For example:
A. Plato envisioned a time of living when the crooked things in life would be made straight.
B. Bacon dreamed of living when Atlantis would be a place of universal peace and prosperity.
C. Presidents have dreamed of living in a utopia society in programs like the:
• New deal, (Franklin Roosevelt)
• The new frontier, (John F. Kennedy)
• The great society, (Lyndon B. Johnson)
• The new world order (George H. Bush)
However, the Utopia society is not going to be ushered in by men with their…
1) Programs,
2) Plans
3) Policies.
This UTOPIA SOCIETY will only be brought about when Jesus comes to rule and reign upon the earth during the MILLENINUM.
Illus: There is a group today who call themselves the Millennials.
There are about 80 millions of them, born between 1980 and 1995, and they're rapidly taking over from the baby boomers that are now pushing 60.
• The Millennials like other generations before them believe they can bring about this utopia society that mankind has desired to live in.
• But like other generations they are wrong because only the Lord can do that and He will do that during the MILLENINUM!!
Today I want to show you some things about this period of time after the Battle of Armageddon, when the Lord sets up His Kingdom on this earth for a thousand years known as the Millennium.
First we need to consider…
I.THE PROMISE OF THE MILLENNIUM
The promise of the Millennium is based upon a covenant we find in the scriptures.
There are basically two kinds of covenants:
(1) The Conditional Covenant –
A Conditional Covenant is a promise when God lays down specific conditions before the promise can be fulfilled.
For example, we have a conditional promise made to Israel in 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read, “If my people, which are called by my name (talking about the Israelites), shall humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven. I will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Notice in this conditional promise, there are certain conditions to be met before the promise can be received.
This is a CONDITIONAL COVENANT, but there is another kind of covenant…
B) The Unconditional Covenant –
One was the promise God made to David that He was going to establish a kingdom through David’s offspring that would never be overthrown.
There are no conditions; this is something God tells us He is going to do without any conditions.
Look at 2 Samuel 7:12, “And when the days be fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers (talking about David dying), I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels and I will establish his kingdom.”
There are no conditions in this promise. God said, “…I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels and I will establish his kingdom.”
Notice, God said:
“I will set up thy seed after thee”
“I will establish his kingdom.”
This has nothing to do with mankind, it is an un-conditional covenant.
This will be fulfilled when Jesus sits on the throne during the Millennium.
This covenant is based on Jesus is of the lineage of David…
• Look at Matthew 1:1 the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
• Also look at Luke 1:31-32 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Did you know that the scripture indicates that He (Jesus) who sits on the throne of David will have David there with him also?
• Look at Jeremiah 30:9, we read, “But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.”
Now I do not know nor does anyone else know what part David is going to have during the Millennium, but David is going to be raised up to rule under the King of kings during the Millennium.
David most likely will play a major role in working with the King of Kings to see to it that His programs are accomplished during the Millennium.
WHY DO I SAY THAT?
Because the scripture tells us in Jeremiah 30:9 “But they shall serve the LORD their God and David their king…”
WHEN? During the Millennium!!!
He was once the KING OF ISRAEL, but now he is going to be allowed to sit next to the KING OF KINGS!
This is an UN-CONDITIONAL PROMISE GOD MADE TO DAVID.
We have looked at THE PROMISE OF THE MILLENNIUM next we want to look at…
II. THE PERIOD OF THE MILLENNIUM
How long will the Millennium last?
Did you know the word “Millennium” is not found in the Bible, but it is taught throughout the scriptures.
Some may argue that if the word MILLENINUM cannot be found in the scriptures then it should not be taught!
But this is not true!!!
Did you know the words “Trinity” and “Rapture” are not recorded either, but they are taught throughout the scriptures?
The word Millennium consists of two Latin words “mili” and “anum.”
1) The word “mili” means one thousand
2) The word “anum” means year.
Combine them together and you have one thousand years.
Basically, there are three different views as to when the rapture of the saints will occur and the Millennium will begin.
(1) The Post-Millennial View –
Some theologians believe that Jesus will come after the Millennium is ended.
They believe the world will keep getting better before Jesus returns to establish His earthly Kingdom. It is obvious that the world is not getting better, but worse.
This is the post-Millennial view.
B) The A-Millennial View –
“A” means no one thousand years, or no Millennium.
Some theologians advocate that the one-thousand-year period is figurative and not literal.
So, they advocate there will never be a specific one-thousand-year period.
However, the book of Luke defeats this view because these verses are literal and not figurative that speaks of the Millennium.
Look at Luke 1:31-32 “And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.”
1) Now that verse is literal—it happened. There is no doubt about it. Jesus was conceived and was brought into this world.
2) Verse 32 says, “He shall be great.” There is no doubt about that. He is great. “And shall be called the Son of the Highest.” No doubt He is the Son of the Highest.
3) “And the Lord shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
If you are going to take the first part of these verses to be literal, you must take the rest of these verses to be literal also.
C) The Pre-Millennial View -- The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus will rapture the Church before the start of the millennial period.
In Rev. 4:1 when the rapture of the church takes place the church is no longer mentioned in the book of Revelation until Revelation 19 of the Second coming when the church will return from heaven with Him.
Immediately following the rapture of the saints:
• The Judgment Seat of Christ occurs in heaven where the believers give account how they lived their lives as Christians whether it be good or bad.
• At the same time upon the earth, a seven-year period of Tribulation takes place, primarily to prepare the Jews to accept Jesus as their true Messiah when He returns to this earth with His saints.
• At the end of the Tribulation period, the Lord will return to earth with the saints to destroy the antichrist (Armageddon) and to set up His reign upon the earth for one thousand years. That is the pre-Millennial view.
We have looked at…
I. The Promise of the Millennium
II.The Period of the Millennium
But now let us look at...
III. THE PURPOSE OF THE MILLENINUM
WHY DO WE NEED THE MILLENIUM?
Let me give you some of the reasons we NEED THE MILLENIUM!!!
(1) We need the millennium 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.
We need the millennium because when Adam sinned, he not only plunged the human race under the curse of sin, but he also plunged all creation under the curse.
When Adam sinned you and I was there, all mankind was in the loins of Adam!!! That is why all of mankind was born into sin.
Those who are born during the tribulation period will be allowed to come from the tribulation period into the Millennium period will show how sinful lost men are, because during this time the Lord will have to rule with a “rod of iron.”
2. We need the Millennium also
During the Millennium, the curse is going to be taken off creation, and farmers will be able to plant crops in soil that is not cursed during the millennium, and they are going to produce crops like this world has never seen before.
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 Paul speaks of Creation “Groaning”, wanting to be delivered from the curse of sin what is he talking about?
For example, the animal kingdom now lives according to the fang and claw. It is operated by the survival of the fittest.
But one day, when Jesus comes to establish His Kingdom, Satan is going to be bound, peace will abound, and nature will be unbound.
What a day that is going to be! When the Millennium becomes reality, things will be different.
The animal kingdom is going to be transformed.
You find this in Isaiah 11:6-9, “And 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 the 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 suckling child shall play on the whole of the asp and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice den (or the snake’s den).”
We need the MILLENINUM because CREATION AND MANKIND will be different.
There will be two different kinds of people during the Millennium.
(1) The RAPTURED CHURCH…
You find this in Revelation 20, where John says that God’s people are going to reign over certain cities and places of the world.
This is the RAPTURED CHURCH.
2 Timothy 2:11-13 It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him...”
The reigners will include the:
1) Old Testament saints,
2) All Christians who were raptured before the Tribulation,
3) All believers who were martyred in the Tribulation period who did not bow and bend to the pressures of the antichrist.
They will have their glorified bodies!!!
WHO WILL THEY REIGN OVER?
(2) Those who are left on earth after the raptured of the church.
These will not have their glorified bodies.
They will have gone through the Tribulation and into the Millennium.
The extent of the Kingdom is summed up when Isaiah says, “Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”
The expansion of this Millennial Empire will materialize when Jesus sits on His Throne. Everything will be different when Jesus comes back to rule and reign upon the earth.
It is going to be different when Jesus comes back again.
• The first time He came, Jesus rode a donkey. The next time, He’s going to ride a white horse.
• The first time He stood before Pilate; this time Pilate will stand before Him.
• The first time Jesus was rejected; the next time every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
• The first time Jesus came the ungodly spat upon Him; the next time they will bow on bended knees.
He is coming back with all power and will establish His Millennial Kingdom upon the earth. He will rule and rein as Supreme Lord of all.
THERE IS ANOTHER REASON WE NEED THE MILLENINUM!!!
It is essential 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 144,000 Jewish missionaries 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!”
BUT LET ME SHOW YOU WHO WILL BE HERE DURING THE MILLENINUM?
I want to show you four PERSONALITIES of people who will be here during the Millennium:
First, I want to show you…
(1) SATAN WILL BE HERE DURING THE MILLENINUM FOR A SHORT TIME.
Satan is going to be bound.
But, while Satan is bound, peace on earth will abound.
Look at what God’s Word tells us in Isaiah 2:3-4 “And it shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the hills and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. And he will teach us of his ways. And we will walk in His paths for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.’ And he shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nations shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.”
What a day that is going to be!
Illus: Today we hear about all the chaos in our public schools and school principals do not seem to know what to do with this chaos.
But Dr. Odell Belger former school principal said I know exactly how to solve that problem, get rid of all the troublemakers and you want have that problem.
But our public schools do not want to get rid of them because they get the national average public-school spending for student is approximately $17,124 (2024) of money for each student…. the good and the bad students. So they allow all the bad students to remain in school.
But notice what God does with Satan the biggest troublemaker that ever.
The Bible tells us that before the Millennium starts, Satan is going to be chained Satan up for almost a thousand years, and HE IS GOING TO BE OUT OF THE TROUBLE MAKING BUSINESS!
Look at Rev. 20:1-3, we read, “And I saw an angel (Jesus) 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.”
Some think Satan is in the BOTTOMLESS PIT now but that is not so. Presently he is roaming the earth like a roaring lion seeing who he can deceive.
He has never yet been in the BOTTOMLESS PIT but look at these words, the Bible tells us Jesus is going to “Laid Hold” on that rascal and CAST HIM IN THE BOTTOMLESS PIT.
The devil had better have all the fun he can have, because one of these days the Lord is going to GRAB HIM and cast him into the Bottomless pit. (GLORY!)
Notice, God did not say, “Satan, see that pit over there, hop in!”
The Lord is going to LAY HOLD on him and personally put him in that pit.
The Bible says when that happens, he shall deceive, “…the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled….”
This is going to be a great place to live while he is confined to the bottomless pit.
This is what it will be like for SATAN DURING THE MILLENIUM, but let’s looks at.
(2) WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE FOR THE SAVIOR DURING THE MILLENNIUM
He will rule the entire earth!
Illus: In the Garden of Eden, God meant conditions to be, “Peace on earth and good will toward men.”
But because of SATAN AND SIN, all we have had are wars, divorces, lies, deception, hate, envy, wars and every kind of evil thing you can imagine and cannot imagine!
(a)When the Lord comes back to set up His Kingdom, He is going to fulfill His plans.
For the first time there will be PEACE ON EARTH.
Look at Isa. 4:2, we read, “In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.”
Notice the phrase, “In that day”.
This phrase occurs in all the Books of prophesy. It refers to that time that begins with the Tribulation period and goes into the Millennium.
He is going to be KING of the whole earth.
The Bible says, in 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.”
During the Millennium there will be PEACE ON EARTH.
(b)He will not only provide PEACE ON EARTH He also will PROVIDE COMFORT FOR EVERYONE.
• While we are here today, the devil is doing everything he can possibly do to make life as miserable as he can for everyone on earth.
• There are people today that are so burdened down with life that they are contemplating suicide.
The Millennium cannot be a place of PEACE ON EARTH if people are burdened down with the cares of this life.
During the Millennium, people are not going to have to turn to drugs and alcohol to cope with life, the Lord Himself will comfort them.
Look at Isa. 12:1, “And in that day thou shalt say, O LORD, I will praise thee: though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, AND THOU COMFORTEDST ME.”
Also…
(c)JESUS WILL PROVIDE PERFECT JUSTICE
One of the reasons that our lives are filled with misery is because of the injustice that surrounds our lives.
In this life we suffer:
• Social injustice
• Gender injustice
• Racial injustice
So much of our life is made miserable because of the injustice we have to face each day. But one day during the Millennium, the King of Kings is going to see to it that injustice is done away with.
Look at Isa. 9:7, we read, “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
Also…
(d)JESUS WILL PROVIDE PERFECT HEALTH
Look at Isa. 29:17-19, we read, “Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest? 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. The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.”
There will be:
• No hospitals
• No medical insurance
• No cancer
• No diabetes
• No tumors
• No glasses to wear
• No hearing aids to wear
• No heart attacks
The Lord is going to see to it that it is going to be a great place to live during the Millennium.
We have seen what it is going to be like during the Millennium for …
• SATAN,
• Savior,
But look at…
WHAT IT WILL BE LIKE FOR THE SAINTS DURING THE MILLENNIUM
1 Thess. 4:17-18, we read, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
When the Saints are raptured, they will receive their glorified bodies.
WHEN WE RETURN WITH CHRIST, WE WILL BE IN OUR GLORIFIED BODIES
• During the Millennium, all those who were raptured will be here on earth in their glorified bodies.
• During the Millennium, all those who came through the tribulation in their mortal bodies, will still be in their mortal bodies that are controlled by the flesh.
IN OUR GLORIFIED BODIES WE WILL REIGN WITH CHRIST
• Now David seems to have that special place under the Lord Jesus Christ,
• But we in our glorified bodies will rule and reign with Him over those who came through the tribulation period and are still in their fleshly bodies.
We will assist Him to make sure there will be PEACE ON EARTH.
Look at Rev. 2:26-27, (this is before the rapture) we read, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”
God will use people who have glorified bodies, to rule and reign with Him during the Millennium.
The SURVIVORS OF THE TRIBULATION PERIOD…
(1) They will continue to have children.
(2) THEY ARE GOING TO LABOR
Look at Isaiah 65:21-23, we read, “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. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.”
WHY DOES GOD WANT THOSE WHO LIVE IN THESE MORTAL BODIES TO WORK?
Did you know that most of the trouble in this world comes from people who are not working and have too much TIME ON THEIR HANDS?
Illus: One of the reason societies is filled with evil is because of technology mankind has too much time on their hands.
Illus: One of the reasons today we have so much trouble with teenagers today they come home from school, head for the refrigerator for a snack, head for the television or for their computer to play with some games.
And because they have not done anything they are not tired, and they want to stay up all night.
But there was a time when children came home from school that parents had chores that kept them busy until supper time and after supper, they were tired and ready for bed.
But those who go through the tribulation period will still in their fleshly bodies, and God is going to see to it that they have plenty to do to keep them from evil.
The Lord is going to use David and the Christians who have their glorified bodies, to see to it that they are going to work.
THEY WILL BE PROSPEROUS
In Ezekiel 36:29, we read, “I will also save you from all your uncleanness: and I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you.”
Illus: When Lyndon Johnson was president, he made it clear that he was going to do away with poverty. He is dead and gone, and we still have poverty.
If he knew God’s Word, he would have known that in Mark 14:7, the Bible says, “For ye have the poor with you always….”
Conclusion:
Life here on earth during the millennium is going to be the greatest time to live on this earth.
Especially for those of us who will be living in our glorified bodies.
When it comes to the Millennium, we have looked at…
I. THE PROMISE OF THE MILLENINUM
II. THE PERIOD OF THE MILLENINUM
III. THE PURPOSE OF THE MILLENINUM
IV. THE PERSONALITIES OF THE MILLENINUM
