Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
Imputations, Justification and Divine Righteousness. Part 2
So far we have covered Rom 5:12-15, Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death [spiritual death] came through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned [when Adam sinned] for until the Law [until the Mosaic Law, the 10 commandments, etc.] sin [the sin nature] was in the world; but sin [or the sin nature and all the sins that the sin nature produced] is not imputed [there’s our word imputation] when there is no law, nevertheless death [spiritual death] reigned from Adam until Moses, [from the creation of man until Moses, when the Law or the commandments of God was given] even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift [that is eternal salvation] is not like the transgression [that is the transgression of Adam]. For if by the transgression of the one [Adam] the many died [hoi polloi=altogether, the entire, or simply all referring to every member of the human race] much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many [the human race with emphasis on the unlimited atonement].
This verse brings out the importance of understanding how the justice of God works with divine righteousness resulting in the fantastic blessing of God. We have a few principles concerning the first half of verse 15 which we have already noted, we will just review a few of them before we go on to the importance of understanding the second half.
The concept is: Blessing from the justice of God, which is the imputation of divine righteousness resulting in our justification or us being justified before God, sets up a potential for blessing in time which means also an a fortiori of greater blessings in eternity. We have been created for the distinct purpose of glorifying God and our point of reference to do so is the integrity of God—which is made up of His justice and righteousness working together. When God works on our behalf it is because these things have both been fulfilled.
The major principle is that Justice executes what righteousness demands. The righteousness of God frees the justice of God to release the divine blessings tailored just for us depending upon the potential and capacity of each individual believer. This means that each one of us individually has the same potential but different capacities. Therefore, our first point of contact is always the justice of God. We are never going to be given anything from God which compromises His character, but we are going to be given wonderful things which glorify His person. Everything depends upon our potential, and our potential depends upon the doctrinal content of our soul. From justice to righteousness is the highway through which all of these blessings come to us.
One of the greatest periods of time to come upon this earth where these principles of the justice of God and +R [the righteousness God] will become evident. There are many promises given to the Jewish people who will live in the dispensation of the Millennial Reign which Isaiah calls the Highway of Holiness or the Highway of Devotion to the Truth in Isa 35:1-10. There is going to come a time which is called the Millennial Reign where for 1000 years the Lord Jesus Christ literally will sit on the throne in Jerusalem and rule the earth as the King of Israel and the King of kings who rule other nations. This will be that period of time when the Lord will fulfill the four unconditional covenants or promises that He made to Jewish people and the nation of Israel. There are four unconditional covenants and one conditional (Mosaic Law).
The four unconditional covenants:
1. The Abrahamic Covenant defines the race for client nation Israel. Abraham became a Jew at age 99; circumcision was the sign, Gen 12:1 3, 13:15 16.
2. The Palestinian Covenant defines the land for client nation Israel, Gen 15:18; Num 34:1 12; Deut 30:1 9. This is the real estate of the client nation.
3. The Davidic Covenant defines the dynasty for client nation Israel, 2Sa 7:8 16; Psa 89:20 37.
4. The New Covenant defines the restoration of the client nation Israel at the Second Advent and its millennial modus operandi, Jer 31:31 34.
These covenants or contracts are not operational until the Second Advent and the Millennial Reign. These covenants were never made to the Gentiles but to the Jews only. Never buy that satanic lie that because the Jews rejected the Lord Jesus Christ when He came on earth the first time that God rejected the Jews from being His chosen people and His ultimate Client nation. That was a lie perpetuated by the gentiles of the early church. In fact, it was so wide spread that the apostle Paul, who is called the apostle of the Gentiles, Eph 3, dealt with it throughout the word of God….especially in the book of Romans where he stated Rom 11:1, I say then, God has not rejected His people, has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
So, there is going to come a time which is called the Millennial Reign where for 1000 years The Lord Jesus Christ will literally sit on the throne in Jerusalem and rule the earth as the King of Israel and the King of kings who rule other nations. Remember what the chief priests and scribes said to King Herod when The Lord Jesus Christ was born in Matt 2:6, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For out of you shall come forth a Ruler, Who will shepherd My people Israel.” He will also be the King of kings and queens [overcomer/winner believers] who will rule [with Christ] during that time. For remember, there is a system of rewards that are given out at the Judgment Seat of Christ to believers who became winner believers during their time on the earth, no matter what dispensation they were a part of.
Rev 2:26, “And he who overcomes; [the winner believer], and he who keeps My deeds until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations;”
Rev 3:21, “He who overcomes [the winner believer], I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.”
During this time called the Millennial reign there will be those who, as Luk 19:19 says, “will have authority over five cities.” or Luk 19:17, “will will be in authority over 10 cities.” The point is that during this period of time, there will be many blessings because the Justice of God and the Righteousness of God will reign and will be working together without any satanic distraction, because the devil and his angles will all be in prison. The throne will be based upon justice and righteousness reigning together.
Isa 9:7, There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Because of justice and righteousness reigning then the righteousness of God demands blessing from the justice of God and the following manifestations will take place – all because the earth will be filled with believers who have reached their potential. And remember the righteous requirement of the Law is to bless the righteousness of God indwelling man; Rom 8:4.
Therefore, notice a quick look at the time that justice and righteousness will rule. This is a prophecy about the coming of the King, our Lord and Savior, for the second time and setting up the Millennial kingdom, which is a thousand year kingdom that will take place in the future, which could be seven years from tonight and which we can characterized by such passages as: Isa 11:1, Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. Jesse was the father of David and this verse refers to the fact that the Lord Jesus Chris will come forth from the line of David to rule for 1,000 years on this earth. Isa 11:2 goes on to say, And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And He will delight in the fear or respect of the Lord, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear; But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
This means that even under perfect environment during the Millennial reign that capital punishment will still exist.
Isa 11:5-10, Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. Meaning justice and righteousness will rule during the thousand year Millennial reign. And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. [This perfect environment will be a treat even for the children]. Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea. The earth will be drenched with doctrine. Then it will come about in that day That the nations will resort to the root of Jesse, Who will stand as a signal for the peoples; And His resting place will be glorious [this refers to The Lord Jesus Christ ruling and reigning in peace during this period]. When this dispensation or period of time comes, and it will, there will be the following manifestations that we are about to note.
There will be world peace. National and individual peace will be the fruit of the Messiah’s Reign. In Isa 2:4 we read, And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war. There will be no war during this time. “And he shall judge among the nations” [a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, the ultimate judge ruling]. He will be the judge. Notice: it says When Christ rules the world national entities retain their national boundaries. = He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; this means that nations are to retain their national individuality and that internationalism which is manifested by a one-world government is evil.
So, in the Millennium when you have international reign—Christ will rule the world—but nations will still be nations. This fact alone once again indicates the importance of nationalism and patriotism and how internationalism is always anti-Christian and anti-God. That’s why the United Nations is an evil organization. Any organization which seeks to break down nationalistic barriers is a satanic organization or is one of the great objectives of Satan to destroy nations = The United Nations – which is neither united or free nations. This time of national and individual peace as the fruit of the Messiah’s Reign is also mentioned in Isa 60:18, “Violence will not be heard again in your land, Nor devastation or destruction within your borders; But you will call your walls salvation, and your gates praise.
It will be a fantastic time of inner happiness and joy, Isa 9:3-4; Jer 30:18-19; Zep 3:14-17. Isa 9:3-4, Thou shalt multiply the nation, Thou shalt increase their gladness; They will be glad in Thy presence As with the gladness of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For Thou shalt break the yoke of their burden and the staff on their shoulders, The rod of their oppressor, as at the battle of Midian.
Jer 30:18-19, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob And have compassion on his dwelling places; And the city shall be rebuilt on its ruin, And the palace shall stand on its rightful place. And from them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; And I will multiply them, and they shall not be diminished; I will also honor them, and they shall not be insignificant.
And even though it may be a difficult book to find, you’ve got to see this in the eye gate.
Zep 3:14-17, Shout for joy, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You will fear disaster no more. In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. Especially He rejoices over those for those who love Him.
Israel will be a place of prosperity and blessing and filled with both inner and overt happiness. The kingdom will also be characterized by glory, Isa 4:2; 60:1-9.
Isa 4:2, In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel.
Isa 60:1-2, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you.”
During this period of time, any nation that is anti-Semitic will be disciplined by God.
Isa 60:3-9, “And nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes round about, and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you. Notice over and over again there are manifestations of His glory. A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the Lord. All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you, The rams of Nebaioth will minister to you; They will go up with acceptance on My altar, And I shall glorify My glorious house. Who are these who fly like a cloud, And like the doves to their lattices? Surely the coastlands will wait for Me; And the ships of Tarshish will come first, To bring your sons from afar, Their silver and their gold with them, For the name of the Lord your God, And for the Holy One of Israel because He has glorified you.”
If that is not a kingdom described by glory then nothing is! It will be a kingdom manifested by holiness and therefore His justice and righteousness, Isa 1:26-27; Jer 31:23; Eze 36:24-31.
Isa 1:26-31, “Then I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning; After that you will be called the city of righteousness, A faithful city. Zion will be redeemed with justice, And her repentant ones with righteousness. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Once again they will speak this word in the land of Judah and in its cities, when I restore their fortunes, ’The Lord bless you, O abode of righteousness, O holy hill! For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. And you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, that you may not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations. Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good, and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities and your abominations.”
The King will personally minister to every need so that there will be the fullness of “comfort”, Isa 12:1-2; Jer 31:23-25; Zec 9:11-12. Zec 9:11-12, As for you also, because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, O prisoners who have the hope; This very day I am declaring that I will restore double to you. Double blessing will be prevalent in those days for in Isa 12:1-2, Then you will say on that day, “I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord; For although Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, And Thou dost comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the Lord God is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation.”
There will be the administration of perfect justice, Isa 9:7; Jer 23:5; 31:29-30.
Isa 9:7, There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.
Jer 23:5, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “When I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; And He will reign as king and act wisely And do justice and righteousness in the land.
There will be the most fantastic teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit, Isa 11:1-2; 41:19-20; Hab 2:14. Isa 11:1-2, Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
There will be direct instruction from The Lord Jesus Christ as the King of kings, Isa 29:17-24; 3:14-15; Mic 4:2, And many nations will come and say, “Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord And to the house of the God of Jacob, That He may teach us about His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For from Zion will go forth the law, Even the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
At last, all of the nations in the world will recognize the greatness of the nation of Israel. And why is Israel such a great nation? Well, it is such a great nation because of three of the greatest individuals who ever lived came from Israel – Jesus Christ, Paul the apostle and Moses.
Isa 29:17-24 says, Is it not yet just a little while Before Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field, And the fertile field will be considered as a forest? And on that day the deaf shall hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The afflicted also shall increase their gladness in the Lord, And the needy of mankind shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the ruthless will come to an end, and the scorner will be finished, Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be cut off; Who cause a person to be indicted by a word, And ensnare him who adjudicates at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments. Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, ”Jacob shall not now be ashamed, nor shall his face now turn pale; But when he sees his children, the work of My hands, in his midst, They will sanctify My name; Indeed, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, And will stand in awe of the God of Israel. And those who err in mind will know the truth, And those who criticize will accept instruction.
The original curse placed upon creation in Gen 2:17-19 will be removed! There will be abundant productivity to the earth, even the animal creation will be changed, Isa 11:6-9; 35:9; 65:25.
Isa 11:6-9, And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little boy will lead them. Also the cow and the bear will graze; Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the ox. And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
Isa 35:9, No lion will be there [that is no vicious lion], Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there,
Isa 65:25, “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Sickness will be removed. The ministry of the King as the healer will be seen throughout the Millennium so that sickness and even death will be removed, the exception being “death” in dealing with criminal sin or capital punishment, Isa 33:24; Jer 30:17; Eze 34:16.
Isa 33:24, And no resident will say, “I am sick”; The people who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity
Jer 30:17, ‘For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,’ declares the Lord, ‘Because they have called you an outcast, saying: “It is Zion; no one cares for her.”
Eze 34:16, “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick; but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with judgment.
I told you many times some of these things are so fantastic, they are hard to believe. All of the deformed are healed as well, if they were deformed at the time of the Second Advent they will experience a total healing, Isa 29:17-19; Jer 31:8; Mic 4:6-7.
Isa 29:18-19, And on that day the deaf shall hear words of a book, And out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see. The afflicted also shall increase their gladness in the Lord, And the needy of mankind shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Jer 31:8, “Behold, I am bringing them from the north country, And I will gather them from the remote parts of the earth, Among them the blind and the lame, The woman with child and she who is in labor with child, together; A great company, they shall return here.
Mic 4:6-7, “In that day,” declares the Lord, “I will assemble the lame, And gather the outcasts, Even those whom I have afflicted. I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcasts a strong nation, And the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever.”
There will also be a supernatural work of preservation in the Millennial age through the King, Isa 41:8-14; Eze 34:27; Joel 3:16-17.
Isa 41:8-14, “But you, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, Descendant of Abraham My friend, You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, And called from its remotest parts, And said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you. Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. Behold, all those who are angered at you will be shamed and dishonored; Those who contend with you will be as nothing, and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you, but will not find them, Those who war with you will be as nothing, and non-existent. For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you. Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you,” declares the Lord,” and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.”
Eze 34:27, “Also the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.”
Joel 3:16-17, And the Lord roars from Zion And utters His voice from Jerusalem, And the heavens and the earth tremble. But the Lord is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more.
There will be no social, political, or religious oppression, Isa 14:3-6; 42:6-7; Zec 9:11-12.
Isa 14:3-6, And it will be in the day when the Lord gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved, that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, ”How the oppressor has ceased, And how fury has ceased! The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, The scepter of rulers which used to strike the peoples in fury with unceasing strokes, Which subdued the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution. I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you, And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon, And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.”
There will not be the tragedies of mental illness or of infant deaths, Isa 65:20, “No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, Or an old man who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of one hundred And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred Shall be thought accursed.”
The earth’s population will soar and there will be sex. Children will be born to the believers who began the Millennium and will have a sin nature and therefore need salvation, Jer 30:20; 31:29; Eze 47:22; Zec 10:8. There will exist a perfect economic system (e.g. no unions) in which the needs of men are abundantly provided for, Isa 62:9-12; 65:21-23; Jer 31:5.
Isa 62:9-12, But those who garner it will eat it, and praise the Lord; And those who gather it will drink it in the courts of My sanctuary. Go through, go through the gates; Clear the way for the people; Build up, build up the highway; Remove the stones, lift up a standard over the peoples. Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.” And they will call them, “The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord”; And you will be called, “Sought out, a city not forsaken.”
Isa 65:21-23, “And they shall build houses and inhabit them; They shall also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build, and another inhabit, They shall not plant, and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, And My chosen ones shall wear out the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, Or bear children for calamity; For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord, And their descendants with them.”
There will be an increase of solar and lunar light. The increased light probably is a major cause of the increased productivity of the earth, Isa 4:5; 30:26; 60:19-20; Zec 2:5. There will be a unified language. The language barriers will be removed so that there can be free social intercourse, Zep 3:9, “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the Lord, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder. The point is that all the world will unite in the worship of God and God’s presence will be experienced as never before. However, there is one bit “but” or warning in Rev 20. In spite of these fantastic blessings we read in Rev 20:1-10, And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
