7b – Sustaining Prayer Through Powers Of The Age To Come

A. In context to the coming Kingdom and Resurrection, the Church is essentially a sojourning nation, called to prepare in righteousness and witness to all the other nations that Jesus is the Christ, the one appointed Judge of the living and the dead. God has given us a deposit of the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace to help us in this witness, which is accessed only by prayer.

B. In this age the darkened human heart is disciplined, unto repentant and believing prayer, internally by a fasted lifestyle and externally by trials and tribulations. However, the sojourning heart is all the more fed and strengthened to seek God by the activity of the Holy Spirit, which will be exerted fully in the resurrection.

The pagan worldruns after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.³¹Butseek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.³²Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.³³Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.³⁵Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning,³⁶like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.³⁷It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. (^NIVLuke 12:30-37)

C. The activity of the Holy Spirit has generally been a neglected subject in the history of the Church. However, those groups and movements that have emphasized it have generally interpreted it within a Christonaturalistic framework, which generally ends in burnout and disillusionment.

At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed…³So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, whoconfirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders. (^NIVActs 14:1-3)

A. Concerning the activity of the Holy Spirit in this age, the relative lack of biblical commentary on its inherent meaning is due to the commonly understood cosmogenical reality. The broader context of redemptive history informs the “elementary teachings about Christ” (Heb. 6:1).

Therefore let us leavethe elementary teachings about Christ(by the Holy Spirit)and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation ofrepentancefrom acts that lead to death, and offaithin God,²instruction aboutbaptisms, thelaying on of hands, theresurrection of the dead, andeternal judgment.³And God permitting, we will do so.⁴It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened(by the Holy Spirit), who havetasted the heavenly gift, who haveshared in the Holy Spirit,⁵who have tasted the goodness of the word of God andthe powers of the coming age,⁶if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance…(^NIVHebrews 6:1-6)

• In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.²The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. Andthe Spirit(Hb. ruwach)of God was hovering over the face of the waters…^2:7then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrilsthe breath(Hb. neshamah)oflife, and the man became a living creature. (^ESVGenesis 1:1-2:7)
• As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul,³as long as I havelifewithin me,the breath(Hb. ruwach;“spirit”KJV/ESV/NRSV)of God in my nostrils,⁴my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit. (^NIVJob 27:2-4)
• The Spirit(Hb. ruwach)of God has made me;the breath(Hb. neshamah)of the Almighty gives melife.⁵Answer me then, if you can; prepare yourself and confront me.⁶I am just like you before God; I too have beentaken from clay. (^NIVJob 33:4-6)
• Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.²⁰Thentimes of refreshment(Gk. anapsuxis, i.e. recovery of breath)will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. (^NLTActs 3:19-20)
• Ifthe Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the deaddwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will alsogive life to your mortal bodies through his Spiritwho dwells in you…¹⁶The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,¹⁷and if children, then heirs- heirs of God andfellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we mayalso be glorified with him…¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God…²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who havethe firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly foradoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.²⁴For in this hope we were saved. (^ESVRomans 8:11-24)

B. Since signs and wonders reinforce the reality of the coming age, they reinforce the identity of the Church as a sojourning nation waiting to inherit the resurrected body and the restored earth. Though we experience neither justice nor life in this age, He gives us signs of the age to come to strengthen us in our faith. Provision for the impossible now, strengthens our faith for the impossible eschatologically.

Now faith isbeing sure(Gk. hupostasis;“substance”KJV/NKJV,“assurance”(NASB/ESV/ NRSV/NLT)of what we hope for andcertain(Gk. elegchos;“evidence”KJV/NKJV,“conviction”NASB/ESV/NRSV)of what we do not see.²This is what the ancients were commended for…⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go toa place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.⁹By faith he made his home in the promised landlike a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age– and Sarah herself was barren–was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise.¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died.They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth…¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him,offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son,¹⁸even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”¹⁹Abraham reasoned thatGod could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death. (^NIVHebrews 11:1-19)

• For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would beheir of the worlddid not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith…¹⁸In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”(cf. Gen. 15:5)¹⁹He did not weaken in faith(of a son from his own body, unto becoming the father/chief of many nations)when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.²⁰No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,²¹fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (^ESVRomans 4:13-22)

C. Activity of the Holy Spirit in this age before the resurrection is given by God as gift to strengthen our faith. God knows the workings of the human heart and the “mechanics of faith.” If we never see demonstrations of the age to come, we begin to loss heart in the reality of it. Thus the Holy Spirit is given as a “Helper” to help us in our faith as we sojourn unto the Kingdom.

Believe mewhen I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at leastbelieve on the evidence of the miracles themselves.¹²I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.¹³And I will do whatever you askin my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.¹⁴You may ask me for anythingin my name, and I will do it.¹⁵If you love me, you will obey what I command.¹⁶And I will ask the Father, andhe will give you another Counselor(Gk. parakletos;“Helper”NASB/ESV/NKJV)to be with you forever–¹⁷the Spirit of truth…²⁵All this I have spoken while still with you.²⁶Butthe Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (^NIVJohn 14:11-26)

Butwhen the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father,he will bear witness about me.²⁷And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. (^ESVJohn 15:26-27)

He appeared to them over a period of forty days andspoke about the kingdom of God…⁴while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, butwait for the giftmy Father promised, which you have heard me speak about…⁸you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; andyou will be my witnessesin Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (^NIVActs 1:3-4)

D. Signs and wonders are given to make us believe in the messianic restoration, surrender to Jesus as Messiah, and walk wholeheartedly in obedience to him. In this way, God demonstrates the powers of the age to come tohonor and glorifyJesus as the Messiah.

Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you.In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”⁷Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong…¹²When Peter saw this(commotion over the healing), he said to them: “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?…¹³The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, hasglorified his servant Jesus…¹⁴You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you…¹⁶It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him(as Messiah)that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.” (^NIVActs 3:6-16)

1. This explains the ambition of the Assembly in the New Testament for God to perform signs and wondersin the nameof Jesus Christ. In the Scriptures, one’s name represents who they are (cf. ), and thus the name assigned to Jesus was “Christ,” i.e. Messiah. Moreover, a “name” represents a governmental position throughout the Scriptures (cf. ). Thus, the glorifying of the name of Jesus simply meant that Jesus was being confirmed as the Messiah, the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.

Rulers and elders of the people!⁹If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,¹⁰then know this, you and all the people of Israel:It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.¹¹He is “the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.”¹²Salvation(i.e. forgiveness and resurrection)is found in no one else, for there isno other name under heavengiven to men by which we must be saved. (^NIVActs 4:8-12)

“Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants tospeak your wordwith great boldness.³⁰Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wondersthrough the name of your holy servant Jesus.”…³³With great power the apostles continued totestify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus(as a firstfruits), and much grace was upon them all. (^NIVActs 4:29-33)

2. When signs and wonders are anchored as a witness to the age to come, then they are protected from becoming an idolatrous end, in and of themselves. Signs and wonders need a context, a “name”, to glorify. Otherwise, you just end up with shamanism in many forms.

Philip went down to a city in Samaria andproclaimed the Christ there.⁶When the crowds heard Philip andsaw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.⁷With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed.⁸So there was great joy in that city.⁹Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria…¹²But when they believed Philip as he preachedthe good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women…¹⁸When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money¹⁹and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”²⁰Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you couldbuy the gift of Godwith money!²¹You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God.²²Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.²³For I see that you arefull of bitterness and captive to sin.” (^NIVActs 8:5-23)

In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked.⁹He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed¹⁰and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up andbegan to walk.¹¹When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!”…¹³The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowdwanted to offer sacrifices to them.¹⁴But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:¹⁵“Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you.We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God(confirmed by signs and wonders), who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them(thus reigning sovereign over them until the restoration).¹⁶In the past,he let all nations go their own way.¹⁷Yet he has not left himself without testimony(of his benevolent sovereignty): He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”¹⁸Even with these words, they had difficultykeeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.¹⁹Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium andwon the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. (^NIVActs 14:8-19)

3. However, within the right context and interpretation, signs and wonders are absolutely necessary for the turning of the rebellious human heart and the firm establishment of faith in the age to come.

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to youthe testimony about God.²For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.³I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.⁴My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, butwith a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,⁵so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.⁶We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing…(^NIV1 Corinthians 2:1-6)

4. As Paul equates his sufferings as “filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ” (Col. 1:24), the activity of the Holy Spirit could be seen as “filling up what is lacking in the resurrection of Christ.” Signs and wonders do not add or take away from the resurrection, but they are an integral part of the witness of the Church.

E. Concerning the activity of the Holy Spirit, the lack ofassociationwith the age to come and the lack ofattributionto the name/role of Jesus as Messiah has caused much confusion and great damage within the body of Christ.

1. The Pentecostal revival of the 20^thcentury has been rife with confusion, disillusionment, burnout, jealousy, malice, greed, immorality, etc. Because of this the charismatic/pentecostal movement, a.k.a. New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), has widely fallen into disrepute.

2. Without clarity on the purpose of the Holy Spirit as a helper and witness to Jesus and the age to come, signs and wonders become an end to themselves. The “anointing” becomes idolatrous, the hope and goal of the Christian faith, and Jesus becomes the servant of the anointed ministry, directed and commanded by the prophetic declaration.

3. Moreover, the lack of clarity on the age to come and our identity as a sojourning people has resulted in great damage to the body of Christ regarding holiness. Human beings were created to walk in holiness and righteousness; the earth will be holy and righteous in the age to come; the Day of the Lord will establish this holiness and righteousness; we are commanded to produce fruit of holiness and righteousness in keeping with repentance concerning the Day of the Lord; and the Holy Spirit is given to help us walk in holiness and righteousness as in the light of the age to come.

a) The Spirit is essentially aHolySpirit, and likewise the “anointing” is essentially aHolyAnointing. The primary purpose of the Holy Spirit is thus to keep us on the narrow path of walking out our salvation with fear and trembling concerning the Day of the Lord. If the spirit in a meeting does not inherently call people to repentance and holiness, then it is probably not the Holy Spirit.

b) The lack of emphasis on holiness of heart and lifestyle in the charismatic/pentecostal movement reflects the lack of understanding concerning the Holy Spirit in general. This has resulted in a recent flood of moral failures and discrepancies, which seem to little concern leaders within the movement who brush it under the rug and attribute it to the “pressures of anointed ministry.”

A. The work of the Holy Spirit is designed to call us back to the realities of the age to come: both in kindness and severity. This then reinforces our need and dependence on the Holy Spirit and the grace of God—and thus prayer—to sustain us until we receive our inheritance. Just as a child is wholly dependent upon his Father and the grace given by him until his/her inheritance, so also is the Church dependent upon God for everything until its allotted inheritance.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;²¹who willtransform the body of our humble stateinto conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.^4:1Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown,in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved…⁵Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.The Lord is near.⁶Be anxious for nothing, butin everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgivinglet your requests be made known to God.⁷Andthe peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus(unto the transformation of our bodies). (^NASBPhilippians 3:20-4:7)

B. Prayer is thus sustained—positively and negatively—in the life of the Assembly through signs, wonders, miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, which witness to the powers that God will exert in the age to come. Like rain drops before the coming storm, so is the Spirit before the day of the Lord.

All of them werefilled with the Holy Spiritand began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.⁵Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven…¹²Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”…¹⁴Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem,let me explain this to you…¹⁶this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:¹⁷‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters willprophesy, your young men will seevisions, your old men will dreamdreams.¹⁸Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they willprophesy.¹⁹I will showwondersin the heaven above andsignson the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke.²⁰The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to bloodbefore the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.²¹And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'” (^NIVActs 2:4-21)

• And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.⁴³Andawe(Gk. phobos,“fear”KJV/NKJV)came upon every soul, and manywonders and signswere being done through the apostles. (^ESVActs 2:42-43)
• Immediately she(Sapphira)fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband(Ananias).¹¹Andgreat fear(Gk. phobos)came upon the whole churchand upon all who heard of these things.¹²Now manysigns and wonders were regularly doneamong the people by the hands of the apostles. And they wereall together(“used to meet together”NIV)in Solomon’s Portico.¹³None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. (^ESVActs 5:10-13)

C. Spiritual gifts are thus ultimately meant to strengthen the Church in faithful sojourning (i.e. worship, discipleship and evangelism) until the age to come is ushered in. The goal of the Spirit’s ministry is the age to come, rather than glory, honor and riches in this age.

Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited tothe wedding supper of the Lamb(initiation of the Kingdom, cf. Mt. 8:11; 22:2ff; Lk. 14:15; Is. 25:6; etc.)!'”…¹⁰At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am afellow servantwith you and with your brothers who hold tothe testimony of Jesus(as Messiah). Worship God! Forthe testimony of Jesus(as Messiah)isthe spirit of prophecy(i.e. purpose).”¹¹I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. (^NIVRevelation 19:9-11)

• I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers and sisters who testify about their faith in Jesus. Worship only God. For the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.¹¹Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. (^NLTRevelation 19:10-11)

For to one is giventhe word of wisdomthrough the Spirit, and to anotherthe word of knowledgeaccording to the same Spirit;⁹to anotherfaithby the same Spirit, and to another gifts ofhealingby the one Spirit,¹⁰and to another the effecting ofmiracles, and to anotherprophecy, and to another thedistinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds oftongues, and to another theinterpretation of tongues.¹¹But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills…³¹But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way…^13:8Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy,they will be done away; if there are tongues,they will cease; if there is knowledge,it will be done away.⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part;¹⁰but when the perfect comes(in the resurrection),the partial will be done away(i.e. gifts of the Holy Spirit).¹¹When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man(cf. the resurrection), I did away with childish things(cf. gifts of the Spirit unto the resurrection).¹²Fornowwe see in a mirror dimly, butthenface to face;nowI know in part, butthenI will know fully just as I also have been fully known…^14:1Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy…³But one who prophesies speaks to menfor edification and exhortation and consolation(in their sojourning).⁴One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but one who prophesiesedifies the church(unto its inheritance in the kingdom)…¹²So also you, since you are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek to abound forthe edification of the church…²⁶What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation.Let all things be done for edification…⁴⁰But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.^15:1Now I make known to you, brethren,the gospelwhich I preached to you…(^NASB1 Corinthians 12:8-31)

• Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will all disappear.⁹Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little!¹⁰But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear. (^NLT1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

A. In the Davidic Covenant, you have the culmination of the promises to restore the earth to its original glory. The Seed (cf. Gen. 3:15) will come through the family of David and will rule over the entire earth from the Temple in Jerusalem.

B. Since Jerusalem will be the center of the Davidic Messiah’s global empire that will bless all the nations of the earth in the age to come, it is named Hb.ziôn, which is a wordplay on Hb.ziûn, meaning “signpost” (unfortunately, it is commonly thought to be a wordplay on Hb.zaôn, meaning “parched place”). Like the land and the dynasty and the Tabernacle/Temple, the city of Jerusalem is meant to be asign, pointing us to the age to come.

C. Thus, the Bible completes the picture of the age to come when the glory of the Lord covers the entire earth as it was in the beginning with Adam. This glory will extend from the heavenly throne of the Messiah in the inner sanctuary of the Temple in Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth. Thus, you have something of “concentric rings of glory,” emanating from the throne of the Lord in Jerusalem encompassing the entire Earth.

Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,⁶“I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.”⁷I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father.⁸Ask of me, andI will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. (^NIVPsalm 2:5-8)

The LORD saysto my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”²The LORD will extend your mighty scepter from Zion;you will rulein the midst of your enemies…⁵The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath.⁶He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. (^NIVPsalm 110:1-6)

The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: “One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne…“¹³For the LORD haschosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:¹⁴“This is my resting place forever; hereI will dwell(Hb. yashab,“sit enthroned”NIV), for I have desired it…¹⁷There I will makea horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.¹⁸His enemies I will clothe with shame, but on himhis crown will shine.” (^ESVPsalm 132:1-18)

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence.¹⁴He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (^NIVDaniel 7:13)

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, whenthe Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judgingthe twelve tribes of Israel.” (^NIVMatthew 19:28)

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him,he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. (^NIVMatthew 25:31-32)

In the last daysthe mountain of the LORD’s temple will be establishedas chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, andall nations will stream to it.³Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, tothe house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go outfrom Zion, the word of the LORDfrom Jerusalem.⁴He willjudge between the nationsand will settle disputes for many peoples. (^NIVIsaiah 2:2-4)

This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed.²Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast…⁷these I will bring to my holy mountain and give them joyin my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house will be calleda house of prayer for all nations(cf. Mt. 21:13; Mk. 11:17; Lk. 19:46).” (^NIVIsaiah 56:1-7)

Here is the man whose name isthe Branch, and he will branch out from his place andbuild the temple of the LORD.¹³It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will beclothed with majestyand will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two. (^NIVZechariah 6:12-13)

• When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD.¹¹And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, forthe glory of the LORD filled his temple.¹²Then Solomon said, “The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud;¹³I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you,a place for you to dwell forever.” (^NIV1 Kings 8:10-13)
• So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.¹⁶To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turnmy Father’s houseinto a market!”¹⁷His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”¹⁸Then the Jews demanded of him, “Whatmiraculous signcan you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”¹⁹Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”…²¹But the temple he had spoken of was his body. (^NIVJohn 2:15-21)
• They devoted themselves tothe apostles’ teachingand to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles…⁴⁶Every day theycontinued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…(^NIVActs 2:42-46)

Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise,in the city of our God, his holy mountain.²It is beautiful in its loftiness,the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon isMount Zion, the city of the Great King.³God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.⁴When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together,⁵they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. (^NIVPsalm 48:1-5)

My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass.¹²But you, O LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations.¹³You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.¹⁴For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.¹⁵The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory.¹⁶Forthe LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory…²¹So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem²²when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD. (^NIVPsalm 102:11-22)

In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below.²²They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days.²³The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; forthe LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously. (^NIVIsaiah 24:21-23)

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.²Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins.³A voice of one calling: “In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.⁴Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.⁵Andthe glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it…⁹You who bringgood tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bringgood tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; sayto the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”¹⁰See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (^NIVIsaiah 40:1-10)

He saw that there was no one, he was appalled that there was no one to intervene; sohis own arm worked salvation for him, and his own righteousness sustained him.¹⁷He put on righteousness as his breastplate, and the helmet of salvation on his head; he put on the garments of vengeance and wrapped himself in zeal as in a cloak.¹⁸According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.¹⁹From the west, men will fear the name of the LORD, and from the rising of the sun,they will revere his glory. For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.²⁰The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins…^60:1Arise, shine, for your light has come, andthe glory of the LORD rises upon you.²See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.³Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn…¹⁴The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you; all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call youthe City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel. (^NIVIsaiah 59:16-60:14)

Return, faithless people, declares the LORD, forI am your husband. I will choose you– one from a town and two from a clan– and bring you to Zion.¹⁵Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding.¹⁶In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land, declares the LORD,men will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the LORD.” It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made.¹⁷At that timethey will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. (^NIVJeremiah 3:14-17)

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming. It is close at hand–²a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness…¹⁵Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.¹⁶Gather the people, consecrate the assembly…²⁹Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.³⁰I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke.³¹The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.³²And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved;for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls. (^NIVJoel 2:1-32)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.⁷Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. (^NIVIsaiah 9:6-7)

The days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.⁶In his daysJudah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. (^NIVJeremiah 23:5)

Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!¹⁵The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD,the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm.¹⁶On that daythey will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp.¹⁷The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.” (^NIVZephaniah 3:14-17)

Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you arethe King of Israel.”⁵⁰Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall seegreater things than that.”⁵¹He then added, “I tell you the truth,you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” (^NIVJohn 1:49-51)

The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem.¹³They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” (^NIVJohn 12:12-13)

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,²⁸for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations.²⁹All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him– those who cannot keep themselves alive. (^NIVPsalm 22:27-29)

Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things;his right hand and his holy armhave worked salvation for him.²The LORD has made his salvation known andrevealed his righteousness to the nations.³He has remembered his love and his faithfulnessto the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.⁴Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music…⁸Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;⁹let them sing before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity. (^NIVPsalm 98:1-9)

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.²Forgreat is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD. (^NIVPsalm 117:1-2)

They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, forthe earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORDas the waters cover the sea.¹⁰In that day the Root of Jesse will stand asa banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious…¹²He will raise a banner for the nations and gatherthe exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth. (^NIVIsaiah 11:9-12)

On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food forall peoples, a banquet of aged wine– the best of meats and the finest of wines.⁷On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfoldsall peoples, the sheet that coversall nations;⁸he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears fromall faces; he will remove the disgrace ofhis peoplefrom all the earth. (^NIVIsaiah 25:6-8)

Rejoice greatly,O Daughter of Zion! Shout,Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.¹⁰I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken.He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (^NIVZechariah 9:9-10)

Has not the LORD Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, thatthe nationsexhaust themselves for nothing?¹⁴Forthe earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.¹⁵Woe to him who gives drink to his neighbors, pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk, so that he can gaze on their naked bodies.¹⁶You will be filled with shame instead of glory. (^NIVHabakkuk 2:13-16)

Therefore,accept one another, just as Christ also accepted usto the glory of God.⁸For I say that Christ has becomea servant to the circumcisionon behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers,⁹and for the Gentilesto glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, “Therefore I will give praise to youamong the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name.”(cf. Ps. 18:49)¹⁰Again he says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”(cf. Deut. 32:43)¹¹And again, “Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him.”(cf. Ps. 117:1)¹²Again Isaiah says, “There shall come the Root of Jesse, and he who arises to rule over the Gentiles,in Him shall the Gentiles hope.”(cf. Is. 11:10)¹³Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (^NASBRomans 15:7-13)