There's a New World Coming / June 2004

It is an understatement, but it needs to be said. When the Lord returns, there will be a lot of changes. One of the greatest changes will be JOY. We will laugh and dance before the Lord as we have never done before. It will be a homecoming and a party like nothing we have ever experienced. The Lord will return to dwell with us and He will be bringing His reward with Him. It will be the dawning of a new day and a new world for us. It will begin with great joy and laughter.

But what else will happen? What will that new day bring? What will it be like to dwell with the Lord? Isaiah offers some answers to those questions.

For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64:4

Isaiah is saying that you probably have not heard it said yet. He is saying that no one has seen it yet. The Apostle Paul quoted this verse to illustrate the differences between the things of the Spirit and the natural. But Isaiah's context is about the world in the Messianic age as compared to today's world.

Before we go further, we need to clear up some old time religious teaching. No, we are not going to heaven to become angels and fly around golden streets. No, we are not getting zapped into the sky to have a party in heaven while there is tribulation here on the earth. Yes, there is a heaven, where the Lord's throne is, but we are not going there. We are not all going to Heaven to live in a big hotel with palatial suites. Our next stop is the city of Jerusalem in the land of Israel after the resurrection and the Day of the Lord. Specifically, we are going to celebrate and observe the Feast of Tabernacles and be part of the Messianic Age for one thousand years.

Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.

Zechariah 14:16

I hope and trust that you are learning about the Feasts of the Lord and beginning to observe them. Not only are they a source of tremendous joy, but they teach us so much about our past, our present, and our future with the Messiah in His Kingdom. The Messiah will not be chief Pastor of the church there. The Messiah is the Chief Priest of the future temple in the Kingdom.

Whenever I share what the Scripture has to say about the Messianic Age, the Millennial kingdom, I am reminded of what it must have been like for Noah while he was building the Ark. It took him a hundred years to accomplish the construction and I am relatively certain that he had a number of conversations with others trying to explain the coming judgment of God. Somewhere along the way, I am sure someone must have asked what he thought the world would be like after the judgment (the world we live in now).

You must remember, in Noah's day, they had not seen rain yet. Plants were watered by springs and fountains, not by precipitation. There were not four seasons. Men didn't eat animals; they ate plants. Just explaining to people that God was going to dump all the moisture in the atmosphere and flood the place would have been beyond their imagination. But, let's play out a conversation about Noah's future (which is common knowledge to us) as though we were in his day. "So, Noah, you say that God is going to rain on us from the heavens (the sky) and that will flood us all here on the earth?"

Noah: "Yes, that's right."

"Well, tell us, what will happen after the flood?"

Noah: "Well, the world will be different after the waters subside. We will see blue sky and direct sunlight for the first time. God will make this prismatic bow in the sky of many colors. We will call it a rainbow."

"The sky will be blue and God will put a rainbow of many colors to decorate the sky?"

At this point, many wouldn't need to go further, knowing that Noah had lost all of his marbles. However, let's go a little bit further with the conversation.

"Okay, Noah, I'll play along. Tell us what else we will see that is different."

Noah: "Well, there will be four seasons. There will be a hot season called summer, then a season called fall that will take us to winter, when it will get pretty cold. Then, springtime will come and take us from cold to hot again. And, it will do that cycle over and over each year."

"Wait a minute. You said it would get cold. What is this cold season you called ‘winter.'"

Noah: "Winter will get cold enough that water will freeze stiff and get solid. And sometimes, instead of rain water falling from the sky, the rain will become snow."

"What's snow?"

Noah: "Snow is precipitation in the winter that freezes in the air and it becomes the beautiful little crystal things, each is different from the others, and it will fall and pile up like white powder on the ground. It will cover the ground and we will slide around on it. In fact, one of the real fun things we will do is make sleds and hook boards to our feet to ski down the hills."

Even the most curious of Noah's neighbors would not have been able to carry this conversation on any further. But, you and I now know the changes that took place as a result of God's judgment with the flood. Have we considered the changes that are coming to our world as a result of His judgment by fire?

I want you to take a little journey with me into the future. I would like to share some observations about the reward the Lord is bringing for us all and what that new day and new world will be like. I know some of this will be difficult for you to grasp, but I will do my best to show how the Scripture gives us hints as to what that world will be like. Let me begin by sharing a story from my past that explains the Messiah's reward.

Many years ago, when I was a young 20 year old sailor in San Diego, God used a certain man to shape and develop part of my spiritual walk in those early days of my manhood. His name was Cecil Davidson. He was 55 years old at the time and served as an area representative for the Navigator organization. Before I explain the organization that he worked for, let me tell you a bit more about my understanding of him at that time. Cecil was not a particularly impressive man in appearance or presence. We, who knew him, loved him for his gracious hospitality and great understanding. He was also an excellent example in his faithfulness to the Lord. However, he was not a dynamic speaker nor particularly profound in his presence. His simple faithfulness and the fact he was discipled by the organization's founder had a lot to do with his position. Now let me explain a little bit about the Navigator organization in those days. The Navigators was a personal discipleship ministry which was started by Dawson Trotman. It is headquartered today in Colorado Springs at Glen Eyrie. The Navigators was formed before World War II by Mr. Trotman and was born out of the process of discipling one person at a time and the concept of spiritual multiplication. Let me explain that concept very briefly.

Instead of preaching to large numbers of people and seeing 3,000 saved each time, spiritual multiplication is based on a person finding one other person and pouring their life into them. Pouring your life into them included teaching them how to study the Bible for themselves, teaching them how to pray daily by having a quiet time with the Lord, teaching them how to share their faith by witnessing to another unbeliever, and teaching them how to join into the fellowship of other believing brethren and to work cooperatively. Discipling a person could take months or even years. Once that person was discipled, you would then teach them how to go get another person, teach them, and multiply the process. This principle is described in the relationship between the Apostle Paul and Timothy.

And the things which you [Timothy] have heard from me [Paul] in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

II Timothy 2:2

Many believers do not know this, but if someone had preached everyday since the day that Peter preached (Act 2) and 3,000 were saved every day to this present day, we would be woefully short of preaching the Gospel to the whole world. In fact, that method would only reach approximately the present population of the United States of America, and that is preaching everyday for more than 1900 years!

However, if a man were to believe the Lord's commandment and follow the Messiah's method of teaching some individual person, so that they went out and taught others, who went out and taught others, we would see the entire world (6 billion plus) come to know the Lord within a single generation. This is called spiritual multiplication. You can see the example this way. Give a person on the first day of the month one penny. On the second day, give him two pennies. On the third day give him four pennies. On the fifth and every day for the rest of the month, double the previous days amount. If you do the math, you will discover that in one month you have a tremendous amount of money.

Cecil Davidson understood the concept of spiritual multiplication. He had been discipled by Dawson Trotman. In the spring and summer of 1971, Cecil oversaw a group of sailors from the various military bases there in San Diego for the Navigator organization. He was teaching young men how to walk before the Lord and lead other young men to do the same. One of the young men there was myself. Cecil spent some time teaching me both as part of the group and individually while I was stationed in San Diego.

I want to share this background just a bit to explain something that happened to Cecil a short time after I left his instruction in the mid 1970's. Cecil and a large number of Navigator people were holding a Pacific coast teaching conference for the organization. Nearly 2,000 people were in attendance and they had a very dynamic speaker to address the group. The speaker shared that he wanted illustrate a particular part of our future. Specifically, he wanted everyone to get a sense of how great a reward would be coming with the Lord, when He came to us at His return.

Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, "Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him."

Isaiah 62:11

Most of us have heard similar words. The Lord is to return and He is bringing rewards for us. He is also to make a number of changes here in the world as a result of His coming. Very few of us consider what that means. Very few of us understand the incredible implications of the Lord bringing a reward for us. While the idea seems good, we don't really believe there will be much reward for us personally. I mean, what have we done that merits any kind of reward from the Lord? We have no righteousness to commend us before the Lord.

Back to the Navigator conference in the 1970's with my friend Cecil Davidson. The speaker wanted the attendees to understand this principle of the reward the Lord is bringing us, so he did something dramatic. He told them that he was about to state someone's name. If God has previously used that person in a significant and profound way in their spiritual life, then they were to stand and be prepared to share their testimony. Now remember, Cecil had been in the organization since its beginning, but he was not a very dynamic guy. No one ever wanted him to be the key note speaker at any conferences. He was a nice guy but he wasn't a headliner for much of anything. The speaker said Cecil's name. Nearly three quarters of the people in attendance (approximately 1500) stood. This was a shock to everyone (including Cecil).
Why did so many stand? Because in his simple faithful walk, God had used Cecil in the lives of many as a source of encouragement. He was an example, in word and deed. He had been used in ways that most people don't understand. By the way, Cecil is still serving the Navigators in Tacoma, Washington to this day.

We are all going to give an account one day to the Lord on what we accomplished here as mortals. We know that our own testimony will be distorted and overstated. It will be others testifying as to what you accomplished in their lives that will be accounted to you. The Lord will render His reward to you as though you had done it for Him.

And the King will answer and say to them, "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

Matthew 25:40

Before I leave this little story from my past, about a man you probably never knew, I must share this final part. There is a day coming when I, Monte Judah, will have to give an account for my life. It won't all be pretty. However, there will be many people standing and giving testimony of me in a similar positive way. I am confident of that since they have communicated to me personally and written me many kind letters. But when that moment comes, when my reward becomes evident, I will turn and point out Cecil Davidson and share my testimony with the Lord, "I would not have been here if Cecil had not shared his life with me." He will share in my reward as well. There will also be people standing who will say the same of you.

When the Scripture says that Yeshua will return with His reward, it will be far more than you anticipated. Let's shift gears a little and remembering the example of Noah's world changing, address some questions. How will the Messianic world be different from our present world?

First, let's get personal and talk about our new bodies that we will get as a result of the resurrection and rapture (those that are alive and get changed at the resurrection). Our bodies will be like the Lord's body after His resurrection. We will be healthy – no more diseases and effects of old age. We will feel good. We will be able to run and dance and not be weary. We will be able to fly into the air! WHAT?!?

How do you think we get into the air for the resurrection and the rapture? It isn't angels. Our bodies will be able to float up to the clouds just like the Lord did. In the fact, the Scripture states this in question form to get us to think.

Who are these who fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their lattices?

Isaiah 60:8

I don't have all the technical answers, but I believe that we will somehow have the ability to adjust the molecular density in our bodies. This will enable us to become lighter than air, disappear, and even walk through walls as the Lord did. The molecules of our body will somehow be able to adjust to other things, and become more or less dense. In fact, I think that at the moment of the resurrection, when we are changed, we do just that – we will float up into the clouds (What most people call the rapture). We may be up there a couple of days until we learn how to adjust and become heavier than air.

Can you imagine what you could do if you were able to journey from one place to the next using the wind, and flying like a cloud? Consider how you could walk over water and cross a ravine. Obstacles would not really be obstacles anymore. Being able to adjust your molecular density would have tremendous benefits in regeneration and repair of your body as well.

Okay, we look good, we are healthy, and we can do things that mortals only dream of doing. What will we do with our bodies? What will the world be like?

Every mountain will be made low. The sea will be no more. The earth will have a very broad plain. Jerusalem will be raised up as chief of mountains. But wait; consider this incredible fact about the world. The Lord will be with us! He will be in Jerusalem! Everyone will know the Lord! If you want to talk to Him, just go to the temple in Jerusalem and see Him. Even more so, we will be married to the Lord and will have access to Him as members of his house and family.

Follow along with me as we review a number of Scriptures given by the prophets to describe our future world. Isaiah has much to say about the Messianic Age.

Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.

Isaiah 60:4-5

For a moment, consider the perspective of our ancestors upon seeing you and me coming into the kingdom and arriving in Jerusalem for the first time. Consider the sight of seeing your family, grandparents, mother, father, brothers, sisters, and friends – and we are all together in the kingdom. That moment of greeting one another will be more precious than any previous greeting with them.

Now consider all the other people of the kingdom and the incredible procession of many brethren that have been saved by the Lord coming into the kingdom.

And foreigners will build up your walls, and their kings will minister to you; for in My wrath I struck you, and in My favor I have had compassion on you. And your gates will be open continually; they will not be closed day or night, so that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, with their kings led in procession. Whereas you have been forsaken and hated with no one passing through, I will make you an everlasting pride, a joy from generation to generation.

Isaiah 60:10-11, 15

Everything will be better. The fact that you are in the kingdom, alive and well, will cause everything to be contrasted to the good.

Instead of bronze I will bring gold, and instead of iron I will bring silver, and instead of wood, bronze, and instead of stones, iron. And I will make peace your administrators, and righteousness your overseers. Violence will not be heard again in your land, nor devastation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise. No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and your God for your glory. Your sun will set no more, neither will your moon wane; for you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, and the days of your mourning will be finished.

Isaiah 60:17-20

One of the strongest characteristics of the Messianic Age is the fact that there will be "no end to the increase." The Messianic Age will be an overwhelming time of fruitfulness and growth. Greatest among this increase and growth will be new brethren – children. This is who we will be ruling and reigning over – children. There will be many children entering the kingdom at the beginning. I personally believe that mortal children who died in the previous ages will be in the Messianic Age. The Messiah Himself chastised His disciples for restraining children by saying, "You suffer and go out of your way for children to come unto Me, for such is the kingdom." Isaiah describes those children in the kingdom and explains how they will grow and become exceedingly fruitful.

The smallest one will become a clan, And the least one a mighty nation. I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time.

Isaiah 60:22

According to this prophecy, a small child will grow to maturity, marry, have children, and be fruitful enough to become a clan (more than a thousand strong). It says that a small baby, a newborn coming into the kingdom will live, grow, increase, and become a mighty nation within the thousand year Messianic Age period. Emphatically, the Lord says He will accelerate the growth to accomplish this.

Some prophecy teachers and students have the mistaken idea that the population of the Messianic Age will include mortal survivors of the tribulation. They think that Christians, ruling and reigning with the Messiah, means that they will have colonial authority over others. This is contrary to Scripture many times over. Not only does the Scripture say that only the redeemed will be there, but that children will be the overwhelming majority of people throughout the kingdom. We, the people reading this article, will be reproducing and overseeing those children. Remember, the curse of bearing children will be gone when the Messiah returns. Having a child will be one of the greatest joys in the kingdom.

Now don't get all weird on me about marriage and who you are going to be married to. Yes, I know what the Messiah said about eternity with no marriage when He answered the Sadducees. His answer was about eternity, things that happen after the Messianic Age. We are just trying to get through this first week with God (the Messianic Age is like the Sabbath day of the week), God only knows what we have planned for next week (after the Messianic Age).

So, here we are in the Messianic Age with our new bodies, living with Lord and having kids galore. What is going to be happening?

Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise up the former devastations, and they will repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. And strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, and foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. But you will be called the priests of the Lord; you will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. Instead of your shame you will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation they will shout for joy over their portion. Therefore they will possess a double portion in their land, everlasting joy will be theirs.

Isaiah 61:4-7

Since Jerusalem will be the center of our worship and the location of the Messiah, all efforts will be made toward building up and increasing that place. Isaiah has also shared another important aspect of the Messianic age – how many more Gentiles will be a part of Israel. The Messiah is King of all people, tribes and tongues. They will all be welcome in His Kingdom. They will all have a part in building up Jerusalem. Isaiah goes on further to say how this process will also be upon all of us.

I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.

Isaiah 61:10-11

I love to see beautiful gardens, especially new gardens with all the new plants sprouting from a well cultivated and watered source. Maybe this is why I love the season of spring. There is just something about the newness and the freshness all about. Then there is the joy of the fruit, seeing the abundance of the harvest. As I said before, fruitfulness is one of the strongest characteristics of the Messianic Age. We mentioned the fruitfulness of additional children, but the prophet also speaks of the growth and advancement of relationships, and the increase of righteousness.

And the nations will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord will designate. You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. It will no longer be said to you, "Forsaken," Nor to your land will it any longer be said, "Desolate"; But you will be called, "My delight is in her," And your land, "Married"; For the Lord delights in you, and to Him your land will be married. For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons will marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you. Isaiah 62:2-5

The world we live in has a particular economic system where we must labor and only gain a portion of our labor. Much of our increase goes to others to pay for a host of things. There is not much left over after everyone has been paid. In fact, some brethren experience the difficulty of the paycheck running out before the bills are paid. The worry and concern of this robs most of any joy in their life, always struggling to catch up, always in need, never having enough to do anything more than just get by. This was the judgment upon mankind because of the sin of Adam. But the curse of Adam will be gone when the Messiah restores all things to Himself. Can you imagine a world where the need is always met, where you receive the full benefit of your labor, not having to give it to another in payment? Can you imagine going to work, earning your paycheck and it is all yours for whatever you would like because your bills (needs) are already paid? Listen to this description of the kingdom.

But those who garner it will eat it, and praise the Lord; and those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary.

Isaiah 62:9

In the kingdom, when you want something, you can grow it (and you get to eat it). If you want a bigger house, you will build it (and live in it). You will not labor in vain. You will receive the full benefit from the labor of your hands. It almost seems like a dream doesn't it? But this is what the prophecy says about our future. Listen again to Isaiah's way of describing the Messanic age.

For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.

Isaiah 64:4

There is a new world coming and it will also be different for the rest of our present creation as well.

"It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.

Isaiah 65:24

You will see the Lord in Jerusalem at the temple, but consider this… You will be able to speak with the Lord all the time from anywhere. And,… the Lord will hear and answer you while you are speaking.

The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the Lord.

Isaiah 65:25

Can you imagine a world where your pets are more than a dog, a cat, a fish in the aquarium, or a canary in the cage? Can you imagine your yard being filled with creatures that are all friendly and respond to you in an understandable way? One of the joys of life is having a pet – just ask pet owners. Now imagine a child asking his mom, "Can we keep him?" and the creature is any one of God's animal creation. Instead of having stuffed animal toys, how would you like to lounge around with a real tiger or a bear that you want to be your bean bag chair replacement?

Thus says the Lord, "Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest?"

Isaiah 66:1

One of the major prophecies of Ezekiel concerning the Messianic Age is his description by dimension of the temple to be built in the kingdom. We know it is a prophecy of the kingdom because the base temple he describes is considerably larger than the present temple mount area. The present and historical temple mount in Jerusalem is 500 cubits by 500 cubits. This is obviously one of the geological changes that occurs at the judgment when the Lord make Jerusalem the chief of mountains while lowering all others.

Ezekiel's temple will be accessible in all four directions and of immense size. The significant increase in size is obvious to support the Messianic Age with its number of inhabitants. Worship at the temple will be a very important part of the kingdom. Isaiah describes this worship in which we will follow God's appointed times.

"For just as the new heavens and the new earth Which I make will endure before Me," declares the Lord, "So your offspring and your name will endure. And it shall be from new moon to new moon and from sabbath to sabbath, all mankind will come to bow down before Me," says the Lord.

Isaiah 66:22-23

This is really an incredible verse describing the Messianic Age. It is vastly different from the way the church and many of our New Covenant brethren view the future. For them they envision going from church to heaven. For us, the pattern of heaven is brought to us in the temple. For them, they are bouncing around on streets of gold. For us, we are growing things and living in a whole new world. For them, they envision somehow being in charge with the Lord. For us, we are with family, old and new, having a BAR-B-Q with the Lord. Instead of Sunday church, we will have Sabbath rest. Instead of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the church fathers, we will have our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We will have Moses and Elijah. We will have the Messiah and His disciples. We won't being going to church on Sunday. We will be keeping God's appointed times and going to His temple.

It is ironic to me that Christians for years have believed in Messiah Yeshua, yet they have stripped Him of all the promise for His Messianic kingdom, substituting a church definition. They have forgotten one of the most profound and fundamental things about the Messianic Age. We don't go to Him; He wants to come live with us. The Messiah wants to dwell with us here in the garden.

Sure, I want to be with the Lord. I want to have forgiveness of sins and live forever. But, the most incredible thing (I am still coming to terms with this myself) is that the Lord wants be with us even more than we want to be with Him.

YAVOH, He is Coming is a monthly newsletter published as an outreach ministry of Lion and Lamb Ministries
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Editor - Monte Judah
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