The End of The Millennium

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-27-2022

Revelation 20:7-10

 

A.  Now, the Millennium or Golden Age of 1000 years has come to pass.  The earth has enjoyed the wonderful earth that God has given to them to live on during this time with many of its characteristics the same as it was in the pre-flood period on earth.

 

B.  During the Millennium, we find man's last chance to bow to the Son of God!  As this Golden Age comes to an end, these on earth are either saved eternally or lost eternally.  The choice has been theirs for 1000 years.  Plenty of time to make up their minds and put their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  The lesson here is that choices eventually come to an end and have eternal consequences. 

 

John 12:35-37  Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.  (36)  While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them.  (37)  But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him:

 

C.  Revelation 20:7  And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison.

 

Satan has now been bound with a chain in the bottomless pit for 1000 years.  He never gives up though he has read the Bible and sees his ultimate end.  He continues to believe that he can destroy the Lord Jesus Christ and His kingdom on earth.  The Bible speaks of his loosing as being "a little season."

 

Revelation 20:3  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.

 

D.  Here we find that imprisonment does not reform.  Reformation comes through repentance and a resolve to change one's life.  Satan's desire is to continue his work of condemnation of mankind as he immediately begins to deceive the nations of the earth.

 

2 Corinthians 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

 

E.  Revelation 20:8  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.

 

Their deception.  They of the "four quarters of the earth."  North, South, East, and West will be deceived by Satan and follow him in his quest to destroy God's chosen nation.  The people of earth have been anti-God since the rejection of Cain and the line of the ungodly was established in Genesis 4:17-24.  Though those who entered into the Kingdom Age were redeemed, for the next 1000 years, each generation had to personally come to know the KING KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, who sat upon the throne of David, personally.

 

Ezekiel 38:1-6  And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  (2)  Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him,  (3)  And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:  (4)  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:  (5)  Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:  (6)  Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.

 

Genesis 10:1-5  Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.  (2)  The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.  (3)  And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.  (4)  And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.  (5)  By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

 

Magog , Meshech , and Tubal: these were all sons of Japheth, who was one of the three sons of Noah.  Japheth and his family migrated to the area of modern-day Russia. Gog is a person who rules over the land of Magog (Russia).

 

Gomer and his bands: Probably the ancestor of the Gomermians, the present-day Germans who assaulted Assyria in the late 7th century BC. The Germans, from which the majority of the Western Europe nations such as the French, Spanish, and the Celtic people are descended, are said to have started from Gomer.

 

Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya: 

 

Persia In the Bible Persia is an empire located in southern Asia. It was created by Cyrus the Great in the 6th century BC and was destroyed by Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC.  Today's Turkey and Iran. 

 

Ethiopia: peoples who lived in the southern Nile area, including southern Egypt plus modern-day Sudan, Ethiopia (called Havilah in Gen 2:11), Somalia and other areas.

 

Libya: a large nation of Northern Africa that lies west of Egypt.

 

The house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee: tribes of people who live in the "north quarters" of Turkey.

 

What do all these nations have in common?  They are all haters of Israel and would have no greater joy than to see Israel annihilated!  They have always persecuted the Jewish people.  These masses who have never been able to get along with each other are now confederate with a common enemy to fight, the LORD and His people.  An innumerable army!

 

F.  Revelation 20:8-9  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.  (9)  And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city:

 

Their drawing.  As Egypt thought Israel to be entangled in the land, God will draw the followers of Satan to the place of His choosing at the time of His choosing.

 

Ezekiel 38:4  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

 

Ezekiel 38:10-12  Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:  (11)  And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,  (12)  To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

 

G.  Revelation 20:9  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 devoured them.

Their destruction.  The followers of God will not have to fight in this battle as the battle is the Lord's.  This massive army with all their weapons of war will be destroyed by God.  This "battle" is very similar to the battle we read about in chapter 19 of Revelation. The only thing that makes this appear to be a different battle is that the one in chapter 19 happens in the valley of Megiddo. and this battle seems to be around the city of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 38:16  And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

 

Ezekiel 38:21-23  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother.  (22)  And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.  (23)  Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.

 

Ezekiel 39:2-8  And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:  (3)  And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.  (4)  Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.  (5) Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.  (6)  And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.  (7)  So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.  (8)  Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

 

H.  The fowl of the air and the beasts of the earth will once again aid in removing the carnage.  It will take 7 years for Israel to bury their bones.

 

Ezekiel 39:9-15  And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years:  (10)  So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests; for they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord GOD.  (11)  And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.  (12)  And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.  (13)  Yea, all the people of the land shall bury them; and it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord GOD.  (14)  And they shall sever out men of continual employment, passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: after the end of seven months shall they search.  (15)  And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man's bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.

 

J.  Revelation 20:10  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.

 

Satan, finally home!  God will fulfill His promise that He made to Lucifer.

 

Ezekiel 28:15-19  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  (16)  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.  (17)  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.  (18)  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.  (19)  All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

The Exceeding Greatness of His Power

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-27-2022

Ephesians 1:15-23

 

Introduction: 

 

A.  Ephesians has been called "The Highlands of Faith."  Chapters 1-3 are Positional and 4-6 are Practical.  In the first chapter of Ephesians, we see Christ as He is—not as the world perceives Him.  Our perception of Christ needs to be a biblical one.

 

1.  The world has a warped view of our wonderful Lord.  They see Him as “god” but not as “God!”  If we see Jesus Christ through human eyes and mind, we get a worldly perception of Him. 

 

2.  Often, the believer has such a view of Jesus Christ.  We see Him as “God” when things go right and as “god” when circumstances change, and doubts arise!  As faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God, so our perception of Jesus Christ must (and I re-emphasis MUST) come from God’s Word. 

 

3.  Our faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  Whom having not seen you love!  Whom having not seen you believe!  We must believe what the Bible says about Him in order to perceive Him right.

 

B.  The Holy Spirit is giving us a right perception of Jesus Christ in these verses 21-23. 

 

1.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above Principality!  The commencement, order, time, or rank of God’s power.  The first estate.  God had power before anything was!

 

2.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above Power! Any force, influence, capacity, or strength.

 

3.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above Might! It speaks of miraculous power.  Force beyond any and all ability to do.

 

4.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above Dominion! Mastery, dominion, or government.  God still rules in the affairs of men; setting up and taking down authority at His sovereign will.

 

5.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above Every Name! Either literally or figuratively!  In both majesty and importance.

 

6.  Jesus Christ Is Far Above All Things! Things in heaven, earth, and under the earth!  All things were made by Him and for Him.  They are both inferior in position and power.

 

7.  Jesus Christ Is The Head Of The Church!

 

8.  This perception has nothing to do with our circumstances. 

 

C.  Jesus Christ has no weaknesses:

 

1.   He has no limitations.

 

2.  He has no doubts or worries.

 

3.  There is nothing that He cannot do.

 

4.  There is nothing that He does not know.

 

5.  There is no place where He cannot be found.

 

6.  He knows the end from the beginning so we have absolutely nothing to worry about! 

 

7.  That is the “God” that our Bible speaks of.

 

D.  I find it of great interest that the chapter ends with a dissertation on the Power of God.  As the Spirit of God is our Earnest, the Power of God is our Guarantee!  Notice the wording: “exceeding greatness.”  God has power that is limitless in both its scope and demand. 

 

Psalms 62:11  God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.  (Power both belongs to God and comes from God.)

 

1.  God has power over things in heaven.  Job 1:10  Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.  (Angels are subject to Him.  Satan is under God’s authority and power.)

 

2.  God has power over creation.  Psalms 135:6-7  Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places.  (7)  He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.  (The wind and waves obey His voice.)

 

3.  God has power over human government.  Romans 13:6  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.  (He raise authorities up and He takes authorities down.)

 

4.  God has power over authorities.  Proverbs 21:1  The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.  (All nations and all kings are under his control.)

 

5.  God has all power and nothing is impossible with Him.  1 Chronicles 29:11  Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all.

 

Matthew 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.  (He can do anything, anywhere, and at any time.)

 

1.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Salvation - Hebrews 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.  (Saved by God’s power alone. You do not get any more saved or secure than that.  Many try to add personal merit to either saving or keeping or both.  I am so glad that my salvation is entire of and depends entire upon God’s power.)

 

2.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Preservation - Jude 24  Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 

 

1 Peter 1:5  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.  (The exceeding greatness of our salvation is in its eternality!  What can separate us from the love of God?  Romans 8 says, “NOTHING!”)

 

Romans 8:35-39  Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?  (36)  As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.  (37)  Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.  (38)  For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,  (39)  Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

 

3.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Sanctification - 2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  (We can do all things through Christ which strengthens us!  We can be anything and all things for Him.)

 

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

 

2 Corinthians 9:8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

 

4.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Protection - Psalms 121:1-8  A Song of degrees. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.  (2)  My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.  (3)  He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.  (4)  Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.  (5)  The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.  (6)  The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.  (7)  The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.  (8)  The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.  (We are truly “hedged in” by the Lord!  The only things that can touch us are the things that He allows.  As tough as this may seem at times, God knows what He is doing and He can be trusted in our hard times, which brings us to our next point.)

 

5.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Predicaments - Isaiah 43:2  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.  (This one is a little hard for my family at this time but I still believe that God can be trusted with our lives as well as with our things.  My family has been protected and will face December with the full assurance that the God of this Bible that I preach will do what He says!  When thou “passeth through the waters … walkest through the fire” they will neither overflow us nor kindle upon us!  You can trust God in the bad times just as well as you can trust Him in the good times.)

 

6.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Provision - Matthew 10:29-31  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.  (30)  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  (31)  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.  (God has promised to supply all my need!  I have not starved as you can well see.  God has been so good to my family and I fully expect Him to take care us until He takes us home!)

 

7.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Promises - 2 Peter 1:3-4  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:  (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.  (I still believe that you can take the promises of God to the “bank” and expect them to be made good!  God can neither lie nor can He break His promises.  We just have to learn to trust them.)

 

8.  The Exceeding Greatness Of His Power In Our Providence - Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ: (What a God!  He is sovereign in all things and completely controls our lives.  He will bring us to a right end!  He both knows our future and has prepared for it.  We will all make it to our desired destination.)

 

Psalms 49:15  But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me. Selah.

Waiting with Patience

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-23-2022

James 5:7-8; Romans 8:18-25

 

Introduction:

 

A.  Verse 7 of our text speaks of both "be patient," which is the present, and "long patience," which is endurance.  Paul spoke of this in the Book of Romans:

 

Romans 8:22-25  For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.  (23)  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.  (24)  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  (25)  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

 

B.  Waiting in patience is tough to do.  There are times when we wait because we have no choice, but we do not wait in patience.  These are two words that we do not like:  Wait and Patience!

 

C.  One of the hardest things that you and I will ever do, is wait “open ended.”  To wait for something to happen but not knowing if it will happen tomorrow, next week, or next year.  It is so much easier to wait for something when you know the time of the event you are waiting for. 

 

D.  The Old Testament saints, with a few exceptions, waited for a period of 4,000 years—gave up on the promises of God and slept spiritually before the First Advent. 

 

E.  God’s men have preached over 2,000 years concerning the Second Advent or Second Coming of Christ. 

 

1.  In John 14, Our Lord said, “If I go away, I will come again.” 

 

2.  In Acts 1:11, the angel said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” 

 

F.  2 Thessalonians 3:5  And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ.

 

G.  God is not in a hurry, we are.  If God can accomplish anything immediately and He can, then why does He often make us wait for the answers to our problems?  Often, His silences are hard to understand because His ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are higher than ours.

 

H.  The word “patient,” in one form or another, is found 15x in 14 verses.  All but three are found in the New Testament.  Not that the Old Testament saints had no problem with patience, but the New Testament saints live in busier times with more things to distract.

 

J.  By being patient, James is not saying to just sit still and do nothing.  While we wait, we have things to do. 

 

1.  Rest In Patience - Psalms 37:7  Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.  (I began with this one because I dealt with learning to rest in the Lord as we wait this morning.)

 

2.  Pray In Patience - Psalms 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.  (God has a time and we have a time.  Thus the human problem arises when we expect immediate answers to every prayer.  As the widow before the unjust judge, we need to continue to pray until the answer comes.)

 

3.  Continue In Patience - Romans 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  (Patient in godliness is one of our greatest witnessing tools.  People watch to see how long we will last.)

 

Hebrews 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.

 

4.  Suffer In Patience - Romans 12:12  Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;  (One of the harder aspects of patience is patient in suffering.)

 

1 Peter 2:20  For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.

 

5.  Fellowship In Patience - 1 Thessalonians 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.  (Love the brotherhood, though they may say and do things that offend.  (Be ye kind, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.  Christ set the example to follow.)

 

6.  Labor In Patience - 1 Corinthians 15:58  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  (We plow, sow, water, watch, and wait for the fruit of our labors.)

 

7.  Witness In Patience - James 5:7-8  Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.  (8)  Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.  (Never give up on a lost loved one!)

 

8.  Hope In Patience - Hebrews 6:15  And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.  (“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  John 14:3) 

 

The Millennium – Part 2

 Temple Baptist Church - 2-20-2022

Revelation 20:4-6

 

A.  The Reality of the Millennium.  The word "Millennium" means 1000 and is a word that we use to describe the Kingdom Age, also called the Golden Age.  In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, there are 6 different references to the future reign of our Lord Jesus Christ for a period of 1000 years.  To ignore these verses or to spiritualize these verses is biblical ignorance.  The Millennium is a reality that will soon come to pass as it could be just 7 years away.

 

B.  The Ruling of the Millennium.  The Millennial Reign of Christ will not be by elected or self-elevated dictator.  God has a plan for its ruling.

 

1.  Rule By The Saviour.  Isaiah 9:6 - For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 

          Psalms 2:6 -Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

 

He who alone is worthy will judge those who unworthily judged Him.

 

2.  Rule By The Martyred Saints.  Revelation 20:4  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.

 

I believe that those who have paid the ultimate price for faithfulness will be given power in judgment over those who follow the paths of those who have taken the mark of the beast.  Though there will not be another mark of the beast, there will be those who hate God and would have taken it if offered.

 

3.  Rule By The Saints.  Revelation 20:6 - 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.

 

Luke 19:17 - And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

 

I am not sure just how this will work but the Lord has already planned it.

 

4.  Rule By The Rod of Iron.  Revelation 12:5 - And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

 

In the Millennium, there will be no prosecutorial discretion; there will be no plea bargains; there will be no reduced sentences.   Justice will be justice equal and swift for all our omniscient Lord will knows when one transgresses.

 

C.  The Restoration of The Millennium.  Though the curse upon the heavens and the earth will not be completely removed at this time, this Kingdom Age will have many characteristics of the Garden of Eden.

 

1.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Peace - Isaiah 2:4 - And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

 

War no more until the end of the 1000 years and that one will not last long.

 

2.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Joy - Isaiah 65:18-19 - But be ye glad and rejoice for ever 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.

 

Though tears will not be wiped away until after the White Throne Judgment and the new heaven and earth, I believe the Bible teaches that as there was joy in the Garden of Eden, there will be great joy during this time.

 

3.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Holiness - Zechariah 14:20 - In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD'S house shall be like the bowls before the altar.

 

No Satan to annoy!   No filth to be seen!  No ungodly Hollywood or Rock Stars allowed!

 

4.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By His Glory - Isaiah 60:1-2 - Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.  For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

 

People in our day are "Gospel Hardened."  People in that day will be "Glory Hardened."  They shall see the Lord as He is and hate Him for it.

 

5.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Comfort - Isaiah 66:13 - As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

 

Every need and desire met by the One who owns it all and controls it all.  We will truly have need of nothing.

 

6.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Justice - Jeremiah 23:5 - Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.

 

The Lord will be in charge of all: Lawgiver, Judge, Jury, and Executioner.  Our President does not make law as he is to execute laws as they are written.  As King, our Lord will make law and execute law.

 

7.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Full Knowledge - Isaiah 11:9 - 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.

 

When there is something that you do not understand, there is something that you do not know.  All will know in that day and therefore all will understand, which leads to all being accountable.

 

8.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Instruction - Micah 4:2 - And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

 

There will be instruction in righteousness which reminds me of the Sermon on the Mount.

 

9.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By A Partial Removal Of The Curse - Isaiah 11:6  The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.  And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.  And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.

 

Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD. 

 

Most of the curse will be removed and life will much as it was before the fall.

 

10.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By No Sickness - Isaiah 33:24 - And the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick: the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.

 

No more need of masking or vaccinations!  No doctor or hospital visits.  Evidently there will be a removal of the things that cause sickness and death.

 

11.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By No Birth Defects - Isaiah 29:18 - And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness.

 

All births will be normal with not genetically caused deformity.

 

12.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Longevity - Isaiah 65:20 - There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

 

People who follow after the Law will live as those in Genesis, chapter 5.

 

13.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Honest Labor - Isaiah 65:21-22 - And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.  They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

 

Everyone will have work to do, and production will be maximized through honest labor.

 

14.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By Worship - Zechariah 14:16-17 - 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.

 

Worship will be rewarded, and the lack thereof will also be rewarded.

 

15.  The Millennium Will Be Characterized By The Fullness of The Spirit - Ezekiel 36:26-27 - A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

 

It is the spirit of man that is God conscious.  Everyone will be given a soft heart that longs after God and righteousness.

 

What a day that will be!