Dr Greg Bahnsen - New Year's Messages: Good Things Lie Ahead (Zechariah 14:16-21) (Part 4)

This morning I'd like to address you on the subject of the new year that is coming to bring a message having to do with time and the advance of time. And to prepare our hearts for that consideration, let's turn to Zechariah, the 14th chapter, where we'll be reading verses 16 to 21, 16 to the end of the chapter Zechariah 14, beginning at the 16th verse. Hear now God's word. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations shall that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King Jehovah of hosts and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be that whoso of all the families of the earth goeth not up unto Jerusalem to worship the King Jehovah of hosts. Upon them there shall be no rain. And if the family of Egypt go not up and come not, neither shall it be upon them there shall be the plague wherewith Jehovah will smite the nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations that go not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses holy unto Jehovah. And the pots in Jehovah's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy unto Jehovah of hosts. And all they that sacrifice shall come and take of them and boil therein. And in that day there shall be no more a Canaanite, and the house of Jehovah of hosts. And thus far the reading of God's word. The month of January, as you know very well, marks a new year. Hence it marks the passing of time. And I want to ask this morning what kind of attitude, what kind of outlook we as Christians should have toward time, toward the passing of time, toward the future? What kind of attitude should we have when we see that time rolls on? The name January, the name of this month that we're going to enjoy, comes from a Roman God, Janus, who was depicted in ancient mythology with two faces, one facing backward, one facing forward. I think that though that is a pagan illustration, it is a good illustration of the Christian faith, a good illustration of the attitude we as Christians should have. When we look at time, we look both directions, we look backward, and we look forward. At this, the beginning of a new year, we should look backward and we should look forward. But this morning, I want us to look beyond, looking backward to 1986 and thinking about all those things that have been in the headlines, all those things that have gone wrong in the world, or even thinking about all those good things that have happened for God's people. I want us to look further back to 1986. I want us to look back all the way through history. And as we look forward, I want to talk this morning not simply about 1987, but to look forward beyond 1987 and to ask what prospects do we have as Christians looking backward in history and looking forward in history, what is our attitude to be? Obviously, the Christian faith is rooted in the events of past history. The Christian faith begins with the account of creation. How God is sovereign and all powerful, has made all things out of nothing and made them very well. The Christian faith is rooted in a conviction about man's fall, his initial rebellion against God, and against God's good word and instruction for his life. We look back to the Flood and how God judged the world and yet saved a family to himself. We look to the calling of Abraham and his family to be the people of God. We look at how God sovereignly delivered those people out of the bondage of Egyptian captivity. How the Exodus took place under Moses and then under Joshua. They conquered the promised land and God granted them a place for his kingdom. We look back to the time of the Judges, culminating in that great judge Samuel, and how Samuel anointed David to be king. We think of the glory of that golden age of David and Solomon and the dominion that they enjoyed. We look back and remember the division of that kingdom and the judgment of God upon his people as they rebelled against Him. We look at the captivity that both of the northern and southern kingdoms went into and the restoration of God's people according to his promise. We look at all those Messianic prophecies that that we read of in the Old Testament. And then of course, we remembered the most glorious of times on earth when God himself came into this world and was incarnate, took on human flesh and walked among men and preached and performed miracles, and how he died upon the cross for the sins of his people and was raised in glorious power three days later and then ascended on high from there to reign and to give the Holy Spirit to the Church, to empower it. On the day of Pentecost. We look back to the growth of the Church in the days of the New Testament. We think about the spread of the Gospel and the development of the Christian Church. Yes, the Christian faith looks backward. It looks through all of these events, because our faith is rooted in these events of past history. But the Christian faith also looks forward. It has an outlook on the future as well. And as we come to another January and another New Year, I think it's good that we reflect on what our Christian attitude should be toward the passing of time, what our perspective should be on the future, since it is grounded in the past. Should we be optimistic about the future? Should we be glad the time is rolling on and expect good things to happen? Or should we be pessimistic about the future, thinking, well, it's all going downhill and things are looking really bad? Or maybe we should be agnostic and say, well, we just can't know anything about the future. We don't have any way of guessing what God might be doing in future history. I want to suggest this morning that with the coming of a new year and our reflection upon our attitude toward the passing of time, our attitude toward the future, there are three debilitating views we need to avoid before we get to the good things that lie ahead. I want us to avoid three debilitating views that the first one can be called humanistic optimism. Humanistic optimism is a debilitating view, one which is ripe in the world, which is common enough in the world, and which God's people should be careful not to be infected with. Humanistic optimism. The rise of philosophical naturalism has been evident since the 17th century in the Western world. Naturalism holds that you cannot introduce any supernatural factors into your explanation of things. You cannot explain the universe by appealing to God. You cannot explain man by appealing to some soul or spirit or supernatural dimension to his life. You cannot explain history by looking to God's intervention in time. The naturalist says, this world that we see and touch and experience is the only world we know. We can only talk about the here and now, those things that are in the natural domain. No supernatural factors can be introduced now. That naturalistic perspective has been evident since the 17th century, whether in the milder form of deism or the more blatant form of atheism. Naturalism naturally leads to what we call humanism. Humanism is the view that man is the highest value in this world, and man is the highest authority and determining what is right and wrong or what is true. Humanism puts man in the place of God in terms of being the ultimate authority, the highest standard in value. And so here we have naturalism, which is so evident about us, leading to humanism, the making of man his own authority, and the highest value in things. Now, it so happens that in Western naturalism, anyway, our world has been led to an idolizing of science, looking to science, naturalistic science, to rid us of any need or any respect for what the Bible would say about nature and history. And the very best candidate for this job of ridding us of a biblical account of the world and of history, the best candidate in Western naturalism has been the theory of evolution. Theory of evolution, which in its earlier days meant a progressive view of history and a progressive view of man's development. Everything is evolving, naturalistically evolving. It's just built into the warp and woof of reality that things develop, things evolve. And that meant, at least in the earlier days of this theory, that things are getting better and better. Things are adapting so that even as physical organisms get along better in the world, as they adapt to their environment, so man is adapting as well to his environment. But that includes more than just the physical world. It involves the social realm in which he lives, the political order, the economic order. And man is learning to control his environment. Man, according to evolutionary theory, is getting better and better. A better world lies ahead. It's just natural that man and his civilization were going to improve. And thus we end up with naturalistic, humanistic optimism. It finds progress built into the very nature of things, even while it denies the biblical view of man and denies the biblical view of history. According to this view, there will be no final apostasy on earth. There will be no final cataclysmic day of judgment to worry about in the future. There's simply the endless possibilities for mankind to attain greatness in the future. And such a view is just laughable, isn't it? It's laughable not just from a Christian perspective, but it's laughable among secularists in our day as well. It's laughable first of all, because you see the notion of progress, of things getting better and better. That notion of progress has no meaning whatsoever in a chance universe. And philosophers, social scientists, realize that now. It makes no sense to speak of evolution advancing the human race, because there are no absolute standards. And in a chance universe, there's no boundaries by which you could measure things getting better and better. All we can say is they're getting more different and more different. They're changing all the time. But whether for the good or bad deal, it's going to be relative. To your perspective. There's no such thing as progress in a chance universe. And besides, even apart from this philosophical problem, a serious detailing of Western history, especially in the 20th century, but a serious detailing of Western history and its atrocities leaves very little confidence in the natural goodness of man to man. Humanism has hoped for optimism, but in our day has ended up very pessimistic. The most stark expressions of humanism in our day are found in existentialism and its view that this universe is absurd and human life is meaningless and found in value less materialism, a view that says we can control the material world, but there are no values and in terms of which we may evaluate it or enjoy it, or draw ethical conclusions from it. And so here you have humanism and naturalism starting out so optimistic, but in our day ending up very pessimistic. There is no progress, there is no meaning. There are no ethical values for man. You see, I want to suggest that humanistic optimism does not take seriously, does not have a serious enough account of the past. As Christians, we don't make that mistake. As Christians, we know that man fell into sin and that because of man's sin nature, because of his unregenerate stone hard heart, he is hopeless. Man cannot be good to man. Man cannot live in peace and justice in society. Man cannot improve his lot because man is rotten from the core. We understand that that's part of our past convictions. As Christians, we look to that time in history where man fell from his pristine purity and fell into rebellion against God and therefore into a loveless, selfish mode of existence that has created all the other problems we see around us. And as we look back in history, as Christians, we understand that the very reason Jesus Christ came into this world is because man needs redemption. He didn't come into this world just because God wanted to visit us one day. He didn't come into this world just because he wanted to lift our humanity and hopes. We were doing fine, but he gives us a boost. He came into this world to reverse our direction, to take away our rebellion and our guilt and to make us children of God, which we are not naturally to take those rotten people who have bad hearts and through his spirit recreate them and make them to be born again. See, we understand that. And so that first debilitating view, we can see the problems with it. We don't fall into that, I hope, humanistic optimism. But there's a second debilitating view that sadly enough, is right here in our midst as Christians that we need to avoid as well. And that's dispensational pessimism. If humanists have no basis for optimism about the future, I need to warn you just as much that dispensationalists should not make us pessimistic. You know, millions of copies of Hal Lindsey's book, the Late Great Planet Earth have been sold. And I am afraid that that book represents the attitude of a sizeable number of Bible believing Christians. And I want to acknowledge right here before we go on that I know that these are Bible believing and well meaning people. They are brothers and sisters in Christ, but their view is debilitating. According to that view, good things do not lie ahead on planet Earth. Whatever greatness planet Earth had is now past. This is the late great planet Earth. And so Bible prophecy is read in a very pessimistic light. And the clock of prophecy is thought to be ticking down to the time of unprecedented tribulation on Earth. And what attitude is the Christian recommended to take as that tribulation is coming closer and closer? The Christian is to prepare to escape. The secret rapture will remove believers from the scene, so they don't prepare to deal with the hard times. And neither should they be planning ahead to bring the influence of the Gospel on all areas of life and in all areas of the world, for that is declared to be impossible. The dispensationalist says, remember two world wars, remember the atomic bomb. You can't believe things can get better. Things are going downhill and they're going downhil very fast. Prepare to escape. Now if that is what the Bible taught. Now I want to be very clear about this with this congregation this morning. If that is what the Bible taught, then we should believe it with all our hearts. And if that is what the Bible taught, we should respond to that with all of our efforts because we want to understand God's intentions and to be, if you will, with his program and not making up one of our own. But you see, if this is a massive misreading of the biblical message as I believe it to be, if this is just an incredible perversion of what Bible prophecy really teaches, then we should not be surprised that dispensationalism has had a debilitating effect upon the Christian church and upon its mission in the world. You see, I think the dispensationalist does not take seriously, does not give an account of the past in the same way that the humanist overlooks the past. So does the dispensationalist. And what you should look to at the past in terms of your Christian faith is God's amazing fulfillment of prophecy, God's sovereign victories. You think about the Old Testament, people of God. How could the Jews have left Egypt? Come on now, From a human standpoint, I utterly impossible. If someone had appeared and said, God promises to lead you out with a mighty hand. He promises to make you wealthy as you leave. He's going to open the Red Sea and deliver you. People would have said, don't you know about World War I and World War II? Haven't you seen all these empires rise and fall? Don't you know the inhumanity of man to man? Good things can't happen. But God sovereignly intervenes and does good things and delivers his people. And you look over and over and over again, look at the life of Jesus Christ. After all, every single person had rejected the Savior. He was crucified on a cross and mocked as the King of the Jews buried in a tomb. But what did God do? Can God bring victory out of defeat? You'd better know. He can. Because Jesus rose from the dead in glorious power. And Jesus is ascended on high. And Jesus has destroyed that city that crucified him. Because by sending the Roman army to level Jerusalem, even as he said he would do. And Jesus has given to his church power and established his kingdom in this world. And it is growing and spreading throughout the world. Now you see, the dispensationalist does not take account of the past and what God has done in sovereignly giving victory to his people and fulfilling promises which could not possibly be believed if you only look on a human perspective. But there's a third debilitating view that we need to deal with this morning. Not only is humanistic, optimistic and dispensational pessimism something that gets in the way of a proper Christian view of history, but I think we need to deal with amillennial agnosticism as well. Now, amillennialism is a term that you don't throw around a lot. I don't imagine you use this in your day to day conversation, but many of you have heard it. Many of you will know that amillennialism is the view that there will be no semi golden age, no millennium, if you will, on the earth prior to Christ's return, and that immediately after Christ returns, the eternal age will be introduced with a final separation of the saved and the lost. Amillennialism says no golden age on earth are semi golden age and when Christ returns the eternal state, hence no millennium as it's commonly understood and published. Amillennialists are predominantly pessimistic about the future of planet earth before Christ returns. Let me give you just a couple of illustrations. Robert Strong was an amillennialist who wrote in the Presbyterian Guardian these words he says, amillennialism agrees with premillennialism that the Scriptures do not promise the conversion of the world through the preaching of the Gospel. William Cox, in his book entitled All Millennialism Today, writes, premillinarians believe the world is growing increasingly worse and that it will be at its very worst when Jesus returns. All millenarians agree with the premillinarians on this point. William Greer, in his book the Momentous Event, wrote, the non millennialist or amillennialist agrees with the premillennial view that the world will not be converted before the Lord's coming by the preaching of the Gospel. In William Hendrickson's Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, this well known amillennialist wrote, there is every reason to doubt that that progress in evangelization is keeping pace with progress in iniquity. And so we see that amillennialism tends to be pessimistic, at least in its published advocates. But more recently, many amillennialists have wished to get rid of this pessimistic character, to get rid of this pessimistic label and reputation, saying, I think more accurately than these others that I've read from that there is no solid basis for confidence given to us in the Bible regarding gospel prosperity on earth prior to Christ's return. It's not that we can be sure that things will go bad, it's just that we can't be sure that they're going to go good. It is possible that things are going to get better and that the gospel will be believed, but it is not at all biblically assured. And thus we are left in the more recent version of all millennialism, with a kind of agnosticism nobody can know for sure view of history. Maybe things will get better, maybe things will get worse. No one can know. We might like to see the world converted, to see the vast majority of people come to Jesus Christ. We might like to see a day of sanctified, peaceful living in society, to see the widespread observation of God's law among the nations. But we may not assert such a victory for the Son of God prior to his return and judgment on the world, the amillennialist says. And as a result, amillennialism breeds a kind of indifference, since no one can know for sure. It breeds a justification of the status quo, since we have no confidence that things can get better anyway. And so, like dispensationalism, amillennialism treats the church age between the first and second comings of Jesus Christ somewhat like A parenthesis. The crucial events of redemptive history are in the distant past. You read of them in the Gospels, and they will not resume until Christ returns in the future. And so the time in between is something of a parenthesis in God's announced plans. And I want to suggest that even as humanistic optimism does not take seriously the Christian view of the past and dispensational pessimism does not take seriously the Christian view of the past, so agnostic, all millennialism does not take seriously the Christian account of the past as well. What it needs to take account of is the amazing content of biblical prophecy and God's sovereign victories in time and in space. You see, if God is sovereign, my friends, there's absolutely no reason why history should be surrendered to Satan. If God is sovereign, there is no reason to think that his plan, that his Son, that His kingdom should not be victorious in time and space. The whole point promised redemption from the very day in which God promised redemption to Adam. The whole point of promised redemption is that Satan will be crushed, not simply beyond history, but Satan will be crushed within history. And that applies to everything touched by sin, not just our hearts, not just our souls going to heaven after we die, but it applies to everything touched by sin. And so all the affairs of men have Satan's influence in them, and he will be crushed there as well. I want to suggest that this January, if we look back and understand the past in a Christian perspective, when you look ahead, you should say, you know, good things lie ahead. Good things lie ahead for us in the spirit of January, we look back so that we might look ahead. And when we look back, we're going to remember man is a sinner. Man has no hope for peace or justice or prosperity on earth apart from God's redemptive provision. Secondly, we're going to remember that God has repeatedly demonstrated his sovereign victories in time and in space. God has sovereignly shown himself within history. We're going to remember thirdly, and in particular that that God has fulfilled the prophecies and the promises of salvation in the Advent, the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ. And when we look back, we'll remember fourthly that God has promised that the kingdom which Christ established will triumph over all the works of Satan. So if we look back and remember these sorts of things, that means when we look ahead to future history, we should have a firm sense of redemptive optimism, not humanistic optimism, redemptive optimism for Christ's kingdom on earth in the power of the Holy Spirit, that Power demonstrated on the day of Pentecost and subsequently in the power of the Holy Spirit. History will progressively realize Gospel prosperity, the saving power of the Good News, not only in individual hearts, but also in the corporate affairs of men. I want to leave you this morning with seven good things that you can count on with respect to the future. As you anticipate the passing of time and as we look ahead. There are seven more than that. But I'm going to summarize in seven ways Good things lying ahead for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. First of all, I want you to remember that we as God's people are equipped to overcome all opposition. We are equipped to overcome all opposition. Turn to Second Corinthians 10, verses 4 and 5, Second Corinthians 10 4, 5, where we read Paul say, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but but rather are mighty before God. To the casting down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Notice we are equipped. We have weapons of warfare, not fleshly ones. God hasn't given us bazookas and swords and guns. God has rather equipped us with the Gospel and with the Holy Spirit. And the weapons of our warfare are mighty to cast down all opposition so that everything that rises up against the knowledge of God can be brought down with the weapons of our warfare. Do you realize that that changes your outlook toward the future? We are equipped to overcome all opposition. And secondly, you should remember this, that the Church's mission on earth cannot be defeated. It cannot according to God's word. In Matthew the 16th chapter, verse 18, you remember these well known words of Jesus to Peter. He says, and I say unto thee, thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. And the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the gates of Hell cannot prevail against the Church. When the Church goes to take people out of the domain of Hell, when the Church takes the Gospel into the world to take people out of the kingdom of Satan and translate them into the kingdom of God's dear Son and the power of the Holy Spirit, it cannot be stopped. The gates of Hell will be stormed and defeated by the Church. Jesus said so. And so we are equipped to overcome all opposition and the Church's mission cannot be defeated. Thirdly, the kingdom of Christ will constantly increase. The Bible tells us the kingdom of Christ will constantly increase. Matthew 13:31, 33. There in a kingdom parable that will be known to you. Jesus says, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is less than all seeds, but when it is grown, it is greater than the herbs, and becomes a tree, so that the birds of heaven can come and lodge in the branches thereof. Jesus tells us that the kingdom starts small, as small as a mustard seed, but will grow to be a huge tree that the birds of heaven will flock to the the kingdom of Christ will constantly increase and grow. Isaiah had said so himself in the ninth chapter of his prophecy. Isaiah chapter nine. Let's read this morning, verses six and seven. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness, from henceforth, even forever, the zeal of Jehovah, of hosts will perform this. Of the increase of his government there shall be no end. Indeed, in Daniel, the second chapter, we read how Daniel interprets Nebuchadnezzar's dream. And Daniel says, a stone cut without hands, a kingdom that is from heaven, not of human making. A stone cut without hands will come and destroy the world empires, and then it will grow and become a mountain that fills the whole earth. And so we know from the inspired word of God, the kingdom of Christ will constantly increase. You're getting an idea of the good things that lie ahead. We're equipped to overcome all opposition. The mission of the church cannot be defeated. The kingdom of Christ will constantly increase. Fourthly, the Bible teaches us the nations will be discipled to Jesus Christ. In Matthew 28:18 20, the Great Commission given by Jesus Christ begins with Jesus saying, all power or all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. And on that basis he says, go and disciple the nations, for, lo, I am with you always to the end of the age. Now, if Jesus is with the church always to the end of the age, and if this Jesus who is with the church has all power and authority in heaven and on earth, then how could anything keep his church from accomplishing that commission given to it? And that is to disciple the nations. Indeed, in Revelation 2:26 27, Jesus promises the church in Asia Minor, and through that church, all churches that are obedient to him, to have victory on earth. Revelation 2:26 and he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers, as I also have received of my Father. Jesus said, in the same way that I rule over the nations, I will give to my church to rule over the nations, if you are faithful, and triumph in my name. Isaiah 11, verse 9 the prophet Isaiah tells us that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea it will inundate the earth. And so we see that we are equipped to overcome all opposition. The church's mission cannot be defeated. Christ's kingdom will constantly increase. The nations will be discipled to Jesus Christ. And fifthly, the Bible teaches us Christ expects all his enemies to be put under his feet. Look at Hebrews 10:12, 13 Hebrews 10:12. There the author says, but he speaking of Jesus, when he had offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sat down on the right hand of God, henceforth expecting till all his enemies be made the footstool of his feet. Paul uses the same language in 1 Corinthians 15:20, 261 Corinthians 15 at the 20th verse but now hath Christ been raised from the dead the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive, but each in his own order, which Christ the first fruits, then they that are Christ at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father, when he shall have abolished all rule, and all authority and power for he must reign till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. And so between now and the general resurrection, when death is abolished, and and Christ's saints rise from the grave, he is putting every enemy under his feet. And as Christ puts his enemies down sixthly, the Bible tells us he will lead justice to victory. In Matthew 12:20, Jesus quotes Isaiah 40:2 or Matthew quotes Isaiah 40:2, verses 1 to 4, indicating that the ministry of Jesus on earth was bringing to fulfillment what Isaiah had said. We read in Matthew 12 the 20th verse these stirring a bruised reed, shall he not break a smoking flax? Shall he not quench till he send forth justice unto victory? Justice in the earth will be victorious Christ will see to it and his ministry on earth has begun that process. In Psalm 72:1 8 we have one of the most beautiful indications of how justice will come to the earth through the ministry of God's Son. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King's Son. He will judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with justice. The mountains shall bring peace to the people and the hills in righteousness he will judge the poor of the people he will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces their oppressor. They shall fear thee while the sun endureth so long as the moon throughout all generations he will come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth in his days shall the righteous flourish an abundance of peace till the moon be no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth you see what lies ahead. Justice will be led to victory. God's Son will apply the law of God to the nations. He will declare for the sake of those who are poor and needy, he will take away the oppression and the injustice of the earth. In Isaiah 2:2:4, the prophet tells us, the day is coming when the mountain of God's house will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will flow into it, and there they will have the law of God declared unto them. And what finally will this bring if no opposition is too great for us, because the weapons that the Lord has given us are mighty to casting it all down. If the Church's mission cannot be defeated, the gates of hell will not prevail if the kingdom of Christ will constantly increase until all the nations are discipled, and the knowledge of the Lord covers the earth as the waters cover the sea. If Christ will put all of his enemies under his feet, and will lead justice unto victory, well then seventhly you can count on the prosperity of the gospel, bringing purity of worship, peace to the nations, and the sanctification of of every area of Life. In Malachi 1:11 the Prophet Malachi says, the day is coming when they will offer a pure sacrifice to me, and incense will be offered from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same. My name will be honored among the Gentiles. Pure worship is going to prevail on the earth, as the kingdom of Christ grows and triumphs, and peace will come to the nations. In Isaiah 2, verse 4, where we read, the nations flow into the church of Jesus Christ to hear the law of God from that place, then they will beat their swords into plowshares, because peace will prevail In Isaiah, the 11th chapter, we read that the lion will lay down with the lamb, and a young child will lead the ferocious animals of the earth, because no one will harm an all my holy hill, says the Lord God, Peace will come to the nations. And finally, that beautiful passage in Zechariah 14 which we read this morning that tells us that even upon the bells of the horses. Can you imagine a least significant aspect of culture? The horse's bells, that little frill that is put on the bridle of a horse. The horse's bells will be holy to Jehovah, for every area of life will have been sanctified to God's service, so much so that every common pot and bowl in Jerusalem will be like the vessels before the altar in the temple. For the day is coming, holy unto the Lord will prevail in all aspects of life. Good things lie ahead. That's our Christian view of the future. You know, we tend to associate Handel's majestic musical cantata the Messiah with the Christmas season. And it's at that time of the year that we hear the glorious strains of the Hallelujah Chorus. But when you think about would be equally appropriate to associate that glorious chorus with the celebration of a new year. For you see, the coming of a new year is a reminder of the Christian's view of the advance of time, the Christian's outlook on a new year leading into the future. As we hear those glorious words from Revelation 11, the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Amen. Lord, we ask you to open our eyes and to trust your word, to look to the past and remember the glorious promises of victory for your kingdom and to see how you have fulfilled so many of them already, as you have sovereignly intervened in history and brought victory out of defeat for your people so many times in the past. Give us hearts that trust you and believe you, that are confident that your promises of victory for the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth and will be fulfilled, that the zeal of Jehovah of hosts will accomplish it, that the day is coming indeed when your church will be glorious and purity of worship will be brought to you, when all the nations will turn to you and learn justice and peace by following your ways, when indeed every area of life will be sanctified as holy unto Jehovah. Lord, lift up our vision, give us a hope toward that day and make each and every one of us throughout this coming New Year 1987, live in such a way that our obedience and our evangelizing and our prayers will hasten that day in which the kingdoms of this world are indeed the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. How we praise you that he shall reign forever. For it's in his name that we pray and worship you today. Amen.