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What Will The Rule of Christ be Like?
Having rejected both God and Jesus, the world under the horde’s authority goes thru it’s catastrophes, with history repeating itself again and again. In the end these events increase in frequency and severity, until finally it’s just constant woe. Jesus says enough, and comes to take authority over creation on earth. As He comes we are caught up to meet him, where some enter into a feast and others are shut out. He then returns to earth with us to take authority. So how will that work?
In Revelation 18 - 20, we see that Satan is bound for the 1,000 years and unable to act any longer. John is shown thrones, and judgment is given to those who are seated upon them. He sees those who were beheaded for Jesus’ name, those who did not worship the beast or his image, and those who did not take the mark of the beast. These live and reign with Christ for the 1,000 years. John is told that blessed are those who are Holy and have a part in it, for over them a second death has no power. And they shall be kings and priests with Christ for 1,000 years.
We see here those who died for Jesus’ sake during the tribulation are put upon thrones to exercise judgment and authority with Christ on earth for the thousand years. We are told that having suffered as they did in their first death, they will not face the second, which comes at the very end.
John also sees that with the return of Jesus’ rule, the world is delivered from the bondage of corruption and returned to its garden state. Swords and spears beget plowshares and pruning hooks, and there is peace between the nations and no more war. Micah 4 speaks of the same things. God makes a covenant with the animals and ceases the violence, that all may lie down safely, and the earth responds with grain, wine, and oil. Isaiah 11, 13, and Ezekiel 34 and 36 also talk about nature being restored and man being at peace with the animals.
All creation was impacted by man’s fall, and so all creation will be impacted by man’s redemption. On His way into Jerusalem, Jesus said that if He commanded the people to be quiet the rocks would cry out (Luke 19:39-40). And Paul tells us all creation groans for redemption (Rom 8:22). And all creation shall have it under Christ’s rule. To digress, those who have pondered the fate of beloved pets should take some comfort in knowing that God has not forgotten the animals.
What purpose does the 1,000 years serve (the word millenium is actually never used in the Bible)? The Messiah’s job is to restore all that was lost when Adam gave up his authority. Part of what was lost was our connection to the 90% of the universe that we can’t see or detect, but know thanks to science and faith is there. Remember, the garden of Eden wasn’t destroyed, we were kicked out of it. Now, finally under the authority of Jesus, we will see our access to that garden restored here on earth.
God also tells us that a single, pure language (which man lost at the tower of Babel
[1]) will be restored
[2]. Remember, under the original plan man had a single spiritual language. To restore the plan, man would again have a single spiritual language. As Jesus has already won the authority to restore things, we can exercise that linguistic authority here and now thru the conduit of the Holy Spirit. This is what speaking in tongues is all about, it is the exercising of our future restored spiritual language thru the Holy Spirit now. Tongues will not actually stop, they will cease
to be known as tongues. And that’s because it’s really our native language in the end. We’re reading English as a second language, and some day
it will be known as the tongue.
And please note that
not everyone dies in the tribulation/wrath, and not everyone is caught up to be with Jesus upon His return. Remember, this is the end of an age, not the end of the world. There will be survivors, a remnant of this old world that remains to experience this revival with us.
Ah, peace, tranquility, and harmony, in a garden setting. The world running as it was designed to run. By the One who best knows how it was built. Sounds too good to last, don’t it?
What’s been happening with ol’ satan?
Back in Rev. 20:1-6 we saw that he was bound, made unable to act any longer, and locked in the Abyss while Christ reigns for the 1,000 years. John goes on (7-15) to describe what happens at the end of this time. Satan is released after the 1,000 years, and goes forth to deceive the nations and gather them for battle. They surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire comes down from God and consumes them. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire, where he is tormented eternally. John then sees God on the Great White Throne, and heaven and earth disappear from His presence. All of the world’s dead stand before God and the books are opened. Then the Book of Life is opened, and anyone whose name is not found in it is also cast into the lake of fire. Then a new heaven and earth appear, because the old has passed away. John goes on to describe the new earth, which we’ll cover in another chapter.
1 Cor 15:20-28 talks about the why and order of the resurrection, then the end of the age when the Kingdom is handed over to God. He reigns until every enemy is put under His feet, the last enemy being death. In Rev. 20:11-15 we find that the second death is the lake of fire, after all creation flees from before the Great White Throne.
So, after 1,000 years of Christ’s unimpeded rule over the restored garden on earth, Satan is let loose to once again make a play for authority. Just when it looks like the chips are about to fall, God says enough and burns their arses. That’s when we see the end of this creation, when it devolves into an ever consuming fire before the Great White Throne.
We can delineate the end of the age vs the end of time by what’s happening to satan. At the end of the age, when Christ returns, satan is bound and locked in the abyss from whence he’ll be eventually freed. At the end of time, satan is cast into the lake of fire and forgotten for eternity.
But – and this is the best part – we will see this world in it’s garden state as God intended, and then witness the first day of a new creation. How awesome is that, to see the first ‘sunrise’ of a whole new universe. And knowing that this time it’ll evolve His way. Wow. I can’t wait.
[HR][/HR]
[1] Genesis 11:10
[2] Zeph. 3
show me that please!
