Why Is There a Millennium?
Most Christians believe that when we die, we go to heaven and live in heaven with God for all eternity. This is unbiblical. The Scriptures do not teach this. It likely came from evangelists boiling the Gospel down to its simplest form to convey it quickly and easily to people. In the 20th century, tent revivals and evangelism and healing crusades became vogue and “saving souls” became the sole focus. Billy Graham’s style of ministry was feverishly popular and avoided mature Biblical topics in order to make the Gospel “relatable”. Neglected became the deeper knowledge of God’s Word.
So, these Evangelists simplify the Gospel to a sort of crossroads at which a man must choose the direction he wishes to go and the destination he will arrive at – If he chooses Christ, he will go to Heaven for all eternity, but if he chooses a life of sin, he will go to an eternity in hell.
It is true that in the Resurrection and “catching away” of the Church, we are called up into Heaven to be with Jesus, for the marriage supper of the Lamb. This is a relatively short time the Church spends in Heaven, until the Great Tribulation of earth comes to a head and we return with Jesus to watch Him destroy His enemies, binds satan for a time from deceiving the nations, and set up His Kingdom on Earth, in which we share the administration. From this point on, we rule with Christ on Earth for a thousand years. After 1,000 years of Christ’s rule, satan is loosed and deceives the nations to rebel against Christ. God then destroys this Earth and creates a new Heaven and a new Earth in which righteousness dwells, finally defeating death for God’s creation – He makes all things new. We then continue to rule with Christ in New Jerusalem, which is sort of this point of union of heaven and Earth.
Okay, so you can see why Evangelists preferred not to get into the Bible’s teaching on this topic – it is rather complex and not something to get bogged down in while preaching Christ to the unsaved. However, Churches should have improved this knowledge once new Believers came to them. Unfortunately, so many Christians continue on with this simplified and untrue belief about our future.
And when they encounter the teachings of the Millennium, some people might ask – “why is this a thing? Why don’t we simply go to heaven to be with God? Why this complicated wrinkle in the future?”
Well, for one thing, God has always planned this and it is His promise to humanity found throughout the Scriptures in the background – that mankind would inherit and rule the world to come that God was making:
“For He did not subject to angels the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But someone has testified somewhere, saying, ‘What is man, that You think of him? Or a son of man, that You are concerned about him? 7 You have made him for a little while lower than angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor; 8 You have put everything in subjection under his feet.’ For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. 9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of His suffering death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.” (Hebrews 2:5-9).
Even in Genesis, we can get a sense that the Tree of Life was intended for mankind to partake of, but in its proper time and after our fall into rebellion, humanity had to be prevented from tasting of it:
“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.” (Genesis 3:22-23)
This is the same tree we read about in Revelation, which is the culmination of the story – the fulfillment of God’s original plan that humanity would inherit the world to come and eternal life was part and parcel to that:
“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, 2 in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; 4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. 5 And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever…. Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life, and may enter the city by the gates.” (Revelation 22:1-5; 14).
God always intended humanity to inherit the world to come – a world in which God dwelt with His creation in which the eternal timeless and spiritual Heaven would be united to the temporal, linear time line of the material Earth. They would be one. In order for this to happen, the earth would have to be holy. This is obvious because God cannot dwell anywhere but where it is holy.
This informs the angelic fall into sin. Before he was known as humanity’s “adversary” (Hebrew: “satan”) an angel named “Star of the morning, son of dawn” (rendered “Lucifer” in Latin) (Isaiah 14:12) or “the anointed Cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14) appears to have concocted a devious scheme to derail God’s plans for humanity’s future. Perhaps it was jealousy or hatred towards God’s new creation of “simple” and “lowly” humanity who would supersede angels to inherit the world to come and even rule over angels:
“Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?” (1 Corinthians 6:3)
Perhaps he thought how easy it would be to undo God’s plan if he only could cause infantile humanity to sin. He would make humanity unacceptable to God. This would undermine God’s promise of giving the future world of united heaven and earth to mankind and not to angels. Sin made humanity unholy and an unholy humanity could not inherit a world in which God dwelt among them, in their midst.
What satan could not comprehend, nor the fallen angels was that God intended humanity to inherit the future world through Himself – that He would become part of humanity through the Jesus Christ, the Son of David – God become man.
The Millennium is God’s fulfillment of His promise that humanity would inherit the world to come and that they would rule the world in righteousness. And that they would judge even angels. This is accomplished through His Son, born of a woman, born a descendant of David, and the everlasting Word, who will rule humanity in true righteousness.
The Millennium also satisfies His promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David:
“Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand, which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:15-18).
We know this is not speaking of the present age, because Hebrews tells us Abraham was looking to the promise of a heavenly kingdom:
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; 10 for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God….13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. 14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. 15 And indeed if they had been thinking of that country which they left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them. 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and the one who had received the promises was offering up his only son; 18 it was he to whom it was said, “Through Isaac your descendants shall be named.” 19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.” (Hebrews 11:8-10; 13-19)
The promise to David:
“Now then, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. 9 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who [a]are on the earth. 10 And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, nor will malicious people oppress them anymore as previously, 11 even from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you. 12 When your days are finished and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from you, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind, 15 but My favor shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you. 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 17 In accordance with all these words and all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.” (2 Samuel 7:8-17)
Aside from fulfilling His purpose from the beginning to give humanity the world to come, the Millennium also serves as God’s proof that only through His Son’s rule can true peace come upon the earth – a peace not only between people, but also among nature, bringing the longing of humanity to fruition upon earth and the restoration of all things back to what they were intended to be in Eden before the Fall.
Through the reign of Christ, God brings to the earth everything humanity lost in the Fall and which it has endeavored for millennia to recover but without success. Christ brings knowledge to all humanity, perfect justice to the great and small, perfect peace and tranquility, an end to war and violence, and abundance of food for all and wealth. Let’s examine this in Scripture:
KNOWLEDGE
“The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2)
“For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:9b)
“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall be in those days when you become numerous and are fruitful in the land,” declares the Lord, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor miss it, nor will it be made again. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all the nations will assemble at it, at Jerusalem, for the name of the Lord; and they will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil heart.” (Jeremiah 3:15-17)
“And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, To the house of the God of Jacob; So that He may teach us about His ways, And that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)
“Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded, And the ears of those who hear will listen. 4 The mind of the rash will discern the truth, And the tongue of the stammerers will hurry to speak clearly. 5 No longer will the fool be called noble, Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.” (Isaiah 32:3-5)
JUSTICE
“There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of armies will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7)
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.” (Isaiah 42:1)
“Behold, a king will reign righteously, And officials will rule justly. 2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind And a shelter from the storm, Like streams of water in a dry country, Like the shade of a huge rock in an exhausted land.” (Isaiah 32:1-2)
“I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the poor. 13 Certainly the righteous will give thanks to Your name; The upright will dwell in Your presence.” (Psalm 140:12-13)
PEACE
“And He will judge between the nations, And will mediate for many peoples; And they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not lift up a sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:4)
“And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. 18 Then my people will live in a peaceful settlement, In secure dwellings, and in undisturbed resting places.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)
ABUNDANCE
“Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.” (Isaiah 60:5)
“They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, And My chosen ones will fully enjoy the work of their hands.” (Isaiah 65:21-22)
“Then He will give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plentiful; on that day your livestock will graze in a wide pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat seasoned feed, which has been winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.” (Isaiah 30:23-25)
TRAGEDY DAMPENED
“I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people; And there will no longer be heard in her The voice of weeping and the sound of crying. 20 No longer will there be in it an infant who lives only a few days, Or an old person who does not live out his days; For the youth will die at the age of a hundred, And the one who does not reach the age of a hundred Will be thought accursed.” (Isaiah 65:19-20)
NATURE PREVENTED FROM HARM
“And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fattened steer will be together; And a little boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)
“The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm on all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.” (Isaiah 65:25)
“EQUITY”
“But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” (Isaiah 11:4 KJV)
Equity here does not mean the same thing as is invoked today where the fruit of people’s labor is redistributed to those who have not labored. God rewards good works, so He does believe in rewarding labor with the fruit due to it.
“Now the one who plants and the one who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthian 3:8).
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sisters, be firm, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
“The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather he must labor, producing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with the one who has need.” (Ephesians 4:28)
“The elders who lead well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle the ox while it is threshing,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17)
“But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will repay each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life; 8 but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:5-8)
So, it seems clear that God’s economy is that those who do good, should receive the rewards of their labor.
In this fallen world, many wealthy and powerful people have enriched themselves by defrauding their neighbors and through unjust gain – generating wealth through the works of the flesh.
“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Galatians 5:19-21)
“The Lord arises to contend, And stands to judge the people. 14 The Lord enters into judgment with the elders and leaders of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; The goods stolen from the poor are in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing My people And oppressing the face of the poor?” Declares the Lord God of armies.” (Isaiah 3:13-15)
Remember the example of Naboth and Jezebel and Ahab - Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard and when Naboth would not sell, Jezebel falsely accused Naboth of blasphemy against God and got a crowd to kill him, thus getting Ahab the vineyard he wanted. (1 Kings 21)
“And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her, because no one buys their cargo any more— 12 cargo of gold, silver, precious stones…, slaves, and human lives…The merchants of these things, who became rich from her, will stand at a distance because of the fear of her torment, weeping and mourning, 16 saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, she who was clothed in fine linen and purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls; 17 for in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste!’” (Revelation 18:11-12; 13b; 15)
“Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?” 15 One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity, One who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking at evil” (Isaiah 33:14-15)
In this fallen world, many who labor and work hard have been ruined by those who enriched themselves off their ruin.
Not so in the Millennium. God will invert the economic systems that build wealth from ruining people and impoverishing nations – redeeming the poor, who have labored in good works, which the world did not reward or deem valuable. But in Christ’s economic system, this is the highest currency.
Currently, there are powerful people around the world working to forcibly restructure the entire world economic system. But the point is to enrich themselves and defraud the financial liberty of ordinary people. Not so, in Christ’s Kingdom:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)
“Those who are most helpless will eat, And the poor will lie down in security; I will kill your root with famine, And it will kill your survivors. 31 Wail, you gate; cry, you city; Melt away, Philistia, all of you! For smoke comes from the north, And there is no straggler in his ranks. 32 What answer will one give the messengers of the nation? That the Lord has founded Zion, And the poor of His people will take refuge in it.” (Isaiah 14:30-32)
“The afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. 20 For the ruthless will come to an end and the scorner will be finished, Indeed all who are intent on doing evil will be eliminated, 21 Who cause a person to be indicted by a word, And set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate, And defraud the one in the right with meaningless arguments.” (Isaiah 29:19-21)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord anointed me To bring good news to the humble; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim release to captives And freedom to prisoners; 2 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, 3 To grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The cloak of praise instead of a disheartened spirit. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. 4 Then they will rebuild the ancient ruins, They will raise up the former devastations; And they will repair the ruined cities, The desolations of many generations. 5 Strangers will stand and pasture your flocks, And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers. 6 But you will be called the priests of the Lord; You will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And you will boast in their riches.” (Isaiah 61:1-6)
So, God brings to earth through His Son what mankind could never accomplish on its own – perfect peace, no wars, perfect justice, perfect rulership, equity for the poor, nature restoration, abundant food, and full knowledge. But most importantly, the adversary against humanity will be imprisoned:
HUMANITY’S SPIRITUAL ADVERSARY WILL BE IMPRISONED
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.” (Revelation 20:1-3)
This release of the devil at the end of the Millennium is significant as it will result in the deception of all the nations to open rebellion against Christ:
“When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7-10)
So, the big question, which occurs to many of us is what is the point of all this? Why this 1,000 year reign of Christ, just to release satan at the end of it?
Well, one possibility, is that the Millennium is a proof to all witnesses in heaven and on earth that the problem with humanity is an intrinsic, internal heart problem. And that this requires God’s intervention to save humanity from itself. God is proving that the harm in human nature is not due to things outside of us. Let’s look at this a little more deeply.
Since the beginning of time, humanity has wondered what causes our bad behavior. What is mankind’s “fatal flaw” as the Greeks called it, which brought tragedy even to man’s noblest and greatest heroes. In these debates the problem of human behavior has been largely boiled down to two primary possibilities. Some say human behavior is a product of “nature”, while others argue it is the outcome of “nurture”.
The “nature” camp declares the source is intrinsic – an immutable characteristic of certain people to be worse than others. This would include genetics or sin, for example. Thus some people are just born bad and there is nothing you can do to change that.
The “nurture” camp believes human behavior is not intrinsic, but a product of our environment and experiences. A car thief is a car thief because he was raised by car thieves and that is all he knows. So, expose the same child to a better environment and they will not grow up to be car thieves.
Now, there is obviously some overlap and truth in both camps in the real world. We certainly have natural predilections, but our environment can also influence our behavior. But throughout history, these two camps swing back and forth in popularity.
Hitler, for example, argued for a “nature” view that declared the Aryan race intrinsically superior morally while condemning the Jewish people as inferior.
Stalin, on the other hand, ordered the “reeducation” of the entire Russian people, nurturing a utopian dream. He stole the youth and indoctrinated them, and murdered millions who did not agree with what he was doing.
Let’s focus on the nurture argument as it is very prevalent in our western culture today.
Strong movements in the 19th and 20th centuries promoted the idea that education and economic equity was the solution to human suffering and “deviant” behavior. (Louisa May Alcott – Little Women) The argument went something like this: “If only everyone had access to the best knowledge, then they would make wise decisions for their lives and no longer act out in self-harming and society-harming behaviors.” Basically, they believed they could educate out the “animal” instincts in people that caused them to hurt others and hurt themselves. This philosophy meant that people are not to blame for their behavior – their environment is responsible for it, because they lack knowledge and opportunities afforded by education, which they do not have access to. If we could only change the environment, then they would lead healthy, productive, and valuable lives to the society.
This idea set into the America culture and spawned “equity” movements that took the argument further – “If everyone’s basic needs were met and the playing field was levelled for everyone, this would solve human suffering.”
This has culminated in the Millennial generation, which has a reputation for casting off all personal responsibility for its actions, blaming their environment for their behavior and life-choices (their parents, the society, capitalism, their childhood, their teachers, their “disabilities” – anything and everything but themselves), arguing that they can’t be held accountable.
Modern activists claim that if equity, education, and justice were universally accessible, then this would solve the world’s problems.
So, it seems the philosophy of “nurture” has won out in the western world as the argument for why people behave the way they do in self-harm and harming others.
This then is perhaps why God is going to use the Millennium to teach humanity and all witnesses in heaven and on earth, that humanity will still rebel against God, even when they have perfect knowledge, perfect justice, perfect peace, and perfect plenty under the rule of Jesus Christ. The problem with man is inside – in his heart – and he cannot save himself or make himself acceptable to God. Only God can do that for mankind and He has done so through Jesus Christ.
Now is the time to make peace through Him with God and inherit the blessings of the promise to humanity from the beginning of time – we will inherit the world to come.
