The Millennium: The Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ - Revelation 20:1-6
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:When we started this series on Understanding the End Times, I provided you with a prophetic chart. Here is a picture of that chart. This chart provides us with an overview of eschatology. Here we have God’s calendar of events laid out before us. What are the events that we have walked through so far?
1. The Beginning of the End – Matthew 24
2. The Rapture of the Church – 2 Thessalonians 4:13-18
3. The Judgment Seat of Christ – 2 Corinthians 5:10
4. The Tribulation Period (7 years) – Revelation 6:1-16:21
5. The Battle of Armageddon – Revelation 16:12-16; 19:11-21
6. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ – Revelation 19:11-16
7. The Millennium: The Thousand-Year Reign of Jesus Christ
Today we will be dealing with the – Millennium: The Thousand Year Reign of Jesus Christ. The word Millennium means 1,000 years. There are three major views in eschatology that are held by different theological camps. You have an additional chart that shows these three views. Let’s walk through them together. (Look at the chart together). Which of these three views makes the most sense?
I believe that of these three views that only one makes the most sense considering Revelation 20. And that is Premillennialism. I do not believe that the church will usher in the kingdom on earth, or that we will bring about a Christianization of the whole earth. And I do not believe that the Millennium is the time frame between Christ’s first advent, and His second advent (His Second Coming). No, I believe that Christ will return as Rick Rees taught in the previous message. Jesus Christ will come, and He will set up His kingdom on earth that will last 1,000 years.
Dr. Thomas Ice called the Millennium, “The capstone of history and a precursor to eternity.”
I want you to notice in our text that 1,000 years is used six times (2,3,4,5,6,7). Who would write this way if the 1,000 years were allegorical and not literal years? Why use 1,000 years at all?
I like what a medical doctor trained in the practice of observation of literal tissue samples (specifically as a pathologist analyzing various tissues and cells of the human body under a microscope) said, “I take the approach that if the plain sense of the Biblical text makes good sense in context, then one should seek to make no other sense out of the inspired text for fear that the conclusion may end up as sheer nonsense.”
I couldn’t agree more. Therefore, I believe in a literal 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ on earth with His saints. We read it right here in Revelation 20, and it follows Revelation 19, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
What does the Scripture teach us about the 1,000-Year Reign of Jesus Christ? First, Satan will be bound for 1,000 years. Look at verses 1-3,
Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Second, the Saints will reign with Jesus Christ in His messianic kingdom for 1,000 years. Look at verses 4-6,
And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
In this message, I want to answer three questions about the Millennium. They are:
1. What is the Purpose of the Millennium?
2. What are the Characteristics of the Millennium?
3. What will be the Government of the Millennium?
With this as our outline let's jump in and seek to understand the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ – the Millennium.
I. What is the Purpose of the Millennium?
I. What is the Purpose of the Millennium?
Allow me to point out four purposes for the Millennium:
A. To reward the saints of God.
· Isaiah 40:10 - Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him.
· Psalm 58:11 - So that men will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth.”
· Proverbs 11:18 - The wicked man does deceptive work, But he who sows righteousness will have a sure reward.
· Matthew 5:12 - Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
· Matthew 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
· Matthew 25:34 - Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
· Revelation 22:12 - “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.
Yes, our Lord is going to reward his saints. We will see this occurring during the millennium. I want you to write down the following spiritual math equation:
Serve Christ = Reward in the Kingdom
B. To visualize Old Testament prophecy fulfilled.
Most of the Old Testament prophets wrote about the Millennium.
· Psalm 72:11 - Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him.
· Isaiah 9:7 - Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lordof hosts will perform this.
· Zechariah 9:10 - I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
· Luke 1:32-33 - He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
Jesus Christ will triumph over the world where He appeared to be defeated. He will rule and reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
C. To answer the oft-prayed model prayer.
· Matthew 6:9-13 - In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Who hasn’t prayed the Lord’s prayer, "Thy kingdom come"?
Jesus’ kingdom will come, and His will. Well, it will be done on earth!
D. To prove a point – regardless of his environment or heredity, mankind apart from God's grace will inevitably sin.
Who will go into the Millennium? Godly people (saints). But get this, these people will have children, and not all their children will choose to follow Jesus Christ. Many will rebel against Jesus Christ and His kingdom rule.
Remember that Adam and Eve were in a perfect environment, and they sinned against God (Genesis 3). People living in the Millennium will be in a perfect kingdom, and they too will choose to rebel against God. This blows my mind – a perfect place, and you choose to rebel!
What does this tell us? It tells us that the heart of mankind is evil. Mankind needs a new heart. The prophet Jeremiah said the “heart is evil and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).
There is not a person today who doesn’t need the grace of God, and there will not be a person born in the Millennium who will not need the grace of God. Grace + Faith = Regeneration.
Do you know the LORD? Have you received Him into your heart and life to be your Savior and Lord?
II. What are the Characteristics of the Millennium?
II. What are the Characteristics of the Millennium?
What will the thousand-year reign of Christ be like? When you and I live in the Millennium with Christ what will it be like? Well, Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost has compiled a list of 23 characteristics of the Millennium. There is NO WAY that I can cover all 23 characteristics, so let’s look at five of them (I will have them all listed for you for further study on your own):
A. It will be a time of Peace.
There is no peace on earth today. War is still raging between Russia and Ukraine. It’s been one year since the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan and the situation on the ground is said to be very bleak – there is no peace in Afghanistan. And if you recall on August 2nd the U.S. killed al Qaeda leader Zawahiri in a Kabul drone missile strike. There is no peace today, but it will not always be that way.
There is coming 1,000 years when all war will cease, and there will be a unification of the nations of the world under the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that He is the Prince of Peace.
· Isaiah 2:4 - He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
· Isaiah 11:6-9 - “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LordAs the waters cover the sea.
· Hosea 2:18 - In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
· Micah 4:2-3 - Many nations shall come and say, “Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths.” For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the Lordfrom Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
· Zechariah 9:10 - I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim And the horse from Jerusalem; The battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth.’
· Can you imagine a day when all war ceases?
· Can you imagine a day when there are no more soldiers?
· Can you imagine a day when people live without fear?
I have read that in 2020 the Worldwide expenditure on war was about 1.981 trillion. And that in 2019 there were some 27 million 671 thousand soldiers worldwide. Doesn’t sound like we live in a peaceful world.
But please picture in your mind a day when there are zero soldiers and no war machines. What a day that will be.
B. It will be a time of great Joy.
The fullness of joy will be a distinctive mark of this age.
· Isaiah 9:3-4 - You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
· Isaiah 12:3-6 - Therefore with joy you will draw water From the wells of salvation. And in that day you will say: “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, O inhabitant of Zion, For great is the Holy One of Israel in your midst!”
· Isaiah 14:7-8 - The whole earth is at rest and quiet; They break forth into singing. Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you, And the cedars of Lebanon, Saying, ‘Since you were cut down, No woodsman has come up against us.’
· Isaiah 25:8-9 - He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord Godwill wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lordhas spoken. And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
· Isaiah 30:29 - You shall have a song As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain of the Lord, To the Mighty One of Israel.
· Isaiah 42:1 - “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
· Isaiah 52:9 - Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
· Isaiah 61:10 - I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
· Jeremiah 30:18-19 - “Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring back the captivity of Jacob’s tents, And have mercy on his dwelling places; The city shall be built upon its own mound, And the palace shall remain according to its own plan. Then out of them shall proceed thanksgiving And the voice of those who make merry; I will multiply them, and they shall not diminish; I will also glorify them, and they shall not be small.
· Jeremiah 31:13-14 - “Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, And the young men and the old, together; For I will turn their mourning to joy, Will comfort them, And make them rejoice rather than sorrow. I will satiate the soul of the priests with abundance, And My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, says the Lord.”
· Zephaniah. 3:14-17 - Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, He has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; You shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
· Zechariah 8:18-19 - Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’
· Zechariah 10:6-7 - “I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph. I will bring them back, Because I have mercy on them. They shall be as though I had not cast them aside; For I am the Lord their God, And I will hear them. Those of Ephraim shall be like a mighty man, And their heart shall rejoice as if with wine. Yes, their children shall see it and be glad; Their heart shall rejoice in the Lord.
C. It will be a time of Holiness.
The theocratic kingdom will be holy, in which holiness is manifested through the King and the King's subjects.
The land will be holy, the city holy, the temple holy, and the subjects will be holy unto the Lord.
· Isaiah 1:26-27 - I will restore your judges as at the first, And your counselors as at the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.” Zion shall be redeemed with justice, And her penitents with righteousness.
· Ezekiel 36:24-31 - For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach 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.
· Zechariah 8:3 - “Thus says the Lord: ‘I will return to Zion, And dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be called the City of Truth, The Mountain of the Lord of hosts, The Holy Mountain.’
· Zechariah 14:20-21 - In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts.
D. It will be a time when the curse is removed.
The original curse placed upon creation - Genesis 3:17-19), will be removed, so that there will be abundant productivity on the earth. Animal creation will be changed to lose its venom and ferocity.
· Isaiah 11:6-9 – “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.
· Isaiah 65:25 - The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, The lion shall eat straw like the ox, And dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain,” Says the Lord.
Everyone will be a “Doctor Doolittle” – we will all get along with the animal kingdom. The curse will have been lifted.
E. It will be a time of economic prosperity.
The perfect labor situation will produce economic abundance so that there will be no want. Imagine a day when there is no want – you’ll have everything you need
· Isaiah 35:7 - The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
· Ezekiel 34:26-27 - I will make them and the places all around My hill a blessing; and I will cause showers to come down in their season; there shall be showers of blessing. Then the trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield her increase. They shall be safe in their land; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I have broken the bands of their yoke and delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them.
· Ezekiel 36:29-30 - I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. I will call for the grain and multiply it, and bring no famine upon you. And I will multiply the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of famine among the nations.
· Amos 9:13-14 - “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “When the plowman shall overtake the reaper, And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; The mountains shall drip with sweet wine, And all the hills shall flow with it. I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them.
· Zechariah 8:11-12 - But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as in the former days,’ says the Lordof hosts. ‘For the seed shall be prosperous, The vine shall give its fruit, The ground shall give her increase, And the heavens shall give their dew— I will cause the remnant of this people To possess all these.
III. What will be the Government of the Millennium?
III. What will be the Government of the Millennium?
A. The type of Government - A theocracy.
· Daniel 7:14 - Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.
· Revelation 19:15 - Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
B. The center of Government – Jerusalem.
· Isaiah 24:23 - Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the Lord of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.
· Zechariah 14:10 - All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from Benjamin’s Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses.
C. The rulers in the Government - David may be a regent.
· Jeremiah 30:9 - But they shall serve the Lord their God, And David their king, Whom I will raise up for them.
· Ezekiel 37:24-25 - “David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever.
The Twelve apostles will have authority over the tribes of Israel - Matthew 19:28. Other nobles will also share in governmental duties- Isaiah 32:1; Jeremiah 30:21.
D. The subjects of the Government – The first subjects will be the Jews and Gentiles coming out of the Tribulation.
There will also be babies being born in the millennium who must also acknowledge Christ as King.
Conclusion: So, there you have it – the Millennium. The 1,000-Year Reign of Jesus Christ. All of this is a precursor to eternity!
As saints, we will reign with Jesus Christ during the Millennium. Therefore, you must know for sure that you are a believer and possess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. Do you know that you are a believer? Have you called out to Jesus Christ to save you? Do it today!
Everything about the Millennium can be summed up in two words: Jesus Christ. He is the Purpose, the Character, and the Government of the Millennium.