The Glorious
Kingdom of Christ
Part Two
Continued from Part One
                                                                                               By Pastor F. M. Riley
                                                                                               March 20, 2017
      "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
     And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,  to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."
                                                                                           Isaiah 2:2-3
Introduction
     I began writing this series of studies on The Glorious Kingdom of Christ on March 7th.  Then  I turned from it long enough to write and send out two studies on The Parables of the Kingdom.  Now I want to continue this subject on The Glorious Kingdom.  I ask every reader to pray for me, that this series of studies might be encouraging and a blessing to God's people, and bring honor and glory to our precious Savior and Lord.    
     I ended the first study by introducing the topic of The Ages to Come.  This study on the Lord's Kingdom, is just exactly that; "the ages to come," for the Lord's Kingdom is yet ahead of us, to follow this present Dispensation of Grace and the end of the seven year Tribulation period.  As I have studied the Word over these past 63 years, my heart is thrilled with what yet lies ahead for all true believers, and my fervent desire is to share some of these truths with my brothers and sisters in Christ, and with lost seeking souls.  Let us begin......
The Second Coming of Christ
    The inspired Word is filled with Scriptures prophesying the Second Coming of Christ back to this earth.  However, there is some disagreement about where Christ will first touch down on the earth when He returns.  It is generally taught, and accepted by many, that Christ will return to the exact spot where He was standing on the Mount of Olives, when He suddenly ascended back to His Father, as recorded in Acts 1:9.   However, there is not a word of Scriptural truth to this claim, for no place in God's inspired Word is  such a statement ever made.  No where!   
     This claim is then pure fiction, likely invented and propagated by the Roman religion.  They even have a church building on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, containing a cement slab with the bare footprints of some religious dummy imprinted in the slab, which obviously were placed in the soft cement when the slab was poured, likely hundreds of years after the ascension of Christ.  Romanism claims that these are the actual footprints left by Christ [Sic!] when He suddenly ascended back to His Father in Heaven, and that when He comes again, He will appear standing in those very footprints.  Ignorance gone to seed!
     Any reader gullible enough to believe this claim, needs to contact me at once.  I still have for sale that seacoast property in Kansas, and I would make someone a great "deal" on it.  (Just joking!)
When Christ Returns to Earth
     Dear readers, when Christ returns to the earth, He will follow the same route taken by Joshua and the children of Israel some 3,500 years ago.  Remember that the inspired Word explicitly states that the Lord God has "declared the end from the beginning," Isaiah 46:9-10.  It was at "the beginning" of the children of Israel's history as a nation, that Joshua, after the death of Moses, was chosen by God to lead the Israelite people into their promised land, Joshua 1:1-9.   I suggest that our readers carefully review the journey of the Israelites into their land under the leadership of Joshua, for this is the exact pattern that the Lord Jesus will follow as He returns back to this earth.  
     I hope every reader has some good Bible maps to consult as we retrace the journey of the children of Israel, under the leadership of Joshua.  Our readers will need to consult their maps if they desire to trace the return of Christ back to the earth.  
     Keep in mind that after the children of Israel came out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, they dwelt in the desert near Mt. Sinai for some forty years, until all those Israelites who had rebelled and disobeyed the Lord had "left their carcasses in the wilderness," Numbers 14:29; Hebrews 3:17.  It was after this forty year period, that Moses died, and the Lord God chose Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the promised land.  At that time, the Israelites were still dwelling in the wilderness in and around Mt. Sinai.  
     The wilderness on the east side of the Jordan River, in which Israel was dwelling had belonged to the ancient nation of Moab, but Moab had been defeated and taken over by the Amorites.  In turn, Israel defeated the Amorites in battle, and possessed their land, Numbers 21:21-31.  Where Israel was dwelling was just a short distance across the Jordan river from the city of Jericho.  Jericho was where they began their conquest of the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua.  This same wilderness area is today a part of the modern nation of Jordan.  
     Edom was where the descendants of Esau had settled after Jacob and Esau had split up.  The ancient enmity between the two brothers still existed, and the Edomites considered the Israelites to be their enemies, Numbers 20:14-21.   What the Edomites did not know was that the Lord God has a long memory.   The Lord never forgets an injustice perpetrated upon His people, and the prophecies of what is going to happen in the end-time verify this truth.
Where Christ Returns to Earth
     The Lord Jesus, at His first coming, gave an explicit warning to the  people of Judah in Matthew 24:15-22, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
     Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains:......."
     What is involved in this passage, is that near the middle of the Tribulation period the anti-christ will violate his covenant previously made with the people of modern Israel [Isaiah 28:15-18; Daniel 9:27; 11:23; 11:30], and will enter into the rebuilt Tribulation Temple.  
     There, in  the rebuilt Temple, he will declare himself to be "God," 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and will demand the worship of Israel and all of mankind then on the earth.  Then he will have an idolatrous image of himself made, and set up in the courtyard of the Temple, Revelation 13:14-15.    This is what Christ was referring to as "the abomination of desolation" [the abomination that makes the land desolate] in this passage in Matthew 24.15-22,  warning them that when this occurs, they should immediately flee.   
A Change of Leadership
     This time the  people of Israel will believe the warning of the Lord, and will flee from their land, crossing over the Jordan River into the modern nation of Jordan.  As they are fleeing, they will be met by King David himself, who will have been resurrected at the time the resurrection of the Old Testament believing Israelites occurs, as recorded in Daniel 11:45-12:1-3.  I am making it a point to list the one Scripture in Daniel 11 along with the first three Scriptures in Daniel 12, so my readers can determine the exact timing when the resurrection of Old Testament believers will occur; at the middle of the Tribulation period.   
     King David himself will take command of the fleeing people of Israel, and will lead them directly into the rose red rock city of Petra, Revelation 12:6, 12:14, Isaiah 16:1-4, Jeremiah 30:9, where David himself once took refuge when fleeing from King Saul, 1 Samuel 24:1-12.    
     The city of Petra still exists today in southern Jordan, prepared to receive the Israelites, when they flee near mid-Trib.  This ancient city, literally carved out of the rose red rock by the ancient Nabateans and Edomites, is in good condition today, and there is in the valley and city of Petra enough room to house anywhere from one to three million Israelites.  Glory to God!  
      Presently Jordan is one of the two Middle Eastern nations, who has a peace treaty with Israel, and will allow the fleeing Israelites to enter their country as refugees, Isaiah 16:1-4.  Our readers should pay careful attention to verse 1 of this chapter, for it is the only place in the entire Bible where the exact route of the return of the Lord Jesus is stated in just one inspired verse of Scripture, "Send ye the Lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela [Petra] to the wilderness, unto the mount of the daughter of Zion."  It is clearly stated that Christ, the Lamb of God, is to be sent from Petra into the wilderness, then from the wilderness to Jerusalem and Mount Zion.  Glory to God!  Praise the Lord!  
Verification                                           
     Petra then is the city that the Lord Jesus Christ will first return to when He comes back to the earth at His Second Coming.  Oh yes, it is!  And now I will provide the Scriptural proof for this statement.....
     Once again, the Lord "declares the end from the beginning," Isaiah 46:9-10.  At the first coming of Christ, the Lord's disciples were assembled together [likely in the upper room where they had previously met].  The inspired Word explicitly states that the doors of the place where they were assembled were shut "for fear of the Jews," John 20:19-29.  Suddenly the resurrected Lord "stood in the midst" of that room, and showed Himself to His disciples.  The Lord showed His disciples His "hands and His side," as visible proof that it was really Him, and that He had been resurrected.  Oh glory to God!   We believers today are not serving a dead God, or even an ancient long deceased historical figure!  We joyfully serve our risen, living, Savior; the Lord Jesus Christ!  Hallelujah!   Praise the Lord!  Glory to God!  
      Just as the Lord suddenly appeared in the midst of His disciples in John 20, so the Lord at His Second Coming will suddenly appear in the midst of the city of Petra.  And there in Petra, the Lord is going to show the Jewish people the scars of the wounds in His hands and His side, Zechariah 12:10-14; Revelation 1:7.   The people of Israel, shut up in Petra, will then finally recognize that the Lord Jesus Christ really was, and is, their long awaited Messiah and Savior, and a "great mourning" will occur among the Jewish people.  Their tears will flow freely.  
     Can our readers even visualize the depth of mourning among the  people of Israel?   They will weep and wail and mourn because.....
     [1]   They will finally realize that the "Jesus" preached and worshipped by us who are Gentile Christian believers, really was their own Messiah and Savior, whom their people rejected and crucified.  
     [2]   They will realize that their own people have been perishing, without God and without hope, for the past 2,000 years, when they could have been saved by simply believing on, and receiving, the Lord Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Savior.  
     [3]    Finally, they will mourn because they will realize that Jesus Christ really was their God given High Priest, whom their people rejected and crucified.   According to their own Jewish Scriptures, upon the death of a High Priest, the entire nation is obligated to observe a thirty day period of mourning, Numbers 20:29.   The Israelite people never mourned when their true High Priest was crucified, but they will yet mourn for Him in the future.   Notice that the passage in Zechariah 12 explicitly states the Israelites will "mourn for Him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."  
      There will be nothing shallow or phony about this time of mourning.  It will be a mourning coming from the very hearts and souls of the still  surviving "remnant" of Israel, Zechariah12:12-14.  
Then "Home" to the Promised Land
     There may or may not be thirty days of mourning while the Israelite people remain in Petra.  The Scriptures, to my knowledge, do not say.  But at some point after the Lord has appeared to the people in Petra, the Lord Himself will then lead them out of that city, to take them back "home" to their "promised land."
     "I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold:  they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
     The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the Lord on the head of them," Micah 2:12-13.  
     This passage records in detail Israel leaving the city of Petra to return back to their own land.  Notice that they have a king which goes out of Petra before them.  Israel today has a democratic form of government, but before or by the time they leave Petra, King David will once again be ruling over the nation and people of Israel.  Read and believe Jeremiah 30:7-9.  
     If our readers will carefully study the Davidic Covenant recorded in 2 Samuel 7, the Lord clearly stated to David in that "everlasting covenant," that David's house and kingdom "shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever," 2 Samuel 7:16; 23:5.  Therefore David will become King over Israel yet again during the last half of the Tribulation period, and when "the remnant" leaves Petra, King David will be going "before them" as they depart from Petra.   But the Lord God will be going before King David, leading the entire procession leaving Petra, Micah 2:13.
     This passage in Micah records that "the breaker is come up before them."  This is a reference to the anti-christ and his allies.  The Israelite people will have lived safely in Petra during the last half of the Tribulation period, because Petra is a natural fortress which can be defended by a very few men.  But near the end of the Tribulation, the anti-christ will have raised a vast army to move against Petra, and simply overwhelm and destroy the Israelite people.   Nevertheless his plan will fail!
     When the Lord emerges from the entrance to Petra, the battle will begin right there and then, and what a battle it will be.  The battle will be fought, beginning in "the wilderness" on the east side of the Jordan River, as recorded in Ezekiel 38 - 39, and will continue all the way to the plain of Megiddo [Armageddon], as recorded in Revelation 16:13-16.     
      The prophet Isaiah, saw the Lord Jesus at His Second coming, and was shocked by the Lord's appearance, enough to ask the question, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?  this that is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?  I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save," Isaiah 63:1.  
     The answer given to Isaiah identifies the person seen as the Lord Himself.  Isaiah then asked Him why His clothing was red, and his garments "like him that treadeth in the winefat?"  Again, the Lord answered him by saying, "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people[s] there was none with Me: for I will tread them in Mine anger, and trample them in My fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon My garments, and I will stain all My raiment," Isaiah 63:2-3.  Also compare Revelation 19:13-15.  
     For those of our readers who have never seriously studied this subject.....Bozrah was the southern capitol of ancient Edom, and Petra was the northern capitol of Edom.  This clearly places Christ in the area of Petra, and the same area through which Joshua led the children of Israel some 3,500 years ago.     
     In this final war to end all wars, the Lord Jesus Christ will simply speak the Word, and the enemies He and the children of Israel are facing, will instantly die, Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12; Revelation 1:16; 2:12; 2:16; 19:15; 19:21.  
     Christ will continue right on moving to the west, destroying the allies of the anti-christ all the way, while leading the children of Israel back to the Holy Land, and into the city of Jerusalem.  This will bring Christ and the Israelites into the city of Jerusalem from the east, causing them to pass directly over "the mount of Olives." This will fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah 14:4 to the letter.    
     Those enemies who come against Christ and Israel, when the Lord simply speaks the Word, will die while standing on their feet, and their bones will just drop to the ground, Zechariah 14:12-15.  Plus there shall be such confusion and fear among the allies of the anti-christ, that they will fight and kill each other, 14:13.  Now where in the history of Israel did such confusion previously occur among the enemies of Israel?  Check out 2 Kings 7.  Once again, the Lord "declared the end from the beginning."  Glory to God!  Praise the Lord!  
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This Series of Studies to be continued as the Lord permits
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     Permission is granted to any true believer, or Bible believing Christian ministry to reproduce this study to share with others, or to quote from it in context as written.
     Pray for me dear brothers and sisters as I seek to write these studies.  My eyes are becoming dim, and likewise my hearing, and I am gradually becoming weaker and weaker.  I walk with the use of a cane.  I thank you for your prayers and your continued support.  Thank you so much.
     All comments, questions, and correspondence should be addressed to:  Pastor F. M. Riley, 14275 County Road 8120, Rolla, Missouri 65401.  
     Any reader desiring to speak with me personally, should call 573-201-0491,   Folks, I am an old man.  If you call,  please let the phone ring several times, until I am able to hear it and get to it to answer it.  God bless you all.
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