His Perfect Love, we look ahead to the thousand-year rule and reign of Christ when things will look much different than they do now.

Our circumstances can seem so overwhelming and we can seem in peril. There are so many things that we can focus on that can bring sadness and sorrow to our hearts, but when we look at these passages, we realize that it's just temporary. God's greatness and goodness is coming, and it's going to overwhelm all of us in such a beautiful way that all these things are going to seem as a distant memory.

All of the heartache, all of the sadness, all of the wickedness of this earth, all of the evil, all of the things that many of us have grown up and seen, been hurt by or destroyed, or family and loved ones all around the world have been hurt in some way, all those things are going to seem like a distant memory. Death, a distant memory.

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to His Perfect Love. Our pastor and teacher is Matt VanderVen. When the days are dark and difficult like they are now, it's good to be reminded of what God will do in the future. There's good reason to rejoice if you're a believer in Christ. Today we open up Isaiah 60 and 61 which contain some encouraging prophecies about the future Kingdom age when Jesus will rule and reign, and we'll experience everlasting joy. Here to fill us in on all the exciting details is Pastor Matt.

Matt VanderVen: Look what he says here. The glory of Lebanon shall come to you. He talks about these cypresses. They're huge. If you've ever seen them, they're huge trees, very large. The pine and the box tree together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary. I will make the place of my feet glorious. Also, the sons of those who afflicted you shall come bowing to you, and all those who despised you shall fall prostrate at the soles of your feet. They shall call to you the City of the Lord, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. All of Israel's former enemies are going to come to peace with Israel. They're going to come to worship Jesus and they're going to all be united in worship. Isn't that beautiful?

Look at verse 15. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, because of Jesus and certainly because of God as we read in the Old Testament, they certainly felt that way during the captivity no doubt at the time of this writing or right before the captivity, but God is saying I am not done with you. Again, remember when they read these things, many of them will be in captivity. Many of them will be the next generation, Isaiah's children's generation, that will be in captivity during that 70 years reading this. They're in Babylon, literally a pagan land, and they're enslaved to some extent.

Can you imagine reading the goodness that God has planned for them? It almost seems too good to be true. How, God, are you going to work this out? God, we're literally enslaved. As a matter of fact, in the future chapters, he's going to talk about that because he's going to go back and remind them of what he did during the time of Pharaoh in Egypt and how he was faithful to deliver his people out of Egyptian prisons and out of Egyptian slavery and bring them into the Promised Land, and how he's going to be faithful to do that once again. God is looking to save each and every human being that is willing to come and to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

He says whereas you've been forsaken and hated so that no one went through you, I will make you an eternal excellence, a joy of many generations. You shall drink the milk of the Gentiles and the milk of the breast of the kings. You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. He tells us the reason. You will finally acknowledge that I am Messiah and I am your Savior and I desire to save you. I am the Mighty One of Jacob that you have been looking for. Instead of bronze, I'll bring gold. Instead of iron, I'll bring silver. Instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron.

I will also make your officers peace and your magistrates righteous. That's a breath of fresh air. Righteousness. Violence shall no longer be heard in your land. Can you imagine no more violence on this earth? No more walking out of your house having to worry about your daughter or your son riding their bicycle around the block and something happening, or going off to school and something happening. All these things in the world where it just seems like so much chaos and violence. No more. Never to have to worry about that again.

Violence shall no longer be heard in the land. That's what it looks like in God's theocracy. That's what it looks like in God's kingdom, his very best. This is exactly what he desired for all of us. Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders, but you shall call your walls salvation. When you get to Jerusalem, you're going to turn around and you're going to walk in. Just like when Jesus Christ was making his triumphal entry, what did they say? Hosanna, hosanna in the highest. In the Hebrew, you're saying, save now. Hosanna. Save now.

Literally, you're going to come to the same city that Jesus Christ was making his triumphal entry in and people were saying save now and now you're going to come. These people are going to come and they're going to see these walls and the walls are literally going to speak salvation. Your gates, praise, peace. Did you capture this? Peace, righteousness, salvation, worship, prayer. All of it. It's wonderful. It's coming. It's going to happen. Every single one of God's promises have happened perfectly as he has said.

Look at verse 19. The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor brightness shall be the moon that gives you light. We read about that in the Book of Revelation. But the Lord will be to you an everlasting light and your God your glory. The fullest fulfillment of this is going to be the new heavens and new earth. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself for the Lord will be your everlasting light and the days of your mourning shall be ended. Also, your people shall all be righteous.

Every single person is going to be right living, righteous. They shall inherit the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. These are the marks of righteousness. What blessings. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time. Now we're moving into 61, a Messianic passage for sure. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Again, please remember this passage is 740 years given before the time of Jesus Christ walking the earth.

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal. What does he want to heal? Who is brokenhearted? When we think of brokenhearted in the scriptures, who is he talking about? When we think of humility, we think of brokenhearted in our New Testament, a contrite spirit, a broken and circumcised heart. The idea what he's saying here is he's come to heal the humble. How did Jesus Christ come to heal the humble? By bringing salvation.

Why were people brokenhearted? Because they knew that there was need of salvation. They were needing of a Savior, the same way you and I know that we can't save ourselves, that even our greatest deeds are wretched in their own strength outside of Christ's righteousness. Outside of Christ, we do nothing good of ourselves and many of us are brokenhearted for that because we love the Lord. So he says he's sent me to heal. The Gospel heals. Victory over sin, victory over death.

This is the healing he's talking about. To proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison, setting all those that had been put in a spiritual bondage of religion and now being brought into a relationship. To those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, speaking of the coming of Messiah to bring salvation. Then interestingly in verse 2, between 2A and 2B, you get the second section which now moves into his second coming because in the first section, we know he accomplished that in his first coming.

But he won't accomplish the second coming because the first coming did he bring judgment with him when he came the first time? No, he rebuked, but he didn't bring judgment. Judgment doesn't happen until the great tribulation and the second coming where he brings an end to all evil and wickedness. So look at this. To proclaim an acceptable year of the Lord, that's what he was proclaiming even through his triumphal entry, and the day of vengeance of our God. Not recognizing this is two separate physical events.

To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, Jerusalem, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified. The Gospel brings joy and God's deep righteousness and riches. They shall rebuild the old ruins. Why is that important? Because when we were in the Book of Revelation, we read about how there's going to be one more attempt by the Antichrist before right at the three-and-a-half-year period.

He's going to go into the temple and desecrate it. It's called the abomination of desolation. When he desecrates the temple, he knows at that point that the time clock has started because he's now removed. Satan is no longer able to go to and fro from heaven to the earth. We talked about this when we were in Revelation. So he knows his time clock is ticking. He's only got three and a half years because he also, Satan, Lucifer, knows how to read the Bible. So he turned around and he knows that's going to happen.

So he does what for those last three and a half years? He tries to torment the Jews. Jesus wrote about it in Matthew chapter 24 and 25. He said to flee. Don't even go and get your clothing. Get out of there and woe to the nursing mom at that time. Get to the wilderness. We know that as Petra. He's flee to the wilderness, flee out of it. Then we read in Revelation how God supernaturally protects them with the creation of the land. Somehow he uses the land to block the adversary or the enemy and their armies from coming in to try to exterminate once and for all the Jewish people.

That's what he's doing at the three-and-a-half-year period. For three and a half years, he's trying to exterminate them and he has no success. Many do die, but what's it do to the whole city? He starts lighting things on fire. He's destroying everything. He's destroyed the temple. He has destroyed everything in Jerusalem. So doesn't it make sense that God says here in verse 4, they shall rebuild the old ruins? They shall raise up the former desolations. Boy, that name is familiar, desolation, abomination of desolations.

They shall repair the ruined cities, the desolation of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of the foreigners, Gentiles, shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. You don't have vinedressers if you don't have prosperity. Wine is considered a luxury in the Middle East and at this time of this writing. But you shall be named the priests of the Lord. They shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and in their glory you shall boast.

You see the Jewish people will have a reputation to finally fulfill their purpose to be a witness to the surrounding nations after salvation and they will lead many at the latter half of the great tribulation into salvation as well once they themselves receive salvation. Instead of your shame, you shall have double honor and instead of confusion, they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in the land, they shall possess double, everlasting joy shall be theirs. No more worry. No more wrongdoing for the Jewish people.

We think of Israel today many of us we think of it nationalistically. We think of it secular, in a secular capacity. When people talk about Israel and they talk about Zion, many times you think they do the same things America does. Just because as much as we say we're a Christian nation, we know that's not true. We have Christians in this nation, but it's not a Christian nation. It's not entirely Christian. I think we would all agree to that by population density or just by looking out our windows.

Well in Israel it's no different. Today you see these same things going on within Israel and so many times people that travel over there they're surprised. We had missionaries with us a number of years ago, a beautiful family. They lived over there for 24-25 years. When they had first gotten over there, they are a beautiful couple. The young lady was a citizen of Israel. He married her, he was a World War II vet and they got married and they went back over there as missionaries and they did beautiful work for the Lord over there.

But one of the things that was shocking to him is that as he was over there as a Christian, he was surprised by how some of the rabbis and the religious leaders actually treated him. As a matter of fact, one point he was walking out of a chess club walking down the street, I have a video of it, where a rabbi comes up and spits on his face and grabs his shirt and rips the back of his shirt off. This man did nothing wrong. He simply walked out but he was a Christian and he had been talking to people about Jesus.

I just want us to understand there are still things that happen. Just like in the United States of America, there is a nationalistic aspect to things, the same thing as in Israel. What he's talking about here is he's talking about those that are Zionist in regards to their relationship with God, not by the secular identity of the nation of Israel, but those who will get saved and believe and place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. I do want us to make a distinction between the two as we do need to do today.

He's talking about how that everlasting joy shall be theirs. There'll be no more wrongdoing because they're going to be saved. For I the Lord love justice. I hate robbery for burnt offerings. I will direct their work in truth. I will make with them an everlasting covenant. He says it right here, an everlasting covenant. Their descendants shall be known among the Gentiles and their offspring among the people. All who see them shall acknowledge them that they are a posterity whom the Lord has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, speaking again of future hope to Israel. My soul shall be joyful in my God for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. The Jewish people are going to get saved. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. That's going to be the norm. This is going to be the new norm. It won't be as today when we hear about somebody in Israel that accepts Jesus Christ, which we love and wonderful and praise the Lord for that.

But the norm is that the Jewish people are all going to be getting saved and we're going to hear about it and we're going to be exciting and celebrating wonderfully that God is faithful to his chosen people and that this new covenant that he's given to us is going to be given to them and they're going to receive the covenant. They're not going to reject it any longer. As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its bud and the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all nations. This is going to be what it's like 24/7 in the Kingdom age. Isn't that wonderful? Talk about a passage to tuck you in tonight, have good dreams and good sleep. What a beautiful passage. This is what you and I are longing for. This is what our brothers and sisters in Israel are longing for.

This is what this whole earth, I mean, I've made the joke before. Back when they used to do the beauty pageants and people always said well what do we want? We want peace on earth. Remember that? Some of us that are old enough remember that. They'd get up there and say we want peace, peace on earth and everybody wants peace on earth. Jesus Christ tells us that peace is coming. Peace on earth ushered in through him, the perfect holy God that we are going to come and worship and it's going to be 24/7.

No more evil, no more wickedness, only righteousness. We're going to learn there's no even crying in the Millennial reign. That children, babies, even in the Millennial reign that are born, today if you live a hundred years somebody says whoa man you've had good genetics, a long life, right? In the Millennial, as we're just going to read in the future chapters, if you live to 100 years, somebody's going to say it actually uses it in a reference to someone that's unrighteous. They're going to go oh you must have been unrighteous, what did you do? You only lived 100 years.

That says that the babies that are young that grow up in that Millennial age, that Millennial reign, God's going to go back to the way it was prior to basically the antediluvian period, before Noah. He's going to go back before the flood. A thousand years people are going to live. The longevity, people are going to live long lives, long years again. Anybody who's like us that got raptured out and we come back with Jesus wearing glorified bodies, that doesn't apply to us. We live with the Lord forever and ever.

But those that were alive through the great tribulation that survived it, many of them are going to live these lives back to what it was like antediluvian period. I just want to see this is what's awaiting every one of us. Our circumstances can seem so overwhelming and we can seem in peril. We can seem like there are so many things that we can focus on that can bring sadness and sorrow to our hearts. But when we look at these passages, we realize that it's just temporary.

God's greatness and goodness is coming and it's going to overwhelm all of us in such a beautiful way that all these things are going to seem as a distant memory. All of the heartache, all of the sadness, all of the wickedness of this earth, all of the evil, all of the things that many of us have grown up and seen, been hurt by or destroyed, or family and loved ones all around the world have been hurt in some way, all those things are going to seem like a distant memory.

Death, a distant memory. Heartache from losing someone you love, a distant memory. A young child not making it, a distant memory. No more cancer, no more diseases, no more stealing, no more having to worry about safeguarding your home, no more worrying about your son or your daughter walking in neighborhoods that are unsafe. There are no neighborhoods that are unsafe. This is what the Lord is telling us. The best is yet to come. He's been right about everything.

He's asked us to believe him, to trust him. He wants to wash us with goodness. He wants to wash us with his spiritual supernatural goodness to be able to start to live and experience the joy now, knowing what's coming that we don't have to wait till the Millennial reign. We can experience the joy right now here on earth knowing that the best is yet to come. What is our perspective?

Guest (Male): Well if that doesn't get you excited, I don't know what will. You're listening to His Perfect Love and part of a study in Isaiah 60 and 61 from Pastor Matt VanderVen. Catch a replay when you visit hisperfectlove.org. That's hisperfectlove.org. We're also at oneplace.com and look for us wherever you get your podcasts. We also have a mobile app. Now this is a great way to take Pastor Matt's teachings with you wherever you may go. You can learn more about the mobile app and start your download when you visit our website hisperfectlove.org.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. You can make a contribution to the ministry and send us your prayer requests through the website again at hisperfectlove.org. Those of you that live in the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania area or will be visiting the area, we want to cordially invite you to join us for a worship service. Just like on the radio, Pastor Matt teaches verse by verse through the Bible here at Calvary Chapel Harrisburg West Shore.

Sunday morning services begin at 8:30 and 10:30. We have a midweek service on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. You'll find us at 28 North Locust Point Road in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. Go to ccharrisburg.org for more information. Set aside another half hour to join us tomorrow at the same time on this same fine station where Pastor Matt will pick up where we left off in Isaiah, here on His Perfect Love.