In this sermon, the preacher reflects on what will happen when the world comes to an end and everyone faces judgment. He emphasizes the importance of being right with God and accepting Jesus as Savior to be prepared for this day. The preacher highlights the signs indicating that Christ's return is imminent and urges believers to eagerly anticipate it. He concludes by quoting biblical passages that speak of God's victory over nations and the assurance of eternal life for the righteous.

Turn then with me, please, first this morning to Isaiah chapter 11. I want to read a few little passages from the word of God because today I'm going to bring a concluding message related to the second advent of our Lord Jesus. In Isaiah 11, there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears. But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth. And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the young lion and fattening together, and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed, they are young ones, shall lie down together. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the second child shall lay, shall play on the hole of the ass. The weaned child shall put his head on the cockatrice den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an end sign of the people, to which shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. Turn to the little one chapter prophecy of Obadiah. One little chapter, but what a prophecy this is. Let me read from verse 17. But upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness, and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions, and the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau or Edom for stubble. And they shall kindle in them and devour them, and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau, for the Lord hath spoken it. Such finality in these words. And they of the south shall possess the mount of Esau, and they of the plain the Philistines. That's the Gaza Strip friends. And they shall possess the fields of Ephraim, and the fields of Samaria. That's the West Bank. Hello. We are seeing the fulfillment of Obadiah. Benjamin shall possess Gilead, the Golan Heights. Doesn't belong to anybody else but Israel, by divine decree. Hallelujah. And the captivity of this host of the children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites, even unto Zarephath, little city where Tyre and Sidon is now, southern Lebanon. And the captivity of Jerusalem, which is in Seraphat, shall possess the cities of the south. And Savior shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau. And the kingdom shall be the Lord's, say it with me. And the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Say it again. And the kingdom shall be the Lord's. Praise the Lord. Turn to the last book of the Bible. In Revelation chapter 20, verse 6. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection. On such the second death hath no power. That speaks of you and me, friends, this morning as believers who will be caught up in that glorious rapture when Jesus comes. They shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. Yes, right here on earth. Turn to Matthew 23. Matthew 23. I love the Bible. Hallelujah. Not a book in all the world like the Bible. Matthew 23, verse 39. For I say unto you, you shall not see me henceforth till you shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. On this Palm Sunday I am reminded of two triumphal entries into Jerusalem by Jesus Christ. The first we are celebrating on this day, Palm Sunday, when our Lord roared into that holy city and with an unrestrained outburst of joy, poor Galileans and despised disciples, they excitedly spread garments and tree branches in his way. Meekly yet majestically he journeys into Jerusalem. Oh, he is not upon a war horse, but he is upon that coat, the fall of an ass, a symbol of meekness and peace. In a burst of enthusiasm, the disciples, they broke into a shout, Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna to the Son of David. Blessed be the King that comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the heights. What a day, what a day, what a shout, what a scene. Of course, mingled among those people that were bringing their Hosannas to Jesus were Pharisees who vainly commanded Jesus to rebuke them, tell them not to say that. He said, listen, if they were to hold their peace, the very stones would cry out and soon the whole community is stirred. There is excitement and there is alarm that prompts the question, who is this? Who is this? To which that very happy throng responded, this is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. One would have felt it would have been so nice if the gospel story had just, you know, had a different paragraph after that. That somehow apart from the cross, there would have been something so real in the acceptance of the King. But the sad thing is, friends, that he, their Messiah, whom they were applauding, was soon to be rejected by that people. Soon that crowd was sitting, beholding a strange coronation. A crown of small, sharp, stinging thorns was cruelly pressed into his brow. Those hands that administered kindness and mercy and healing and comfort, they did not hold a royal scepter. Can you hear the hammer blows as they fasten him to that cross with those rough spikes driven through those hands? And those feet that had carried him on those missions of mercy, they do not step up and own a throne like Solomon's throne, the like of which it says there was none. He was worthy of such a throne. But no, they battered him to a rough wooden cross. That was his throne. As the songwriter has put in a little verse, a rugged cross became his throne. His kingdom was in hearts alone. He wrote his love in crimson red and wore the thorns upon his head. Wonderful Jesus. Wonderful Jesus. Wonderful Jesus. For the eyes that see him, by the revelation of the Spirit this morning, there is majesty, there is kingly dignity amidst all the suffering and anguish of that cross. Palm Sunday carried for Jesus such irony. The plaudits, they perish. Notice the next thing he does is going into the temple, he cleanses the temple, he curses the fig tree, and very soon he is weeping over the city as he espies by the eye of revelation, he espies their coming desolation. And in our text he says, you will not see me again until you shall say or they shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. And friends, that day is coming. That day is coming. There is going to be a second triumphal entry into Jerusalem. And it will not now be on a colt, the fall of an ass, it will be upon a war horse. For in Revelation chapter 19 and verse 11, it speaks of this one who hath upon his vesture and in his thigh a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords, he comes straddling that white horse. He comes in triumph. Praise the Lord. This morning friends, we know that we are living in eventful days. And everything is pointing to that near return of Christ when he will come in his glory. Zechariah 14 and verse 3, Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. John confirms this in Revelation 19.15, Out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should smite the nations. You know before old Jacob tucked up his feet in bed and slipped into Abraham's bosom to dwell with the righteous dead awaiting the victory of Christ over death and Hades. He by divine sovereignty, he bequeathed this prophetic benediction over one of his sons, Judah. The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering, the obedience of the peoples, the nations be. Shiloh is getting ready. Shiloh is getting ready. I can just about see him grooming the horse. It's all real. Shiloh is getting ready. Says Isaiah 59.20, The Redeemer shall come to Zion. And friends this morning, he is going to come right back precisely to the same spot from where he left this world after his resurrection. Zechariah 14.4, His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives. Notice how specific it is. Upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east, he will come. The last spot on earth that Jesus trod before his ascension will be the first spot where he plants his feet when he comes in his glory. And then will begin the triumphant reign of Jesus the King. Hallelujah. Isaac Watts put it into one of his marvelous hymns. Jesus shall reign where'er the sun doth its successive journeys run, and kingdoms stretch from shore to shore, till the sun shall rise and set no more. Blessings abound where'er he reigns, and prisoners leap to loose their chains. The weary find eternal rest, and all the sons of want are blessed. Where he displays his healing power, death and the curse are known no more. In him the tribes of Adam boast more blessings than their father lost. Jesus is coming. I said that we are living in eventful days when politicians, they try desperately to shape policies of peace for this world of ours. They have long dreamed and talked of some utopia for this creaking old world. But they have no answers. They are hoping for a new world order. We've heard them talking about it publicly around the world. Particularly in this last year or two. The new world order. But friends they have no prospect of it ever materializing through their efforts. Peace proclaimed today is shattered in conflict tomorrow. Where lies the answer? In Shiloh. In Shiloh. And to him shall the obedience of the peoples be. You see there are two important covenants that we need to keep in mind. When we are thinking in these terms of Christ coming and ruling upon the earth. We have the Palestinian covenant in Deuteronomy 30 in the first ten verses. Referring to Israel's title deed to that land of promise. Friends they don't need the United Nations to give them authority. God has given them the title deed. And it's written down here in the word of God for the whole world to know. Hallelujah. And that passage of course it amplifies the land features of God's covenant with Abraham. You see the destiny of the nation and that of their land. They are continuously interwoven. And here is the passage in Deuteronomy 30. That clearly teaches us that whilst the nation would be scattered among the nations because of her sins. There in verse 1. And there would come a day of repentance. And a return to the Lord. Israel we are told in those first few verses of Deuteronomy 30. Israel would be restored to her land. By an evident act of divine sovereignty. And thereafter she would enter into the full blessings which God has reserved for her. God would remain faithful to his covenant. Even though friends Israel have failed him. But it does tell us that she would be recovered only on the ground of atonement. And I was interested to read Ezekiel 16 verses 60 to 62. Where it speaks of this. And we know friends there is only one atonement. Now that is valid before God Almighty. It's the atonement that was made upon that rugged cross. By our Lord Jesus 2000 years ago. Thank God it still avails for sin forever. For your sin, my sin and Israel's sin. And thank God when he comes they will look upon him whom they pierced. And it's only because of Jesus they will be forgiven and saved. In the past the nearest that Israel ever came to possessing her inheritance was in the days of Solomon. In 1 Kings chapter 4. 1 Kings chapter 4 and verse 21 to 24. Solomon reigned over all. Notice this. Over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines and unto the border of Egypt. They brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour. Three score measures of meal. Ten fat oxen. Twenty oxen of the pastures. And hundred sheep besides hearts and roebucks and fallow deer and fatted fowl. He lived it up didn't he? My word he lived it up. For he had dominion over all the region on this side of the river. From Tifsa even to Azar. Over all the kings on this side of the river. And he had peace on all sides round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely. Every man under his vine and under his fig tree. From Dan even to Beersheba all the days of Solomon. But having read that friends. The truth is of course that at that time. Whilst many lands paid tribute to Israel. Those lands were never possessed by Israel. Listen to me this morning. There is an expansive region. From the Nile to the Euphrates. Which is yet to be possessed by Abraham's children. Fifty times larger in area. Than anything she has ever had possession of. They talk about taking territory from her. God says oh no she can have fifty times more. What it does mean friends is that this promise has not yet been fulfilled. But it is to come. This marvelous future for the nation of Israel. Is bound up in Shiloh. The King. The Messiah. Our Lord Jesus Christ and Saviour who is coming back again. Praise the Lord. But there is not only the Palestinian covenant. There is the Davidic covenant. I don't know if I have the time to read all the scriptures that I would like to read. But back there in 2 Samuel 7 verse 10 to 16. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel. And will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more. See the land is there in the covenant. But then he goes on to say I will set up thy seed. Verse 12. I will set up thy seed after thee which shall proceed out of thy bowels. And I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name. I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Verse 16. Thine house and my kingdom shall be established forever. Before thee thy throne shall be established forever. God promises a throne. He promises a kingdom. He promises a King. And I want you to know friends. That it is an unconditional covenant. And from 2 Chronicles 13 verse 5. It is an inviolable covenant. God says it is a covenant of salt. That little expression. Which was just a little figure. When there were two opposing countries, nations or peoples. That were making peace. They would pass some salt upon the edge or the end of a blade of a sword. And one would say to the other. Eat of my salt. And he would take it and put it in his mouth. Salt is the sign of. Is that which stays corruption. And so they would take. Eat of the salt. And if at any time there was a doubt in one's mind. That the other party was being unfaithful. Or could be unfaithful. And approach them. And say haven't I eaten of your salt. In other words. I would never break it. And God says I have made this covenant. With Israel. Through David. I will never, never, never break it. Not only will they have a land. But they will have a king. And his name. Is Jesus. Hallelujah. So the covenant with David is unconditional. Though I might hasten to say. That an individual. Could disqualify himself. As with Jeconiah. And I haven't the time to talk to you about this. Incredible little. Part of history. In the lineage of David. Where you have Jeconiah. And Joseph. The husband of Mary. Was in that line. You know Joseph. If Jesus had been the natural child of Joseph. It would have disqualified him. From being king over Israel. Because God said. Jeremiah 22. That no descendant of Jeconiah. Will sit upon David's throne. Isn't it miraculous? It comes down to Joseph. Who was the husband of Mary. Of whom was born. Jesus. And so this morning. Jesus is qualified. And destined to be the one. Who sits upon the throne of glory. God's word of covenant. Promise to David. Stands. And it cannot be annulled. For those who are taking notes. And for those who are listening by tape. Jeremiah 33. Verses 19 to 21. And 23 to 26. In Acts chapter 2. Peter on the day of Pentecost. Speaks of David. Who made this declaration. The oath of God. That there should be one. Who would sit upon his throne. And he goes on to say. It's Jesus. The one who was crucified. But raised from the dead. Thank God this morning he sits. On the right hand of the majesty on high. Waiting for that moment. When once again. He will step down from the heavens. And take his place upon that. Rightful throne of his. Here on earth. Jesus is the one. To sit. And reign on David's throne. Many other scriptures. Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7. The government shall be upon. His shoulder. Of his kingdom. There shall be no end. Either. In geographical extent. Or even in time friends. He is going to reign forever. And forever. And so there is evidently from the prophecies. Of the scripture. A kingdom on earth. Which is Christ's kingdom. A kingdom which will subdue. Every world kingdom. And authority and principality. He will establish. His own glorious. Universal lordship. And there will be an era. That will then begin. Of unprecedented peace and glory. In this world. Isaiah chapter 60 verses 1 and 5. Will you turn in your bibles. To Zechariah for a moment please. In chapter 14. Zechariah chapter 14. And verses 1 to 5. Behold the day of the lord cometh. And thy spoils shall be divided. In midst of thee. For I will gather all nations. Against Jerusalem to battle. And the city shall be taken. And the houses rifled. And the women ravished. And half of the city shall go into captivity. And the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the lord go forth and fight. Against those nations as when he fought. In the day of battle. This is when friends he comes. Upon that white horse. Revelation chapter 19. His feet shall stand in that day. Upon the mount of olives. Which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof. Toward the east and toward the west. There shall be a very great valley. And half of the mountain shall remove toward the north. And half it toward the south. And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains. For the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azel. Yes. You shall flee like as you fled from before the earthquake. In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. And the lord my God shall come. And all the saints with thee. These events are taking place in the day of the lord. That is after the rapture of the church. There is this significant stirring of all nations. That Zechariah speaks of. In verse 2. Where God will use the nations to chasten Israel. But then in verse 3. God will chasten those very nations. In verses 12 to 15. Later down in the chapter you can read more of that. Christ will actually literally stand upon the mount of olives it says. And what will be the effect of this revelation? There will be a great earthquake that splits all of it. There will be a great valley. That will be opened up running from the east to the west. And here is the remarkable thing. The city that does not now have a river. Like the great cities of the world. Great cities of the world all built on great waterways. But not Jerusalem. Oh it's got its brook head run. But God is her defense. Psalm 45. God is in the midst of her. She shall not be moved. But there will come a day friends. There will be a great waterway. It will open up from the Mediterranean. To possibly the Persian Gulf. Not just down to the Dead Sea. And Satan. Sorry. Saints and angels. Will accompany our triumphant Lord. As he comes to establish his kingdom. Christ is going to receive obedience from all the tribes of earth. In verse 9 there. The Amplified Bible has it like this. The Lord shall be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord shall be one. In the recognition and worship of men. And his name one. And so it is. Coming into the New Testament. We are told in Revelation chapter 20. That a thousand years. Is the period when Christ will actually reign upon this earth. In fact six times it is mentioned in Revelation 20. A thousand years he will reign. A thousand years. A thousand years. Is there to be a literal thousand year reign of Christ on the earth? You see some tell us that we have to spiritualize that. That is very interesting. Because if I do that then I must spiritualize the rest of the passage. Do we spiritualize away the angel? Do we spiritualize away the bottomless pit? The devil, the thrones, the nations. The resurrection of the dead. The beloved city. The lake of fire. The great white throng. Death and age. Do we spiritualize these? Or there are some who would. The Bishop of Durham. Had claimed there was no such thing as eternal damnation. This is recent. I just got this the other day from one of our folk who said. Read this. The Bishop of Durham had claimed there was no such thing as eternal damnation. Or the second coming of Christ. Dr. David Jenkins reportedly said. I am clear that there can be no hell for eternity. Our God could not be so cruel. He added. However I think for some people who have wasted every opportunity for redemption. There may be extinction. I do not think it possible to believe any longer in a literal second coming. Or the end of the world. This little snippet. It ends with this paragraph. Dr. Jenkins drew the ire of traditionalists in 1984. When he cast doubts on the resurrection. He has got doubts on many many things. But I do not listen to the Bishop. I listen to the book. The book. The book tells me friends. There is a literal hell. There is a judgment. There is a great white throng. But thank God in the context of our message this morning. There will be this literal reign of Christ. Upon the earth for a thousand years. And I tell you it is coming. Oh it is not a dream. It is not just a fantasy. It is not a figment of imagination. It is real. And this will be the only new world order in the days to come. Because no one else can achieve it. Only Jesus. Thank God friends. Every hope that is vested in Him will materialize. Hopes vested in this world's promises is doomed to failure. But Christ will fulfill this. And He will fulfill it very soon. The only hope of a new world order is in Christ Jesus. Can I just leave you with three simple thoughts this morning. About this reign of Christ upon earth. First of all it is His rightful reign. What did we refer to in Genesis 49 10. The rod of authority will not be taken from Judah. He will not be without a law giver until He comes who has a right to it. And the people will put themselves under His rule. Revelation 19 16. On His vesture, on His thigh, a name is written. King of kings and Lord of lords. Christ has a right to that throne of universal dominion. Isaiah 9 verses 6 and 7 affirms that God has given to His Son to have the government of this world upon His shoulder. And I want to say that there is no challenge to that right that will ever succeed. Every realm is going to submit to Him. The King of kings. Every knee shall bow. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Behold God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall you draw water out of the wells of salvation. And in that day you shall say praise the Lord. So don't be afraid to rehearse it now. Praise the Lord. Call upon His name. Declare His doings among the people. Make mention that His name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord for He has done excellent things. This is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Zion. For great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee. Hallelujah. Can I just inquire in conclusion this morning just how you fare in this matter of relationship with Christ? You see friends so very often when we are seeking to impart the truth, the concerns, things about Christ in the days to come. Yes we can accept that and it can be also marvelous to us in our understanding. But what about our relationship with Him this morning? Even that glorious millennium, mark this, that glorious millennium is not the goal for believers. Do you know what Jesus says? I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go to prepare a place for you, where did He go to? Where did He go to? Heaven. Not too difficult a question. He went to heaven. That is where He has prepared a place. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself. That where I am, there you may be also. Friends, we have a city which has foundations. Whose builder and maker is God. That is our Jerusalem. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse 22. There is a place that is fairer than day. Hallelujah. There is a place that is filled with the glory of God. That is not just for a thousand years. It is forever and forever and forever and forever and forever. Hallelujah. There is something more than just a thousand years of reign of Christ upon the earth. There is an eternity that we are going to spend with Him. Worshipping and honoring Him. Hosanna. In the heavens. Praise the Lord. These are pertinent questions this morning. And I must ask them. What will it be for you? Christ or Antichrist? Saved or lost? Would it be heaven or hell? If what we have been considering, friends, underscores the authority, the inspiration of the scriptures. That this is God's word. Then it is not only these prophecies come to pass. All of its message is true. Every pronouncement of the Almighty will come to pass. And so I urge you this morning to get right with God. If the signs about us are indicating that Christ is coming very soon. Then His coming for the church. Being so imminent is something that we should be looking for with all of our hearts as believers. And anyone who was not saved this morning. Oh that you will come and accept Christ as your Savior. And be ready for that day. Coming very soon when Jesus returns. I found this little poem. It is an unknown author. But it goes like this. When the great plants of our cities have turned out their last finished work. When the merchant has sold his last yard of silk and dismissed his last tired clerk. When the banks have rolled in their last dollar and paid out their last dividend. And the judge of the world says close for the night and calls for a balance. What then? When the choir has sung its last anthem and the preacher has said his last prayer. When the organ has peeled its last echo and the sound has died out in the air. When the Bible lies closed in the pulpit. And the pews are all empty of men. And each soul stands facing his record and the great book is opened. What then? When the actor has played his last drama and the mimic has made his last fun. When the movie has flushed its last picture and the billboards displayed the last run. When the crowds seeking pleasure have vanished and gone out into darkness again. And the world that rejected its savior is asked for a reason. What then? When the bugle dies out in the silence and the long marching columns are still. When the millions of earth are gathered from ocean and valley and hill. When the day that has no tomorrow has come to the last end. And the voice of God from heaven says it is done. What then? Let's just bow in prayer.