Understanding Biblical Prophesy

Good evening. Tonight, we're on lesson number eight in our series in eschatology. In fact, to flip over on the back, and let's look at where we've been so far. We looked in week one at physical death, and we looked at the intermediate state of the believers. We looked at the second coming, lesson four, the resurrection, and last five, the last judgment. Last two weeks, we looked at the final state of the wicked, and last week, the final state of the righteous. Ahead of us tonight, we're going to be looking at understanding biblical prophecy, and the next week, looking at how Christ is the fulfillment of all biblical prophecy. And from there, we're getting even deeper going in with some hermeneutical passages, challenging passages in lessons 17, 18, 19, and 20. This will be very good, I think, and beneficial as we continue this study. Tonight, the lesson is understanding biblical prophecy. Biblical prophecy is oftentimes somewhat opaque. In other words, it can be daunting for a believer to study. When you think about biblical prophecy, for example, let's say you look at the book of Isaiah.

In Isaiah, there's all kinds of prophecies, is there not? There's messianic prophecies about the first coming of Christ. There's temporal prophecies about nations that were lining up against Israel, or against Judah, or in league with Israel, and Israel's fight against Judah, because they were in a divided kingdom period, a civil war going on. There are also passages in Isaiah that speak of what we would call the new creation, the new heavens and the new earth. And so, as you can imagine, understanding just a historical context of prophecy can make it very difficult to understand. Not only that, the linguistic aspect or the linguistic context of when we study prophecy can be very difficult. Within prophecy, there is a subset of that called apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature carries kind of its own vernacular, if you will, its own terms. It speaks of cataclysmic origins and uses highly figurative and symbolic language. And how do we understand that, right? It can be difficult. When we read, for example, the book of Revelation, which is one of the most apocalyptic passages in all of scripture, you also have to find the canonical context and understand it. That can be very challenging. For example, when you read through the book of Revelation, about 70% of that book is either quoting or alluding to Old Testament passages. And so, to properly exegete it, you've got to go back and you've got to see what that word or that phrase, how it's being used by the prophets in the Old Testament. And then see how John is using it. He's using it in the same way. He's using it in a parallel way. So, as you can imagine, it's not the easiest genre of literature in the scripture to understand. Calvin, the great reformer and theologian, he had the famous quip that the study of much revelation either attracts the madman or leaves you as a madman. And what he meant by that is it's very easy to get lost in the details, so to speak. In fact, in Calvin's commentaries, you'll note that he did not write a volume on the book of Revelation. He skipped that one. It's not because he thought it wasn't canonical or that it wasn't beneficial. It's just that he had a hard time explaining it in straightforward terms with all of his genius and his intellect, right? Well, tonight, what I want to do is try to simplify what we call prophecy in regards by looking at it within its theological context of scripture. In one sense, all of scripture, whether it's the Psalms or whether it is the Gospels, all of it is a prophetic book. So, let's look at that tonight.

By point number one, scripture, although comprised of 66 books by 40 authors, and this is over 1,500 or so years, is indeed one book with one author and one message. Its storyline, which starts in Genesis, can be summarized in four movements. The first movement or blank there is creation. Creation is the first blank.

The second blank is fall. That's considered the second movement in the scriptures. The third blank is redemption. And the fourth blank is new, new creation. When you look at scripture, it follows this biblical storyline of creation, of fall, of redemption, and new creation. Genesis 1 and 2 recounts God's work of creation and sets the stage for all of scripture story. That's why it's very fundamental that we understand Genesis, right? I know many of you went to the arch encounter the creation, that's a great thing to understand the outset of scripture because everything follows from that starting point. Genesis 3 recounts the fall of man in sin, into sin, resulting in death and banishment. Genesis 3.15 is the promise of God's redemption of his people through his son, Jesus Christ. The rest of scripture, from there forward, from Genesis 3.15 onward, the rest of scripture is a revealing of this promised redeemer. Scripture looks forward to the redeemer bringing about a new creation. The Messianic prophecies said that not only would he be our redeemer, but he would bring about a new heavens and a new earth. This new creation is brought forth in Christ's death, burial, and resurrection. This new creation culminates in Christ's glorious return. We've already looked at that earlier as we looked at the return of Christ, the second coming. Scripture is at its very heart a prophetic. Prophetic is the fifth blank for number one. A prophetic book revealing God's glory in Christ Jesus. Seen in this light, in this light of its grand storyline of creation of what we call fall, of what we call redemption, and then new creation. See, the entire Bible is actually a prophetic book. It speaks of the Messiah who would come to save us from our sins and to make all things new, to lift the curse from creation and to restore us into the unity that we had with God in the garden, the communion that was so sweet. Look in Hebrews 1, 1 through 2. This, of course, shows us where Christ is the summation of all scripture. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things and through whom also he made the worlds. We know that Christ is not only the beginning of all things, it is by him. All the worlds were made. The Bible says that all things were made for him and through him and in him they all consist. But he's also the heir of all things. He's the telos. He's where all of creation is hurtling, all of time and history is hurtling towards Christ. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Flip over on the back. Let's look at reference point number one. We see in 2 Peter, chapter 1, 16 through 21, talking about the prophets again of the Old Testament. So it says, "For we do not follow cunning devised fables when we may known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." We see that at the very baptism, the very beginning of Christ's ministry. "And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain." Peter was an eyewitness to this there at the transfiguration.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in the dark place until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. You're saying we've seen with our own eyes the Savior who has long ago had been predicted to come into this world. We've had the prophetic world fortified, if you will, made known to us. In verse 20, "Knowing this, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came from the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." All the writers of the Old Testament, they were holy men of God

who spoke by the Spirit's movement. The Spirit swayed them. And so therefore, Scripture is God breathed, right? And all of it in that sense is prophecy, right? It is from the lips of God. It's God's Word to us. Flip over back on the front. The application for number one is be amazed. Amazed is the blank for the first application. Be amazed that God loves you and has reconciled you in Christ. That he would, throughout the preparation of sending the law and then sending the prophets to speak of the Messiah who would to be the one to come, through sending Christ and sending the apostles to be able to receive this message of redemption. That he loved us enough that though we shook our fists in rebellion against him in the garden and were estranged from him and indeed hated him and were his enemies, that God commended his love to us, right? While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So it's amazing to think that God has ordered this creation to reveal himself to rebel sinners like us in order that we might be redeemed, that we might be partakers in Christ and enjoy this new creation, the fellowship that we have in him.

But point number two, the Old Testament promises a messianic redeemer. Redeemer is the first blank for number two. To save God's people. This prophecy, the coming redeemer, is first promised in Genesis 3.15. That's called the first gospel, right? That the seed of Eve would crush Satan's head. He is prophesied as Abraham's seed. Seed is the second blank, Genesis 22.18, 26.4, and 28.14.

From the tribe of Judah, Judah is the third blank, Genesis 49.10.

And of the house of David, David is the fourth blank. So the first blank is Redeemer, the second blank is Seed, third blank is Judah, the fourth blank is David. And of the house of David, second Samuel 12, 7, 12 through 13. This coming redeemer would be the ultimate prophet, priest, and king. Those three offices were offices where, what we call messianic offices, where the office holder was anointed by God, was chosen by God to be a mediator. And Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of each of those roles. He is the prophet who shows us who God is. He's the very image of God, right? His words are the words of God. As a priest, what does he do? He makes intercession for us and makes sacrifice for us, right? And as king, what does he do? He delivers us from the domain of darkness into the domain of light. And so all those Old Testament offices find their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. The Redeemer would reign forever on David's throne, second Samuel 7, 13, Isaiah 9. The Redeemer would be God with us, Emmanuel, Isaiah 9, 6. We normally read that passage around Christmas time, right? God with us. The Redeemer would be God's perfect servant. And I have here referenced the five or five of the six of what we call the servant songs of Isaiah. Earlier in Isaiah, the people of Israel was supposed to be God's servant, but they were wicked servants, right? And they didn't produce good fruit. But God prophesied that his mediator would come who would be the perfect servant. And that perfect servant would totally and perfectly obey God in every aspect, doing what Israel should have done, right? And he would also be the suffering servant who would be bruised for our transgressions and crushed because of our sins in order to be our substitute on him who has laid the iniquity of us all.

Yet he would suffer for his people. Suffer is the fifth blank. Suffer for his people, Isaiah 53, 5.

The Redeemer would also be called the Son of Man, given all dominion and glory and would forever be, it would be forever worshiped by all the nations, Daniel 7, 13 through 14, which is the night vision where the Messiah comes before the ancient of days. And he attains the throne of the universe. Right? It's a picture of his ascension, of the conquering Christ coming in and giving all glory. It says that every nation and people and tongue would worship him. Look at 1 Peter 1, verses 10 through 11. "Of the salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you." The Old Testament prophets spoke of this Messiah who would come. They did it under these figures of prophet, priest, and king, and of the servant, right, and the Son of Man. They may not have fully understood everything, right? Because even though they were the instruments, this was God-breathed Scripture, right? And so they knew in part, but they searched carefully because they wanted to know even more, right? They lived on that side of the cross. We've been blessed to live on this side of cross to see the revelation of God Christ Jesus, to see his love displayed on the cross, and to see his holiness displayed on the cross, to hear his words in the gospels. "For of the salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you?" Searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ who was in them, in other words, the very Messiah that they were prophesying about, was already in them actually through their spirit. These were regenerate, holy men in whom the Spirit of God dwelt and who inspired their words.

The Spirit of Christ was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. So all of the Old Testament is talking about this messianic redeemer that is Christ. Flip over on the back. Look at Genesis 28, 14. This is to Abraham.

"Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. You shall spread abroad to the west and the east to the north and the south." That's everywhere on the face of the earth. "And in you and your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed." All the families of the earth will be blessed. You can go to every continent and you will find believers on this globe. That's a direct fulfillment of God's promise, the Abrahamic covenant that he made to Abraham. This is as the dust. My wife just yesterday, she got a new little power thing that she uses for scrubbing and dusting. She's gone all over the house finding dust where no one would ever look, right? Keeping the house and it's amazing how much dust collects. "So shall your descendants be" is what God told Abraham. That's fulfilled in his seed in Christ Jesus because in Christ Jesus many have become the children of God. Second Samuel 7, 12 through 13. This is the Davidic covenant. "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you who will come from your and I will establish his kingdom and he shall build a house from my name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." We see Peter on the day of Pentecost, right? In Acts chapter 2, he says David is dead, right? And he's buried in his tomb, but Christ is risen and he's now sits on his father David's throne, right? This is the fulfillment of what God had promised David in the Davidic covenant in second Samuel 7, we now see in the resurrection and ascension of Christ. Flip back over on the front. Application for number two. Who is the central? Central is the blank for number two. Who is the central figure of God's story of redemption?

Christ. In this day and age that we often want to put ourselves right into the center of the story where jingoistically we want to put America there. It's not there, right? It's not even Israel. The center of God's revelation is Jesus Christ. It's all about Christ and his glory.

But point number three, the Old Testament promises that God's rule, R-U-L-E, rule is the first blank. God's rule or his reign would extend over all the earth through his Messiah. Don't you love that hymn? Christ Jesus shall reign wherever the sun death its successive journeys run his kingdom shall reign from shore to shore Jesus Christ shall reign forevermore. Throughout the Old Testament, God has spoken of as king of Israel. Israel is the second blank. Deuteronomy 33.5.

You can see the various references in Psalms and also Isaiah. Throughout the Old Testament, God has also spoken as king of the whole earth. Earth. So it's not just he's the king of Israel. He's the king of all creation. The king of every nation is God. And we see that in Psalm 29.10, Psalm 47.2, Psalm 96.10, Psalm 97.1. He's the sovereign king there. Love Psalm 97. Psalm 103.19, Psalm 145. Isaiah 6, Jeremiah 46. God's rule was never perfectly realized in Israel's history through their sin and rebellion. Remember God was established Israel as a theocracy, right? And what did they say? Give me a king. You want to be like the other nations, right? God says, you don't want that. They said, no, we want a king. Okay. And what happened, of course, kings are sinful people and it led to despair, it led to them being taken out of the land and going off into foreign land, right? In the Babylonian captivity. The prophets told of a day when God's rule would be perfectly, perfectly is the fourth point, perfectly manifested, not just in Israel, but in the whole world. You get to Romans chapter four, and it says that Abraham, he inherited the world, right? Not just the promise land, but the entire world.

Daniel, chapter two, 35. There is this beautiful dream that Nebuchadnezzar has. And this dream is a statue made of four different elements or four different parts, each representing a different historical kingdom, right? And that statue is dashed by a rock. Who's that rock? Christ. And that rock would grow into a mountain that would fill heaven and earth. And was seen Deuteronomy 2 35. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Its kingdom has no end, right? Flip over on the back.

Daniel, same chapter two, verses 44 through 45. This is the explanation of that. And in the day of these kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom will not be left to other people. It shall break in pieces. It can consume all these kingdoms and shall stand forever. And as much as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and it broke in pieces, the iron, the bronze, the clay, and the silver, the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. This dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure. God gave Daniel not only the dream, but also the interpretation of it. And it's all pointing to the perfect reign of Christ. Application for number three.

According to Revelation 1 5, who rules, rules is the blank, who rules over the kings of the earth? Christ. It's not a future reign. That's what he currently reigns right now. Revelation 1 is a picture of the ascended Christ and what a beautiful picture it is of Christ and all of his glory. By point number four, the Old Testament promises that God would establish a new covenant. Covenant is the first blank with his people. So the Old Testament promises, it prophesies that God would establish a new covenant with his people. Israel had broken covenant with God from their beginning. Remember what happened? God speaks to the people as they have left Egypt and God led them out through the Red Sea, led them to Sinai. They hear the voice of God and they're terrified. And they say, "You speak to Moses, not to us." And Moses goes up to the mountain and he receives the law and he comes down and what does he do? He reads it to the people and they said, "We'll keep this covenant. We promise." And they actually sign a covenant. Blood is put on them symbolically as an animal would have been sacrificed saying that if we don't keep the covenant and what happened to this animal happened to us, right? And Moses goes back up to the mountain to receive the commandments written in stone. He's there for 40 days and what does he do when he comes back down? When he hears the people playing, they have already consulted with Aaron and said, "Make us a God." This is the God. This golden calf is the God that brought us out of Egypt. They've already forgotten God and they've already forgotten their covenant with them. So from the very beginning of their establishment, they broke covenant with God. And we'd be doing the same part from the Holy Spirit, right? In a regenerate heart. As a people, they didn't know, know is the blank, they didn't know the Lord and stood in condemnation. Yes, there were many in Israel who were saved, folks like David, right? We know he was redeemed, but vast majority seemed as if because of the rebellion that they didn't even know God, nor were they walking in liberty and with their sins forgiven. They had to continually offer sacrifices, right? To make atonement for their sins. Of course, that blood would never remove their sins according to the book of Hebrews, right? It pointed forward. It pointed to Christ. God promised to change them. Them is the fourth blank in the new covenant. He promised the new covenant that he would change their heart. He would change their disposition. He would put his spirit within them. He would circumcise their heart, not just their body. So the first blank is covenant, the second blank is no, the third blank is condemnation, the fourth blank is them. Jeremiah 31, 31 through 32, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt." This new covenant would be different. "My covenant, which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord." God was always faithful, a faithful covenant partner, right? But Israel wasn't.

Flip over on the back. Look at Exodus 19.5 when the children of Israel are standing on the mountain or standing at the base of the mountain. "This is now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to me above all peoples for all the earth is mine." God says, "Look, if you want to be my people, if you want to be special, you need to keep my covenant." Right? That was up to us to do. We could never keep the old covenant, right? There's only one person who ever kept the old covenant. That's Christ Jesus, right?

But Christ kept the old covenant to be able to offer us the new covenant. Exodus 24, this is when Moses comes down and they ratify the covenant. "So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments and all the people answered with one voice and said, all the words which the Lord has said, we will do." And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. This was written as a covenant testimony. "And he rose early in the morning and he built an altar at the foot of the mountain and 12 pillars according to the 12 tribes of Israel. Then he sent young men of the children of Israel who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins and half the blood he sprinkled the altar. Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, all that the Lord has said we will do and the obedient. And Moses took the blood, sprinkling it on all the people and said, this is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words." It was symbolic that you would be torn apart like this animal if you break this covenant, right? Then we see in Exodus 32, 7 through 10, when Moses comes back down after commandments written in stone. "And the Lord said to Moses, get down for your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. And they made for themselves a molded calf and worshipped it and sacrificed to it and said, this is your God, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord told Moses, I have seen this people and indeed it is a stiff necked people. Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them, that I may consume them and I will make you a great nation. God told Moses that my wrath is stoked and I'm going to wipe them out and I'm going to make a new nation out of you, Moses. And what does Moses do? As the prophet, he intercedes, right? Intercedes for God's people. And then look at Jeremiah 31, 33 through 34. This is the second half, if you will, of the new covenant. "And 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." Rather than being external and written on tablets of stone, God's going to put in the new covenant, he puts his law within us and writes it on our hearts. He changes our hearts to love his law, to agree with his law, to take God's stance against sin and against evil rather than ours, right? To be on God's side. That's what he does when he circumcises our heart. "And I will be their God and they will be my people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor and every man his brother saying, know the Lord. For they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. And I will forgive their iniquities and their sin I will remember no more." If you were part of the old covenant, if you were a man, you just had to be circumcised. And you were part of the old covenant, whether you were a regenerate or not, right? If you were a lady and you were family with someone who was part of the covenant, you were considered an old covenant member, right? Even if you were not regenerate. So there are many in Israel who did not know the Lord, but in the new covenant, everyone knows the Lord, right? Because he puts the spirit within us and the spirit is the one who makes our heart new, regenerates us, conforms us to the image of Christ. Put that cover on the front.

Application. What did Jesus inaugurate at the last supper, Luke 2220? On Sunday, we're going to be celebrating the Lord's supper. And what did Jesus say when he took the cup?

The new covenant. Yeah. He says, "This is the new covenant in my blood," right? Just as Moses had sprinkled the blood and he says, "This is the blood of the covenant," Jesus in instituting the Lord's supper says, "This is the blood of the new covenant." He's inaugurated because he knew that he was going to be tried in the next day and crucified, right? And he would, his death, burial and resurrection is what the supper is all about, right? So he was sanctifying and inaugurating the new covenant there at the last supper. Bible point number five, the Old Testament promises that Israel would go into captivity. Captivity is the first blank for its rebellion and be scattered abroad. You'll see that first of all in Deuteronomy 28, which is the cursings and the blessings of keeping the Old Covenant in Deuteronomy 28. The first third of that is the blessings and the last two thirds or more is the cursings. And part of the cursing of not keeping covenant with God, of being a faithful covenant partner was that you be scattered among the nations, right? And that was repeatedly threatened to Israel. We see that in Jeremiah 20 that they were told specifically because they would not keep the Sabbath, because they would not honor God, that they would be taken away captive into the Ephesians. This should not have been a surprise to them. Jeremiah preached it, Ezekiel preached it all day to the people of God. The Old Testament likewise promises that God would restore, restore as a first blank. His remnant, remnant is the second blank. The first blank is restore. The second blank is remnant, R-E-M-N-A-N-T, from its captivity in connection with the coming of the Redeemer. You'll find that in Jeremiah 23, 3-6. This restoration would be seen as a second exodus. Exodus is the third blank. You'll find that in Jeremiah 23, 7-8. This restoration would not be apart from the remnants, repentance, and regeneration. We find that in Ezekiel 36, 24, 28. That speaks about the New Covenant. In other words, no one is redeemed apart from repentance and faith. Right? It's always been that way, and particularly in the New Covenant. This restoration would involve even the Gentile, Gentile is the fourth blank, the Gentile nations as being included as God's people in this believing remnant. We find that in Amos 9, 11-12. Notice all these references within the bodies of these points are all from the Old Testament. Next week we'll be looking at a lot of New Testament passages, but I wanted you to see where the gospel in the Old Testament, the same as the gospel in the New Testament, right? Jeremiah 23, 3. "But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and increase." Bring back the fateful remnant, those who would believe, those who were chastened and learned from their captivity, right? Put back over on the back.

Look at Jeremiah 23, 3-8. "But I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and bring them back to their folds, and they shall be fruitful and increase. I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking," says the Lord. "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord, "that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness." This is the messianic branch. The restoration would be connected to the coming of the Messiah. Think about it. If Israel never turned from captivity, would Christ have been born in Bethlehem, in the city of David? Would he be a lion of the tribe of Judah? Would the Davidic covenant prophesied in the second Samuel? Would that have come to pass? No, right? All the Old Testament promises, when you read through the book of Matthew, you keep on seeing, "And this was in fulfillment to this prophecy," "It was in this prophecy," because it took place where God had promised, "Out of Egypt, I have called my son," right? And so if they were still in captivity, the Messiah would not have been able to fulfill those promises. He was born at just the right time, born under the law, in order to redeem those from the law, right? If Israel had not been restored into their land, they wouldn't have the temple, and Christ would not be able to cleanse the temple, and he would heal and preach, and point two, how he's the ultimate fulfillment, that he is the tabernacle, God dwelling with men. Verse five from Jeremiah 23, "The old days are coming, says the Lord, where I will raise up to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In his day Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely. Now this is his name, by which he shall be called the Lord, our righteousness." Thank God the Messiah is our righteousness, the one who could pay the penalty for our sins, who could make us accepted before God, because he is accepted. "Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that they shall no longer say, as the Lord lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt, but as the Lord lives, who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the north country, and from all the countries where I had driven them, and they shall dwell in their own land." Saying no longer would people look at the first Exodus as the penultimate, but they would look at the second Exodus, the restoration from Babylon and from being scattered as being just as much of a demonstration of God's love and care for his people in connection with the Messiah. Look at Amos 9, 11 through 12. "On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David," so he would restore the temple, "which has fallen down and repair its damages. I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it, as in the days of old, that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, as a Lord, who does this thing?" Here he links the restoration of Israel with its temple worship, with the salvation of Edom and all the Gentile nations, because when Christ came, what did he do? He cleared out the temple precincts where they were doing money-changing. He says, "This shall be called a house of prayer for all nations," right? Christ tore the veil that all could come in. It used to be the Gentiles were on the outer outskirts of the temple precincts, right? They couldn't go to the court of women or to the court of Israel or to the court of the priests. Christ has gone all the way pierced the veil, so whosoever believes in him has a steadfast anchor, right? It's an anchor in the very holy of holies, and Christ has come now for all men, whether you're Jew or Gentile, right? And so the very restoration was prophesied in the Old Testament to be not just Israel, but for all nations to be able to come to know Christ and to dwell as part and parcel of that restoration. The same passage here is actually quoted in Acts 15, right? When James is hearing the testimony of the Gentiles coming to know Christ, and they're trying to figure out how do we include them in the church? Up until this point, everything from Pentecost forward had been almost exclusively Jewish believers. How are we going to accept the Gentiles? And he quotes the same passage. This is its fulfillment right here in front of our eyes. We see both Jews and Gentiles coming together as one people. Flip back over on the front. Application for number five.

Praise God that in Christ, all, all is a blank. All people can be called by his name.

Because of what Christ has done for us, every tribe and every tongue and every nation can hear the good news of Jesus Christ. The gospel, good news originally came through the prophets, right? That's where the Messiah came from, from Israel. But now it's been spread from starting in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, to the uttermost parts of the world. By point number six, the Old Testament promises that God would pour out his spirit, spirit is a blank, on all flesh. This outpouring of the spirit of God is in connection with the return. Return is a blank. Restoration and renewal of God's remnant people from captivity. We find this in Joel 2, 25 through 27.

This return, restoration and renewal includes the outpouring. Outpouring is the third blank of God's spirit on his people, Joel 2, 28 through 29. This outpouring is inseparable from the New Covenant. New is the fifth blank. I'm sorry, the fourth blank. New Covenant, Ezekiel 36, 24 through 27. Let's read this New Covenant here. Ezekiel 36, 24 through 27. "Far will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all the countries," see, this is the reconstitution, the bringing back into the land, the gathering from those who are scattered, "and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean. And I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all of your idols who regenerate us. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them." We'll have a desire to do them because he changes our disposition, he changes our will when we are regenerated, right? And that's what the spirit of God would do. Flip over on the back.

Look at Joel. We quoted this in chapter 2, verse 25 through 29. "So I'll restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust. My great army which I sent among you sent this among them the chastise them." But God said, I'm going to restore. "You shall eat of plenty and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord your God who has dealt wondrously with you, and my people shall never be put to shame. Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, I am the Lord your God, and there is no other God, and my people shall never be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. And also on my men servants and on my maiden servants I will pour out my spirit in those days." Again linking the restoration of Israel along with the commencement of the new covenant and the outpouring of the spirit. This is the same passage that Peter quotes on the day of Pentecost when the gift of languages is poured out. And you have over 16 different language groups represented. People are hearing the gospel in their own tongues, and some of them scoff, and they say they must be drunk. It's kind of early in the day to be drinking, but they must be drunk. And what does Peter say? No, this is what the prophet Joel, and he quotes the same passage right here. This is the fulfillment of God's outpouring of his spirit. Flip back over on the front. The application for number six. Romans 8-9, the second half of the verse says, "Now if anyone does not," not to the blank, "does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his." Right? There is no salvation. There is no union with Christ apart from being one with his spirit, having his spirit living and dwelling and sealed by his spirit within you. Right? By point number seven,

the Old Testament promises that God would come to judge. Judge is the first blank. Judge the wicked, and bless. Bless is the second blank. Bless the righteous in the day of the Lord. Remember all throughout the Old Testament, we see the refrain that God is a holy God. Right? Psalms tells us that his very throne is founded on righteousness and justice. He must punish evil. He must reward what is righteous. There are multiple days of the Lord in the Old Testament. We often read the Bible as if every time you see the day of the Lord, we read it forward as if it's speaking of the final day when Christ returns, his coming judgment. But that's the case. In the Old Testament, there are multiple days of the Lord. Sometimes it's a visitation of judgment on wicked nations. You'll see some examples of this. Jeremiah 46, Obadiah 15,

Zephaniah 3, Isaiah 2, Isaiah 13, Ezekiel 30, Joel 3. These all speak of the day of the Lord's as being God visiting judgment upon different nations. Sometimes it is a visitation of judgment against Israel or Judah. When Israel and Judah needed punishment and reprimanding, God called it the day of the Lord when he visited them in judgment for their sins. Sometimes it is bringing salvation. Salvation is the third blank. And renewal to God's people. We just read from Joel 2, it describes that as the day of the Lord and Malachi 4 too.

Some Old Testament passages appear to point forward, forward is the fourth blank, to the great and final day of the Lord where Christ returns in judgment, glorifies his saints, brings him into death and evil, and renews the heaven and earth in righteousness. You'll find some indications of that. Many people point forward in Zephaniah 1 and also in Zephaniah 3. Let's look at Zephaniah 3, 8 through 10. "Therefore wait for me," says the Lord, "until the day I rise up to plunder. My determination is to gather the nations, to my assembly of kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, all my fierce anger, and all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then I will restore to the peoples a pure language, that they call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one accord. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, my worshippers, the daughters of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering." Sure sounds like he's speaking of a great and final conclusive day of judgment and of a new creation in which not just Israel but even those beyond Ethiopia would join and be called his people, right? That's what we see in the new heavens and the new earth. Flip over on the back. Zephaniah 1, 14 through 18. Here's the other passage that we gave the reference to. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter. There the mighty men shall cry out." That is a day of wrath. There's a famous hymn called "Desrei," Latin, for day of wrath. Beautiful. You can find English translations of it. So scriptural. "That is the day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloomliness, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of triumph and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon them and they shall walk like blind men because they have sinned against the Lord. Their blood shall be poured out like the dust and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath. But the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy for he will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land." Sure sounds like the day of the Lord in the New Testament, that great and final day that we see where Christ judges the world.

Application for number seven. "How is the day of the Lord both, both dreadful and hopeful?"

How is it both dreadful and hopeful? Who is the day of the Lord dreadful to?

Centers, right? For the rebellious, for those who have not bowed the knee. At that point it'll be too late. Your money will not be able to buy your freedom, right? You will not be able to assuage the wrath of God. That's why as Christians we must be faithful to evangelize, right?

Last week we talked about the final state of the righteous and the week before that we talked about the final state of the wicked. Hell is a wrath of God. It's a real place, right? And at the day of judgment it'll be too late to repent. So now is the time when we call out to people to repent. Now is the time to believe. Why will you die is what God says through Ezekiel.

But it's also a hopeful day, right? Because what a glorious day as we've already looked in our prior lessons so far, when Christ returns what happens? The dead will rise, right? He brings with him the saints and their bodies are reunited. Our bodies, thus of us who would be living at that time, are glorified. In a moment of twinkling of the eye we shall be changed, right? We'll forever be with the Lord. And at that point the new creation breaks forth and there is no more weeping, no more tears, no more sorrows. And we see the new Jerusalem descending down into this new creation. What a glorious day that will be. So it's both dreadful and it's also hopeful. Depends on if you're in Christ or not, right? By point number eight, the Old Testament promises that God would create a new. New is the first blank. New heaven and earth, Isaiah 65, 17. The animals will be tamed, Isaiah 11, six through eight. The earth will be full, full is the second blank. Full of the knowledge of the Lord, Isaiah 11, nine. There'll be no more separation from God, right? We will see him as he is. The wilderness will become fruitful fields, Isaiah 32, 15. The desert will rejoice and blossom, Isaiah 35, 1. The parched ground will become a pool, Isaiah 35, 7. This is consistent with the renewal of creation, right? There will be no more weeping or crying, Isaiah 65, 19. And we're normally looking to Revelation 20 and 21, 22 for these descriptions, but we find them in the Old Testament. The curse of sin is removed, Isaiah 65, 23. Our communion with God will be complete and perfect. Perfect is the fourth blank. Isaiah 65, 24. There will truly be peace on earth, Isaiah 65, 25. So the Old Testament, it's the same gospel, the same hope is extended there in the New Testament. Isaiah 65, 17. For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. Look back over on the back. Look at Isaiah 65, 18 through 19.

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem as rejoicing and her as a joy. It goes right in line with what we see in the book of Revelation, the New Jerusalem, the sending from the heavens. I will rejoice in Jerusalem. Enjoy, am I people, the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Heaven will be pure joy, right, for God's people. Application for number eight. See how both the Old Testament and New Testament proclaim the same, same as the blank, the same good news. It's the same good news that we see in every page of the Bible. The Bible is not a book that just contains some prophetic scriptures in Isaiah and Daniel and Ezekiel and Zechariah in the book of Revelation. The entire scripture is full of prophecy, right? It's talking about the God who created everything, man who sinned, and how Christ will redeem us from that, and it points forward to the new creation. So next week we're going to be looking at how all of prophecy is not only found all throughout scripture, but how it finds its terminus in Christ in every prophecy.