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A Biblical View Of The End Times #7

Revelation 20:1-10

1,000 YEARS OF HEAVEN ON EARTH

Intro: Revelation chapter 20 mentions a 1000 year period of time 6 times in verse 2-7. This period of time has come to be known as the Millennium. It is a compound word from the Latin which means "1000 years." The millennium is that 1,000 year period of time when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will rule upon this earth. He will usher in a time of peace, prosperity and righteousness such as the world has not witnessed since before man sinned in the Garden of Eden.

There are many who do not believe in a literal 1000 year reign of Christ. They believe that this is just symbolic language. However, there is more written about this future time than about any other event in the realm of prophecy. It is a time that the Bible refers to in a literal sense and there is no reason to believe that it will not happen just as the Bible says. Therefore, those of us who believe the Bible is to be taken literally believe that there will be a literal 1,000 year period of time during which Jesus Christ Himself will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Since there is so much said in the Bible concerning the Millennium, there is no possible way the I could cover all the details in one message. Therefore, I just want to skim the surface this morning and look at a few specific areas of this great period of time that will give us a little insight into what will take place during that glorious time.

At this point, it might be good to refresh our memories concerning the order of future events.

1. The Rapture - This is the next event.

2. The Tribulation Period - This will begin after the Rapture of the church.

3. The Judgment Seat of Christ - This will take place while Tribulation is unfolding upon the earth.

4. The Marriage Supper Of The Lamb - This too will take place alongside the Tribulation Period.

5. The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus - This

event will close the Tribulation and will bring about the Judgment of the nations, Matt 25. The Antichrist and his armies will be destroyed and those who have their faith in Christ will enter into the millennium.

Now, with that information in our minds, let's look at a few specific areas of the Millennial period that will help us to understand it a little better. My friends, I want you to know that this is one thing you do not want to miss for the world! You want to be sure that you are a child of God so that when this time comes to pass, you can join Jesus in His Kingdom and reign with Him for 1,000 years.

I. V. 4, 6 THE SAVIOR DURING THE MILLENNIUM

(Ill. What will Jesus being doing during the Millennium?)

A. He Will Be Reigning - At long last, the Lord Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of David, Isa. 9:6-7. He will rule the world in power, righteousness and glory. His reign will usher in a time of peace and prosperity like nothing the world has ever experienced. His reign will finally bring justice and holiness to the world.

(Ill. The world has never had a ruler like this. All human rulers are controlled by their lusts for power, for wealth and for self glory. Jesus, on the other hand, will reign in perfect righteousness. The millennium will be a time of almost perfect existence.)

B. He Will Be Ruling - The Bible tells us that Jesus will "rule the world with a rod of iron", Rev. 19:15. Like a shepherd, Jesus will guide the entire population of the world. However, those who refuse to bow to His authority will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Rebellion will not be tolerated in that day!

C. He Will Be Receiving - In the day in which we live, the Lord Jesus is viewed as some kind of a comical character by the world. He is like a poor fool who got Himself killed on a cross. However, in the Millennial kingdom, He will receive the glory He has always deserved. All people from every nation will come and bow at His feet and worship the King of Glory! Instead of cursing His name, men will worship Him and shout His praises! What a day that will be!

(Ill. Isa. 40:5, "And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." This verse tells us that man will finally be able to look upon the glory of the Lord in that day! It will be a time of glory to God!)

I. The Savior During The Millennium

II. V. 1-3, 7-10 SATAN DURING THE MILLENNIUM

A. V. 1-3 He Will Be Jailed - For 1,000 years, the enemy of God will not be able to hinder God's work, tempt God's people, nor will he be able to work in the lives of the lost. He will be chained and bound for the duration of the Millennium!

(Ill. Right now, Satan is the "god" of this world, 2 Cor. 4:4. He spends his time doing everything in his power to hinder God's business, trip up God's saints and claim soul for Hell. Ill. Note the titles given to him in verse 2. He is a wicked and evil enemy! However, in that day, he will be out of the picture. Imagine a world, ruled by Jesus with no devil! GLORY!)

B. V. 7-10 He Will Be Judged - These verses tell us that at the end of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed from his prison. He will return to the earth and will be able to amass an army of incredible size. He and this army will attack the city of God, where Jesus is reigning and will think to overthrow Jesus. However, divine judgment falls and all the people who followed the devil in his scheme will be destroyed. The, the devil himself will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and he will spend eternity in those terrible flames. His judgment is certain and his doom is sealed! He devil is headed to Hell! When he is cast into Hell, the universe will be forever free from his influences and wickedness. Just to know the devil is going to burn is enough to shout about!

(Ill. Does it bother you that even when Jesus Christ has ruled the world with perfect, righteous judgment, Satan is still able to find a vast multitude to follow him? It bothers me, but it is a clear illustration of the heart of the lost sinner! No matter how good God is to someone, until they are saved by grace and changed by the power of God, they are wicked to the core! In fact, I believe this is one of the primary reasons for the Millennium. It is to prove the hardness and sinfulness of the heart of men! You see, in various ways God has tried to reach men, and each time, man has failed to respond with love toward God. Notice:

1. The age of Innocence (Gen. 3) ended with willful disobedience.

2. The age of conscience (Gen. 5-6) ended with universal corruption.

3. The age of human government (Gen. 11) ended with devil worship at the Tower of Babel.

4. The age of promise (Gen. 12 - Ex. 1) ended with the people of God in bondage in Egypt.

5. The age of Law (Ex. 2 - Matt. 27) ended with humanity killing their Creator on the cross.

6. The age of the church (Acts 1 - ?) Will end with worldwide apostasy.

7. The age of Tribulation (Rev. 19) will end with the battle of Armageddon.

8. The age of the Millennium (Rev. 20) will end with an attempt to overthrow God Himself.

The point is that the human heart is terribly wicked and prone to evil. There is no good in it all, Rom. 3:10-11. The only hope for men is to come to Jesus for salvation. He changes hearts! Anything less will result in damnation and Hell. Where do you stand this morning? Are you saved!)

I. The Savior During The Millennium

II. Satan During The Millennium

III. V. 4-6 THE SAINTS DURING THE MILLENNIUM

(What will the redeemed people of God be doing during the Millennium?)

A. V. 4a They Will Be Reigning - All the saints of God, that is, every person who received Jesus between the Day of Pentecost and the Rapture of the church will reign with Jesus in His Millennial kingdom. We will share in His glory and in His reign, 2 Tim. 2:12; 1 Pet. 5:1.

(Ill. The children of God may be mocked and ridiculed down here right now, but there is coming as day when we will return with Jesus in power and glory to this world and we will reign with Him on this earth. In that day, we will be different that we are now. In fact, we will have already been through the Judgment Seat of Christ and we will have enjoyed the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. We will have been with Jesus when He took control of the world away from the devil and his armies. We will have shared in it all and we will share in His glory! When we reign with Him, we will be in our glorified bodies! We will be free from sin, free from death, free from disease. We will be perfect in that day!)

B. V. 4b They Will Be A Resurrected - At the beginning of the Millennium, all the Old Testament saints and all those who died with faith in Jesus during the Tribulation will be raised from the dead. Imagine, seeing all the Old Testament believers serving the One they were looking for! You see, they all died in faith, looking ahead to that day when the promised One would go to the cross and die for sin. Well, He did and now they are saved! They will love again on that blessed day! Ill. Abraham saw His day and was glad, John 8:56. In that day, he will see Jesus!

C. V. 4c They Will Be Received - The last part of this verse makes it clear that there will be a number of people who will come to the end of the Tribulation Period with their faith in Jesus, These people refused the Mark of the Beast and they lived until the end. Some will be Jews, others will be Gentiles, but they will all enter the Kingdom of Christ. This is pictured for us in Matthew 25:31-46 as the Judgment of the Nations. Jesus will honor the faith of those who trusted in Him and He will receive them into His kingdom. Those who lived to the end of the Tribulation and did not place their faith in Christ will be destroyed and will go to Hell!

(Ill. I hope you can see that the bottom line is faith! Where is your faith this morning? Is it in Jesus Christ, alone for salvation? If it is in anything else, then you are on dangerous ground. Trust Jesus while you can, He is the only One Who can save the soul.)

I. The Savior During The Millennium

II. Satan During The Millennium

III. The Saints During The Millennium

IV. THE SINNERS DURING THE MILLENNIUM

(Will there be sinners during the Millennium? Yes! There will be none who enter the Millennium, but there will be billions born during that 1,000 year period. You see, all the Jews and Gentiles who enter the Millennium, out of the Tribulation will do so in their flesh and blood bodies. These people are saved, but their offspring will be born with a lost, sinful nature. They will need to be saved too!)

A. Their Relationship To The Savior - In that day, even the lost man will know Jesus. He will know Him as King, but He will not know Him as Savior unless he repents and receives Jesus by faith. Salvation has never changed!

1. They Will Be Forced To Worship Correctly - Every person on the face of the earth will bow in worship before King Jesus! Every one will lift their voices in praises and in singing to Him Who sits upon the throne of glory. What a blessed day that will be! However, imagine having to praise Him and not love Him! Imagine worshiping Him outwardly, while hating Him inwardly! It will happen in that day!

(Ill. Listen, it also happens in this day! A lost person comes into the church. They stand with the congregation of the saints and they sing the songs of praise unto the Lord. They join in with all the redeemed of God as we worship the King. Outwardly, there is no difference, but inwardly, the heart of the lost sinner is not in love with Jesus. He is merely going through the motions. Friend, it does not have to be that way! God can make this thing real for you if you will only come to Him by faith!)


2. They Will Be Forced To Walk Correctly - Now, lost people walk to their own tune. They do what they please without regard to what the Lord has to say about it. However, it that day, they will be forced to live rightly! Again, there will be outward obedience, but without inward love! People will need salvation then, just as they do now!

B. Their Relationship To Satan - Just as the lost have always had a close relationship with the devil, so they will in the Millennium.

1. They Will Be Deceived - The Bible tells us that when Satan is loosed from his prison, he will deceive a great multitude of those who are not saved. They will join him in his bid to conquer God.

(Ill. I find it amazing the people who have known nothing but the holiness, goodness and blessing of God would rather fight Him than love Him. I do not understand that! Yet, we see it all around us in the world today. Even in this room, there are people who eat God's food, breath His air and enjoy His goodness, yet you will not bow before Him and receive Him into your heart and life. That is something I will never understand! Willing to tread underfoot the goodness of God, while you march toward a destiny with Hell! My friend, I would just like to remind you that it is the "goodness of God that leadeth thee to repentance.", Rom. 2:4.

2. They Will Be Doomed - Satan's plan will fail. All those who followed him will be devoured by the fire of God out of Heaven. Their bodies will burn up and their souls will go to Hell. What a terrible doom awaits the enemies of God!

(Ill. It is the same fate that awaits everyone who refuses to come to Jesus for salvation. Friends, He is the only way for anyone to miss Hell. He is the only way to be saved, John 14:6. Do you know Him?)

I. The Savior During The Millennium

II. Satan During The Millennium

III. The Saints During The Millennium

IV. The Sinners During The Millennium

V. SOCIETY DURING THE MILLENNIUM

(Ill. For just a few minutes, I would like to share with you some of the changes that will come about during the Millennium. I won't take too long, but these are a blessing.)

1. Peace - Cessation of all war by the unification of the nations and the resultant economic prosperity. This will be a time of personal and national peace. (Isa.2:4; 9:4-7; 32:17-18; 33:5-6; 55:12; 60:18; Eze.28:26; 34:25, 28; Hos.2:18; Micah 4:2-3; Zech.9:10.

2. Joy - The fulness of joy will be a trademark of the Kingdom. (Isa.12:3-6; 14:7-8; 25:8-9; 61:7,10; 65:18-19; 66:10-14; Jer.31:18-19; Zeph.3:14-17; Zech.10:6-7.

3. Holiness - This Theocratic kingdom will be a holy kingdom. This holiness will be manifested through the king and his subjects. The land will be holy, the people holy, the city holy the entire world will be holy unto the Lord.(Isa. 31:6-7; 35:8-9; 60:21; 61:10; Eze.36:24-31; 37:23-24; Zech.8:3; 14:20-21.)

4. Glory - This kingdom will be a glorious kingdom, with the glory of God in full display. (Isa. 4:2; 35:2; 40:5; 60:1-9.)

5. Comfort - Jesus will fully minister to every need, so that there will be fulness of comfort. (Isa 12:1-2; 30:26; 40 :1-2; 49:13; 51:3; 66:21-23; Jer.31:23-25; Zeph.3:18-20.)

6. Justice - Perfect Justice will be administered to every individual in the entire world. (Isa.9:7; 32:16; 42:1-4; 65:21-23; Jer.23:5.)

7. Full Knowledge - All the subjects of the king will possess fulness of knowledge. No doubt, ther will be an increase in the teaching ministry of the Holy Ghost. (Isa. 11:1-2,9; Isa. 41:19-20; *54:13*; Hab.2:14.)

8. Instruction - Perfect knowledge will come about from instruction from the king. (Isa. 2:2-3; 29:17-24; 32:3-4; Jer.3:14-15; Micah 4:2.)

9. The Removal of the Curse - In Gen. 3:17-19, God placed a curse upon the earth. During the millennium, this curse will be removed, resulting in an increase in the productivity of the earth, and it will cause animals the loose their ferocity and venom. (Isa 11:6-9; 65:25).

10. Sickness Removed - The King will be a healer, so that sickness and death will vanish. Except as a punishment for extreme sin, (Isa 33:24; Jer.30:17; 33:6.)

11. Healing of the deformed - (All deformity will be healed. (Isa.29:17-19; 35:3-6).

12. Protection - There will be a supernatural preservation of life during the millennium. (Isa.41:8-14; 62:8-9; Jer. 23:6; Joel 3:16-17; Amos 9:15; Zech.9:8; 14:10-11.)

13. No oppression - There will be no social, political, racial or religious oppression in that day, (Isa.14:3-6; 42:6-7; 49:8-9; Zech.9:11-12.)

14. No Immaturity - It seems that there will be no mental retardation or dwarfed bodies, longevity will also be restored, (Isa.65:20).

15. Reproduction by the Living People - The living saints who enter the millennium will reproduce. The population of the earth will soar. Yet, all children will be born with a sin nature, and will therefore need salvation, (Jer.30:20; 31:29; Eze.47:22).

16. Labor - There will be no laziness, or welfare. A perfect economic system, all needs will be provided for by the labor of men under direction of the king. It will be a fully industrialized world, (Isa. 62:8-9; 65:21-23; Jer.31:5.)

17. Economic Prosperity - The perfect labor situation will produce economic abundance, so that there will be no want. (Isa.35:1-2, 7; 30:23-25; Jer.31:5; 12; Eze 34:26; 36:29-30; *Joel 2:21-27* *Amos 9:13-14*; Zech.8:11-12.)

The value of all the combined mineral and natural resources of the earth have been estimated at one decillion dollars. This figure is beyond our comprehension. Listen to where decillion comes in line. Million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, novillion, decillion. If this number is divided by the population of the earth, every one on the earth would be a millionaire. (1 followed by 30 zeros)

18. Increase of Light - The will be an increase in solar and lunar light, accounting for the increase in productivity. (Isa.30:26).

19. Unified Language - All language barriers will be removed, (Zeph.3:9).

20. Unified Worship - The entire world will worship God and Jesus, (Isa.45:23; 66:17-23; Zeph.3:9; Zech.14:16; 8:23; Mal.1:11).

21. The manifest presence of God - God will be present upon the earth, and recognized by man. Fellowship with God will be experienced in an unprecedented degree, (Eze.37:27-28; Zech.2:2; 10-13; Rev.21:3.)

22. The fullness of the Spirit - All who are subject to the King will experience divine enablement and presence, (Isa.44:3; Eze.36:26-27; 37:14; Joel 2:28-29.)

23. The eternal nature of the Millennial state - (Isa.51:6-8; 55:3, 13; 61:8; Jer.32:40; Eze.16:60; 37:26-28.)

(Ill. As you can see, the Millennium will be a special time. I look forward to that day when it comes.)

Conc: I have been preaching about a time when Jesus will reign as King upon this earth. That will be a special time and it will be a blessed time. However, you do not have to wait to the Millennium for Jesus to be King. If you will trust Him as your Savior, He will reign as the King of your heart right now. I wonder, have you ever bowed before Jesus and confessed your sins and received Him into your heart? If you haven't, you need to and you can if you will come to Him today. Will you do that?

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