Greetings. This is Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church with a moment of truth, where we challenge you to think through an important issue of life and faith. And today, I'd like to challenge you to think through eight propositions for a Christian millennium. I want to take a break today from my consideration of the book of Revelation. I've been going through that, and I have loved doing it.

I've been very passionate about the book of Revelation, and I hope you've been enjoying this series with me as well. But things have gotten to such a pass in our country here with a number of issues that we're facing. I think our republic is in dire straits, and I think we are threatened as a constitutional republic. And so consequently, I would like to share with you my vision, larger vision, not just for the United States of America, not just for the Christians here in America, but also for the whole world in the thousand years to come. That's a pretty big vision, I know.

Maybe I'm just full of hubris here and thinking that I can cast a vision for the next thousand years. But I think the Bible has already done that for us. And so I'd like to articulate a little bit of this for you, what's been on my mind, what's been on my thinking for our country. I love the United States of America. I love the Constitution that has been bequeathed to us over the generations we've been entrusted with such precious document and such a precious heritage that I don't want to waste it.

And what I'd like to do with you today is consider what I see as eight propositions for a Christian millennium. Consider this with me. Eight propositions for a Christian millennium for the next thousand years. Yes, consider these with me, please. Now, these are eight propositions that I've been working up and that I've been working with now for several years.

And they're malleable and they're not finished. In fact, I would love to have input from many of you who may have some of the same things on your own heart and mind. And I'm willing then to expand them to maybe nine or ten. I started out with ten, but I've cut them down to eight and I could go to seven or five. So these are all malleable.

But I think you'll get the drift of where I'm going with this after I share them. And I'm just being vulnerable and open with you and frank with you in my heart and my mind as I consider eight propositions for a Christian millennium. So let me go ahead and briefly give them to you. And I'm going to be expanding on each one of these over the next few months, maybe the entire year. I don't know.

But I am very much concerned with the state of our republic. And I'm not sure it's going to last. I'm not sure that is going to endure as it has been envisioned for us by our founding fathers. And so I have something that I hope might very easily and conveniently fit then as a replacement in its place. And not something that is just a bare replacement, but also grows out of and flows out of the Christian constitutional republic that we have had for us and for our progeny to come if it indeed does endure.

But let me share my eight propositions for a Christian millennium. Here we go. Number one, there will be a world government. Yes, dear listener, there will be a world government and it might as well and indeed ought to be Christian, a Christian world government. Now, this shouldn't be so scary for us.

I know we all blanch at and we all put up the sign of the cross as if we're indeed looking at blood-sucking monsters before us, right, when we talk about a world government. But there is indeed a world government coming and it might as well be and indeed ought to be Christian. Isaiah puts it this way. Indeed, there will be a world government ruled by our Savior, by our Lord, and it might as well be Christian. And it's going to happen before he returns again in power and glory.

Isaiah puts it this way. For to us, a child is born. To us, a son is given. And the government shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. On the throne of David and over his kingdom to establish it and to uphold it, justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this, unquote. That, of course, is that famous passage from Isaiah 9 that we cite so often at Christmas. But indeed, it is a verse that we should embrace all through the year and all through the millennia.

There is indeed a time when this will be true in its full fruition. There will be a world government. Christ will be the head of it. So it might as well and indeed ought to be a Christian world government and it ought to begin as soon as possible. And we ought to be in the vanguard, in the forefront of bringing a world government under Christ.

It would indeed be a benevolent one. It would indeed be a just one. It would indeed be a government of peace because it would be headed by the Prince of Peace. That is my first proposition for you. That is, there will be a world government and it might as well be and indeed ought to be a Christian world government.

And I state that unashamedly and boldly. My second proposition is this, number two, that world government's representative body, and indeed the world government ought to have a representative body. And that representative body must be composed of a worldwide assembly of Christian republics. Yes. Abolish the UN.

Oh, get rid of the UN. Destroy it. Root and branch. Pull it up. Instead of a United Nations as we now know it, there must be instead a world congress.

A world congress composed of representatives from each Christian constitutional republic. The world should be filled with Christian constitutional republics. Indeed, that grow and flourish. They may have differences here and there in their characters and in their compositions because we do indeed live in a diverse world with diverse cultures. But all governments around the world should be basically Christian constitutional republics.

Now we know this is a biblical model because we see, and I'll get into this in greater detail in weeks to come, but we know from Scripture that Israel practiced a constitutional republic early in its history. And of course, each tribe was its own constitutional republic, but they all had tribal heads to represent the people. This is all through the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. And we see this modeled for us, and we were intended to follow that model. Indeed, a world congregation, a world congress, if you will, of republican representatives serves this purpose very well, dear listener.

So my second proposition of eight for you is that world government's representative body, there must be a world government representative body, a congress of Christian republics instead of the abominable United Nations. Yes. All right. My third proposition for a Christian millennium, indeed, the next millennium, this third millennium, Christ's appearance from Christ's earthly ministry in his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension from which throne now, the right hand of his father, he now rules the nations.

This third proposition for a Christian millennium for the next thousand years is that, number three, history has shown that the freest and most prosperous societies were those constituted as Christian republics. Now, some of these points are going to overlap a little bit, and I'll be repeating maybe some of the themes a little bit, but each with a different emphasis. So I want you to bear with me here as I articulate for you eight propositions for a Christian millennium, and that third one is that history has already shown us that the freest and most prosperous societies were those constituted as Christian republics. Yes.

I'll give you as an example several examples here. There was England. For me, one of my favorite periods in English history was during the interregnum, that is, that period, between the kings, between the kings and kingdoms in England, between the monarchies, indeed, under Oliver Cromwell. That was one of the freest and most prosperous times in English history, and it was then a Christian republic. And then we also have the Dutch republic, too.

I am, of course, of Dutch heritage, and I love following the history of the Nederlands, the outer lands, right, which were indeed precious to the Lord. You find there over the history of the Nederlands, a growth and prospering of a Dutch republic. And, of course, we have the Swiss Confederation, and that Swiss Confederation tenaciously independent, fiercely free. The Swiss Confederation, of course, composed of independent free cantons. One of my favorite examples all through world history is the Swiss Confederation, a republic, if you will, composed of independent free cantons.

And then, of course, my favorite period in our own nation's history was that period of the colonies, the 13 states of the American colonies. And, indeed, they were free and independent states, free and independent republics in their own right, who combined under the Constitution to form a free republic, right? Oh, dear listener, we have seen that history has shown, as I'm saying, freest and most prosperous societies were those constituted as Christian republics. Dear listener, what a dear price we've paid to learn this. The crucible of redemptive history is dear, and it's costly for human striving, for individual dreams and aspirations.

Isn't it costly for the individual? But in the long run, it proves the worth of human governments over time. Ah, if we will but learn from history, we will very quickly see that Christian constitutional republic provides the best model of human government yet seen on the stage of human history. Oh, dear listener and sister in Christ, it has taken millennia to refine, hasn't it? Oh, we have seen history.

If you're a student of history, you've seen growth and flourishing of tyrannies, absolute tyrannies in the history of human government, right? We've seen pagan kingdoms. The book of Daniel, for example, envisions four of these pagan kingdoms, right? The gold, the silver, bronze, and then the iron and mixed with clay, right? The four different kingdoms that indeed personify Babylonia, and then also Persia, and then Greece, and then Rome, of course.

All of these pagan kingdoms. And then we have the various Christian monarchies throughout European history, as an example. All of these culminating, then refining over time as Christ has labored through his people. Human government has also come along, hasn't it? Not just society, not just culture, not just the church and spiritual matters, but also politics and human government has also grown and become refined till we finally reach the capstone of the constitutional republic, top of that.

History has shown, that's my third proposition for a Christian millennium, that redemptive history has demonstrated to us that the freest and most prosperous societies those counts as Christian publics. My fourth proposition, indeed, for a Christian millennium, my fourth proposition for a Christian millennium is this. And then, and now, as such, Christian republics are obliged to foster, inculcate, and establish Christian republics in other nation-states throughout the world until, as the prophets say, and I quote Zechariah here, Christ shall speak peace to the nations.

His rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, unquote. Oh, your listener, dear friend, I have come to the conclusion in my years of study, my years as living as a Christian, and of seeing the American republic unfold, come to the conclusion that it is part of the Great Commission to do this, to establish, to foster, inculcate, and establish Christian republics all through the world. There is no sphere of human existence that is not to be transformed by the gospel. The Bible is clear on this. Dominion is our destiny, as Revelation so clearly portrays one of the major themes of Revelation.

Indeed, is that dominion over the whole world. Dominion is our destiny as Christians and as the church. All of life, spiritual, physical, social, cultural, and yea, political, too, is meant to be under the transformative power of Christ and his gospel, and consequently, established Christian constitutional republics. They are responsible for planting, nurturing, and enfolding within the larger Congress of Christian republics, other nascent republics, and then as well, tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations, yet struggling to form themselves.

We must be shepherds among the nations, shepherding human governments, indeed, to flourish them as Christian constitutional republics, and then become a part of the larger Congress of Christian republics in a world government. I want to be bold in saying this, and unashamed in saying this.

Well, our fifth principle, then, our frith, pardon me, our fifth proposition, then, for a Christian millennium, our fifth proposition for a Christian millennium is that, number five, Christianity is destined to be the religion of the whole world, and Christ is destined to be the ruler of the whole world, and the Holy Spirit is destined to be the power of the whole world within this sphere of time and space, within this sphere of time and space, before our Lord's return. The Bible is clear on this. I am convinced the Scriptures and redemptive history have demonstrated, at this point, this emerging fact.

Christianity is destined to be the religion of the world. Christ is destined to be the ruler of the world. The Holy Spirit is destined to be the power of the world. It's all to transpire within this sphere of time and space. All through the Bible, this is revealed to us.

For example, Psalm chapter 2, verses 7 through 9 says, I will tell of the decree. That is, this has been decreed. This has been ordained by God himself. He says, I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, you are my son.

Today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Oh, this is our destiny. Minion is our destiny, and Christ's destiny as well, and he will take possession of his inheritance.

And we, as the church, are co-heirs with him. John tells of this fact, and it's present today. He says in Revelation chapter 20, then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also, I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshipped the beast or its image, did not receive its mark on their face. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

That's us. We have come to life in Christ. We are presently reigning with him for a thousand years, and that thousand years, of course, is an indefinite period of time. It's a symbolic period of time. As we know, numbers throughout apocalyptic literature are symbolic.

This thousand years is an indefinite period of time where, indeed, Christ has been reigning now already with us, the church. Redemptive history is also clear, not just the scriptures, but also if we have eyes to see, we see that redemptive history is clear for any eye to see. Christianity has grown, and it's flourished for over two thousand years now, like the proverbial mustard seed, right? Jesus' parable of the mustard seed. Small and insignificant at first, the smallest of all seeds, but indeed planted now, flourishing for two thousand years.

It has become a mighty tree, as Jesus says, throughout the world, and it's still growing, destined to flourish and grow. Christianity's dominion, I submit to you, listener, Christianity's dominion is inexorable. Christianity's dominion cannot be stopped, no more than Christ can be stopped. Indeed, Christianity's dominion will make of the whole creation a dominion. For her Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are with him, participants with him in this.

Oh, dear listener, this is our destiny. Dominion is our destiny. That is the fifth of eight propositions that I have for you. Eight propositions for a Christian millennium. Oh, I hope my vision doesn't overreach here, but indeed, I think this is what the scriptures bear out for us.

Then number six, my sixth observation, my sixth proposition for a Christian millennium is, the United States Constitution is thus far in redemptive history finest framework for human government ever produced. But it is not perfect. It can be perfected in part by, for example, making Christ, not the people, the chief authority throughout its various components. And I hope I don't shock too many of you in saying this, but I am not of the conviction that the United States Constitution is an inspired document like Holy Writ. No.

That being said, though, I am of the opinion, I think scripture, the Bible, is the only truly God-inspired document that we have. The United States Constitution is not amongst Holy Writ. But that being said, I am of the opinion that the United States Constitution is the best charter of self-government for any people who are under the rule and discipline of the Christian faith. That's the great proviso. Indeed, John Adams said that the Constitution is not a document that is fit for any other people than one that is, indeed, one of faith and religious ethics.

And I'm praising him there. So the Constitution, United States Constitution, in my opinion, is the best charter of self-government for any people under the rule and discipline of the Christian faith yet. But that being said, too, it can be improved. For example, I would say the preamble should begin. That begins right now.

We, the people, should be he, the Lord Jesus Christ, ordains and establishes this Constitution. Our present Constitution makes the people supreme. That's one of its major weaknesses, I think, because, indeed, people are fallen and corrupt, liable, then, indeed, to what we see transpiring now in our own country at this time. Well, who is it that is supreme, really? It is, of course, obvious to us, but not to the world.

And we should acknowledge this to the whole. God will honor our next Constitution all the more if we acknowledge this rather than we, the people, we say Christ ordains and establishes this Constitution. Well, then I have a seventh proposition for you here, a seventh proposition to consider, as we consider eight propositions, new millennium for the third millennium for the next thousand years. This should be the millennium of Christ. Oh, number seven, no tyrant surrenders power without resisting.

Consequently, we must be prepared to fight spiritually, culturally, and, yea, militarily to establish a worldwide system of Christian constitutional republics. Yes, no tyrant surrenders his power voluntarily. No tyrant surrenders power without resisting, without fighting, right? We see this in the tyrants in Washington, D.C. They are not going peacefully into the night, are they?

No. It's been the case from the beginning of redemptive history, too. And it begins in the garden. Remember what God said to the serpent in reference to the seed of the woman. He says, I will put enmity between the woman and between your offspring and her offspring.

He shall bruise your head, you shall bruise his heel, right? And there has been warfare ever since. Oh, it is first and foremost a spiritual warfare, but also spills out into every other area of human life. Chairman Miles said, political power comes out of the barrel of a gun. But we, as Christians say, spiritual power comes out of the blood of the cross.

This is our primary source of power for us, for Christians. Paul also puts it this way. He says, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Indeed, brother and sister. And Revelation 2 is crystal clear as to how we conquer, right?

How is the beast overcome? Oh, John says, they have conquered, that is the saints have conquered him, the beast, by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. For they love not their lives, even unto death. This is where our power comes from, the word of our testimony, the blood of the cross. But nevertheless, we must acknowledge that we are in a warfare, brother and sister, we are in a warfare.

And tyrants will not surrender power without resisting. We must keep this in mind. And so there are no non-combatants, Christian. You cannot laze a fare behind the lines. There's no safe places behind the lines.

Every Christian is on the front line of this spiritual war. You must take this upon yourself. You must realize it first and take your place as a soldier of the cross, so to speak. Well, number eight, the eighth proposition that I have for you, eighth proposition that I have for you, indeed for the next Christian millennia, for the next thousand years, is that no true Christian believes that biblical dominion can be achieved apart from a thorough worldwide conversion and reformation of the majority of all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations.

Yes, freely acknowledge that we're not going to be able to force that gunpoint anyone to be a Christian. That's never been true. And therefore, evangelism is a priority for the church because biblical dominion cannot be achieved by main force through the barrel of a gun. No, Christian biblical dominion can only be achieved through a worldwide conversion and reformation of the majority of peoples, of all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations. Oh, Jesus came to the disciples, and he said, just before his ascension, he said, all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have for you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Oh, dear listener, that's my indeed eighth proposition. We're not going to do this. There's going to be no Congress of Christian republics until there is a main force and a worldwide conversion of souls, reformation of the lives of the majority of peoples, all tribes, tongues, peoples, and nations.

That ain't going to happen, brother and sister, without the Holy Spirit working as the power to indeed convert the major portion of all the world. So we can look for this and pray for this and anticipate it. Oh, dear listener, this has been Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I've just frankly shared my heart with you of eight propositions for a Christian millennium for the next thousand years. And please give me some feedback.

Let me know what you think. Maybe you have propositions that you would like to propose or ones that I can eliminate. This is a work in progress, and I need your input. So thank you for listening, and thank you for considering these things, and let's help to indeed achieve this for the next millennium. Eight propositions for a Christian millennium.

Pastor David Bass at New Geneva Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and I urge you to join us for worship on Sundays at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard. You can call us at area code 208-523-0196. For further feedback, we worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. at 101 4th Street on the corner of 4th and Boulevard, and call us for feedback. Give me your input at area code 208-523-0196.