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The Triumphant Second Coming of the Messiah
Psalm 98:1-9 |
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Introduction: Psalm 95-100 are prophetic psalms all addressing the events of the end times.
- 95th Psalm asserts that Jehovah’s Godhead and power over all nature and compels Israel to serve Him. Psalm 95 and 96 is the message preached at the beginning of the Tribulation.
- 96th Psalm the subject is compelling all the nations of earth to join His service, because the Messiah comes to judge both the Jew and Gentile - 97th Psalm Jehovah God reigns of all the world and the idols are deserted and the Just One is glorified.
- 97th Psalm In the seven year Tribulation destroys false religion and purges the earth of wicked men, and further offers salvation to those who will receive it.
- 98th Psalm God does marvelous things and has given deliverance to Israel. All the ends of the earth has seen His salvation. The Messiah has returned to earth at the end of the Tribulation, purged the earth of wicked men and nations and Christ sets up His Kingdom.
- 99th Psalm shows the Lord ruling sitting between the cherubim. The Lord is seen as great in Zion and high above all the people. Moses and Aaron are among His priests and Samuel are among those who call upon the Lord. Christ has set up His promised Kingdom to Israel.
- 100th Psalm reveals the whole earth worshiping the Lord in the Millennial Kingdom.
In the Hebrew this Psalm is simply termed "mizmor." In the Chaldee, A prophetic Psalm, and in the Septuagint a Psalm of David. In the Syriac it is attributed to David, and stated to be composed concerning the "Restoration of the Israelites from Egypt; but is to be understood spiritually of the advent of the Messiah, and the vocation of the Gentiles to the Christian faith."(Adam Clarke Commentary on the Bible- Psalm 98)
I. Christ has returned and the earth sings a new song. Psalm 98:1
A. This Psalm, of only 9 short verses praises the Lord for the great victory, "for He has done marvelous things with his right hand, his holy arm and has gotten Him the victory."
1. The word translated "marvelous" is the same word for miracles. The Second Coming and the destruction of the evil of this world in one hour is a great miracle.
2. The "right hand and holy arm" denote the victory was won by His power and might. The right hand and arm are the normal arm that is used to hold the sword. The "holy" arm represent that the Lord victory was won as He was absolutely separated from sin and evil. Dear friends. Think with me. Those that are not righteous and not separated unto the Lord will not have a victory in their lives. Victory is overcoming sin and being separated from it. Ephesians 6 gives us the armor and defense against sin.
3. When the Lord is done....the earth is once again pure and only the saved remain. Those who separated themselves unto the Lord in the Tribulation are in heaven or are alive on earth and saved by the Lord.
B. This is the salvation of verse 2. This is not talking about the Salvation that Jesus accomplished on the Cross, although it is related to it, and is the result of His first coming His atoning salvation.
The context tells us that this salvation is the victory that comes at His Second Coming. It is the result of God’s righteousness and the heathen who rejected God, worshiped the antichrist, and hated Almighty God now know what the righteousness of God means. They know what is right and all the lies of the devil and those that serve him are exposed in the light of Christ righteousness at His Coming. (Psalm 98:2)
C. Jesus at His Second Coming "hath made known His salvation." (v2)
1. Christ’s coming is the fulfillment of His promises. He has promised that all who will believe and put their faith in Him will be saved, their sins forgiven, and receive eternal life.
2. There are two groups of people who will see His salvation. One are those who believed and the other is those who rejected Him. Both will see His salvation that He "openly showed in the sight of the heathen." The righteousness they see is that the truth of His being right. How the unbelievers, the atheist, agnostics, and false religions ridicule God’s word and the Gospel.
This verse states plainly they know better, but they harden their hearts to truth. What a tragedy to have the blinders lifted from their sinful hearts to see it is too late. Yet, they will know the "rightness" of God and His word.
D. God will fulfill His promises to Israel. (v3)
ILLUS: I remember well talking with a hyper-Calvinists and he telling me he as an Israelite. He went on to say that God has set aside Israel and given to "the church" the promises He made to Israel. He would not accept anything the Bible says that contradicted his false religion.
Yet, here, God promises that He has not forgotten His people and nation of Israel. All those who have believed the lies of the false teachers and churches, who have denied God’s word, and turned their backs against Israel will see the salvation God promised to Israel. The includes the President of the USA and those in our government who side against Israel.
E. Those who believe, who experience the salvation of the Lord, including Israel will rejoice, all over the earth singing in exuberance of the Glory and Majesty of Almighty God. (v4)
1. It is amazing how clear is God’s word and how it corrects all false teaching. The Church of Christ teaches it is sinful to use pianos and stringed instruments in their services. Yet, here God instructs we who are saved to rejoice and sing with the harp and to sing Psalms. (v5)
2. Further with trumpets, cornets we are to make a joyful noise into the Lord. (v6)
ILLUS: In our church in Price, our Asst. Pastors sons all played string instruments and horns in our service to honor the Lord. They did not play rock or modern worldly music, but as verse 5 states they played songs that honored the Lord.
II. The whole earth will join in praising Christ our God. (v7-8)
A. The seas will roar, not as angry waves, but with gentleness as the sea is replenished with life. At the beginning of the Tribulation the creatures of the earth and sea looking forward to the Second coming rejoice. (Psalm 98:7)
"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." (Revelation 5:13)
1. In the Tribulation most of the life in the sea was destroyed. "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed." (Revelation 8:8-9)
2. In the 2nd Vial or bowl judgment every creature in the sea was destroyed. "And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." (Revelation 16:3)
B. Further the animals are replenished on earth.
C. Let the floods. This is the word "naw hawr" and refers to a stream or river. Thus the streams, rivers and mountains are sad to be joyful. People often clap their hands when they are happy and something good happens. This is the picture hear.
1. The curse of Genesis 3 effected the whole earth and the universe. The earth brought forth thorns and in the Flood the whole face of the earth was changed and distorted.
2. Now the earth is once again returned to the state it was before the Flood and the curse.
IV. The events that occur at the Lord’s return.
A. Read - Revelation 16:16-21. The nations of the earth gather at the Jezreel Valley and they battle each other at Armageddon.
1. Revelation 17:10 speaks of seven kings. Verse 14 identifies these seven kings as those that at His Second Coming stop fighting each other and turn to fight Jesus Christ.
"And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." (Revelation 17:10)
The Five kings: Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Roman. The one who has "not come" is the revived Roman Empire headed by the Antichrist who only rules for a short time. Seven year is the maximum.
2. Read - Revelation 18 records the fall of the wicked Babylon. In one hour the world sees the mighty hand of God as Jesus Christ comes and destroys and removes wickedness and the lost from the earth. These are the most wicked people the earth has ever seen as they have lived through the seven years of seeing God might and hearing His message of redemption....but they gnashed their teeth at Him, hate Him, and doom themselves to hell.
3. Revelation 19:1-21 - Christ comes at the end of the Seven Year Tribulation. The antichrist called the "beast" and the false prophet are both judged cast alive into the Lake of Fire. Those left who served the antichrist called the "remnant" were slain by the Lord Jesus Christ who is shown riding a white horse.
The Bible refers to two groups of people called the remnant. In Revelation 19:21 the remnant are the kings and their armies not cast into the Lake of Fire. The rest of the unsaved or the remnant of the unsaved are then slain by Christ described as "slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth."
ILLUS: When I was in Israel near the Jezreel valley we stopped to eat lunch and after I finished I walked outside to look around. I was a rural area and across from the restaurant was a field. In the field were a flock of ravens flying in all directions. This passage came to mind and I realized that maybe these birds or surely their offspring would be those feasting on the carcasses of those slain as this verse states.
This is the rapture of the unsaved as Matthew 24:37-42 records.
4. Revelation 20:1-6 records the devil being cast into the bottomless pit to remain there for 1000 years. Verse 6
"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." (Revelation 20:6)
The second death is the judgment of the unsaved at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.
Conclusion:
This Psalm ends with a warning and Good News. (v9)
The Lord comes to judge. It is easy to think of the Lord’s judgment in a negative way, but to the contrary, it will put and end to open rebellion, of immorality, murder, false religion, and the pain and suffering that all this causes. For the unsaved this is a warning and a call to repentance and salvation.
The Lord's return will bring peace to earth, and for a thousand years end Satan and his demons rule on earth. Although those in the Millennium in their natural bodies will have the carnal nature, they will live without demonic temptation. Christ will be ruling with a rod of iron and there will be no tyrants, or oppressive governments on earth. It will be a time of health, and properity and time of peace where men can live with each other without war and conflicts.To the saved it is an assurance that the victory is near. The forces of the devil seem to be winning ever battle, but this is temporary. Christ is coming and justice will be served.
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