Eschatology 12 Of 16 The Millennial Reign Of Christ

We dealt with three things concerning the Second Coming of Christ.

I. THE PLACE OF HIS SECOND COMING

II. THE PURPOSE OF HIS SECOND COMING

III. THE PARTICIPANTS IN HIS SECOND COMING

III. THE POWER OF HIS SECOND COMING

Again, I remind you, the Second Coming is different than the rapture.

• The Rapture is when the Lord will come back in the clouds to gather His Church

• The Second coming will take place with Christ coming with His saints to the earth to set up His Kingdom on earth

Good men of the Bible disagree as to when the Second Coming will take place. There are three views:

(1) One view is called the POST-MILLENNIAL VIEW

These are the people who believe that through the preaching of the gospel, the world will get better and this will usher in the Millennium.

(2) Another view is called the A-MILLENNIAL VIEW

These people do not believe there will be a thousand years of peace on earth before or after the return of the Lord.

(3) Another view is called the PRE-MILLENNIAL VIEW

These folks believe the Lord will bodily return and set up His Kingdom on earth. This view is held by many theologians who know the scripture.

WHY HAVE A MILLENIUM?

It is essential for three reasons, such as:

1. It is used as an incentive for people not to take the mark of the beast.

Remember, the message of the 144,000 in Matthew 24:13, was the message , “But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

These Jewish men will be spreading the gospel of the Kingdom, and that is, “Do not take the mark of the Beast, because Christ is coming soon to set up His Kingdom on earth!”

2. We need the millennium because when Adam sinned, he not only plunged the human race under the curse of sin, he also plunged all creation under the curse.

This is why in Romans 8:22, Paul says, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.”

When Adam sinned, both the human race and creation were placed under the curse of sin.

And Paul speaks of Creation “Groaning”, wanting to be delivered from the curse of sin.

During the Millennium, that curse is going to be taken off creation, and farmers will be able to plant crops in soil that is not cursed, and they are going to produce crops like this world has never seen before.

We need the Millennium, because it is during this time that the curse on creation will be removed.

3. We need the millennium also to show the depravity of mankind

Illus: Wicked men will be under the Rule of the Greatest King that has ever reigned on this earth, and when the devil is loosed from the bottomless pit at the end of the millennium, wicked men will be deceive by Satan and will rise up in opposition to Christ.

Those who are allowed to come from the tribulation period into the Millennium period, will show how sinful lost men are, because that during this time the Lord will have to rule with a “rod of iron.”

Today I want to show you some more things about this period after the Battle of Armageddon, when the Lord sets up His Kingdom on this earth.

I want to show you FOUR things:

I. WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE FOR SATAN DURING THE MILLENNIUM

Satan has been deceiving people since the Garden of Eden.

• Listen, he is the biggest deceiver that ever existed

• The world is FULL OF SINNERS because that lying rascal has deceived people.

But the Bible tells us that before the Millennium starts, Satan is going to be chained for a thousand years, and HE IS GOING TO BE OUT OF THE DECEIVING BUSINESS!

Let’s look at three verses in Rev. 20:1-3, we read, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And HE LAID HOLD on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.”

Look at the words, “Laid Hold”. This is the Greek word krateo, (Pronounced as krat-eh'-o) which means to use strength, seize, lay hand (hold) on.

The devil had better have all the fun he can now, because one of these days the Lord is going to GRAB HIM and cast him into the Bottomless pit. (GLORY!)