The Bible describes a
thousand-year reign in which Jesus will rule the Earth in perfect peace and
justice. Theologians have borrowed a Latin phrase to describe this
epoch—“Millennium.” It is made of up two words mille—meaning “thousand”—and annum—meaning
“years.” In our English Bibles you won’t find the word “millennium” but you
will find a reference to a literal thousand-year period six times in Revelation
20:1-10.
Admittedly, there is not
much preaching on the millennium today, which is odd considering the fact that
the Bible has so much to say about it. In fact, Dr. Dwight Pentecost, who
devoted his entire life to the study of prophecy, wrote: “A larger body of
prophetic Scripture is devoted to the subject of the Millennium, developing its
character and conditions, than any other one subject. Therefore, the Millennial
Age demands considerable attention.”[1]
So what will life be like
for those thousand years? If we went through the myriad of verses in the Old
Testament that spoke on this subject I think you’d be stunned. Someone has
remarked that there is so much written of the Millennial Kingdom that if we
were to collect all the verses into a single book they would about the size of
the epistles section in the New Testament.
·
A time of peace (Is. 2:4)
In the garden of the
United Nations headquarters in New York City, stands a dramatic sculpture—actually
it’s a 1959 gift from the old Soviet Union—which bears a portion of the words
of Isaiah 2:4: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.” The sculpture
shows the figure of a man holding a hammer in one hand, and in the other, a
sword that he is beating into a plow. It expresses secular man’s utopian aspiration
for world peace.
Yet since that statue was
erected we have endured the Vietnam War, The Gulf War, the on-going
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, countless tribal wars in Africa, 9/11, the Iraq
War and the battle against terrorism. Those hoping for UN to get all the
nations of the world to wear peace charms and sing “kum-by-yah” have a better
chance of seeing pigs fly.
But here’s the problem
with that statue: Isaiah 2:4 has a first part to the verse that is omitted. It
begins: “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people.” Isaiah 2
is about the Second Coming of Christ and the establishing of His millennial
reign. They are missing the most important part, namely a person—Jesus Christ!
Only the Prince of Peace,
has the power to make armies lay down their weapons. Have you ever noticed that
when Christ gave the disciples the model prayer, He didn’t command them to pray
for peace? Instead he told them to pray, “Your kingdom come, thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.” Only when Christ returns will there be a lasting
universal peace, so when you pray and end with those words you are actually
invoking the hastening of the Millennial Kingdom.
·
A time of prosperity (Ez. 34:26-27; 36:29-30, 34-35;
Joel 2:24; Amos 9:13)
In 2013 the World Health
Organization reported that although farmers are able to produce enough food to
sustain the world’s 7+ billion people, poverty, war and a host of other
problems prevent people from being able to receive a healthy diet. However,
during the Millennium it appears that God will remove these hindrances. The
entire world will be turned into a kind of paradise reminiscent of the verdant
fields of Eden.
The Old Testament prophets
filled their writings with imagery of agricultural abundance during this
period. Ezekiel speaks of plentiful rainfall, trees loaded with an abundance of
ripe fruit and land that once desolate now under the authority of Christ
becoming fertile (Ez. 34:26-27). Joel writes that during the Millennium, “The
threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and
oil” (2:24).
Amos 9:13 adds another
interesting picture, “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when
the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him who sows
the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow
with it.” Notice that Amos says during this time there will be no dead space of
winter between planting and harvesting. Imagine harvesting a crop at the
beginning of the week and planting another at the end.
·
A time of prolonged life (Is. 65:20; Zech. 8:4-5)
According to the numbers,
the average worldwide life expectancy in 2013 was 71 (68 for men and 73 for
women). However, in this golden age, people who survived the Tribulation period
and come into the Lord’s kingdom will experience longevity like the pre-Flood
patriarchs enjoyed in Genesis. Isaiah tells us that a man who is a hundred
years old will be considered a child, “No more shall there be in it an infant
who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the
young man shall die a hundred years old” (65:20).
Zechariah tells us that
along with increased years there will also be a baby boom during the Millennium
as well, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in
the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of great age. And the
streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets”
(8:4-5).
·
A time of praise (Ps. 98:4-9)
During the Millennium the
whole world will be filled with praise to Jesus. “Make a joyful noise unto the
LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise . . . Let
the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together before the LORD;
for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world,
and the people with equity” (Ps. 98:4-9).
Some people wonder why
it’s important that Jesus reign on earth for 1,000 years in an earthly kingdom.
Prophetic scholar, Charles Ryrie answers, “Because Christ must triumph in the
same arena where He was seemingly defeated. His rejection by the rulers of this
world was on the earth. His exaltation must also be on this earth. And so it
shall be when He comes to rule the world in righteousness. He has waited long
for His Kingdom; soon He shall receive it.”[2]
-DM
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