The Millennium in Focus
(topical)
1. Futurist Thomas Frey blogs, “People are seriously worried. I’ve been in a number of conversations recently where people are very worried about our coming era of automation where fewer and fewer jobs will be left for people to do.
A few months ago I predicted that over 2 billion jobs will disappear by 2030. With technologies like driverless cars, robotic assembly lines, and teacherless schools on the horizon, the handwriting is on the wall and people are getting nervous.”
2. Eric Garland writes, “JC Penney's CEO Ron Johnson has made a bold statement regarding the future of the company - that it plans to move all of its inventory onto an advanced RFID system and obviate the need for human cashiers.
He claims that this will mean that the money the company does invest in human beings will go right to better service, a stronger connection with the brand.”
3. Life is changing at an ever-increasing pace. For the Christian, we can gain our composure in the this changing world because we are anchored both to the past and to the future.
4. Our past anchor is to Calvary, the Bible, the faith of Abraham. Our future is anchored to the End Times and Eternity; we can rest assured both ways.
Main Idea: Many portions of the Bible discuss a literal Millennial reign of the Messiah on the earth; because it is so interwoven and connected to other teachings, we can consider the Millennium an important point of our faith.
I. The Millennium’s PURPOSE (Romans 11:29)
A. To Glorify God and HIGHLIGHT His SOVEREIGNTY (Romans 9-11)
1. His sovereignty cannot be thwarted even by stubborn rejection
2. The Millennium is about a faithful God Who can do what he promises
B. Fulfills the covenant made to ABRAHAM (Genesis 15:18-21)
“ On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
(Show pic 1)
C. Fulfills the covenant made to DAVID (2 Samuel 7:4-17)
Isaiah 9:6-7 begins with first coming of Jesus (6) and then his millennial reign (7)
“6For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”
D. Escalates the NEW covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-37)
E. To give mortals a taste of true JUSTICE and PEACE (Isaiah 2:4)
“He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
Application: In the Millennium, mortal men and women will live in a perfectly run world. Despite their great environment, they will still be sinners. The Millennium also calls our bluffs: we do wrong not just because of our environment or because of Satan’s temptations. We are prone to sin because we are sinners.
II. TERMS for the Millennium
A. The KINGDOM of God centered around Israel (Acts 1:6)
B. The REGENERATION (Matthew 19:28)
• Just as the New Birth brings us to life, so creation will be regenerated
• "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. Isaiah 65:20
C. The times of REFRESHING (Acts 3:19)
BibleAnswers.net explains the nature of the Millennium for children as follows:
1. …Jesus Christ will be the king of the world (Zech. 14:9)…
2. our enemy Satan (the Devil) will be taken away from the earth and locked up, so that he can no longer tempt and deceive us (Rev. 20:1-3)
3. dangerous animals like lions, leopards and wolves will become so peaceful that “a little child shall lead them” (Isa. 11:6)
4. in the original creation, all animals were vegetarians (Gen. 1:30); this will be restored during the Millennium
5. meat-eating animals will become vegetarians (as they originally were); lions will eat grass (Isa. 11:7)
6. wolves will live in peace with lambs; leopards and baby goats, lions and calves, bears and cows will be peaceful together (Isa. 11:6-7)
7. snakes will no longer be dangerous, even poisonous snakes; babies will safely play near them (Isa. 11:8)
8. animals will no longer hurt or destroy (Isa. 11:9). There will be no bloodshed in nature.
9. the whole earth will be “full of the knowledge of the LORD” (Isa. 11:9)
10. Christ's followers will reign with Him over the earth (Rev. 20:4-9; 5:10)
III. The THOUSAND Year Binding of Satan (Revelation 20:1-3)
A. The BINDING of Satan
Note how this Revelation passage expands upon Isaiah 24:21-23:
“On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.
Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.
B. The THOUSAND Years
R. Kattina said: Six thousand years shall the world exist, and one [thousand, the seventh], it shall be desolate, as it is written, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. …It has been taught in accordance with R. Kattina: Just as the seventh year is one year of release in seven, so is the world: one thousand years out of seven shall be fallow, as it is written, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,' and it is further said, A Psalm and song for the Sabbath day, meaning the day that is altogether Sabbath —and it is also said, For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past.
The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand there was desolation; two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand years is the Messianic era,
(The Talumd, Tractate Sanhedrin 97a)
Conclusion: Acts 1:9-11 is the promise of Jesus’ return to being the Millennium:
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
