Feast Of Tabernacles And Millennial Worship Series

Intro

In the last six verses of the book of Zechariah, we get a glimpse into the Millennium. Zechariah does not give us a lot of information about life during the Millennium. But the material in Zechariah 14:16-21 sheds valuable light on the subject.

Zechariah’s message revolves around the two advents of Christ and God’s plan for Israel. At the First Advent Christ legally regained title of the earth and all therein.i At the Second Advent he fully executes those legal rights and banishes the usurper. Zechariah provides considerable detail about the latter.

In the passages leading up to our text, the return of Christ initiates powerful changes. The earth shakes and the Mount of Olives splits in two the moment his feet touch earth. Christ rescues the Jews in Jerusalem and the whole nation of Israel is spiritually transformed as they receive Jesus as their Messiah. The Antichrist armies are crushed, and every knee bows to Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lord.ii That sets the stage for the Millennial age.

At the Second Coming the old order is completed, and a drastically different new age begins. There is a continuation of some conditions, but others are radically changed. It’s helpful to get these changes in mind as we approach our text today.

Here are a few consistencies between the new Millennial age and the current Church age.

1. People on earth will live in imperfect mortal bodies.iii 2. Mortals will continual to give birth to children with an Adamic nature. 3. Though significantly improved, the earth will not yet be perfected. 4. Though Israel will become the head of all nations, the gentile nations will retain their distinctive identities. 5. Though people will live much longer, death will not be completely eradicated.

The Millennium will be very different from what we experience now. Here are a few differences to keep in mind.

1. Christ will rule over the whole world in righteousness (Zech. 14:9). As Revelation 11:15 puts it, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” (NKJV).iv

2. Under his rule, social justice will prevail worldwide.v

3. Jerusalem will be the capital of the world and the “times of the gentiles” will be over.vi

4. Jerusalem will be the worship center of the world and all false religion will be extinguished.

5. A new system of worship will be observed that memorizes the cross through rituals and sacrifices at the fourth temple described in Ezekiel 40:1-46:24.vii

6. Satan will be bound, and his host neutralized (Rev. 20:1-3).

7. The effects of the curse will be minimized, and productivity enhanced throughout the world.viii

8. The ferocity of the animal kingdom will be removed (Isa. 11:6-8).

9. There will be no disease; death will only come as a judgment on rebellion. Therefore, death will be rare (Isa. 65:20).ix The population of the world will soar.

10. The knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth.x

11. World peace will be realized.xi

12. Resurrected people will rule with Christ.xii We are not told specifically whether mortals will be able to see us or not. Since Christ in his glorified body will be visible, it is likely we too will be visible.xiii

This is not an exhaustive list of differences. But it illustrates the radical changes that are implemented at the Second Advent.

The Millennium serves as a transition between our current age and the eternal kingdom. During the Millennium all God’s promises to the nation of Israel will be fulfilled. At the end of this thousand-year reign of Christ, Satan is released from the bottomless pit to test the hearts of those living during that time.

Revelation 20:7-10 records this final rebellion.

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”xiv The verses that follow talk about the Great White Throne Judgment where all the wicked are also thrown into the lake of fire as well.

This rebellion lets us know that many will serve Christ during the Millennium out of self-interest, rather than spiritual transformation. The true condition of their soul is exposed when Satan is released, and they are offered an alternative to serving God. But multitudes during the Millennium will serve Christ in sincerity and will not follow Satan in this final rebellion.