The Millennium – Cyber or Simple?
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A considered view...
The content of this page is offered as a considered, not dogmatic view, of how the Millennial Kingdom might look. It is sad that many Christians do not engage in conversation about the Millennial Reign of Christ and it is a concern that the subject is not widely taught in church.
Have you contemplated what conditions on earth will be like during the millennium? What will life be like in this new age?
According to 'Worldometers' World Population Clock; the world's population at the end of 2018 was estimated at 7.6 billion. See link at the bottom of this page.
Assuming that circa 1 billion or more Christians will disappear from the earth at the rapture; at the start of the tribulation there will be over 6 billion people on earth, but this figure will drop dramatically as billions die in the three stages of judgment.
The remaining population of perhaps 2 to 3 billion or even less will still be made up of people from several continents and many countries with different languages. These will be considered as the 'remnant of the earth' who survived the Tribulation.
These survivors from the nations of the earth will, no doubt, recall the three stages of Tribulation judgment as they unfolded in the seven seals, seven trumpets and seven bowls of wrath.
They will be in no doubt that God Almighty was judging the inhabitants of earth and they lived to tell the tale. The fear of God will live with them for some time into the Millennium.
It is worth noting here that the only survivors of the Tribulation will be from those who refused to accept the mark of the Beast on their hand or forehead. Every single person who accepts the mark of the Beast will be killed in the judgements of Almighty God - Rev 14 v 9-11 & 19 v 21.
Who will live on earth during the Millennium?
1. Will unsaved people survive?
We must at least consider the possibility that some unsaved human beings will survive the tribulation. This would be evidence of the grace of God. While billions of souls will perish during the terrible judgment, there is the possibility that many will survive to witness Jesus Christ being enthroned as King of kings and Lord of lords. We are of course referring the minority who will refuse to accept the mark of the beast and refuse to worship his image.
I can't be dogmatic but I suggest that no one who receives the mark of the beast and worships his image will escape the judgment and survive to enter the Millennium. I suppose we must consider the probability that all of those who receive the mark of the beast will be killed during the three stages of judgment.
During the millennium, humanity will continue to procreate and in the early years of Christ's reign many will be saved, but towards the end of the millennium it is clear that many will not accept Christ as personal saviour.
This is clearly manifested in Revelation 20 v 7-10; when the nations are once more deceived by Satan and march across the breadth of the earth to surround the people of God.
2. Many Jews will survive...
There will of course also be surviving Jews, making up the twelve tribes of Israel. I suggest that these may well all get saved at some point during the millennial reign of Christ. They will finally see Messiah and accept the one whom they once rejected.
Israel will be at the centre of earth's new society. Jerusalem will be universally recognised as the Holy City and it will be the seat of Christ's throne. According to Jeremiah 33 v 17-18; the Levitical Priesthood will be re-established along with the sacrificial system. Burnt offerings will once again be offered to the God of Heaven. We will develop this theme further on this page.
3. The Saints survive...
There will be the innumerable host of saints; those who were saved during the tribulation and survived until the end - these come out of the 'great tribulation'. I assume that this group of saints will be transformed into the likeness of Christ when they see him return in glory to the Mount of Olives.
I suggest that this transformation will mirror that of the Christians who experienced this transformation at the Rapture. This notion is based on the following scripture verses:
1 John 3 v 2-3
2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3 All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
1 Corinthians 15 v 50-53
50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed - 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.
4. The resurrected and raptured saints return...
Along with this innumerable group of saints from the tribulation we will also have the resurrected and raptured saints from the 2000 year 'Age of Grace'. It must be assumed that all the saved from the Age of Grace and the Tribulation will have a new and immortal body as these are transformed into the likeness of Christ.
They will have new immortal bodies and will be able to travel through time and space as Jesus did when he appeared to the disciples after his resurrection. He was able to travel great distances in seconds and he was able to enter houses that had locked doors. It will be the same for this group of Christ's ambassadors.
This group of Christ-like ones will stand out as being totally different from the 'unsaved' survivors from the Tribulation. They will appear to be human, but with a difference; they will be immortal and Christ-like and will have power and authority from Christ to reign with him and exercise his justice and righteousness.
During the tribulation, Satan is locked up in the abyss, no longer free to meddle in the affairs of men.
Government on Earth
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I would suggest that there could be two forms of government on earth.
1. Natural Government - The Nations that survive the Tribulation
The nations will continue to operate with people in positions of authority. I suspect that these will be appointed through a process of authority managed by a new hierarchy operating from Jerusalem under the jurisdiction of Christ.
Remember Christ said, "The last shall be first and the first shall be last". Perhaps there will be a new hierarchy on earth that reflects this truth.
It is easy to envisage there being levels of authority and positions of status that are managed under Christ's supreme position of King of kings.
2. Supernatural Government - Saints
As resurrected and transformed beings, Christians will operate all across the earth in this new age and we will have responsibility to exercise Christ's rule on earth.
The earth will continue on it's cycle of day and night and will continue for a thousand years so we can be sure that the sun and moon will endure for this time.
As we will be immortal beings, our new glorified bodies will not require the replenishment of sleep and rest. Therefore, we will be able to govern all across the earth during the hours of light and dark.
Have you ever thought that this life could be a preparation for the millennial reign? Think of all your disappointments and struggles, think of all the events that happened to you that brought pain or sadness.
We will be perfectly equipped to ensure that those living on earth during the millennium will be treated fairly under the rule of King Jesus.
Context of the Millennium...
We need to remember that the 'Age of Grace' or the 'Church Age' will come to an end at the Rapture. During this current age, salvation for Jew and Gentile is by grace through faith. The Tribulation is a period of judgment, but this new Millennial age has it's own characteristics; it is different to the preceding ages of human history.
The ultimate context of the Millennium is based on the dispensational view. Much has been written regarding this view of biblical interpretation; suffice to say that bibletimeline is in agreement with and indeed based on the idea that human history is divided into several dispensations during which God has communicated with mankind in various stages of revelation.
'jigsaw'...
When we see the many individual pieces of a complex jigsaw spread out on a table, it is impossible to make any sense of the pieces until they are arranged in the correct order.
There are many Old Testament prophesies regarding the millennial period and it is helpful if we can piece them together. When we do this, the big picture soon begins to make sense.
The following selection of scripture passages will help to form a picture of this wonderful future Millennial Age.
The Millennium - A Cyber Age
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One possibility is that Christ will lead humanity into a kind of cyber-like age where advanced technology and science is taken to new levels of discovery.
‘Green Earth’ could be taken to a new level with clean and sustainable energy sources that are not yet discovered or developed. After all, Christ is God; He is omniscient (all knowing) and omnipotent (all powerful).
We could be led into new sources of energy and technology that will make life on earth more advanced than we can perceive at the present time. However, as much as this is the unfulfilled dream of science, I doubt that this will happen.
The Millennium – A New Age of Simplicity
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My rationale for thinking that we will not experience some kind of cyber-like future under the reign of Christ is founded on my observations on the life of Christ when he lived on earth during the Roman Empire.
During that time, Christ lived a very simple lifestyle where he focussed on pleasing God the Father. He lived a simple and uncomplicated lifestyle.
His focus was on other people. Physically speaking - food, clothing and health were the things of value.
Spiritually speaking - he had two golden rules as depicted in the Ten Commandments;
Love the Lord with all your heart and soul, and love your neighbour as yourself.
In our so called ‘modern world’ of internet, electronics and technology, the pace of life has become very fast – too fast. There is very little time for anything outside of work.
Scripture gives us a hint of what life will be like in the millennium. The following list of characteristics describe what it will be like. We will then examine each scripture reference to substantiate this view.
Universal – Submission to the rule of Jesus
Universal – Peace across the nations
Universal – Joy among all people
Universal – Praise to God
Universal – Provision for all the people of the world
Universal – Fear of God
Universal – Admiration of the person of Christ
Universal – Acknowledgement of Jesus the King
Universal – Healing for the sick
Universal – Distinction of Israel as the people of God
Universal – Migration of the Jews to The Promised Land
Universal – Acceptance of Israel in covenant relationship with God
Universal – Restoration as Israel returns to the Promised Land
Universal – Tribute from the nations of earth
These conditions are cited in the following Scriptures, but before we continue I want to point out the following passage which I think gives us more than a hint.
Revelation 20 v 7-9
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of Godʼs people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
Think of it; at the end of the Millennium, Christ will have reigned on earth for 1000 years. There will have been world peace, and life on earth has been blessed through the prolonged and successful reign of Christ. Yet we read of an army 'marching' across the breadth of the earth.
Observations
The earth’s topography will probably be changed after the global earthquake when Bowl Seven of God’s judgement is poured out.
This will be reminiscent of the catastrophic changes to the earths surface at the time of the Flood. The above passage of scripture tells us that men are able to march across the breadth of the earth.
This seems unrealistic in the present conditions, but after the Tribulation, it will all be very, very different. The fact that this army marches over vast distances, would suggest that there is no heavily mechanised or motorised transport.
During the Millennium, Christ and his ambassadors will not allow the development of a global war machine; therefore this ‘ad hawk' army has been assembled in a very short period of time. It is likely that its weaponry will be basic; not based on advanced technology. The idea is that life during the Millennium is indeed more simple than the modern world of today.
Prophetic Scriptures - The Psalms
The Premillennial view - promoted by bibletimeline - is straightforward; Christ will return to the air before the Tribulation. There will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture followed by the literal Millennial Reign of Christ on this present earth. The final judgment will take place after the Millennial reign and the consummation will finally take place as the introduction to the New Heaven and New earth.
Despite the fact that Revelation 20 v 1-10 has six references to 1000 years, the Amillennial view argues that this passage does not refer to a literal thousand years and claims that this period is symbolic of the present age.
Not only so; the Amillennial view claims that Rev 20 v 1-10 is the only scripture on which to base an argument for the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. We disagree! Scriptural evidence for the Millennial Reign of Christ is overwhelming!
It is so easy to skim over these passages of scripture during a ‘casual’ reading of the Bible and miss the point of what they are actually saying. But when we piece them together we see a 'big picture' emerging.
Psalm 2 v 1-12
1 Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us break their chains and throw off their shackles.” 4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them.
5 He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, 6 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” 7 I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.
8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. 9 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”
10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. 12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
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Here we see – Universal Submission – to Christ as he is installed in Jerusalem to rule over all the nations as King of kings and Lord of lords.
It is most interesting that this is the very thing that Satan tried to tempt Jesus with in Matthew 4 v 8-9, but Jesus shunned the idea knowing what the future held for him.
Ironically, Satan will be locked up in the abyss when this takes place.
Psalm 46 v 1-11
1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. 5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
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Here we see – Universal Peace – as the nations of the earth are no longer at war.
This will remain the case for 1000 years until the end of the millennium when Satan is released from the abyss to deceive the nations of earth for the final time.
Note the explicit language in Psalm 46 which refers in a prophetic sense to the earth shaking judgment of the Tribulation which precedes this Millennial Reign.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. 8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.
This is none other than the Tribulation and it is now followed by the blessed Millennial Reign of Christ.
Psalm 47 v 1-9
1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. 2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. 3 He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
4 He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. 5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
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Here we see – Universal Joy – clap your hands and shout for joy, sing praises, because of the greatness of our God and King.
Psalm 67 v 1-7
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— 2 so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations. 3 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you.
4 May the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you rule the peoples with equity and guide the nations of the earth. 5 May the peoples praise you, God; may all the peoples praise you. 6 The land yields its harvest; God, our God, blesses us. 7 May God bless us still, so that all the ends of the earth will fear him.
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Here we see – Universal Praise – this is because Christ will be recognised for his sovereign rule of equity.
All the nations will pay him honour and praise because of his fitness to rule the nations.
Psalm 72 v 1-19
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 May he judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3 May the mountains bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 May he defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; may he crush the oppressor.
5 May he endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations. 6 May he be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth. 7 In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more. 8 May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of distant shores bring tribute to him. May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts. 11 May all kings bow down to him and all nations serve him. 12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.
14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. 15 Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.
16 May grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May the crops flourish like Lebanon and thrive like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. 18 Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 19 Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.
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Here we see – Universal Provision – as the earth’s weather systems and harvests do not fail to produce an abundant provision for the nations.
Praise from the nations is the only outcome of his reign of righteousness and fairness over the nations of the earth.
As a result of the reign of Christ, food and wealth are evenly distributed across the nations for the first time in human history.
The cruel and selfish gap between the rich and poor will be prohibited forever.
Psalm 102 v 12-22
12 But you, Lord, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. 13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favour to her; the appointed time has come. 14 For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity.
15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. 16 For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory.
17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. 18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord:
19“The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” 21 So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22 when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.
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Here we see – Universal fear of God – We have already noted on the ‘Early Church’ and ‘Middle Ages’ pages that humanity is marked by this saying ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes’.
Here, however, that has changed; all the nations of the earth will fear God and respect his throne and government.
Prophetic Scriptures – The Prophets
Isaiah 2 v 1-5
1 This is what Isaiah son of Amos saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: 2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
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Here we see – Universal Admiration – Christ will teach the nations about his laws and he will settle disputes in such a way as to educate the nations about righteousness, justice and fairness.
This will result in lasting peace and unity across the earth.
Isaiah 11 v 1-16
1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. 2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— 3 and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his resting place will be glorious.
11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the surviving remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the Mediterranean. 12 He will raise a banner for the nations and gather the exiles of Israel; he will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four quarters of the earth.
13 Ephraim’s jealousy will vanish, and Judah’s enemies will be destroyed; Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah, nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim. 14 They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west; together they will plunder the people to the east. They will subdue Edom and Moab, and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
15 The Lord will dry up the gulf of the Egyptian sea; with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand over the Euphrates River. He will break it up into seven streams so that anyone can cross over in sandals. 16 There will be a highway for the remnant of his people that is left from Assyria, as there was for Israel when they came up from Egypt.
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Here we can see – Universal Acknowledgement – The nations will finally acknowledge that Israel is God’s chosen nation.
Israel will reside in the Promised Land with no contest or dispute from the surrounding Middle Eastern Arab neighbours. Read above - Isaiah 11 v 14
The nations of the earth will send delegations to Jerusalem to offer thanksgiving and to praise and exalt King Jesus.
The once divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah will be reunited and Israel’s enemies will be permanently subject to them. Read above - Isaiah 11 v 13
But we need to see more than this; Isaiah wants us to see the changes that will be manifested on earth under the millennial reign of King Jesus.
The animal kingdom will be affected; it will be partially restored to the innocent state that Adam and Eve enjoyed in the pre-fall splendour of Eden. Read above - Isaiah 11 v 6-9
I say 'partially restored' because v 9 suggests that this particular phenomenon will be manifested on 'all my holy mountain'.
We can safely deduce that this is not heaven that is being depicted; this will literally happen on this earth.
We read in Revelation 21 v 1 that on the new earth there is no longer any sea. But Isaiah clearly states that during this time, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Read above - Isaiah 11 v 9
Finally; just as the Israelites walked through the Red Sea on dry land, they will once again return to Jerusalem, unhindered by the great River Euphrates. Read above - Isaiah 11 v 15-16
There is a sad tendency in the modern day church to avoid the literal translation of holy scripture. Prophecies such as Isaiah 11 unfortunately fall under this dreary umbrella.
Isaiah 12 v 1-6
1 In that day you will say: “I will praise you, Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defence; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
4 In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. 5 Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world. 6 Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”
And Isaiah 35 v 1-10
1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, 10 and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
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The HIGHWAY of HOLINESS and HEALING
Here we see – Universal Healing – Israel will be the source of healing for the nations. Blessed are those who will be given access to the ‘Highway of Holiness’ as they journey to the Holy City.
Isaiah 65 v 20-25
20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them. 24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.
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Here we see – Universal Distinction – Just as the children of Israel enjoyed distinction in the land of Goshen during the ten plagues in Egypt, so also during the millennium;
Israel will enjoy distinction as the world acknowledges their position of privilege set above the nations of the earth.
Jeremiah 23 v 1-8
1 “Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: “Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,” declares the Lord.
3 “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,” declares the Lord.
5 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Saviour.
7 “So then, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when people will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 8 but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ Then they will live in their own land.”
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Here we see – Universal Migration – as Israel is gathered from among all the nations on earth to return to their homeland to settle under the Kingship of Jesus.
The Jews will be exonerated and exalted among the nations. This will be a complete reversal in an attitude of Antisemitism that has prevailed for millennia.
Jeremiah 33
6 ‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. 7 I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before.
8 I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. 9 Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honour before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
Continued...
14 ‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 ‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.
16 In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord Our Righteous Saviour.’
17 For this is what the Lord says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of Israel, 18 nor will the Levitical priests ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.’
Image credit - Moaz Tobok - Unsplash.com
Here we see - Universal recognition - of the sacrificial death of Christ.
GOD demanded BLOOD!
Pre Flood - God demanded blood to provide forgivenes and clothing for Adam and Eve when they sinned in the Garden of Eden. Looking forward to the coming of the Messiah - Jesus Christ - God demanded blood in the sacrificial system in the Tabernacle and Temple. Looking back to the time of Christ on earth, we see that God ultimately demanded the blood of Christ - the Lamb of God - sacrificed for the sins of the world. And, in a coming Millennial Age, the sacrificial system will be reinstated in Israel and provide the means to look back at the death of Christ.
Jeremiah 33 is one of the great prophetic millennial passages. According to this passage of scripture we simply can't ignore the reference to the sacrificial system.
The main objection to any notion of the sacrificial system being restored during the millennium is that Christ offered one sacrifice for sins and sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10 v 12.
However, it is the same passage of scripture that holds the key to the idea of the sacrificial system being reinstated during the millennium.
Hebrews 10 v 11
"Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins."
Hebrews 10 v 4
"It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins."
The Old Testament sacrificial system was symbolic; it pointed forward to the death of Christ. In the same way, the sacrificial system during the millennium will be entirely symbolic, but it will point back to the death of Christ rather than forward.
This seems to be the only reasonable explanation of this wonderful system during the millennium. It will however, be a stark reminder of the need for the shedding of the blood of Christ - albeit in the past - and the need for atonement and forgiveness of sin for those who live on earth during the Millennium.
Ezekiel 37 v 15-28
15 The word of the Lord came to me: 16 “Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’ 17 Join them together into one stick so that they will become one in your hand.
18 “When your people ask you, ‘Won’t you tell us what you mean by this?’ 19 say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick.
I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’ 20 Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on 21 and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. 22 I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.
23 They will no longer defile themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding, and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
24 “ ‘My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees. 25 They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived. They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever.
26 I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among them forever. 27 My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people. 28 Then the nations will know that I the Lord make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.’
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Here again we see – Universal Acceptance – as Israel is once again in covenant relationship with God as he dwells in their midst just as he had done when the Tabernacle was instituted in the desert during the time of Moses.
This is actually the fulfilment of the Old Testament symbol of the Tabernacle.
The nation that had been scattered throughout the nations because of their rebellion and disobedience now returns in submission and obedience to their one and only Messiah.
Within Israel, the long divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah will be reunited in Christ the Prince of Peace, never again to be at enmity.
Amos 9 v 11-15
11“In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter— I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins— and will rebuild it as it used to be, 12 so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations that bear my name, ” declares the Lord, who will do these things.
13 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, 14 and I will bring my people Israel back from exile. “They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
15 I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.
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Here we see – Universal Restoration – for Israel as a nation as they finally return to their homeland to rebuild towns and cities to live in, never to be uprooted or displaced again.
There will also be universal restoration of devastated towns and cities across the earth as they are rebuilt in the aftermath of the tribulation.
The Mountain of the Lord
Micah 4 v 1-5
1 In the last days the mountain of the Lordʼs temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken. 5 All the nations may walk in the name of their gods, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
Zechariah 8 v 18-23
18 The word of the Lord Almighty came to me. 19 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth months will become joyful and glad occasions and happy festivals for Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.”
20 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, 21 and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, ‘Let us go at once to entreat the Lord and seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going.’
22 And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty and to entreat him.” 23 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “In those days ten people from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, ‘Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.’ ”
Zechariah 14 v 1-21
1 A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls.
2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. 3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights on a day of battle.
4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.
6 On that day there will be neither sunlight nor cold, frosty darkness. 7 It will be a unique day—a day known only to the Lord—with no distinction between day and night. When evening comes, there will be light.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter. 9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.
10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up high from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses, and will remain in its place.
11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. 12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 On that day people will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. They will seize each other by the hand and attack one another. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing.
15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. 16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.
18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles.
19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 20 On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar.
21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.
Image credit - Quan Nguyen - Unsplash.com
Here we see – Universal Tribute – as the nations of the earth send their delegations to Jerusalem annually to pay their respects and their dues to King Jesus.
Conclusion
So there we have it - many Old Testament references to the millennial reign of Christ.
Why do so few Christians talk about the millennium? Why is this great subject not taught in our churches? Why does the subject seem so far removed from reality?
Maybe we are guilty of not reading all of the bible. Maybe we have lost sight of God's great timetable for the end times and future events.
Perhaps this little article will change your mind and make you think more seriously about what lies ahead, after all, if the rapture takes place in the next few years, this millennial reign of Christ will be a reality soon afterwards!
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Timeline 3: Genesis to Revelation