Download Intro to the End Times Seminar Session 7: Millennial Realities I. Intro

Intro to the End Times Seminar
Session 7: Millennial Realities
I.
Intro to the Thousand-Year Reign of Christ:
There is coming a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on the Earth where many
elements of this current age change will be greatly affected, some even done
away with. It will be a time unlike any time creation has ever seen, Jesus will
be King on Earth as He has been in Heaven. This period of Christs rule on
Earth is the new beginning for all things; it will be a time where all areas of
life on the planet are touched in a divine way. The Bible gives us
unbelievable detail about many of these realities and includes and how we as
resurrected saints will interact with the new age.
II.
Eternal Rewards:
A. Rewarded at the 2nd Coming:
A major part of our faith is that we believe in Christ’s actual 2nd Coming.
At which point we will receive our reward (Is. 42:10, 62:11; Mt. 16:27;
1Co. 3:13-14; 1Th. 2:19; 2Ti. 4:8; 1Pe. 5:2; Re. 11:18, 22:12). This will
mean many good things for those that served Him faithfully.
B. Primary Motivation Tool:
God has given us a tremendous amount of information about heavenly
rewards in order to motivate us into godly living (Ps. 58:11, 62:12; Is.
32:1; Pr. 19:17, 25:22, 28:10; Da. 7:18, 22, 27, 12:13; Is. 40:10, 49:4,
62:11; Je. 17:10, 32:19; Mt. 5:5, 12, 19, 46, 6:4, 6, 16-20, 10:41-42, 11:1112, 16:27, 18:1-6, 19:21, 29, 20:16, 20-23, 26-28, 23:11, 25:13, 34-40; Mk.
9:33-37, 10:21, 30, 35-45; Lk. 1:14-19, 6:23, 32-36, 9:46-48, 22:24-30,
12:33, 14:11, 13-14, 16:10-12, 18:14, 22, 30, 19:17, 21:1-4, 22:30, 36-38;
Jn. 13:12-17, Ro. 2:7, 8:17-18; 1Co. 3:14, 4:5, 6:2-3, 9:17, 24, 15:58; Eph.
6:8; Phil. 3:14; Co. 3:23-24; 1Ti. 4:8, 6:6; 2Ti. 2:12, 4:8; Ja. 1:12, 2:5; He.
2:5, 6:10-12, 10:35-36, 11:24-26, 35; 1Pe. 3:3-4, 5:4; 2Pe. 1:11; Re. 2:2627, 3:21, 5:10, 22:5, 12).
C. Vision for a Greater Inheritance:
He desires to give us a vision for greatness not primarily in this age but in
the age to come so that we would pursue the right things in this life.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord,
not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the
Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Co. 3:23-24).”
1
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all
things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come (1Ti.
4:8).”
“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and
election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will
receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ (2Pe. 1:10-11).”
D. Some Resurrected Saints will Receive Eternal Crowns:
(1 Co. 9:25; 2Ti. 4:8; Ja. 1:12; 1Pe. 5:4; Re. 2:10, 3:11, 4:10, 4)
“And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory
that will never fade away (1Pe. 5:4).”
“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to
get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last
forever (1Co. 9:25).”
“Now, there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but
also to all who have longed for his appearing (2Ti. 4:8).”
III.
The Resurrection:
Each one of the following points is a study in itself so I invite you to spend
extended time looking over these verses and ideas and then discussing them
with each other. By doing so you will gain a far greater understanding than
can be grasped in the short period we will be giving to each one.
A. Our Resurrected Bodies:
Our bodies will become like Christ’s. The purpose of this is so that we will
be able to interact with the environments of both Heaven and Earth.
When a believer dies now their spirit goes to be with the Lord in Heaven
and so they have no need of a body, but we will be like Christ and will
interact with both environments in a perfect way (Mt. 28:1–20; Mk. 16:1–
8; Lk 24:1–53; Jn. 20:1–21:25; Ac. 1:1-11; Ps. 104:1-2; Mt. 13:43; Php.
3:20-21; 1Co. 6:14, 15:35-53, 2Co. 3:18).
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being
transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from
the Lord, who is the Spirit (2Co. 3:18).”
“But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring
everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they
will be like his glorious body (Php. 3:20-21).”
2
“And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear
the likeness of the man from heaven (1Co. 15:49).”
B. Role of Resurrected Saints:
The prophets spoke much about the various activities of the redeemed in
the in Kingdom Age (Ps. 37:9, 11, 62:12; Is. 1:26, 32:1; Da. 7:22, 27; Mt.
5:3, 5, 10, 19:28, 20:16, 21-23, 26-27, 25:23; Lk. 14:14, 18:14, 22, 30,
16:10, 19:17-19, 22:29-30; 1Co. 6:2-3; 1Ti. 4:8; 2Ti. 2:12; 1Th. 4:14-17;
Ro. 2:7, 8:17; Ja. 1:12, 2:5; He. 2:5, 6:11-12, 10:35-36, 11:35; Re. 2:26-27,
3:21, 5:10, 7:14-17, 20:1-6, 22:3-5, 12). Life will be real, full, fulfilling and
varied, below are just a few of the dynamics we will walk in.
1. The resurrected saints will serve before God (Re. 5:10, 7:14-17, 22:3).
2. Resurrected saints will be ruling with Christ (Is. 1:26, 32:1; Da. 7:27;
Lk. 19:13-19; Mt. 5:3, 5, 10, 19:28; 1 Co. 6:2-3; Re. 2:26-27, 3:21, 5:10,
20:4-6, 22:5).
3. Resurrected saints will dwell in the New Jerusalem while unresurrected humans primarily dwell on Earth (Lk. 16:8-9; Jn. 14:1-4;
Re. 22:3, 7:14-15; Ga. 4:26; Ps. 27:4; 1Pe. 2:5, 9, 11; 2 Co. 5:1-8).
IV.
The Resistors:
At the start of the Millennium there will actually be two major groups of
people; the resurrected saints and those on the earth with natural bodies
where natural life continues on. This group is often referred to in the
scriptures as “those who are left (Is. 4:3, 7:22; Zch. 9:7).” For the sake of our
study however I will here forward refer to this group as “the Resistors.”
Below are several of the defining characteristics about this Resistor group.
A. Biblical Foundation:
The following passages lay the clear foundation for the existence of this
group (Ps. 67:1-4, 76:10; Is. 4:2-3, 10:20-22, 11:11, 16, 12:4, 19:20-21,
28:5, 37:31-32, 49:6, 65:8, 66:19; Je. 23:3, 31:2; Ez. 7:16, 20:38-42, 36:36;
Da. 12:1; Jo. 2:32; Am. 9:9-10, 14-15; Mi. 4:7, 5:7-8; Zph. 2:9, 11, 3:9-10,
12-13, 20; Zch. 8:12, 9:6-7, 12:14, 13:8, 14:16; Ma. 1:11, 14).
B. They Previously Resisted:
The reason for this designation is that this group resisted nearly
everything and everyone during the period of the Tribulation; they
resisted the Antichrist and refused to take his mark, but so too they
resisted Christ and were not saved during the Great Harvest. Thus they
enter the Millennium with natural bodies but without the judgment that
awaits those who take the mark of the beast.
C. They Receive Salvation:
These people will all come to Christ in the early period of the Millennium
as they see Christ face to face and have the entire story line unveiled to
them. It is foundational to the 1000 year reign of Christ that there be
people on the Earth who serve Christ with natural bodies during this
time.
3
D. Their Role & Function:
It is important to understand the difference between this group and the
Resurrected Saints because of how different their lives will look from
ours. Their role will look very much like lives do now while we, with
resurrected bodies will be experiencing all the promises of Heaven and
have dynamic interaction with the earth unlike anything in history.
IV.
Heaven on Earth:
A. New Jerusalem Descends near to Earth:
The Holy City comes down out of the Heavens and into plain view of the
inhabitants of the Earth for the first time in history. This will be the most
amazing sight (Ps. 48), glorious and beautiful (Re. 21:9-26).
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and
showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God.
It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very
precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal…The nations will walk by its
light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it (Re. 21:1012, 24).”
B. The Wedding Supper of the Lamb takes Place:
“Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns…the wedding of the Lamb
has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and
clean, was given her to wear.”…‘Blessed are those who are invited to the
wedding supper of the Lamb (Re. 19:6-9)!’”
C. Unprecedented Peace and Justice Mark the 1000 Years:
“Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will
reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of
the LORD Almighty will accomplish this (Is. 9:7).”
V.
Life Continues On Planet Earth:
A. Mankind Repopulates the Planet:
1. There will be natural reproduction in the Millennium, procreation will
continue on for those with natural bodies (Le. 26:9; Ps. 22:30-31,
45:16, 48:13, 87:4-7, 102:27-28, 103:17; Is. 11:6-8, 34:10, 17, 45:18,
54:3, 59:21, 61:9, 65:9, 20, 23, 66:22; Je. 30:20; Ez. 36:10-13, 37,
37:25-26, 47:22; Jo. 3:20; Zch. 8:5, 10:8; Re. 20:8).
“I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will
be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the
past and will make you prosper more than before. Then you will know
4
that I am the LORD. I will cause people, my people Israel, to walk upon
you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will
never again deprive them of their children (Ez. 36:11-12).”
“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. My dwelling place will be with
them; I will be their God, and they will be my people…when my
sanctuary is among them forever (Ez. 37:26-28).’”
2. People will again live for hundreds of years (Is. 65:20, 22; Zch. 8:4).
“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; he who dies at a hundred will
be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be
considered accursed (Is. 65:20).”
3. Tranquil relationships in nature will mark this season in an unusual
way (Ps. 68:30, 91:13; Is. 11:6-8, 34:13-15, 35:9, 43:20, 65:25; Ez.
34:25).
“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. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down
together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play
near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the
viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy
mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the
waters cover the sea (Is. 11:6-9).”
B. The Cities and Infrastructure of the World are Rebuilt:
1. Literal cities will be rebuilt (Ps. 69:35, 102:16, 147:2; Is. 44:26, 45:13,
54:3, 58:12, 60:10, 61:4-6, 65:21; Je. 30:18, 33:7; Ez. 36:10, 33, 36-38;
Am. 9:14; Mi. 7:12; Ac: 3:21). The Great Tribulation will have brought
about nearly total devastation to the Earth.
“They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long
devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated
for generations (Is. 61:4).”
“I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of
Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt (Ez. 36:10).”
2. All the houses will have been destroyed and they will need to be
rebuilt (Is. 58:12, 65:21-22; Je. 30:18; Ez. 28:26).
“They will build houses and dwell in them…No longer will they build
houses and others live in them…For as the days of a tree, so will be the
5
days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their
hands (Is. 65:21-22).”
3. Agriculture will have to be reestablished, vineyards and gardens and
such will be tilled again and then crops planted (Ps. 65:9, 10, 13, 67:6,
72:3, 16, 85:12, 147:14; Is. 4:2, 13:20, 27:6, 30:23-24, 32:20, 14, 61:5,
62:9, 65:10, 21-22; Ez. 28:26, 36:8, 29-30, 34:27-29, 47:12; Am. 9:14;
Zch. 2:4).
“They will…plant vineyards and eat their fruit (Is. 65:21).”
“I will call for the grain and make it plentiful…I will increase the fruit of
the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer…
famine (Ez. 36:29-30).”
4. The land will be restored to how it was at the Garden of Eden (Ps.
65:9-13, 18:8 linked with 2Sa. 22:9; Is. 4:2, 32:15, 33:21, 35:1-2, 6-7,
41:18-19, 51:3, 55:12, 13; Ez. 36:35, 45:15; Jo. 3:18; Zch. 14:8).
C. The Nations will be Fully Discipled:
All the nations of the Earth will meet in Jerusalem for teaching,
instruction and worship (Ps. 66:4-5, 67:4, 68:31-34, 29, 86:9, 99:5, 110:2;
Is. 2:3-5, 11:10, 25:6, 54:13, 60:3-4, 66:23; Je. 3:17; Da. 7:14; Mi. 4:1-3,
7:12; Zch. 14:16-19, 8:20-22; Ac. 3:21-23; Re. 15:4). The years of the
Millennium will be to fulfill the great commission.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to
the very end of the age (Mt. 28:19-20).”
“Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the
LORD, to the house 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 (Is. 2:3).”
VI.
Government:
A. Jesus is Crowned King of All the Earth:
1. Jesus becomes the new King of the planet (Ps. 72, 45:1-8, 118:22-29;
Ps. 37:11; Mt. 19:28, 20:21-23, 25:23; Lk. 19:17-19, 22:29-30; Ac.
3:21; Ro. 8:17; 1Co. 6:2-3; 2Ti. 2:12; Re. 2:26-27, 3:21, 5:10, 20:4-6,
22:5).
2. He will be a very wise leader (Ps. 111:3; Is. 11:1-3, 49:10b; Je. 23:5; Ez.
34:11-24; Zch. 8:20-22; Re. 7:17).
B. He Rules the Nations Henceforth:
6
1. The nations are made His inheritance forever (Ge. 15:4; Ps. 2:8-9,
22:27-28, 66:7; Da. 7:14; Zch. 9:10; Mt. 5:5, 21:38; Mk. 12:7; Lk. 20:14;
Jn. 3:16; He. 1:2; Re. 2:26-27).
“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 (Is. 2:4).”
2. He will assume control over all the governments of the Earth (Is. 2:14; Mi. 4:1-5; Je. 3:17; Ez. 37:28, 43:4-7).
3. He will put into place a one world governmental institution (Zch. 14:9;
Ez. 37:13-28, Re. 19:16).
4. There will still be literal nations, as in different territories under
different leaders authority (Ps. 2:8-9, 67:4-7, 72:10-11, 17, 86:9, 99:12; Is. 2:4, 26:15; Ez. 37:28; Mi. 4:3; Zch. 2:11, 8:22-23, 9:10, 14:18; Re.
2:26).
5. All of the nations will serve Israel (Ps. 72:10-11; Is. 14:2, 45:14, 49:2223, 60:10, 12, 61:5; Zch. 8:23).
C. New Leadership is Put in Place:
1. New kings will be put into place (Ps. 47:9, 72:11, 89:27, 102:15; Da.
7:27; Re. 16:14; 19:19-21).
2. Real human leaders will be given places of authority in Christ’s
Kingdom (Ps. 2:10; Is. 24:23, 32:1-2, 49:23).
3. There will be judges and governors over various areas of jurisdiction
(Is. 1:26, 24:23, 32:1; Je. 30:21; Ez. 45:8-9; Mt. 19:28; Lk. 22:30, 19:1228).
D. The Wicked are Rounded up and Executed:
As it was after the fall of Nazi Germany war tribunals will take place
where wicked men will be rounded up and then punished for their crimes
(Ps. 9:19; Is. 13:11, 14:2, 24:21-22, 26:21, 45:23-24: Na. 1:3; Lk. 19:27,
20:16; Php. 2:9-11; 2Th. 1:8-9).
“In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above and the
kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound
in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many
days (Is. 24:21-22).”
“I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end
to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless
(Is. 13:11).”
7