We’re in our END TIMES series, and today I want to talk about yet another event that will happen after JESUS’ RETURN to this earth.
Today we’re going to meditate on a time that will forever transform the face of the Earth: The Millennium, the glorious thousand-year reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus said: “I am coming soon!” Maranatha, Come Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20 (NIV)
Jesus will return, but not in Paris, or London, New York, or Tokyo. He will return to Jerusalem, Israel, just as He promised.
Israel and Jerusalem: A Prophetic Stage
We cannot begin this message without first looking at Israel and its capital, Jerusalem. This land, so small in geography, has a giant in prophetic significance. Daily, Israel shows up on the headlines, frequently under attack and at the epicentre of conflicts that seem to defy any human solution.
The intensity of the news, the polarisation of opinions, and the constant tension surrounding Jerusalem are, for eyes of faith, clear signs that something grand and biblical is about to be fulfilled.
Why so much attack on this land? Because, from the very beginning, God gave it to His people, Israel, through an everlasting covenant:
“The Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your offspring I will give this land.'”Genesis 12:7 (NIV)
“All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever.”
Genesis 13:15 (NIV)
“The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
Genesis 17:8 (NIV)
However, Satan has worked tirelessly to frustrate God’s divine plans. He knows that the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Christ, will be established in Jerusalem, and that at the beginning of this period, he himself will be bound for a thousand years.
That is why he has influenced the media, governments, and nations to turn against Israel, to try and prevent the fulfilment of the prophecies.
It is sad, but it is a reality: there are some churches that have been influenced by Satan’s malicious theologies, such as replacement theology – which claims that the Church has replaced Israel in the divine promises – leading to a lamentable opposition to God’s chosen people.
For Jesus to return, the descendants of Abraham must be there and cry out for Him, as Jesus said:
“For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”
Matthew 23:39 (NIV)
You will not see me until you cry out to me and say, “Blessed is the Messiah who comes in the name of the Lord!” . When you cry out, you will see me!
And at the end of the Great Tribulation, during the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16), they will cry out and Jesus will appear in the heavens, descending on a white horse with His armies, and every eye will see Him, and every knee will bow.
“And in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” (Isaiah 59:20)
Romans 11:26-27 NIV
Paul is addressing the question of why many Jewish people have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. He explains that God has not rejected His people, but rather, a temporary “hardening” has come upon them until the “fullness of the Gentiles” has come in.
The Scriptures are clear! There are countless prophecies that point to the return of Jesus Christ, who will establish His visible and glorious kingdom, with Jerusalem as its world capital.
The Millennium: The Glorious Reign of Christ
The Millennium will be the literal fulfilment of the promises made to Israel and to all humanity, when Jesus will reign justly and perfectly. It will be a thousand-year period in which peace and justice will finally prevail on Earth.
Let us see what the Scriptures reveal about what this time will be like:
- The Reign of Christ and His Saints
Jesus Christ will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords, and with Him will reign those who have been faithful to Him.
“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and shut and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
Revelation 20:1-6 (NIV)
“Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.”
Daniel 7:27 (NIV)
“if we endure, we will also reign with Him; if we disown Him, He will also disown us;”
2 Timothy 2:12 (NIV)
- The Millennium: A Time of Peace and Universal Harmony
The Millennium will be an era of unprecedented peace, where wars and conflicts will cease. The wild nature will be transformed, and creation will live in harmony.
“He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Isaiah 2:4 (NIV)
“The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:6-9 (NIV)
“He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far away. They will beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
Micah 4:3 (NIV)
- The Millennium: A Time of Justice and Righteousness
Peace and justice will not come through human governments; our hope is in Christ. Christ’s government will be characterised by perfect justice, eliminating corruption and iniquity. It will be a direct and perfect government of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. This means the end of corruption, injustice, and oppression. There will be no more courts with errors or favouritism. Christ will judge with absolute righteousness and equity.
“but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
Isaiah 11:4-5 (NIV)
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Saviour.'”
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (NIV)
- In the Millennium the Earth will be full of the Knowledge of the Lord
The Earth will be full of the knowledge of God.
“They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Isaiah 11:9 (NIV)
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14 (NIV)
“No longer will they teach their neighbour, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the Lord. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.'”
Jeremiah 31:34 (NIV)
- The Millennium will be a time of Health and Long Life
Diseases will be greatly reduced, and life expectancy will increase dramatically.
“Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out all their 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. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 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.”
Isaiah 65:20-22 (NIV)
“No one living in Zion will say, ‘I am ill’; and the sins of those who dwell there will be forgiven.”
Isaiah 33:24 (NIV)
- Earth’s Productivity in the Millennium
The earth will be restored to its original fertility, producing abundantly.
“The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God.”
Isaiah 35:1-2 (NIV)
“‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when the reaper will overtake the ploughman and the one treading grapes the sower of seed. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills. I will bring my people Israel back from exile. They will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.'”
Amos 9:13-14 (NIV)
- Jerusalem as World Centre
Jerusalem will be the spiritual and political centre of the world, and all nations will come to worship Jesus.
“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain.”
Zechariah 14:16-17 (NIV)
“In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”
Isaiah 2:2-3 (NIV):
“Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
Isaiah 60:3 (NIV)
- End of Oppression and Mourning
There will be no more suffering or sorrow.
“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.”
Isaiah 65:19 (NIV)
“ He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; He will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 25:8 NIV
- Satan’s Imprisonment
Humanity’s chief oppressor, Satan, will be bound for a thousand years.
Revelation 20:1-3 (NIV): “And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and shut and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.”
The Purpose of the Millennium
The Millennium is not just a future event; it is the guarantee of the fulfilment of all God’s promises. It will be the period when:
God’s divine promises to Israel will be fully fulfilled, showing God’s faithfulness to His covenant.
Jesus’ authority will be demonstrated in practice, proving that justice and peace can only be achieved under His sovereignty.
Humanity will have one last opportunity to see and experience Christ’s righteousness, before the final judgment and eternity.
Conclusion: A Challenge to Faithfulness
In the face of all these glorious truths, what is required of us? Faithfulness! Jesus Himself challenges us:
Matthew 24:13 (NIV): “but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”
Let us be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ in everything: in our thoughts, words, and actions. Let us persevere in faith, in prayer, in witness, and in the pursuit of a life that glorifies God. Let us not be deceived by the world’s false narratives, nor by the doctrines of men who oppose biblical truth.
The promise is clear:
Revelation 3:21 (NIV): “To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne.”
May we be prepared, with pure hearts and clean hands, ready for service, eagerly awaiting the day when we will reign with Christ on this Earth, from a glorified Jerusalem.
May God strengthen us and keep us steadfast until the end! Amen.