The Millennium

“I watched then because of the sound of the pompous words which the horn was speaking; I watched till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed and given to the burning flame. As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.” Dan. 7:11-12.

“Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Verses 17-18.

“And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.” Dan. 2:44.

“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. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.” Rev. 20:1-4.

This is the beginning of the millennium. The first thing that will happen is that the beast and the false prophet will be cast alive into the lake of fire, and Satan will be bound. John saw thrones with people seated on them. Who are they? They are the King of Kings and those who followed Him upon white horses. They are the Bridegroom and His bride. Rev. 17:14. They have been given authority to execute judgment.

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? . . . Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” 1 Cor. 6:2-3. “And has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of Man.” John 5:27.

This will be a court of inquiry. It will be a terrible day for those who have sided with the enemy. Who could be more qualified to execute such a judgment than those who have voluntarily judged themselves? They have loved God’s judgments over their life and have loved Him who willingly bore the chastisement for our sins so we could have peace. Is. 53:5.

“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.” Rev. 20:4.

This is the literal fulfillment of Jesus’ word in Matthew 16:25: “But whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Their lives were cut short by perhaps 20 or 30 years, but they received a thousand years in return—a thousand years as kings and priests! “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” Rev. 20:5.

The first resurrection is a resurrection of the secondfruits, of whom it is written, “Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from now on.” This is not the time when Jesus fetches His bride; that is the rapture. Those who are the bride of Christ will be sitting on thrones executing judgment when the first resurrection takes place.

“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” Verse 5. These people did not lose their lives for Jesus’ sake. On the contrary, they preserved their lives in this world, and therefore lost the great blessing of living in the millennium.

“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.” Verse 6.

Indeed, blessed and holy are all those who have a part in the first resurrection! The fact that they are there means that they have already received their judgment. Those who sit upon the thrones have judged them worthy. They will even be kings and priests. They have sacrificed their lives and have overcome the beast. God rewards abundantly. A short time of pain and affliction, then a thousand years of glory, and after that, eternal life! We do well to remember Jesus’ words, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32.

You “little flock,” who have Jesus as your Shepherd and Overseer—you are as sheep among wolves. You are shoved aside everywhere you go. You are threatened and intimidated. Fear not. Follow your Shepherd in faith. He is watching over you, and He knows the way. “These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and came to life.” Rev. 2:8. He knows the way. He will surely give you the kingdom. Your time will also come.

“But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” Dan. 7:18. The millennium will be the fulfillment of this. The church of the living God is the stone that was cut out of the mountain without the hands of man. Dan. 2:34. It is taken out of the mountain of humanity by the work of the Spirit. Who would have thought that this little stone—these few insignificant people—would one day have such great significance? This is that “living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious.” 1 Pet. 2:4. This stone was not in the hands of men but in the hands of God, which is why it had such tremendous power.

Hear, you who are held captive in this mountain of humanity; you are the slave of men; you are at their mercy, afraid that they will reject you. “Fear not, little flock.” When people cast you out, you will be cast into the hands of God. That is when you receive power. One day God will send you back to them, and you will crush to powder all the kingdoms that man has raised up; and you, “little flock,” will fill the whole earth. This will be fulfilled in the millennium.

The entire creation longs for this fulfillment. “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now;” “In hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Rom. 8:21-22. The creation is not waiting for the regime of the beast; it only groans under it, because then there will be earthquakes, thunder, and lightning, but no rain. Water will be turned to blood. The whole creation groans in travail, but when the saints take the kingdom, the curse will be removed, and the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. Listen to how it will be:

“‘No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. It shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking I will hear. 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.” Is. 65:20-25.

No employer will exploit his fellow man. Neither will one build and another live there, nor one plant and another eat. Everyone will enjoy the fruit of his own labor, and there will no longer be conflict in nature.

“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.” Is. 11:69.

Truly this is a kingdom of peace! Many children will be born, and they will all grow up. Men will grow as old as trees. The people who live on earth at the beginning of the millennium, those who are not slain at Armageddon but who are invited to the feast on the mountain, will have the same flesh as before; this is also the case with those who are born later. But Satan and all the spiritual hosts of wickedness will be bound, so there will be no one to mislead the people. If there is still someone far out on the periphery who sins, he will be accursed and not live for more than a hundred years.

The world will be ruled from Jerusalem, the hub of the earth. It will become the capital of the world. Then Jesus will sit upon the throne of David: “And that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Acts 3:20-21.

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it. 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 Lord from 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. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.” Micah 4:14.

Today there are mountain tops and hills where men go to conduct negotiations. They travel to London, Berlin, San Francisco, Moscow, etc., but in that day Jerusalem will be exalted above all the hills. All nations will send their important officials there. Zech. 14:16-19. The law of the Lord will proceed from Jerusalem. All the peace conferences that are held in today’s “high places” result in “Prepare for war, beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears.” The rulers of this present world are not able to determine equitable borders; their decisions only give rise to fresh hatred. But when the seat of judgment is moved to Jerusalem, then equitable boundaries will be established. The borders that Christ and the saints will set will be acknowledged by all men as righteous to the farthest corners of the earth. This will result in the cry, “Beat your swords into plowshares and your spears into pruning hooks.” Then the earth will be blessed and will yield its fruit. There will be no more fighting for shorter working hours, and every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and every man will be his neighbor’s guest.

This is what all mankind really longs for, but they do not have the faith to wait for Jesus. They let themselves be fooled by the beasts, these heads with horns that keep rising up. These beasts seem so powerful that many people worship them out of fear. But “Fear not, little flock.” Wait for “the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Tit. 2:13. Let grace teach you in this time of waiting to “[deny] ungodliness and worldly lusts, [and to] live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” Tit. 2:11-14. If you do not let grace teach and chasten you now, one day you will be chastened by God’s wrath. Do not be afraid if you have to go without things or you lose your job. We are not to own anything together with the beasts. All things belong to us, but we must wait for Jesus’ timing. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom.

Some might ask, “How should we behave with regard to the present governing authorities until the time when we are raptured?” Our attitude should be just what Paul writes in Romans 13:1-7: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”

But how could God possibly have instituted all these governing authorities we have been reading about? The fact is that if people are ungodly, God punishes them with a bad government. He does what is written in Isaiah 3:4: “I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” Should we obey? Yes, we must also submit to bad forms of government with one exception: Peter and the apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Acts 5:29. We are not to commit sin. Our conscience will warn us. “But shouldn’t we try to get into politics so we can have a positive influence?” you wonder. No, we should do what James writes, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord . . . . You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James 5:7-8. Should we just remain passive then? No, not at all. Paul says, “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” 1 Tim. 2:1-3.

The only way we can help society and the government is by prayer and a God-fearing life. Had there been just ten righteous souls in Sodom and Gomorrah, these cities would have been spared. We are a counterbalance for ungodliness. “I will make peace your authority and righteousness your government.” Is. 60:17 (Norw.). God turns the hearts of kings like streams of water. By our intercession God can turn the thoughts of those in power to pass laws that allow us to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.