The Millennial Reign Of Christ

A famous preacher of the past was near death. And he spoke about how he felt when he heard the news. He said, "I remember a year ago when a doctor told me, 'You have an illness from which you won't recover.' I walked out to where I live 5 miles from Portland, Oregon, and I looked across at that mountain that I love. I looked at the river in which I rejoice, and I looked at the stately trees that are always God's own poetry to my soul. Then in the evening I looked up into the great sky where God was lighting His lamps, and I said, ' I may not see you many more times, but Mountain, I shall be alive when you are gone; and River, I shall be alive when you cease running toward the sea; and Stars, I shall be alive when you have fallen from your sockets in the great down pulling of the material universe!' "-W. B. Hinson.

The great fact of the Christian life is that death is not the end, and we have a glorious future ahead of us. Look at the mountains, the fields, the roads, the businesses, even the moon, the sun and the stars, and realize you will exist long after they are gone. There is so much fear in our world. So much fear of the future, the past, and the present. So much fear of the virus, and fear of the economic downturn. Yet for us as followers of Jesus, We have no reason to fear this life, a virus, a downtown, or even death, because we know death is not the end.

Over the past month we’ve gone through a series of messages following Jesus from the moment he entered the city of Jerusalem, to his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension, and the wedding supper of Christ with the church.

Today we consider amazing, mysterious, and astonishing events depicted in the book of Revelation. Today we consider the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Remember that the book of Revelation is a book about the apocalypse, the end of the world and the birth of a new world. We’re dealing with complex concepts in Revelation, so put on your thinking caps for me today.

We looked at how the end times will come, and there will be a time called the great tribulation, and we looked at how the church will be taken to heaven, and will enjoy a feast called the marriage supper of Jesus Christ. In this event we are made one with Christ, as we are one with Him today. He lives in us, and we live in Him. We have this love relationship with God. And I was just praying last night, and not talking as much as listening for God, and just reaching out with my emotions to feel His love for me. And it’s so beautiful how much God loves us. He cares about us so much. And we can feel His love when we pray to Him.

After this ceremony, at the conclusion of the great tribulation on the Earth, Jesus Christ will return. And it says that Jesus is coming with all his holy ones. That’s us. We’re returning with Christ on that day.

It says in Revelation 19:11-16 “11 Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True; it is with justice that he judges and fights his battles. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and he wore many crowns on his head. He had a name written on him, but no one except himself knows what it is. 13 The robe he wore was covered with blood. His name is “The Word of God.” 14 The armies of heaven followed him, riding on white horses and dressed in clean white linen. 15 Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God. 16 On his robe and on his thigh was written the name: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

So Jesus returns, and every eye sees Him. He returns with an army of his holy ones, in clean white linen, that’s representative of us, wearing the righteousness of Christ that his been transferred to us, in the great exchange, in which Jesus took our sin on the cross, and in exchange he gave us His righteousness. Isn’t that amazing? What an amazing trade off!

So what happens next? The anti-Christ gathers the nations to fight against Jesus and this holy army. And Christ defeats them, and they are sent to hell, forever.