Some Thoughts On The Millennium

It is very significant that God spends sixteen chapters, from Rev 4v1 to 20v3, prophetically reviewing in detail the last few years of this age, and then passes over a thousand years in six verses. Rev 20v4-10. The reasons for this are as follows:

God gives guidance for dark places, because we are going to be in them. 2Peter 1v19.

God demands that we take note of the prophetic facts that He has revealed in great detail in Rev 4 to 19, for they are essential for our spiritual survival in the last dark years of this age. These facts prove beyond doubt that Christian believers are going to be on this earth during these dark days. God will personally tells us His plans for the Millennium when it starts.

The Old Testament speaks a lot about the Millennium, even though the period of 1,000 years is not mentioned. Isaiah 11v1-9, 25v6-8, 65v20-23, Hos 2v18, Zech 9v10, 14v9, Dan 7v13,14. etc. We are told in Rev 20v4-7, that Christ's kingdom will last for 1,000 years, and who dare change and challenge this clear statement from God’s Word. Jesus said, during His earthly ministry, that He will set up His Millennial kingdom immediately after Antichrist’s evil career. Matt 13v36-43, 24v27-31.

The Reigning Saints. Rev 20v4-6.

The saints reign, rule and judge with their Lord.

The murdered saints had been beheaded, the perfect passive participle of “pelekizo”, “to cut off with an axe, from “pelekus” an axe, which was the instrument for execution in republican Rome, until it was replaced by the sword), it only occurs here in the New Testament. These martyrs for the witness of Jesus are previously mentioned in Rev 6v9-11, 11v7,8, 12v11,17, 13v7,15, 14v13, 15v2, 16v5, 18v24 and 19v2,10. Most of Christ's apostles died a martyrs death, and He promised them that they would sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Luke 22v28-30. However, one, Judas, lost not only this promise, but his soul as well, all the promises of God have a definite conditional “if” attached to them. God desires to save all mankind, but He cannot save those who will not fulfil His conditions. 2Peter 3v9, Matt 23v37-39. God wanted all the Israelites who left Egypt to enter Canaan, but of those over twenty years of age, only Caleb and Joshua received the promise. Exodus15v13-17. God wants all Christians to rule with Christ, but we can fall short of the grace of God and fail to receive this promise. 1Cor 15v2, 2Cor 6v1, Gal 5v18, 2Tim 2v12, Heb 3v6,14,15, 6v9-12, 10v32-36, 12v7,15.

In 1Cor 6v2,3, Paul writes that the saints will judge the world and angels, however, Rev 2v26,27 and 3v21, inform us that it is the overcoming Christian who will have the privilege of reigning with Christ. In Rev 20v4. we see the saints who suffered at the hands of Antichrist are included in the reigning saints, they suffered for Christ and so they reign with Him. 2Tim 2v12, 3v12, Rom 8v17, 1Peter 3v14. The grim past seems so trivial and light compared with the glory that it is now revealed in them. 2Cor 4v17, Rom 8v18, 1Peter 4v13, 5v1. Here the false standards and riches of earth are gone for ever, and they that loved them with them. Here we see the true riches that will never end, and see how abundantly faith and faithfulness are rewarded by our heavenly Father. These saints are said to be “blessed and holy,” “makarios kai hagios,” here “hagios” is added to the usual “makarios”. This is the fifth of seven beatitudes in Revelation, Rev 1v3, 14v13, 16v15, 19v9, 20v6, 22v7,14.

Are all the saints raised from the dead at the first resurrection?

Some say that Rev 20v6, teaches that only the most holy Christians are going to be raised from the dead at the first resurrection, and that other Christians who have not reached the same standard of holiness will have to wait another 1,000 years for their resurrection. This doctrine is shown to be incorrect by the following facts.

All believers, including the Corinthians, are called saints (“holy ones”), because of their faith in, and love for, Jesus. 1Cor 1v2, 2Cor 1v1, Eph 1v1, Phil 1v1, Col 1v2. Old Testament believers are also called saints. The word for holy in Rev 20v6, is “hagios,” which signifies being separated from common usage, and being devoted, dedicated and consecrated to God. The fact that a person believes in Jesus separates them from the world to God, and this will, or should, result in a life of increasing devotion to God, and purity of life. All believers are holy in the sense that they love, and are devoted to Jesus.

The Scriptures state that all believers will be resurrected on the last day, at the last trumpet.

John 6v39,40,44,54, 11v24, 12v28, 1Cor 15v51-53. Paul tells us that we all must appear at the judgement seat of Christ, and so we should labour to make our lives acceptable to Christ, and so receive a reward. 2Cor 5v1-12. In 1Cor 3v10-15, Paul states that it is possible for us to have no real works of any value to offer Christ, and as a result to be saved by the narrowest means, as though we were snatched from the flames. The faith that we have is very precious to God, but we need to add other Christian virtues to our faith, if we are to have an abundant entrance into the kingdom of God. 2Peter 2v4-12, 1Peter 1v3-9, 1John 2v28, 2John v8.

What is the standing of the people in Matt 22v11-14, 25v24-30, 7v15-23, 24v48-51 and Luke 12v45-48.

The words “I never knew you,” and “cut him in sunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites and unbelievers,” demand thoughtful consideration. Without doubt, Matt 7v15-23, is a warning against false prophets, but like other Scriptures it could speak of apostate Christians. See Ezek 18v24. In Luke 12v36,37,45-48, there are four kinds of people, the watchful Christian, v36,37; the apostate Christian, v45,46; the wilfully disobedient Christian, v47; and the Christian who does not do God's will, but who has limited light, v48. God takes into account the light that a person has received. God makes a definite distinction between Christians who are ignorant, disobedient, or backslidden, and apostate Christians who have denied the faith. Jude v4.

Jesus reigns as King and Messiah from Jerusalem in the Millennium.

Jesus reigns from Jerusalem, and it becomes the centre of the world, and the blessing God wanted it to be. The faithful Old Testament saints enter into their inheritance at the first resurrection, at the start of the Millennium. Ezek 37v11-14. Some of these saints looked for a heavenly city, but in the main, we can say that the Israelites receive an earthly inheritance, and the Church receives a heavenly inheritance. The Old Testament prophets looked forward to the Millennium with great joy and they dwell at great length on the glory of that kingdom. Our present age of grace differs greatly from the Millennial age. In this age God usually postpones judgement on sin until the day of judgement, whereas during the Millennium people who attempt to sin and injure others, will be immediately executed. Christ and His brethren will rule with both great love and a rod of iron, and their fair and stern justice will nip evil in the bud. Psalm 2v6-9, Zech 14v16-19, 13v3, Rev 2v26,27. This is kind of rule is absolutely necessary, for many people are allowed into the Millennium, who have not had a Christian experience. They are the sheep of Matt 25v31-45, the members of the Gentile nations who helped Christians in the dark days of the great tribulation, when it was extremely dangerous to do so. Their aid and attitude to “the least of these my brethren,” that is, to Christians, is taken as their attitude to Christ, so they are allowed into the Millennial kingdom on probation. Matt 25v40. So many, who have not had a deep change of heart, are allowed into the Millennial kingdom. Some of these people, or some of their children, hate the enforced morality of the Millennium, even though it produces a wonderfully blessed, prosperous and happy earth. These evil people suppress their anger at being made to live righteous lives, because of fear of the consequences, because anyone who practises evil is immediately killed, and so many fear to sin, even though they are wicked at heart. Isaiah 65v20, Zech 13v2,3.

During the Millennium, therefore, many act and look much better than they really are. The sons of God have revealed to them all crimes, even while they are being conceived in the minds of the potential criminals, and so with such a perfect police force no one can escape from being caught in the act of crime. Righteousness is also enforced at a home level, no ill treatment of wives and children will be tolerated. God actively and vigorously defends the innocent against the bully and merciless. God’s intervention against wickedness will be an established fact, and so the wicked will be afraid to sin, and will feel compelled to live holy lives for centuries, for they know that if they try to injure anyone they will be executed. Isaiah 65v20, Psalm 146v6-10. Longevity of life is restored, and people who are 100 years old are looked upon as children. On judgement day every mouth will be stopped. Rom 3v19. God imprisons any evil angels that would corrupt mankind. Even God cannot force the wicked to be pure, or inspire them to righteousness by giving them a perfect environment, and everything that their heart desires.

Cont'd:

God uses Satan to expose the hearts of the nations, Satan's final destruction.

At the end of the Millennium God allows Satan to come “out of his prison,” the abyss of Rev 20v2,3, in order to expose the evil in people's hearts, and to separate the righteous from the wicked. Satan goes to those who have resented being forced to live outwardly righteous lives, and deceives them into thinking that it is safe to express their wickedness and hatred of God. Centuries of suppressed resentment and anger burst out, and they gather together and encircle “the beloved city” of God, to destroy it and kill its godly inhabitants; then fire from heaven devours these evil people, and they and Satan go into eternal confinement. This is the final conflict with Satan and evil. God allows Satan temporary freedom in order to winnow the wheat from the chaff, after this rebellion he is put into the lake of fire after, as no further use can be made of his wickedness.

Satan does not repent of his evil, or ask for mercy after being imprisoned in the Abyss for 1,000 years; for immediately after his release, he leads a rebellion against God. Confinement in the Abyss, and the prospect of being in Hell for ever, only make the wicked more determined to sin, and fills them with an eternal hatred of God and righteousness. Like all unreconcilables, they refuse to accept the mercy of God through repentance and faith. In Rom 2v9, “Tribulation and anguish,” is “thlipsis kai stenochoria,” the noun “thlipsis,” pressure, is from the verb “thlibo,” to crush, press, as a person in a crowd. The noun “stenochoria,” is from “stenos,” narrow, and “chora,” space, so Rom.2v9 means, “pressure and confined space.” This text tells us that God limits the actions of the wicked by confining them in Hell, they will no longer be free to corrupt or injure anyone.

God’s wisdom is unsearchable, He is going to stop every criticism of Him, by proving by history, that however men and angels are ruled, happiness is impossible unless everybody lives in harmony and love together. Rom 3v19. God will prove by a complete record of the histories of men and angels, that love must be the motivating principle of community life, or happiness becomes impossible. God will prove that He has done His utmost to save all, and that any failure arises out of the unrepentant wickedness of those who are lost. In the Millennium God tries to force men to live righteous lives by His rule with a rod of iron, but it is all to no avail, even His loving and righteous rule fails to win a “number as the sand of the sea.”

All the ages, from the creation of the angels to the great white throne, have been what we might call probationary and preparatory ages, for the ages of ages. These ages have been the testing ground for angels and men. God has to make sure that there will be no failures in the eternal kingdom, so, “Nothing that defiles will enter,” into that kingdom, only those who love God and righteousness, and hate evil will be allowed in. Rev 21v27. Even as the wicked have made their final and irrevocable choice for sin, those who enter the eternal kingdom of God will have made their final and irrevocable choice for God and righteousness. Communication in the eternal kingdom of God will be on the level of interchange of thought, and so it would be impossible to live happily with people who were all the time thinking how they could kill you. It is impossible for the righteous and wicked to continue to live together permanently, rebellion breaks out in the end, just as it did in Heaven when Satan and his angels rejected and opposed God’s way of love. You can only live happily with people who you can unreservedly trust.

Gog and Magog.

The use of the words Gog and Magog in Rev.20v8., show that there is some connection with Ezek 38 and 39. Certainly some of that prophecy cannot refer to the great tribulation, but it appears in some places to have a double fulfilment. Ezek 38v8,11,14, 39v9-15. It is possible that the nations that were involved in the destruction of Jerusalem at the end of the great tribulation, and led in the persecution of the people of God, will lead in the rebellion against the beloved Millennial city of Jerusalem. Gog and Magog are mentioned in Gen.10v2. 1Chron.1v5. 5v4. Ezek 38 and 39. It is very doubtful if there is any connection between Rosh and Russia, Meshech and Moscow, Tubal and Tobolsk, and Gomer and Germany. The connection seems to be based on similarity of sound. G.H. Lang makes an interesting examination of this in his “Histories and Prophecies of Daniel,” page 201 to 218. We will just quote two sentences. “In Ezekiel's day the tribes named were in and around Armenia and Asia Minor, and there seems no evidence that they became the ancestors of the Russians or Germans. The “uttermost parts of the north,” known to the dwellers in the Middle East, were Armenia and the Caucasus.”