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Coming to Psalm 96 we read of millennial conditions. All the earth is
called upon to 'Sing unto the Lord a new song'. His glory is to be declared
among the nations, and the Gentiles are called upon to bring an offering and
to come into His courts:
'Say among the heathen, The Lord reigneth ... let the heavens rejoice,
and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof
... For He Cometh, for He cometh to judge the earth' (Psa. 96:10 -13).
This coming is further described in the next Psalm:
'The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles
be glad thereof. Clouds and darkness are round about Him ... a fire
goeth before Him ... The hills melted like wax At the Presence of the
Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth' (Psa. 97:1 -5).
Psalm 98 ends with the words 'For He cometh', etc., and gives
additional details of that day. Psalm 110 anticipates the coming of the
Lord:
'The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make
Thine enemies Thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of Thy
strength out of Zion ... the Lord at Thy right hand shall strike
through kings in the day of His wrath' (Psa. 110:1 -5).
This reflects upon the character of the Millennium -- see Millennial
Studies9. The closing words of Psalm 150, 'Let everything that hath breath
praise the Lord, Praise ye the Lord', look forward to Revelation 5:13 for the
time of their fulfilment.
Enoch's prophecy, Job's patience, Moses' song and David's prayer, all
bear their testimony that the Lord is coming to this earth once again.
Coming in judgment upon the ungodly (Enoch), coming with resurrection life
for those who own Him as Redeemer (Job), coming to lead a mightier exodus
than that through the Red Sea (Moses), coming to reign as the greater than
Solomon, David's Son and David's Lord.
Daniel's dream, given in chapter 7, shows that the setting up of this
kingdom takes place at the Second Coming of the Lord. Once more we adhere to
the one theme before us, deferring the question as to whether
the four beasts are parallel with the metals of Nebuchadnezzar's image, or
whether they have a different time period both for commencement and for
fulfilment. This is discussed on page 77. The theme of the Second Coming is
found in verses 9 -14. In these verses we have the Apocalypse of the Old
Testament:
'I beheld till the thrones were cast down (set), and the Ancient of
days did sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head
like the pure wool: His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels
as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him:
thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened ... I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of
Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days,
and they brought Him near before Him. And there was given Him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion,