Preface
If I had to choose one word to describe what I think the 1000 year reign of Jesus on this earth will be like it would be….dare I say it…the word “intimacy.” Ultimately, I think we all long in our soul for an intimate relationship with our creator. Jesus remembered the intimacy he had with God the Father before the world was even created. In fact, it is the only instance we have recorded in all of scripture where Jesus asks His Father to restore their relationship, when he said, “glorify me together with yourself with the glory I had with you before the world was.” (John 17:5). That is quite astounding! He remembered the intimacy of that relationship and longed for it. It is the only thing Jesus ever personally asked for on behalf of himself. Some say that “breaking bread” together during a meal is one of the greatest forms of fellowship and intimacy we humans enjoy together and it is a common theme in the biblical narrative. Jesus uses it to describe His sacrifice for our sins on the cross in what we commemorate as the last supper in “holy communion”. He demonstrates His desire for an intimate relationship with us with His words, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20). Eating a meal with someone can be very personal and intimate. Jesus desires that with us. And so I think the purpose and ultimate goal of the coming 1000 years when Jesus reigns on the earth is….fellowship with Jesus. The old spiritual “Let us Break Bread Together” was popular in the early 1900’s among the African American slaves and was eventually included in the United Methodist Hymnal in 1925. For me it epitomizes the bond that the slaves shared together in their quest for freedom. After Jesus rose from the dead and the disciples were scattered and disillusioned, Jesus appeared to them and restored the bond of intimacy he had with them with a meal on the shore of the sea of Galilee. He broke bread with them. How much more intimate can you get, than over a charcoal dinner, when Jesus asked three times, “Peter, Do you love me?” I think the lyrics of the old spiritual foretell a future time when we will break bread together with the Lord of Glory and our Savior knowing that only by His mercy and grace can we serve Him every day of this 1000 years. May these lyrics reflect our attitude and spirit as we break bread together often with Jesus and get to know Him intimately during His 1000 year millennial reign:
“Let us break bread together on our knees, (on our knees).
Let us break bread together on our knees, (on our knees).
When I fall on my knees with my face to the rising sun,
O Lord, have mercy on me. (on me)”
The characteristics of the millennial reign of Christ presented in this narrative are done so with humility. I did my best to back them up with “scripture alone”. When Martin Luther posted his 95 theses in 1517 on the door of the church in Whittenberg, Germany, it marked the beginning of the protestant reformation which was anchored in the phrase “sola scriptura“. No longer were others in higher positions mandated to interpret the scriptures for us, but we were able to read the bible ourselves and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit determine the truth therein. Scripture alone would form our theology and belief system. Scripture alone would dictate our core beliefs. Scripture alone would guide our worship and walk with the Lord. We are warned in Revelation 2:18 about “adding to” or “taking away” anything written in the book. And so heeding that warning, I have based my views regarding the millennial reign of Christ with a careful interpretation of the scriptures. As you evaluate how well I did, I challenge you to search the scriptures for yourselves and using “scripture alone” make your own determination about the coming Kingdom. Am I too liberal and literal in describing the glories of this 1000 years and overstate them? Maybe. But if I do err, then I tried to err on the liberal side. For how can we “out think” God on the glories that lie ahead? How can we overstate the wonders of His coming Kingdom? For as 1 Cor. 2:9 says, “But as it is written: What no eye has seen and no ear has heard and no human mind has conceived— that is what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Chapter 1: Made for the Millennium
It may seem a bit presumptuous to say that we are made for the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ. Those who belong to Christ will one day inherit an immortal, eternal body that will never die and will reign with him for one thousand years and then forever. By talking about the 1000 years, I run the risk of being guilty of the old adage “too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good.” After all, you may say, this is the world we are born into and the one on which we will be judged. It is here that the redemptive process is played out and salvation graciously given. It is only here that we can have “faith without seeing” and be an urgent testimony to the existence and faithfulness of God. It is only here that we have the opportunity to store up treasure in heaven and receive rewards for our actions on earth. So, I am not diminishing our life here on earth before we die. It is of vital importance and determines our eternal destiny. My goal here is to emphasize the importance of the 1000 years we will have serving Christ during the millennium. The bible proclaims it very clearly. It is not a hidden mystery. All the prophets point to this pinnacle of creation, when the Kingdom of God comes down to earth.
In Matthew 25:31-46 when Jesus judges the nations to decide which survivors of the great tribulation get to enter the “the Kingdom” he says, “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.” This is the reign promised to Jesus by the Father. This is the “Kingdom” to which the entire creation of the world has been pointing. Some versions (KJV) use the term “since the foundation” of the world. The entire creation of planet earth hinges on this kingdom age. It is not an after thought. When God created the earth, this millennial reign of Christ was foremost in His mind. It is coming and will be fulfilled exactly as predicted in the bible. He will set up this 1000 year kingdom at the Second Coming when He comes back to earth in power and glory to judge and redeem mankind. This Kingdom is the scope of prophecy and the epitome of the power and glory of God.
It is here that Jesus reigns supremely in glory and honor and power. As it says in Habukuk 2:14 “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the sea.”
As Christians, we tend to ignore the realities of the 1000 year reign of Jesus on the earth. We make an excuse from studying it by proclaiming that it is all a mystery and no one knows what it will be like. We say it is best to leave that to God and concentrate more on the realities of this life and communication of the gospel. We can’t be too dogmatic, you say, about the details of the millennial reign of Christ, so we should not stick our toes too deep in those uncharted waters. But just how uncharted are they? There is a wealth of information about the 1000 years in the scriptures, perhaps much more than we realize. What a comfort and blessing and hope we have when we study and realize the promises made to us about our inheritance….the coming Kingdom of God. In fact, the Bible promises a special blessing to those who read about these promises and tries to understand them. (Revelation 1:3): “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.“
Jesus first words in the Bible in Matthew 4:17 are “Repent of your sins and turn to God for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” What did Jesus mean? There is no mention of the cross here. There is no mention that Jesus would have to die and rise again. There is no mention of receiving salvation by grace. Why did Jesus emphasize the “Kingdom of Heaven” as his first message to a dying world? After all, he did tell us to pray for “thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It is this golden age of mankind to which the entire Bible points. It is Jesus destiny to be King over all the earth. He will prove His justice and righteousness and show His attributes as the everlasting father and prince of peace. Isaiah 9:6 first announced it “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders.” The first half of that verse was fulfilled at Jesus birth in Bethlehem, but the second half will not be fulfilled until Jesus begins his 1000 year reign. Wow! Here we see a 2000+ year gap between a coma and the rest of the sentence! The nature of biblical prophecy does often involve jumping over large gaps of time within sentences. And so we go from a literal birth in Bethlehem to a literal global kingdom just within Isaiah 9:6. There is nothing in scripture to suggest that this time period is allegorical or symbolic, even though theologians such as Augustine mistakenly adopted this viewpoint when trying to make sense of the scattering of the Jewish people and could only understand it by adopting an allegorical interpretation. They did not fathom the rebirth of Israel and the regathering of it’s people which has breathed “literal” life into the prophecies of the Old and New Testament. All the first coming prophecies of Jesus were fulfilled literally in scripture. What makes you think that all the second coming prophecies will not be fulfilled literally? The 1000 years is a real and literal time coming on planet earth when Jesus Christ will physically reign on the earth from Jerusalem. He will be the King of kings and Lord of lords.
My purpose here is to unpack the wealth of information we have regarding what the 1000 years will be like. We know more than we think. Sure, we can speculate a little, but not much is necessary. If we just connect the dots from the prophecies throughout scripture, there is an incredible story to tell. Each of us will make a 1000 year impact on the world. Let that thought sink in. Think big! What will I be able to accomplish for Jesus during these 365,000 days? We will be given responsibilities in government, in our communities, and in our cities and nations. We will be given immortal bodies without a sin nature to enhance our ability to perform these responsibilities to a new level. We will learn and grow in our responsibilities as the population of the earth grows at a rapid rate. God created each of us with a purpose in mind.
Jeremiah 1:5 says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Are these words not incredible! To think that God knew us before we were even formed in the womb and consecrated and appointed to specific positions. This is mind boggling! I believe that at the judgement seat of Christ (Romans 14:10), it will be revealed to us what we were born to do. To those of us that use our gifts and talents during this life, we will get a head start in the next. For those of us, who are believers, but whose works are “burned up” (I Cor. 3:15), will “suffer loss” and be delayed in realizing our purpose during the millennium. Either way, we will have quite a responsibility to fulfill our job requirements. It will be anything but boring or easy. We will point to the supremacy of Jesus Christ and remind everyone of His sacrifice on the cross and his offer of salvation. We will teach, encourage, and propagate the knowledge of the glory of God throughout the earth. Some will still rebel even during this golden age of mankind where peace resides, but overall it will be an incredible period of prosperity on the planet. I believe part of our responsibility will be to help teach the nations so that as many as possible are redeemed. We have the rest of this life to get prepared, pray for wisdom and the desire that God will use us in mighty ways during His Kingdom. The journey starts now!
Chapter 2: A New Earth
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night will never cease.” (Genesis 8:22)
Scriptures tell us that the earth is headed for a re-creation (Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1). With careful reading it appears that the reference to a “new heavens and new earth” in Isaiah 65 occurs at the beginning of the 1000 year millennium. However it seems that the reference in Revelation occurs at the end of the 1000 years. Which is it? Could it be both? How many times can the earth be made new? (see Lee Brainard’s book “The New Heavens and Earth” for a more detailed excellent study on this topic). The earth will be devastated at the end of the 7 year tribulation when Jesus comes back in power and glory to defeat the armies that come against him at Armageddon. There is an earthquake that devastates the entire planet. Revelation 16:18 states “and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth…then every island fled away and the mountains were not found.” Can you imagine the rebuilding that would have to occur as Jesus sets up His Kingdom and government infrastructure? It will take some time and I think it is reasonable to allow several years to elapse between Jesus 2nd coming and the official start of His 1000 year reign. It seems reasonable that He will start the process of creating a new heaven and new earth and I suspect it will not be instantaneous. It is not like Jesus will just snap His fingers and everything will be new. He usually does not work that way. All things are possible, but it seems more probable that He will use the resources of people and materials to begin the process of renewal that continues throughout the 1000 years and eventually comes to full fruition in the eternal state after the 1000 years is completed. If that is so, then we know that the earth endures. And if the earth endures then scripture promises us that there will be seasons, hot and cold, springtime and harvest, and day and night. We are promised that these patterns will never end. This gives us a good idea of what the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ from the city of Jerusalem will be like. Life will be much like it is today except that death will be rarer, peace will abound, demonic activity suppressed and war will be eliminated from the planet. We will have home ownership. We will build houses and live in them. We will plant vineyards and gardens and enjoy the fruit from them. We will have tremendous harvests to feed the world. It will be a golden age of mankind with a government that is just, always makes the right decisions, bases it actions on love and righteousness and always points to a perfect savior who will be a wonderful counselor, the everlasting father to us and the prince of peace. What a time to be alive! Christians from all time will be in immortal bodies to reign and help govern with Christ. Believers who survive the 7 year tribulation will be allowed to enter the kingdom in their mortal bodies and repopulate the earth.
Why was the Earth created?–Only man has the title deed to the earth and it was created for him to rule over and enjoy. This has not changed since the beginning of creation and this purpose will be restored so that the Kingdom of God will reside on earth forever and ever. It must be noted that Christ is the center of everything. Everything was created by him and for him. Earth was created for him. So even though humanity will be given the title deed to the earth forever and ever, it is under the authority and rule of Christ.
Though this present life determines our eternal destiny, it is the during the 1000 years of Jesus reign on earth that we realize our full potential. Much of scripture points to this future Kingdom when Jesus reigns from Jerusalem. It is the cumulative narrative of all the prophets and it will be a glorious, golden age of mankind. Let us explore together from the pages of scripture what life will be like during the millennium.
Chapter 3: A New Name and Responsibility
We will be given a new name (Revelation 2:17)–“To him who overcomes I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.“–I John 5:4 tells us that over-comers are those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. So this gift of Revelation 2:17 is promised to all believers. We will be given a new name by Jesus himself and it will be very personal. Many of us change our name in this life because perhaps we do not like the name given to us, perhaps it does not represent us, or we want to hide something or highlight something about us. A name usually infers a characteristic or identity. During the time when the book of Revelation was written (90AD), a white stone equaled innocence. If you received a white stone during your trial, then you were considered free and innocent. And so we are proclaimed innocent by Jesus! But that is not all. There is a new name written on the white stone that is so personal that only the receiver will know it. No one really knows what exactly that new name will be, but I agree with the words of Julie Hildebrand who said, “I think it is part of the glorious mystery that will be made known when we are face to face with Jesus. I think it will be both a surprise and something we’ve known all along made true. Whatever the new name might be, we know that it is promised to us directly from the hand of Jesus. It signifies that our reservation in Heaven has been made and it signifies intimacy and love to those who are His.” (from “God will Reveal your New Name“). Perhaps this new name will reveal why we were created and what specifically God had in mind for our destiny and purpose.
Scripture tells us that those who belonged to the church will reign with Christ during His 1000 year reign. Revelation 20:6 says, “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” The church is part of the first Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 explains who shares in this resurrection and the order it is in:
“For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ the firstfruits; then at His coming, those who belong to Him…“
So we will “reign” with Christ. And we will be “priests“. But first, what does it mean to “reign” with Christ? Ultimately the answer is that we will have power and the ability to judge. Our culture today has a problem with “judgement“. The phrase “do not judge me” has become the motto of this world that does not want to be held accountable to anyone, let alone God. Yet, judgement will be our primary responsibility during the millennium. 1 Cor. 6 says, “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” Yes, we will even judge the angels that rebelled against God. There will be judgeships set up all over the earth to settle disputes. Isaiah 2:4 (referring to Jesus during the millennium) says “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples“. Evidently He will hand power and authority down to us to help settle these disputes. It will take millions of saints throughout the earth to govern and manage this system. Speaking to the church, Jesus gives this promise in Revelation 2:26-27: To the one who is victorious and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations— that one ‘will rule them with an iron scepter and will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have received authority from my Father.” We will be given the authority by Jesus himself over the nations to make these judgements. For Jesus will rule with a “rod of iron“. He will deal with disobedience and immorality with a quick and harsh response by breaking it into pieces! Look at these sober verses from Psalm 110 that describes the authority given to Jesus during his reign, “You are a Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek; The Lord is at your right hand; He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath. He shall judge among the nations, He shall fill the places with dead bodies, He shall execute the heads of many countries.” Jesus will squash all rebellion and rule with a rod of iron. And we will represent this mighty ruler who reigns from Jerusalem. We will have the authority to impose His rule and make His decisions true and right. But not everyone will agree with our decisions and not everyone will welcome this righteous Judge who calls himself King of Kings. Yet, we will be able to proclaim with confidence the verses of Deuteronomy 32:3-4, “I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.“
And second, what will it mean to be a “priest” during the millennium? The word “priest” is used throughout the Old Testament to describe a person who enters God’s presence on behalf of the people of God. They were mediators, go-betweens. Priests essentially performed two roles on behalf of God’s people. They interceded for them, meaning they spoke to God on behalf of God’s people. The basic duties of a priest in the bible focuses on these six things:
- Counsel people going through difficult times.
- Visit the sick in hospitals and anoint them for healing.
- Perform funerals and bury the dead.
- Manage the temporal affairs of the parish.
- Pray daily for the People of God.
- Proclaim the name of the Lord.
Evidently, besides having responsibility in government matters and judicial procedures, some of us will have more priestly duties within the cities and communities where we are placed. Some of us may only have priestly positions. Some of us may have only government positions. Some of us may have both. Some of us may be in charge of one city while some of us may be in charge of ten cities and will need many others to help us. Again, I think this will be an important part of the conversation between us and Jesus at the judgement seat of Christ. This is where it gets personal. What was I born to do? What did Jesus have in mind when He created me? How have I used my gifts and talents in this life? I believe part of our reward for faithful service now, will be a head start to fulfilling our role during the millennium, for which we were made.
Chapter 4: A New Government and absence of War
One day we will study war no more. There exists “The Institute for the Study of War (ISW)” which is an American nonprofit research group and think tank founded in 2007 by military historian Kimberly Kagan and headquartered in Washington, D.C. ISW provides research and analysis regarding issues of defense and foreign affairs. There is also a wall within the buildings of the United Nations that shows half a Bible verse inscribed on it: “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; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3)–Of course the United Nations believe that they will be the ones to usher in this kind of peace with the multilateral disarmament of all the nations on earth. But we know this will not happen until Jesus reigns and judges with righteousness. He will demand all study of war be stopped and all weapons of war be destroyed. Only then will there be true peace on the earth. And so He will be known as the “Prince of Peace” and it will be a golden age of peace and prosperity throughout the entire 1000 years. Only after the 1000 years is over will satan be loosed and a short period of rebellion occurs. This will be discussed later in this blog.
What does the book of Revelation has to say about this 1000 year period? It is contained in Chapter 20. Chapters 21-22 deal with what happens after the 1000 years which is called the “eternal state.”
There are several illustrations or parables in the gospels that Jesus says are like “the kingdom of God.” Matthew 13:34-35 states, “All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable. This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world.” We know from scripture that the “Kingdom of God” was in view since the foundation of the world. What has been hidden? Let us explore of few of these parables and find the hidden nuggets of what the Kingdom of God will be like:
The Parable of the Mustard Seed–Matthew 13:31: “He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.” (commentary)
The Parable of the Hidden Treasure–Matthew 13: 44: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (commentary)
The Parable of the Net–Matthew 13:47-50: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (commentary)
The Parable of New and Old Treasures–Matthew 13: 51-52: “Have you understood all these things?” They said to him, “Yes.” And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” (commentary)
The Parable of the Flour and Leaven–Matthew 13:33: “He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” (commentary)
The Parable of the Talents–Matthew 25:14-21: ““For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For
to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.
But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The phrase “a little” in verses 21 and 23″ here implies that we may not currently in this present life be in charge of many important things. In fact we may have very little responsibility based on our calling, gifts, and talents. The important thing is to be “faithful” in what little we do have. If we are faithful, then look at the leap forward: we will be “rulers” and not just over a few things, but over many things. Wow! This gives us a little insight into the type of government Jesus will set up. Wealth will not be spread around evenly, but given to those who work hard and taken away from those who are lazy. You will have to work to eat. The more success we have, the more responsibility we will be given. And so we are invited into this millennial kingdom that is called “the joy of your Lord (v.23).” A father has great joy to see his children come to their own and fulfill their potential. Jesus will have great joy to see us blossom during His millennial reign and rule with Him. Jesus will reveal to us when he saw us before we were in our mother’s womb, and what He designed us for. We will strive and reach for our full potential as God’s creation. What a joy that will be!
But what if we were like the lazy servant who didn’t have much to show when the master returns? What if we did not use our gifts and talents wisely. Perhaps we even buried our talent and did not use it at all. What if all our works are burned up and we have nothing of value to present to the Lord? Perhaps most of us fall into this category. Of all the women and men of faith down through the ages who suffered and persevered and accomplished great things for Jesus, how do I even measure up? Sometimes I fear I will only play a bit part in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes I feel as though my responsibilities during this 1000 years will be very small if anything at all. Perhaps I am saved by the fire and relegated to the sidelines during this millennial reign of Jesus. I can only do my best during my remaining life on this side of heaven and throw myself down on the mercy seat of Jesus and ask that I can play a part. Perhaps my responsibilities will start small and grow throughout the thousand years as I learn how to be a good and faithful servant. May God have mercy on me!
Chapter 5: A New Spiritual Awareness
We will know as we are known (I Cor. 13:12)–this does not mean we will become as gods and know all things. I think it means we will have the sin nature lifted from us and we will be able to see the spiritual world more clearly and be in touch with that part of ourselves as never before. We will also be able to see others more clearly without the veil of sin. I think all our questions will be answered as to why God allowed the unexplainable sufferings in our previous existence on earth. God will not hide anything, but have clear answers as to why He did things the way He did them. They will be detailed answers that are beyond second guessing. He is the ultimate chess player. He is the ultimate strategist. His way will always prove to be the best way.
We will inherit a new Spiritual dimension-discuss how another sense is added to our five senses: spirituality. Our eyes will be opened that will enable us to express and relate to each other in the spiritual dimension.
One day the disciples came to Jesus and asked who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven? Jesus answer is revealing:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin! …See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-10) This verse shows the nature of the spiritual awareness that is prevalent during the millennial period. It will be a government of love and humility. One will not just waive his authority over the heads of others, but will trust in the Lord and make decisions based on humility and simple faith. We will be able to see into the heart and discern the real attitude behind the actions of mankind. Our judgements will be pure and true. Our attitude and demeanor will be like that of a child. Those who possess these traits will be greatest in the kingdom of Heaven and have great spiritual insight. It is interesting to note that in verse 10, Jesus infers that even the angels are observing and taking notes should anyone cause one of these little ones to stumble. Woe to anyone who causes a child to stumble both now and during the 1000 years.
What age will our new bodies be? If our bodies are like Jesus body, will we be around 30 years old? What about aborted babies and those that die young? Will they be full grown when we see them again? Philippians 3:21 says “we eagerly await a Savior from heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” Though we can’t be too dogmatic, it appears that we will have many of the same characteristics in our new bodies as Jesus body. He was recognizable and was real containing flesh and bone (Luke 24:39). His body was physical, touchable and able to pass through solid objects and disappear. He was able to suddenly appear in a locked room. Jesus was about 30 years old when He died and rose again. He was able to eat with the disciples. Luke 24:43 says, “ And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.” Jesus was proving a point that He was not a ghost or spirit, but had a whole functioning body. So how literally can we take this verse that our bodies will be like Jesus body? How many of these characteristics of Jesus resurrected body can we apply to our own? It appears we will be able to eat and drink, but will we be able to travel through matter? Whatever the case, we know that God does not hold back good gifts to His children. He is not thinking of ways to make things more difficult for us as we rule with Him during this 1000 years. As far as our age, most agree that humans reach their physical maturity from about the late teens to mid 20s. I think there is a good chance that this will be the age represented in our new bodies. We will not see grandmother in her 90’s, but in her 20s! She will be full of life, energy, and vitality! It will be a glorious body (I Cor. 15:43). Daniel 12:3 and Matthew 13:43 tell us that we will “shine forth like the sun.” And we will recognize each other, just like Mary recognized Jesus risen body at the tomb. I think this is what Paul meant in I Cor. 13:12, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” Our identity as a person will remain intact. It will be the same me. It will be the same you, just without a sinful nature. Our uniqueness will be celebrated by God and we will not become some kind of homogenized, preconceived stamps of consciousness. We will be vibrant and real and different from each other! We will recognize loved ones who we have not seen in years or perhaps have never seen. Their personality will give them away and we will know them! And what about friendships during the millennium? Will we develop new ones?
Chapter 6: A New Beginning: The Curse is Lifted
From scripture we find that when Adam and Eve fell, God put a curse on all mankind. From the Genesis account, we find that (1) God cursed the serpent and the animals; (2) He put a curse on child birth, that women would have pain in childbirth; and (3) He cursed the ground. And (4) in Romans we find that God put a curse on all creation which ultimately results in death which is the ultimate curse from which we need redemption. It appears that God slowly removes each phase of this curse on all mankind. One phase is removed after the flood of Noah, another phase is removed at the cross of Christ, several phases removed during the 1000 year reign of Christ and the final curse of death forever removed during the eternal state.
Scripture seems to support the fact that animals were affected by the fall. They developed a wild nature with claws and teeth to kill other animals and to defend themselves. When Noah got off the ark, God declared that humanity had dominion over the animals and that if an animal should kill someone, then the life of that animal be taken. (Genesis 9:5). Romans 8:22-23 tells us, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. And not only they, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.” All of creation groans for redemption including the animal kingdom. This curse will be lifted from the animal kingdom as described in Isaiah 65. They will become tame and vegetarian and no longer a threat to one another or humanity. How would you like to snuggle a bear or hug a lion or pet a snake? Or perhaps you desire a dazzling white horse that can ride the winds of the new heavens and earth. Whatever the case, the animal kingdom will be vibrant and new!
Will God ever reverse the curse of childbirth for women? Does the elimination of the death of children at birth suggest this?
Will God reverse the curse on the ground for planting and harvesting? (See Genesis 8 when God lifted the curse on the ground. To what extent did that happen and will it continue into the millennium? Will we be able to garden without disease and pests during the 1000 years? Will we need fertilizer?
When does God reverse the curse of death on all creation? (What does Revelation 22:3 refer too?)
Chapter 7: A New Purpose
The Purpose of the millennium–The purpose of the millennium is to fulfill four promises that God made (to Jesus, to humanity, to creation, and to fulfill prophecy. We will explore each of these promises). God will have presented mankind with every type of government system (innocence, law, grace, wrath, justice) and man always falls short. He needs a redeemer from his sin. He needs salvation that is only attainable by the cross of Christ. The reign of Jesus is His rightful position and destiny. It will be fulfilled in word and deed to validate the prophets and the Kingship of Jesus that He actually was born to be a king. Pilate said to Jesus at the Praetorium before he was crucified, “Are you a king then?” Jesus answered “You say rightly that I am a King. For this cause was I born and for this cause I have come into the world that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.” (John 18:37). Jesus goes on to say to Caiaphas, the High Priest in Matthew 26:64, “I say to you, hereafter, you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Here Jesus is describing His glorious 2nd coming described in greater detail in Revelation 19:11-20 when He descends from heaven as King of kings and Lord of Lords, defeats the armies of the earth that are fighting against Him and then sets up His 1000 year millennial reign on the earth.
Mark 1:14-15 describes Jesus early ministry: “Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” The gospel of the Kingdom proclaims that one day the Kingdom of heaven will come down to earth where Jesus will reign forever and ever. It will be a physical kingdom that will never end. It is yet future. This is not to be confused with the spiritual kingdom of God that started at Pentecost and has been prevalent throughout the church age. Nor is it to be confused with the “gospel of salvation” which is necessary for our redemption. And this is still not to be confused with the universal Kingdom of Heaven that has always been since the beginning as God has always reigned over His entire creation (heavens and earth). To simplify, the Kingdom of God (interchangeable with the Kingdom of Heaven) occurs in three phases: past, present and future. The past represents God’s Kingdom that has always existed before creation. He has always been the sovereign Lord over all of His creation. The present Kingdom of God involves the church age and is more spiritual in nature. There is a movement called “Kingdom Now” theology which says that one day the church will be successful in implementing the kingdom of God throughout the earth both spiritually and physically where the church replaces Israel as the instrument through which God finally establishes His final and future Kingdom on earth. This is false theology as this final Kingdom will only be realized on earth through the nation of Israel. Jesus will reign from Jerusalem. The Jewish nation will be the platform from which He governs. God will never abandon Israel. (For a more detailed explanation supported with scripture, I highly recommend Andy Woods book, “The Coming Kingdom“)
So what about the gospel of salvation? Salvation is mandatory in order to enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus said in John 3:3: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats from all the survivors (Matthew 25:31-46) at the end of the 7 year tribulation and only the sheep (believers) will enter this 1000 year period in their mortal bodies. Church age believers and Old Testament age believers will enter this 1000 year period raised from the dead and given immortal bodies. So only believers get to enter and experience this 1000 year Kingdom. Both mortal and immortals will co-exist on the earth during Jesus reign. And the immortals will help reign over the mortals. So that is why Jesus and the disciples taught the gospel of “the kingdom” during his 3 year ministry. This kingdom was “at hand” and the people needed to be ready and prepare for it. They needed to repent and recognize their sin, but they failed to recognize their Messiah, so God delayed the physical coming of the Kingdom of God until the Jewish state finally recognizes Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus declares this in Matthew 23:27-39: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem…how often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” And so because Israel rejected the Messiah, salvation was offered to the gentiles. Paul discusses this in Romans 11:25: “ I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in; and in that way all of Israel will be saved.” Eventually, Israel will be saved and allowed to enter the Kingdom of God. Only through the forgiveness of sins can one be born again and therefore enter it. Therefore Paul, the disciples and believers today are able to preach this gospel of salvation to those who would believe and be saved. You must respond to the gospel of salvation and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in order to enter the kingdom of God.
Is the millennium and eternal state made to please us or are we made to please God? Both! The Quran promises at least 2 virgins to followers of Islam if they make it to heaven (by being good enough) and 72 virgins if they die as a martyr. It is interesting that the very things they are to abstain from on earth become the reward if they can make it to heaven. The true God of heaven does not operate that way. We cannot earn our way to heaven. It is a gift of God as Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” And furthermore, our greatest reward will be to see God face to face through the person of Jesus Christ and get to know Him forever and ever (John 17:3). Yet, we are given rewards and a inheritance. 1 Peter 1:3-4 says: “In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you.” So yes, eternity is about God and not us. Yet, God has chosen to pour out His riches on us to that we can enjoy them. God wants to treat His newly adopted sons and daughters just as we would want to treat our own sons and daughters. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” God will not withhold giving us “good things” during the millennium and throughout eternity, but instead pour them out on us. And we will use them to help increase His Kingdom and we will give Him praise and honor and glory forevermore!
Morning by Morning New Mercies I See: We will have 365,000 mornings to glorify God by reigning with Him and being servants to Him. Remember the movie, Groundhog Day with Bill Murray where he kept repeating the same day until he got it right. He learned to play the piano, help others, and finally figured out how to get the girl he loved. We are never told in the movie how many days Bill Murray had to repeat, but it appears that it could have been many years. Well, we will get 365,000 days to get it right. How will we serve Jesus? How will we help others and teach them about the Messiah? Will we learn new skills and take up new hobbies? Will we learn and grow in our responsibilities? I think this is the most underestimated aspect of our part during the millennial reign of Christ. We are reluctant to “think big” and afraid we are expecting too much. Instead we say, “oh…I am not sure about that…God has more important things to do than engage me enjoying a garden, learning a new hobby, or camping or fishing or just having plain fun on the new earth.” Think about that for a minute. When has God ever been reluctant that we enjoy His creation? He pours out His gifts upon us that we may enjoy them and have life in all its abundance. 365,000 mornings. How will you take advantage of each one of them? You will have access to Jesus and His wisdom and counsel. He will guide you and give you the free will to make decisions and be successful in all that you do.
Chapter 8: A New Era of Peace and Prosperity
What does the prophet Isaiah have to say about the millennial kingdom? Here are verses from Isaiah 65:17-25.
“See, I will create
new heavens and a new earth.
The former things will not be remembered,
nor will they come to mind.
A new heavens and earth are created at the beginning of the 1000 years. Yet this declaration is repeated at the end of the 1000 years (Rev. 21:1). Why? It looks like this re-creation happens gradually over the 1000 years and is finally perfected during the eternal state. The earth is in bad shape due to events during the 7 year tribulation. A worldwide earthquake devastates the cities and mountains. Isaiah 24:20 says, “The earth staggers like a drunken man, it sways like a hut; its transgressions lies heavy upon it.” It looks like the earth may be knocked of its axis and therefore wobble like a drunkard. In March of 2011, a 9.0 earthquake off the east coast of Japan shifted the earth’s axis by about 6.5 inches. Can you imagine what a worldwide earthquake would do? Yet, the Lord will fix it. Cities will be rebuilt. Houses will be repaired. The fields will flourish with produce. This may not happen overnight, but gradually in the course of time this new earth will thrive under the ruler-ship of Jesus.
Isaiah says that former things will not be remembered any more. This is difficult to contemplate. Will the Lord erase our minds so that we no longer remember the pain and suffering of this life? Will we forget about our friends and loved ones who may have rejected Christ and are not with us anymore? Will God completely wipe away all our memories of life on earth? This seems unlikely. God does not hide from anything, nor is threatened by anything. I think we will remember everything, but the pain will be gone. The joy of living with Jesus in the kingdom will be so fantastic that the pain will fade and the suffering we experienced will no longer come to mind. “There will be no more tears (Revelation 21:4).” How God pulls this off is a mystery. But one day we will know the “truth” of everything that happened in our former lives. And this truth will set us free.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever
in what I will create,
for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight
and its people a joy.
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem
and take delight in my people;
the sound of weeping and of crying
will be heard in it no more.
Jerusalem will be the capital city not only of Israel but the entire earth. King David made it the capital of his kingdom in 1003 BCE and Jesus will one day inherit that throne. Isaiah 2:4 says,
“In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways; that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
From the term “the last days” we know this prophecy has not happened yet and is still future. It is interesting that the nations will stream to it. It will be a delight and joy for all the people of the earth. They will want to see the Lord and learn from Him. A city once devastated by war and suffering is transformed into the brightest spot on earth. The city will flourish and prosper and will be the place we want to go. I suspect we will visit there often during the 1000 years.
20 “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;
the one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child;
the one who fails to reach a hundred
will be considered accursed.
Based on this verse it looks like life spans will greatly increase. If someone who dies at 100 is considered just a child, then how long will we live? It is possible that those born during the millennium have a good chance to live during its entirety. Methuselah was the oldest person who has ever lived as he lived to 969 years old (Genesis 5:27). Will that record be beaten? Will someone born in the early stages of the millennium make it all the way to the end?
And it also looks like infant mortality will be eradicated. Currently the death of infants is about 751 deaths per 100,000 children born. 385,000 babies are born in the world each day. This means that approximately 3000 die each day due to complications during infancy. There is nothing more sorrowful than losing a child. To know that there are 3000 heartbroken and devastated parents losing a child each day is hard to contemplate. And this will be changed during the millennium! Children will no longer die as infants! Glory! Death will still be present, but much rarer. Death due to disease, violence and war will be almost eliminated. It seems like only the rebellious need to worry. If one dies at 100 years old, they will be considered cursed!
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
It will be a prosperous time with planting and building and harvesting. There will be home ownership as everyone will have their own property and not owe their lives to some mortgage or slave arrangement. God’s people will enjoy their work and profit from it.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.
Children will blossom and be successful. They will know the Lord and be blessed by Him for generations.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox,
and dust will be the serpent’s food.
They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,”
says the Lord.
The animal kingdom will be turned upside down. The animals will be tamed and become vegetarian. They will not threaten anyone and will live peacefully with humanity. Have you ever wanted to just hug a bear or wrestle with a fury Lion?
Micah 2:6-8: “In that day,” says the Lord,“I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast and those whom I have afflicted; I will make the lame a remnant, and the outcast a strong nation; So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from now on, even forever.” From this prophecy we get an indication that disease will be greatly eradicated. The lame and the outcast will become strong. I imagine cancer and rare diseases will be a thing of the past wither through the innovations of science or by Jesus Himself.
On a different note, what will be the roll of the Olympic games during the 1000 years? In the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, they mocked Jesus Christ by presenting a reproduction of the “Last Supper” by Da Vinci and portrayed the characters as transvestites. Then appeared a white horse with a faceless rider leading the parade of nations. Revelation 6:2 describes the anti-christ riding a white horse as he goes out to conquer. He has a bow without arrows to symbolize that initially his conquest will be in peace, not war. But that will only be temporary as he will eventually plunge the world into the greatest era of war and destruction humanity has ever known. I think the anti-christ will hijack the games during the short time he has during the 7 year tribulation period. Why waste such a great opportunity? He will attempt to unite all of mankind under a new banner. He will no longer be the faceless rider of the Paris games. He will have the answers to all the world’s problems and initially he will cause a false peace to spread throughout the earth and cause all to worship him. Revelation 13:4 spells out the global situation: “And they worshiped the beast saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to come against him?” I suppose his theme song to unite mankind could be John Lennon’s “Imagine“. Here are some lyrics to that song. Will this be the mantra for the people’s of the earth?
“Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try, No hell below us
Above us, only sky; Imagine all the people
Livin’ for today
Imagine there’s no countries; It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too, Imagine all the people
Livin’ life in peace“
But the anti-christ’s rule will end in chaos. Peace will give way to violence and war and wrath on a level never before experienced on planet earth. Jesus said shortly before his death that unless he comes back again and “cut those days short” that no one would survive it. (Matthew 24:22) Will Jesus abolish the Olympic games during His reign? Even the apostle Paul referred to the games with terms like “running the race” and “getting the prize” as analogous to our journey of life in Christ. The desire to excel is part of the human experience. God created in us the desire to achieve and compete. One theme of the 1000 years is that God does not diminish the human experiment that He started in the Garden of Eden, but He enhances it. He created us humans to reign on the earth forever and ever. Earth is our dominion and inheritance. Therefore, I would not be surprised if Jesus repurposes the games for His glory. Isaiah 9:7 says that “the increase of His peace shall see no end“. May the new Olympic Games honor the King in Jerusalem! May we bring our best athletes to use their gifts for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 9: New Promises
In the book of Revelation, chapters 2-3, Jesus writes to the seven churches that are active in Asia at the time (AD90). However, after examining each church, they seem to be representative of churches throughout the last 2000 years. To each church Jesus mentions their strengths, but also their weaknesses. And He gives a future promise to each church that applies to all believers (called overcomers). These promises find their fulfillment during the millennial reign of Christ and afterwards, so let us examine what they are and how they give us insight into what Jesus reign will be like.
To the church of Ephesus (Revelation 2:7)–“To him who over-comes, I will give to eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.” We know the tree of life is on both sides of the river of Life that flows from the throne of God as described in Revelation 22. It produces 12 kinds of fruit each month for the healing of the nations. Can you imagine how mouth watering those fruits must be? The fruits we have now could only be a small foretaste of how wonderful they will be then. You may ask, “who are the nations?” and “why do they need healing?”. These are great mysteries that scholars have debated for centuries. But we do get a few insights here. First is that the tree of life gives it’s fruit monthly, which implies the passage of time and seasons of harvest. And so even though God exists outside of “time“, perhaps He allows us to have access inside of “time” on the earth. Perhaps part of the new heavens will exist outside of time (like the New Jerusalem that has no sun or moon and distant galaxies) and part of the new heavens (the rotating earth, surrounding atmosphere, the sun and moon) will exist within time. Perhaps we will be able to go back and forth, in and out of time, as needed. The fact that the fruit from the tree of life has healing properties is mesmerizing. Will our immortal bodies need periods of healing and regeneration? Will there be a group of nations not yet identified that will need perpetual healing to continue to exist in eternity? We can only speculate, but it is interesting that Jesus implies here with this promise that we will need and want to partake of this fruit.
To the church in Smyrna (Revelation 2:11) “He who over-comes, will not be hurt by the second death.” So what is the second death and why should we avoid it? We all die once and that is the “first death.” After we die we are all judged either at the judgement seat of Christ to determine our rewards or at the Great White Throne judgement to determine our punishment. The “second death” is the result of this punishment at the Great White Throne judgement and represents those who are not written in the Book of Life and are cast into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:14). Jesus promises the church at Smyrna that if we are overcomers (believers in Him), then we will not be cast into the Lake of Fire and are not hurt by the second death. We will live with Him and be given duties during the millennial kingdom and then forever.
To the church at Pergamos (Revelation 2:17) “To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” I have discussed this verse earlier and what a personal and intimate picture of what Jesus will reveal to us. He is not there to cast judgement and to review every sin we have ever committed. Those sins were forgiven on the Cross and are remembered no more and cast into the deepest sea (Micah 7:19). The white stone represents this total forgiveness as we are declared “not guilty.” We will be judged by the accumulation of what we have done throughout our life, “good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10-11), and then given our appropriate reward. Some will do better than others. Some will get nothing and are saved by the fire (I Cor. 3:15). Some will be put in charge of ten cities (Luke 17:19). I believe this new name will reflect our gifts and talents. Paul tells us in I Cor. 12:4-6 that we are each given gifts from the Holy Spirit. “There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same Spirit. There are different ways to serve. But they all come from the same Lord. There are different ways the Spirit works. But the same God is working in all these ways and in all people.” Again, I believe this new name will reflect why we were created and what God had in mind for us to do. Those of us who have used these gifts during this life time will get a head start during the 1000 years. Those of us who bury our gifts and do not use them during this life will be saved, but basically have to start from scratch in learning to use them. I believe this is the “loss” described in I Cor. 3:15. They will not be given positions of authority and responsibility and will have to go through a trial by fire (special training) to earn those positions. You may say that if fine because all I want to do is get through those pearly gates! But remember you are not going through “pearly gates“, but coming to earth, the real world. And you will be wired differently in your new body that is without a sin nature. You will be deeply disappointed that you did not use your gifts in a spirit of love before you died. I encourage you to use them wisely now. Store up your treasure in heaven and it will not ever be taken away. (Matthew 6:20)
To the church at Thyatira (Revelation 2:26) “He who overcomes and keeps my works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations-He shall rule them with a rod of iron; they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels-as I also have received from My Father; and I will give him the morning star.” Jesus promises that one day during His reign that we will have power over the nations. We will rule with a rod of iron just like Jesus will. We will be put in positions of authority to make decisions on behalf of this new government and King. So in that sense it will not be a strict dictatorship, but a shared distribution of governmental authority. Rebellion, immorality and dissent will be squashed but I imagine with a spirit of love and justice. Jesus will be a good and loving King. All His decisions will be perfect. Righteousness will prevail in all His rulings and He will instruct us how to do so. We are also given the “bright morning star.” Revelation 22:16 tells us that this is Jesus Himself. In the white house only a few privileged individuals have free access to the oval office where the President works. They can confide in him and ask for instruction at any time. In the same way, we will have total access to Jesus. He will counsel us and guide us in all our decisions. We are not alone here. He will be with us always.
To the church in Sardis (Revelation 3:5) “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments and I will not blot his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels.” This promise is similar to the one given to the church at Smyrna in that the over comer is rescued from the lake of fire which is the destination of all those not written in the Book of Life. In stead we are clothed in white garments which signifies that we are washed in the blood of the lamb and all our sins are forgiven. Jesus will declare us “not guilty” not only before the Father, but also the angels. The angels have a vital interest in our future. They are our long lost brothers and look forward to a family reunion. Kill the fatted calf! It is a time for celebration! For once we were lost, but now we are found!
To the church at Philadelphia (Revelation 3:10–12) “Because you have kept my command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth. He who overcomes…I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my God. And I will write on him My new name.” I discuss the first part of this promise in depth in my blog called “The Rapture.” It is one of my 33 reasons why the church will not go through the seven year tribulation period. Verse 10 promises that the church will be removed from the earth before the seven years (hour of trial) begins. And in verses 11-12 we get an additional promise that Jesus himself will write the name of His God and the city New Jerusalem on us. Furthermore, Jesus will write his “new name” on us also! What is the name of Jesus’ God and what is Jesus new name? We can only speculate. Though we can say that God is the same today, yesterday and forever, we can also acknowledge that God performs different works and adopts different names in different ages throughout the course of His salvation of mankind, whether God is called Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, I AM, Alpha and Omega, the Morning Star, Lamb of God, Lion of Judah or the new name mentioned here in Revelation. God’s essence never changes and God is forever the one God. God’s work is always moving forward and developing and His name changes accordingly. Yet, one thing never changes: Jesus Christ is the only way to God for salvation. I believe God’s new name will be a hint of the projects prepared for us in eternity. God is always moving forward and creating new things. I think we will be amazed at what He has in store for us!
To the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:21) “To him who overcomes, I will grant to sit with me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” What did Jesus mean when He says we will sit with Him on His throne? Hebrews 8:1 describes Jesus present position as that of sitting at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty of Heaven. Someday, at His Father’s command, Jesus will leave the throne in heaven, fetch His bride, the church, and occupy a throne on earth. The angel Gabriel told Mary that her son would be called “Son of the Most High” and that the Lord God would give to Him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there will be no end. Jesus will one day give us the privilege to sit on his throne which tells us that we will help administer His Kingdom and reign with Him. What an incredible promise! Notice that we are not on the throne alone. We are “with” Jesus. He gives us the authority to rule with Him. He will guide and counsel us as we make decisions for the kingdom.
Here is what other prophets (Jeremiah, Micah 4:2, Daniel, Zechariah) reveal about this golden age–older people walking the streets without fear; children playing in the streets
The Millennium Temple (discuss this magnificent temple described in Ezekiel 40-48.
Chapter 10: New Science and Technology
Technology and population explosion: Will technology explode during this 1000 years? Will Jesus slow it down or allow it to take off? With the technological explosion of the last 100 years, can you imagine how technology will advance with 1000 years of peace and prosperity? Nothing would be impossible! Will there be a “tower of Babel” moment on the new earth to slow things down? Will Jesus implement a global “EMP” so that humanity does not get out of control? Perhaps ruling with a “rod of iron” implies strict controls on reproduction rights and technological advancements. Some believe that technology will not be needed and we will revert to an agrarian society where farming and building are the main industries. Perhaps it will be similar in that respect to the days of Noah when he and his three sons became farmers after they exited the Ark. With one common purpose and with peace on the earth, it will not take long for humanity, working together, to accomplish great things in short amounts of time. Eventually, every home could be energy and food self sufficient.
How fast will the population of the earth increase during the millennium? If you do the simple math and take into account that not only will humanity live very long lives, but it is a time of peace, then the population could explode exponentially during this time and perhaps increase into the tens of billions. If only 50,000 people survive the tribulation and each couple has one child every 10 years until they are 400 years old, then the population after only 400 years would be over 26 billion! Could the earth sustain such a population? Will Jesus hold back certain aspects of technology to reduce the world-wide population to make it manageable? Will the new earth be much bigger so that it can accommodate more people?
Chapter 11: New Boundries and Expansion
Israel expands it’s territory during the 1000 years. Israel will no longer be a country the size of New Jersey. According to Genesis 15:18 and Joshua 1:4, the land God gave to Israel included everything from the Nile River in Egypt to Lebanon (south to north) and everything from the Mediterranean Sea to the Euphrates River (west to east). Despite being the most hotly contested piece of real estate in the world, the land God has promised to Israel includes everything modern-day Israel possesses, plus all of the territory occupied by the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza), plus some of Egypt and Syria, plus all of Jordan, plus some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Thus, Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised; the rest of their inheritance awaits the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is possible that Israel will reclaim some of the land as a result of ongoing wars with Syria, Iran and it’s surrounding enemies. However, during the millennial reign of Christ, Israel will eventually receive all of it. God has given His word that the nation of Israel will never cease as long as the sun still shines by day and the moon and stars still shine by night (Jeremiah 31:35–37).
The great commission in Matthew 28 says: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This was the first verse I memorized as a follower of Christ and it has always been special to me. I have always believed that no matter what happens, Jesus will be with me always even til the end of time. Yet, this verse has become even more special when I realized that it applies not only to this lifetime, but also to the millennial reign of Christ. The “end of the age” can refer to the end of the 1000 years and just before the eternal state begins. So part of my responsibility of reigning with Christ will be to continue to fulfill the Great Commission. With the population exploding into the billions during this time, the gospel will still need to be taught and people will still need to make Jesus their Lord and Savior and be baptized. Since He has full authority, He grants that authority to us to spread the gospel to the nations. And it should be mostly fertile ground in that the people will want to hear and believe and serve our Lord. He will be visible. His works will be seen by everyone. There will be no excuses to not want to embrace the Lord. But those who reject Him will probably really be stubborn. The fact that satan, when released from bottomless pit, is able to gather a vast army to go against Christ (Revelation 20:7-9) after the 1000 years is complete, shows us that sin originates in the human heart (Matthew 15:18-20). Even in perfect conditions in an era of peace, with Jesus physically ruling the planet from the capital Jerusalem, humanity still rejects God in their hearts. And so we still need a redeemer. Jesus still has to die for the sins of mankind. So the need to fulfill the Great Commission will remain. Perhaps the need will be greatest just when the thousand years is complete and those still in their mortal bodies will have to make a final decision either for or against Christ. What will it be? Will they side with satan or with the King in Jerusalem? Perhaps our ministry and influence in the lives of our fellow humans, “these mortals”, will be vital to helping them make the right decision that they too may be ushered into the blessings of the eternal state and avoid the lake of fire.
Chapter 12: New Relationships
Blast from the Past -we have all been asked the question, “if you could meet anyone who has ever lived and spend a day with them, who would it be?” The great men and women of history come to mind: Moses, Noah, Mary, Jesus, George Washington, Florence Nightingale and the list goes on. It will be so exciting to have the opportunity to fellowship with these people. And they don’t have to be famous. The opportunity to spend time with parents, grandparents, great great grandparents, and so on. We will have an eternity to explore these relationships. I have always wanted to ask David why he picked up 3 stones when he faced Goliath? Did he think he might miss or was he thinking ahead to Goliath’s brothers? Or to ask Mary when she realized her son would have to die?
Giving us a rare glimpse into the relationships in the kingdom of heaven Jesus says in Matthew 8:11, “ I say to you that many gentiles will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.” If we gentiles will have places of “fellowship” with the patriarchs of the Old Testament, then would it not make sense that we will be able to fellowship with people from all generations? Also in Isaiah 25:6, giving us a glimpse into the reign of Christ we read: “On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples,a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines.(NIV)” You cannot have a feast “for all peoples” without fellowship. We will eat meat and drink wine from the best grapes in all of Israel! Is this not how new friendships are formed? It is in the fertile soil of fellowship that the seeds of friendship are started. So my conclusion on the matter without getting too dogmatic is that yes, we will make new friends and possibly find new soulmates. And yet God will be there and He will be our true desire. Getting to know Him will be our primary longing out of which fulfillment from all other relationships will spring forth! I think the old adage might be true….”we have not met our best friend yet!”
And could that new best friend be an angel? I believe that it is possible that during the 1000 years we will be introduced to our “Brothers from another Mother“-part of our extended family …. the angels. Scripture always portrays angels as “male” and not female or neutral. They were created with the ability to rebel against God as we learn that about one third of them have sided with Satan and joined the forces of evil. We will judge these fallen angels as 1 Cor. 6:3 says, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” But what about the good angels? What will be our relationship with them during the 1000 years and beyond? We are told not to worship angels as they are our “fellow servants” (Revelation 22:9). Though it seems that angels are distinct from humans, it appears that we are both made in God’s image. We know that angels were present when the earth was created (Job 38:6) and God does speak in the 6th day of creation saying “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). This could imply that angels too were made in God’s image. So will humans and angels be reunited one day?
Tim Alberino, in his book Birthright says “The sons of God in heaven and on earth are destined to be united in Christ in what is essentially a family reunion, since mankind was conceived as a son in the beginning. That Adam was a son of God is evidenced in the genealogy of Jesus of Nazareth as reckoned by Luke, who affirms Him to be the son of Joseph in the line of David, and then traces his lineage all the way back to the preflood age through Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:23, 36-38).“
Tim illustrates this using the parable of the prodigal son, “Adam, like the angels, was a son of God, a sibling in the Father’s house. He enjoyed this privileged estate until the fall which alienated him from the divine family and indentured him to Satan, the original fallen son with whom he would have been condemned forever if a way of reconciliation had not been made through the cross. This is the essence of the gospel, the Good News which was declared to mankind through Jesus Christ who came to seek and save the lost sons of Adam and lead them back to the Father’s house.“
He goes on to say, “If anyone should doubt that the parable of the prodigal son concerns the reuniting of the family of God (i.e., the angel race and the human race), consider that in the two preceding parables (namely, the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin), Jesus remarks that there will be joy in heaven among the angels over every sinner who repents. The sons of God rejoice at the repentance of their sundered siblings because they know that soon we will be reinstated in the family of God, and the fellowship of Eden will be renewed.“
I was told growing up in high school that I had not even met my best friend yet. It was an exciting concept…that great friendships were ahead of me, that life would be expanding and relationships growing. Can we apply the same concept to this 1000 years that we will have together with Jesus? Have we met our best friend yet? Yes, God will be our desire and the one we long for, but God did create us for relationship with others? Can I say the word “soulmate?” Will we find soulmates on the new earth? The closest biblical support we can find for this uses the word “feast” or “fellowship” found in Matthew 8:11. We need to be careful here. We are told that there will be no marriage in heaven (Matthew 22:30) and that we will be like the angels in that regard. What about people that had really good marriages? Will they be able to live with their spouse during the 1000 years and beyond? What about people who had many broken relationships on earth, will they be able to find one during this 1000 years? Will they find their best friend, that soulmate that evaded them in this life? You might ask that should not our relationship with Jesus Christ and getting to know Him be our greatest desire? Of course! But these are delicate questions and the Bible is not specific on these matters. We do know that in the Garden of Eden, God said everything was good except for this: “it is not good for man to be alone“(Genesis 2:18). Will this change in the eternal state? If a relationship with God was not enough to fulfill Adam’s needs in those perfect conditions, then why would it be any different during the eternal state? The one thing that Jesus longed for while on the earth is revealed to us in John 17:5. God created us in Him image and that involves the capacity for relationship. Jesus longed to have the relationship He had with the Father ‘before the world began” This relationship prior to creation was so good and so perfect that it is the one thing that Jesus missed most regarding his decision to come to earth as a human being and the savior of mankind. He missed that special communion with the Father. Does the perfect union of the Trinity give us a glimpse into our relationships in the eternal state with each other? Will we find some fulfillment as a gift from God that He allows us to experience this kind of oneness not only with Him, but with each other?
Chapter 13: New Opportunities
The limits of immortality: 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 tells us that we will be changed and inherit immortal bodies when He comes back to get us. Those of us who die before this happens will get a head start. So just how powerful will these new immortal bodies be? Will we be supermen and superwomen? Will we need to practice to get better? Will we be able to play the piano and master it instantly or will it be a process of learning? Will we make mistakes knowing a mistake is not a sin, and instead a learning tool? To think we will be able to do anything at the snap of a finger is not realistic. That is becoming like God instead of growing and learning in Him. If God, who is perfect, could be sorry at creating man when looking at the conditions on earth during the days of Noah, is it not possible that we will not be fully satisfied with some of the things we will try to accomplish in our immortal bodies? Does it not seem probable that we will grow and learn during this 1000 years of reigning with Christ? Only God’s actions are perfect. A sinless, immortal body does not guarantee perfection in all of its actions. An immortal body is not all powerful. An immortal body is not omnipotent. An immortal body is not omnipresent. On the other hand, it will be sinless, have boundless energy, have counsel from the Almighty, and exercise free will. An immortal body is a creation: eternal, physical, tangible, touchable, recognizable and workable. But we are not God and were never intended to be God or to ever evolve into God. Even I Tim. 3:16 says, “God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light.” Only God is immortal in the fullest sense.
We are all familiar with the game PUTT PUTT, so let me illustrate the limits of our immortality with the example of trying to make a 20 foot putt in an immortal body. Imagine lining up the putt. Say it breaks 12 inches to the left at a fast pace. How will the wind affect the putt? How does the grain direction of the grass affect the speed? Has it rained recently to slow the ball down? Admittingly, our minds may be sharper, our comprehension increased, our calculations precise, and our stamina greater, but what is it about an immortal body that would allow us to hit the ball at the right pace so as to take the 12 inch break perfectly for the ball to drop into the hole every time. Nothing! There are just too many variables to guarantee perfection every time. Only God can always deliver absolute perfection. Though these bodies may be perfect in composition, they will probably not be perfect in execution. Why? Because that would make us like God. And we will never be like God. We will learn and grow and ask God for counsel. We will practice and get better. This eternal learning curve will be what makes life so exciting and adventurous each day. If we always catch a 10 pound bass on the first cast, then what is the point? If our first tomato is without blemish and perfect in flavor then why try to do better? There has to be some sense of accomplishment for the eternal state to be meaningful and fulfilling.
What will the role of music be during the millennium?
What will entertainment and leisure life be life during the millennium? What will we eat and drink? Will there be sports? Will we get to travel? Will there be pets? Will we be able to expand our talents and develop hobbies that we enjoy? What kind of goals and projects might we set up? Jesus kingdom will never stop increasing. How does this happen especially during the eternal state? Who will be able to be fruitful and multiply?
There will be a short-lived rebellion that provides an opportunity to point others to Christ. At the end of the 1000 years, Satan is let loose from the bottomless pit and gathers a huge army (like the sands of the sea) to come up to Jerusalem to destroy Jesus government once and for all. We are not told exactly how long this will take or how many years pass before this rebellion takes form, except that it will be “for a short time“. But we do know that the battle does not even get started. Revelation 20:7 “when the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. ” Satan is then thrown into the lake of fire and then the great while throne judgement occurs when all unbelievers from all time will be resurrected to face this judgement. Perhaps part of our responsibility during the 1000 years is to prepare against this final satanic onslaught. Even though many do rebel against Jesus, perhaps we can help save millions by biblical teaching and promoting worship of this Jesus explaining why He is worthy to receive glory and honor and power and all majesty forever and ever! We can preach the gospel and all it entails. We can preach the forgiveness of sins by way of the cross and why we need a savior. We can show that Jesus is just in all his judgements and righteous in all His proclamations. He is worthy of worship and our greatest desire will be to uplift and point to Jesus.
Chapter 14: New Wine
A day of new wine is coming representing this new kingdom. Jesus mentioned it in a parable he told in Luke 5:36-40 which says, “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.” Jesus new kingdom is coming and the old ways will pass away. Isaiah 43:19 proclaims “he makes all things new!” Currently wine is one of the top 20 commodities in the world and getting bigger every year. The key to successful wine production is hydration. Grapes love dry weather in the fall with consistent rain fall during spring and summer. In dry desert locations, a good irrigation system is mandatory for wine production to be successful. In Zechariah 14:17, it declares that during the millennial reign of Christ, “if any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, they will not get any rain.” From this we can imply that Jesus will be strictly controlling the rainfall for all the peoples of the earth and from the scriptures below we can imply that rainfall for the most part will be consistent and abundant to bless the inhabitants of the earth and promote a wine harvest so great that even the harvesters cannot contain it! Noah was about 600 years old when he finally exited the Ark after about 371 days. Starting from scratch, Genesis tells us that he became a farmer and started a vineyard. It usually takes about 5 years after planting to finally begin getting wine. In the same way, at the beginning of this 1000 years, the earth will be recovering from total devastation and it will take time to get wine production to full scale. We may all become farmers during this time. But with perfect weather conditions and the earth at peace, expect a bountiful harvest of all crops including the best grapes from all over the earth in only a few years. Here are some scriptures that support the fact that this new wine will be poured out and abundant during the millennial reign of Christ:
Joel 3:18: “And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine.” (“in that day” refers to the millennial reign)
Matthew 26:27-29: “And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (cannot wait until that day when we get to toast with Jesus the coming Kingom!)
Jeremiah 31:12-13: “They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord—Over the grain and the new wine and the oil, And over the young of the flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a watered garden.” (it looks like agriculture will be strong during this time and the glory of Israel)
Amos 9:13-17: Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“When the plowman will overtake the reaper
And the treader of grapes him who sows seed;
When the mountains will drip sweet wine
And all the hills will be dissolved.
“Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel,
And they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them;
They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine,
And make gardens and eat their fruit. (looks like the harvest of grapes will be so big that the bottlers will not be able to keep up! Everyone will plant vineyard and enjoy the wine from it)
Micah 4: 1-5: “And it will come about in the last days
That the mountain of the house of the Lord
Will be established as the chief of the mountains…
Each of them will sit under his vine
And under his fig tree,
With no one to make them afraid,
For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.” (since there is no war, we will live in peace enjoying the fruit of our own labor. What a glorious time of peace and prosperity on the earth!)
Isaiah 65: “They will build houses and inhabit them; They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. “They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people” (looks like individual ownership will be the rule of the land. Each person will thrive in their own homes and own gardens)
Isaiah 25:6 “On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.” (looks like the quality will be top notch!)
We all remember when the craft beer industry exploded during the past 20 years. Now, even in the smallest of cities in America, you can get craft beers from all over the world and in abundance! You can get just as good a selection in Fuquay Varina as you can in New York City. Amazing! I think there will be a wine revolution during Jesus’ 1000 year reign. Scripture says the wine will ooze from the mountains with an abundance that satisfies the people like a watered garden! Jesus was never one to skimp on the wine. In His first miracle at Cana, he converted six water pots at 27 gallons each which is the equivalent of 10,368 ounces which is the equivalent of 414 bottles of wine or over 34 cases! The wine will overflow during the millennium starting in Israel and throughout the world. In fact, scripture says the harvest will be greater than the bottler can bottle! Everyone will have his own vineyard and enjoy the fruit from it. Jesus will only present the finest wines during the feasts and banquets that he hosts. The wine industry will explode and Jesus Himself will drink it when He comes into His Kingdom. What about beer? Though it is not mentioned specifically, I imagine it will flourish as well. And it will not be to get drunk, but to celebrate and honor the King and His blessing upon us. I imagine that our immortal bodies will metabolize the alcohol differently so we will not be able to get drunk as we are not capable of sin.
Chapter 15: A New Eternal State
Jesus summed up the essence of eternal life in John 17:3: “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” — As stated in the preface, this is ultimately what we were created for to have an intimate relationship with God. This is our ultimate reward and desire for eternity. And it will take an eternity to get to know God. And He is the only true God. There is no other. Each of us does not have our own truth and our own pathway to God. It is only through Jesus Christ that we can find Him and know Him. The quest to know this God is eternal life.
The new earth is our final destiny, not heaven. In the end, it is not us who go to heaven to live with God forever, but it is God who comes to earth to live with us forever. It is God who moves first! He leaves His house and moves in with us! And so the angel in Revelation 21:3 proclaims the news: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” What a new, startling revelation! The emphasis is not that the people will be with God, but that God will be with His people. Glory! This is not some allegorical fantasy. It is not some symbolic representation of a mysterious future reality. God says what He means and means what He says! God Himself will actually live among us! In Genesis 3:8, in the garden of Eden it says, “that both Adam and Eve heard the sound of God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Can you imagine the sound of God approaching you? That sound has not been heard since those days of Eden. But the day is coming when we will see God’s face and hear the sound of his footsteps. He will live among us. And we will not hide from him, but enjoy His presence forevermore!
The final chapters of the Bible show that God intends to renew the earth and make all things new. There will be a new heavens around the earth, and he will place us on it to take care of it forever. Thy Kingdom come on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10)–It is all coming to earth. Jesus permanently took on the roll of a human so that He can be with us on this earth. Earth was always created as mankind’s eternal home. Adam lost that right, but it was restored through Jesus. In a way, those who want to live in His kingdom get a do over. We will have dominion over the earth and it will be better than the garden of Eden. It will be an upgrade because sin will have been eliminated from all creation once and for all.
After the 1000 years is completed, and I can imagine that when it finally ends we will say that it went way too fast. We will say, “1000 years went just like that!” But the good news is that it will get even better. We finally get to enter the “eternal state” and it will be glorious! Most scholars agree that Revelation, chapters 21-22 describe this time period. Things will be different from the 1000 year reign of Christ, although much will be the same. Jesus will continue to reign and we with Him. His government will continue to increase without end. We will still be in immortal, sinless bodies. However, there will be no more death or pain or tears on the earth. We will reside in the New Jerusalem that comes out of heaven. In the New Jerusalem, there will be no temple or day or night, no more sea, no sun or moon. God will be present and light it up! However, outside the New Jerusalem and on the newly created earth, I suspect there will be a sun and moon, hot and cold, spring time and harvest and the passing of the seasons. After all, we were promised in Genesis 8:22 that as long as the earth endures these things will never end. And if the tree of life produces fruit monthly, then that implies not only the passage of time, but the continuation of the seasons. Yet, many things will be different. We are told in Revelation 21:5 “Behold! I make all things new!” It will be amazing and something to behold! God loves to create and He will not hold anything back and He wants us to behold it and enjoy it! Consider these other aspects of what it will be like in the eternal state.
The New Jerusalem: a city about the size of the moon that will come down from heaven after the 1000 years. Perhaps we will have access to it during the 1000 years before it comes down to earth in the eternal state. This may be the place that Jesus is preparing for us in His Father’s house. It is a cube about 1500 miles height and width. Here is a description from Revelation 21:10-26:
“And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia[c] in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits[d] thick.[e] 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.[f] 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.“
What a beautiful city! It will be rich in appearance with every color imaginable. Even the streets are transparent gold. It is interesting that the 12 gates represent the 12 tribes from the nation of Israel and the 12 foundations represent the 12 apostles. So the church and Israel are both essential to the construction of the city. Both gentiles and Jews will have access to the city. It says there will be no night “there“. This opens up the possibility that there will be night somewhere else. Some scholars believe this city will be a satellite that revolves around the earth. On the actual earth itself there may be night and day and seasons, springtime and harvest and the passage of time. But in the actual New Jerusalem, the passage of time is suspended and there is no need for the sun and moon or a temple. Jesus is the light and there is no need for any other light while we reside inside the city.
What about the tree of life that will be growing on both sides of the river of life that proceeds from the throne of God? It produces twelve different fruits each month and it’s leaves are for the healing of then nations (Revelation 22:1-2). Why would this kind of tree be necessary in the eternal state? And who are the nations? Some think that eating from the tree of life imparted immortality to the eater and that is why God had to kick Adam and Eve out of the garden, so that they would not be able to achieve immortality in a fallen state. Thomas Aquinas argued that the tree served to maintain Adam’s biological processes for an extended earthly animal life. He said that “It did not provide immortality” as such, for the tree, being finite, could not grant infinite life. Adam and Eve would live forever only as they continually ate from the tree of life. That is why God cast them out of the garden and barred the entrance. Could the tree of life serve the same purpose in the eternal state? Could it maintain our biological, immortal state? We will not be ghosts or spirits, but have actual bodies that are composed of flesh and bone. These bodies will be able to eat and drink. How will this new and improved biological process work? Will it need sustenance from the fruit of the tree of life that only God provides? Perhaps the tree of life is a reminder throughout eternity that He is the source of all life and without Him we are nothing. As Acts 17:28 states, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” We will still depend on Him each day and not rely on our own selves. Many of these mysteries have not been completely answered in scripture and will not be revealed until those days come.
The nature of God’s creativity and man’s quest for dominion and how these transpire together during the 1000 years and after is incredible to contemplate. God’s kingdom will be forever increasing. There is nothing static about the eternal state. Faith, hope and love will always remain and will continue to move forward. And the greatest of these is love. Love will forever continue to move forward with all the creativity we can muster in constant communication with the Creator for all eternity. So let us roll up our sleeves ! Let us get ready for a 1000 year project and I will see you there! We have work to do for this kingdom created from the foundation of the earth. And we were made for it. The results will be spectacular! I point to the words of the angel to Mary in Luke 1:37, “for with God, nothing will be impossible!“
Special comment: I hope you were inspired about all the things that are coming and the future we will all enjoy one day. Some of you may disagree with me on the specifics within this blog or perhaps all the blogs on this site and that is OK. In fact, I encourage you to form your own convictions based on scripture. In fact, that is the main goal here, to encourage you to take a look at the scriptures yourselves. Study them and never stray away from them. In a world where truth is hard to find, we must rely on the integrity of the Word of God to guide us and instruct us in all truth. Know what you believe and why you believe it. And then be willing to give an answer for the hope you have within you. And do it with love and gentleness of spirit. (1 Peter 3:15)
We have talked about how God will create a new heavens and a new earth. God saw that His creation was good and instead of discarding it completely due to our rebellion and sin, the Greek text implies in Revelation 21:22 that He redeems it and renovates it and using the same earthly framework makes it new! And so the earth will continue on into eternity. Seasons will continue to come and go. There will be hot and cold, springtime and harvest. God, in His wisdom, decided that eternity should move forward with His original creation, the earth, as its centerpiece. But He didn’t stop there. He loved us so much that He performed “in us” the same miracle. 2 Cor. 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” What God did for the heavens and the earth, He did for us too! He made us a brand new creation. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, a change occurs and we are actually made into a new creation. Old things have passed away. This is exactly what Paul talks about in Colossians 1:27 about this mystery, “Christ in you the hope of glory.” If we will receive Him, Jesus actually comes and dwells within us and changes us to become new creations in Christ. A new heavens and new earth is pretty spectacular! But the new creation that you and I become in Christ is God’s crowning achievement. So new creation…you will one day reside on the new earth. Have dominion over it and enjoy it forever!
Ultimately, the best part of the millennial kingdom will be the incredible blessing of being with Jesus Christ and having fellowship with Him. It is beyond our comprehension to think what joy that will be. A recent song titled “I can only Imagine” describes the scene:
“What will my heart feel?
Will I dance for You Jesus
Or in awe of You be still?
Will I stand in Your presence
Or to my knees, will I fall?
Will I sing hallelujah?
Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine“
Here are the lyrics to another great song written in 1905 that describes this day “Be Thou My Vision”:
“Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, and I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one
Riches I heed not, nor vain, empty praise
Thou mine inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art
High King of heaven, my victory won
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s sun
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall
Still be my vision, O ruler of all“
What a great day it will be to finally see Jesus. Amen! Come Lord Jesus!
Articles by Edward Thomas 
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