The Millennium and Human Salvation

Many people have taught that the Millennium will be a perfect time on this earth when humans receive glorified bodies and renewed minds, and nature is redeemed from its curse.

I believe that this is a misconception; the Millennium will be a time of perfecting this world and its inhabitants, not of living in perfection. (The only people who will live in glorified bodies will be the saints who were raptured or resurrected before or during the Tribulation.)

We just saw some of what will happen during the Millennium according to the Word: Bodies will need to be buried, things will stink, people will need to find ways to keep warm, and employment will be necessary. Furthermore, the laws of nature will remain somewhat unchanged because, while the world will carry some old curses, new blessings will begin to take shape.

Living waters will spring from the house of the Lord— the temple—and flow southward out of Jerusalem until the river breaks into two branches, one that travels to the Mediterranean Sea and the other to the Dead Sea. This was foretold in the Old Testament:

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Ezekiel 47:1

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord, and shall water the valley of Shittim. Joel 3:18

 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. Zechariah 14:8

Clarke’s Commentary gives a wonderful description of the spiritual meaning of these living waters: “ ...a wide diffusion of divine knowledge, and of the plan of human salvation...shall go out by apostles and preachers, first from Jerusalem, then to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, the isles of the sea, Britain, etc....in the countries where there was no knowledge of God, there shall these waters flow. The stream shall never cease; it shall run in summer as well as winter. These are living waters— perennial, incessant; and waters that shall preserve life.”

In the natural, this river will affect the land so there will be no drought but an abundance of water to fertilize the entire land. This water will be amply supplied in both summer and winter.

 The river of “living” waters will heal the Dead Sea, allowing a great multitude of fish to thrive in waters that were once so thick with minerals and salt that nothing could live there.  For the first time in history, the Dead Sea will be a “living” sea.

Everywhere this river flows a healing will take place. The river will bring life to the desert and fresh water to a thirsty people and earth. The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel talked of this almost three thousand years ago:

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Isaiah 35:1,2

And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and everything shall live whither the river cometh. Ezekiel 47:9

We can see from these passages that the entire physical nature of Israel will be transformed into a land of abundance and growth.

Things will change slowly in the Millennium, but eventually the curse that is on the earth will lessen so that deserts will blossom and fields will yield incredible harvests

 The heavens will change as the moon becomes as bright as the sun. The sun’s light will increase sevenfold. However, even the stars will reveal that nature is not the source of life; it is God alone who is the Source.

The light of the Lord and the glory of God will give us the light by which we will see, work, and play.

Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound. Isaiah 30:26

 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Isaiah 60:19,20

Disease and destruction will become memories as all creatures, men and animals, learn to live together in peace and harmony. The wild beasts will be so tame that the lion will lie down with the lamb. Men will “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks” (Isa. 2:4; 11:6-8). War as we now know it will never again darken this planet.

FOLLOW THE PLAN

 Human nature, however, will not fall in line with God’s plan as easily as nature does. People will still rebel against Christ, but His salvation will be available to redeem those who continue to sin.

Many people who survive the Tribulation and the Battle of Armageddon will be unbelievers. However, when Satan is bound, he will no longer be able to deceive.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Revelation 20:2,3

People’s eyes will be opened to receive a unique and startling revelation of God’s character and glory.

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 11:9

And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. Ezekiel 43:2

 I believe that at this time most people will change their hearts and give their lives to Jesus.

Thus saith the Lord of hosts; In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you. Zechariah 8:23

 The phrase “take hold of the skirt” refers to a gesture that was naturally used to earnestly request assistance and protection.  But some people will continue to deny Christ and live in sin. Yet everyone living during the Millennium will be blessed because the devil will be bound, but they will still have to make the choice to follow God and obey His Word.

 In today’s world it is still popular to say, “The devil made me do it.” The truth is that although he deceives and tries to destroy us, Satan does not make us do anything. We make the choice to rebel against God and reject His Word. The people in the Millennium will also make the choice to sin but without the luxury of saying, “The devil made me do it,” because he will not be around to lead anyone into temptation.

Christians in the Millennium will receive the tremendous blessing of salvation in its fullest form. Christ will give them true inner peace, love, righteousness, and complete physical healing.

Long life will be restored to people to the length of life that was common in the Old Testament. Isaiah 65:20 says a child “dies,” or becomes an adult, at the age of 100. Lifespans will probably reach to 900 or 1,000 years. However, death will not be eradicated at this time.

We saw that the population of the earth will diminish drastically in the Tribulation and Battle of Armageddon, but during the Millennium it will increase rapidly.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Genesis 1:28

This “baby boom” proves that people will still fall in love, get married, and raise families during the Millennium in the way God planned when He created man.

CHRIST’S PERFECT GOVERNMENT

The first thing that Jesus will do when He sets up His earthly kingdom will be to assemble the people together. His angels will gather His people from earth and heaven so He can sanctify this incredible congregation of flesh-and-blood humans and glorified saints as they enter into the Millennium with Him.

 The word millennium isn’t a fancy theological word; it is simply a Latin term that means a thousand years and refers to the length of time that Christ and His saints will rule and reign over the earth.

The saints (who arrived with Christ on white horses and received glorified bodies and minds when they were raptured or resurrected) will reign with Jesus as kings and priests and help Him guide the nations, bringing a perfect form of government to the world.

And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Revelation 20:4

God will head this world government through Christ.

I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.

And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13,14

Christ will reign over the world from the temple in Jerusalem.  God’s purpose through this government will be to restore a righteous and eternal government on earth as He originally planned.

And David my servant shall be king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statures, and do them.

And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children’s children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince forever.

Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore. Ezekiel 37:24-28

Many Bible scholars agree that this passage literally refers to King David, in his glorified body, ruling over all Israel under Christ during the Millennium.’’ For example, Keil and Delitzsch wrote in their Bible commentary on the Old Testament, “...The union of the Israelites, when brought back to their land, is accomplished by God giving them in David a king who will so rule the reunited people that they will not be divided any more into two peoples and two kingdoms....” The twelve apostles will be included in this new government. Each will rule over one tribe. In the same way the disciples “suffered with a suffering Jesus,” so will they “reign with a reigning Jesus.” 

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Matthew 19:28

The Jews who were redeemed during the Battle of Armageddon will become the head of all nations under the Messiah:

 For the Lord thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee. Deuteronomy 15:6

 During the Millennium, God will restore the years that the locust ate by giving the Jews all the land and blessings He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David.

At the beginning of the Millennium, Israel will receive all the land east of the Mediterranean Sea and Nile River and west of the Euphrates River. Generally, the new Israel will cover the land that is now Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Jordan, and Israel. The Gentile nations will receive land according to God’s plan, and all nations will be required to send representatives to Jerusalem once a year to acknowledge Christ at the Feast of Tabernacles. Those countries that are not represented at the feast will be cursed with a plague and drought.

And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.

And if the family of Egypt go not up, and come not, that have no rain; there shall be the plague, wherewith the Lord will smite the heathen that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all nations that come not up to keep the feast of tabernacles. Zechariah 14:16-19

The Levitical priesthood will be reestablished and serve in the millennial temple.  They will prepare all the former offerings, feasts, and rituals of the temple as a form of worship, showing people Christ’s redeeming work through the pictures of the rituals.  This will be similar to us taking communion.

The Jews will evangelize the nations in a one-world religion that blesses all nations.  The blessings of Christ’s perfect government will be the peace, justice, and prosperity that fill the earth.

 FORMER AND LATTER RAINS

 Something that I consider extremely exciting is that when the Millennium begins, the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh with tremendous power.

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. Joel 2:28,29

Joel refers to this outpouring of the Holy Spirit as the former and latter rains.

Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. Joel 2:23

He uses this description because Israel’s economy and society were primarily based on agriculture. In the natural, the former and latter rains marked the harvest timetable.

The former rain was the moderate spring rain that came at planting time to give the seeds moisture to germinate and grow. The latter rains came in the fall in large amounts to make the vegetables and fruit multiply and grow large. Together, these combinations of rain made a bountiful harvest that blessed people throughout the year.

I believe that the spiritual meaning of the passage refers to the glory of the Lord in the Old and New Testaments. The former rain is God’s Spirit poured out in the Old Testament; the latter rain is His glory in the New Testament.  You and I are actually living in the latter rain, which began on the day of Pentecost. This “rain,” or glory, is poured out upon us so we can reap a bountiful harvest of souls.

One Greek lexicon describes glory as “magnificence, excellence, preeminence, dignity, grace...majesty....” It goes on to say that it is “the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven.”

At the beginning of the Millennium, something unique and wonderful will happen because the latter and former rains will come together and pour out upon all people, showering every one with the glory of the Lord as He was, is, and will be. In other words, His very presence, the very essence of Himself, will be manifested on the earth.

The saints of the Old and New Testaments will enter the millennial reign of the Lord together. They will experience the glory that was revealed to Abraham, shone on Moses’ face, guided and protected the Israelites by the pillar of fire and the cloud, and filled the wilderness tabernacle and the temple.

In addition, they will feel the power of God that was manifested on the day of Pentecost and has been pouring out for nearly 2,000 years. This is very exciting to me! I love the way the Holy Spirit moves on people today; it’s hard to imagine how much better it can get. The presence of the Lord will truly be incredible during the Millennium.

 SATAN UNLEASHED

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devourer them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:7-10

It almost seems a pity that after the world rests in such a long period of peace, at the end of the thousand years Satan, the enemy of peace, will be unleashed and allowed to roam the earth again for a while. But it appears to be necessary as God Himself tells John in Revelation 20:3, “...he must be loosed a little season.”

Perhaps it will be to show how even a thousand-year imprisonment didn’t change him. Or it may be to let the nations see that even after living in holy obedience all that time in a happy and peaceful world, they will still be unable to stand without the help and grace of God.

 It is obvious from Satan’s actions after he is set free that his fury will have only grown during the Millennium, because he will set out to finish what he started at the Battle of Armageddon. He will gather the sinners and rebels who remain and his army will march again until they reach Jerusalem. But before anything can happen, fire will come down from heaven and devour the soldiers. God then will throw Satan into the Lake of Fire, where he will spend eternity in pain and torment.

JUDGMENT DAY

 With Satan and the people who denied Christ cast off the earth, God will begin His final judgment of mankind. All the people who had denied Christ will be resurrected from the dead in order to stand before God’s Great White Throne.

God will look in the Lamb’s Book of Life to find the name of each person who stands before His throne. This Book of Life contains only the names of Christ’s followers. Those who are not found in the book will be judged for the things they had done in life, based upon that which is written in the Book of Works, and then they will be thrown into the Lake of Fire.

 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Revelation 20:5

 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

As we see in verse 14, death and hell will be cast into the Lake of Fire and never darken the face of the earth again.

The saints will not participate in the Great White Throne Judgment because we have already received eternal life.

Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:6

The “second death” referred to here is the death that the wicked will face after judgment. In fact, only they will take part in that judgment. But, as this next passage states, the righteous (the children of God) will be rewarded.

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. Matthew 25:31-34,41,46

We will appear before “the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done” (2 Cor. 5:10). However, at the Judgment Seat of Christ, God will not recompense His children for their iniquities. We will only be recompensed for our “good” deeds so that we will receive rewards.

ALL THINGS NEW

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Isaiah 65:17-19

Now that the devil, his angels and followers, and all the bodies of the wicked have been removed from the earth and seas, the curse and wages of sin will be finally lifted from man and earth.

God will dwell with men on earth, where there will be no more tears, death, sorrow, curse, crying, pain, or night. Sin and death will be gone. The whole plan of redemption will now be complete. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:3,5

The new heaven and earth will not be the result of an unrecorded catastrophe that occurs after the Great White Throne Judgment. They will be the result of the process of restoration and regeneration that will be started with the Tribulation and completed by Christ during the Millennium.

It is not possible for Christ to fail. So, to say that God destroys the world and creates a new one, even after Christ redeemed it, is wrong. The term passed away in Revelation 21:4 doesn’t suggest destruction; it is a redemption expression that suggests former things are behind, have gone by, or are in the past.

Besides, why would trees applaud and mountains and hills break into song, as this next passage says, unless they had not once known the weight of the curse of sin and death and then felt that incredible burden lift?

 For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:12,13

This new world will be one of joy and godly substance, not a new creation. It will be a world where there are no more thorns or thistles, no locusts, plagues, blight, mildew, or weeds.

 THE CAPITAL OF THE UNIVERSE

Revelation 21 and 22 describe the New Jerusalem, which will come down from God out of heaven, casting down His glory over the world and giving it light. The city will have a great wall with twelve gates of pearl. It will be made of gold, with walls of jasper, decorations of precious stones, and streets of gold.

 The River of Life will flow from the thrones of God and Christ. The Tree of Life, once in the Garden of Eden, will stand in the midst of the street on either side of the river. It will yield its fruit every month, and its leaves will heal the nations.

Holy Jerusalem will be the home of the bride of Christ, the saints whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The saints will come to live here after the Millennium to fulfill the promise Jesus gave us when He said, “In my Father’s house are many mansions... I go to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2).

 This city will be the capital of the universe because God’s throne is in it. Its citizens will be the kings and priests who give the world the benefits of the water of life and the leaves of the tree of life.

 From the creation of the world to its restoration, God has continued to show us that He loves us and wants us to accept His salvation. He does not want us to try to change, but to accept the love and redemption from Christ that will change us. We are powerless to make ourselves sinless, perfect, and holy; only Christ in His redemptive work can accomplish this. What a wonderful message of hope, salvation, and redemption God has given us through His Son and His Word!

In the world things may seem bad and getting worse— going from gloom to doom. But God’s message to us is that there is Someone—our Savior, our Redeemer—who is tossing us a rope and pulling us out. He is extending to us a lifeline and is our means of rescue and release from the horrors to come. The Scriptures and events we’ve looked at in this book and the terrible situations going on everywhere are pointing the way to the Second Coming, when we will see Him face to face.

Remember, in a world that seems out of control, we have a big God. Let’s not get caught up looking at the end-time terror tactics of Satan, but at exalting God’s Son Jesus and watching for the day of His return!