The Millennium and the End of Sin 2

LESSON 7

THE MILLENNIUM AND THE END OF SIN

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on The Plan of Salvation. The topic for this study is: The Millennium and the End of Sin. In our previous study, we ended with a summary of the order of events in relation to the second coming of Christ. I believe this order of events has actually prepared us, and placed us at a point where we are ready to easily zoom into our study today on the millennium.

In this study on the millennium, I want us to focus specifically on the events that characterize this thousand-year period. We will try to answer questions such as:

A) What events take place in heaven during the millennium?

B) What events take place on the earth during the millennium?

C) What events take place after the millennium?

Beloved, the Scripture makes it clear that the millennium begins from the second advent of Christ, and then ends with the final destruction of the wicked. During this thousand-year period, very important events take place in heaven and on earth. Now, I want us to consider these events in a chronological manner:

A) EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE IN HEAVEN DURING THE MILLENNIUM

1. The saints reign with Christ.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them ... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4; see also Revelation 20:6).

Friends, during the great controversy war between Christ and Satan, the people of God went through sorrow, suffering and even death by aligning themselves with Jesus (Hebrews 11:35-40). Now, after this war is over, Christ fulfills His promise to the saints (John 14:1-3). He brings them to the city He has prepared for them in heaven, where He reigns as King of the universe. It is not just for a moment's visit, but a long thousand-year vacation where Christ makes it up to His children for all that they went through on earth for His sake. The saints reign with Christ in heaven, and enjoy the rich treasures of the Centre of the Universe. Here, their innermost desires and longings are met, as they praise their Maker Who left this celestial bliss to die for them on Calvary's cross.

2. The saints judge the wicked.

"And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, AND JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN UNTO THEM ... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:4; Capital Emphasis Added).

Friends, during the thousand-year period, the saints are going to judge the wicked that couldn't make it to heaven. But before we continue, we need to find answers to these important questions:

i) What kind of judgement will the saints be engaged in?

ii) Are human beings the ones who are going to judge their fellow humans?

You see friends, the Bible talks about three main types of judgement. The first type of judgement is called the pre-advent or investigative judgement. It is the work of judgement where Christ separates the wheat from the tares (Matthew 13:30). This judgement is actually going on now. It began way back in 1844 when Christ began His High Priestly ministry in the most holy place of heaven's sanctuary (Daniel 8:14; Revelation 11:18-19; Revelation 14:6-7). This investigative judgement will come to an end before Christ appears the second time. This is the reason why our Lord is able to come back with His reward at the Second Advent (Revelation 22:11-12).

Moreover friends, we also noted in our previous studies that when Christ appears the second time, He will take the saints to heaven with Him (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). While in heaven, the saints will not only be reigning with Christ; they will also be engaged in the work of judgement. We read from Revelation 20:4 the following in regard to the saints: "AND JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN UNTO THEM" (Capital Emphasis Added).

Now, this basically means that the work of the investigative or pre-advent judgement will be open to the scrutiny of the saints. In other words, the saints are basically going to check out the records of God's judgement and affirm whether He has been fair with everyone. This type of judgement is called the millennial or post-advent judgement.

Someone has said that when we get to heaven, there are going to be three major surprises. The first of our surprises will occur when it dawns on us that we are also among the saved. Now, when we behold the glory of the Son of God in heaven, and realize that he left all of that to come down on earth to die for us, we will come to understand fully the biblical fact of salvation by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). When we consider the rich treasures of salvation are be bestowed on us in the holy city (1 Corinthians 2:9), we will indeed testify that our works or righteous deeds on the earth were just too feeble and minute to merit us a place in the blessed city of God.

Our second surprise will occur when we cast our eyes around and search in vain for people we thought should have been there. We will go to God and enquire why some of our beloved "friends in Christ" could not make it.

Our third surprise will occur when we see people in heaven whom we knew very well on the earth to be sinful, with some even serving as agents who opposed the cause of Christ. While on earth, we have written-off these people in our sub-conscious minds as possible candidates for heaven. Now, when we meet them there, the question we will want to ask God is this; Lord are you sure about these people? How did they get in here?

Now, with all these questions on our minds, the Lord will give unto us the records of His judgement (Revelation 20:4). Within the books of God's judgement, every single question that we have will be fully answered. From 1 Corinthians 4:5, we read the following from the apostle Paul: "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."

Beloved, God will ensure through the exercise of the millennial judgement that all doubts are removed from our minds. We will come to appreciate and affirm how the Lord has dealt with every person on the earth. Even records of the fallen angels will be open to our view and subsequent approval. From I Corinthians 6:2-3, we read the following from the apostle Paul: "2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

B) EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE ON EARTH DURING THE MILLENNIUM

1. The earth is desolate.

During the millennium, the saints will be in heaven while the wicked remain dead on the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:4-5). There will not be any human being alive on the earth. Thus, the earth will be desolate. It will be in a condition similar to what it was before the creation of the world (Genesis 1:2). From the prophet Jeremiah, we read the following in regard to the condition of the earth during the millennium: "4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

4:25 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end."

(Jeremiah 4:23-27) 2. Satan and his angels are bound on the earth.

From Revelation 20:1-3, we read the following from the apostle John in regard to the condition of Satan during the millennium: "20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

(Revelation 20:1-3) From the first two verses in Revelation 20, we learn that Satan will be bound on the earth during the millennium. It is important to understand that the devil will not be bound by a great chain as a literal reading of the text suggests. Rather, he will be bound by a chain of circumstance.

The verse 3 of Revelation 20 sheds more light on this fact by explaining that Satan will be shut up on the earth, and that a seal will be placed upon him so that he can no more deceive the nations. In other words, the devil will be restricted to planet earth. He and his angels will not be permitted to move outside the territory of this planet.

Now, with the righteous out of his reach in heaven, and the wicked out of his reach in death, Satan will be totally miserable in a desolate earth. This is because the work of deception that calls forth his highest powers and energies will now naturally come to a halt.

For the first time in his life, the devil will have time to think about the consequences of his rebellion against God. He will have time to reflect on how beautiful God made the earth, and what he has turned it into. He will call to mind the day he entered into Eden and deceived Eve, and subsequently, Adam. He will find time to think about the pain and sorrow that this action of deception brought upon the earth. One thought that will make him shudder will be when he reflects on how his work of rebellion led to the ignominious death of the only begotten Son of God. He and his angels will terribly curse the day that they defected from the government of God. But at this point, they will know and accept the terrible truth that their case is hopeless; and that they are doomed for eternal destruction. On every side, they will witness the terrible consequences of their rebellion; the bones of dead men, women and children that they had worked tirelessly to harden in sin will lie open on the earth. On every side Satan and his angels will witness the curse of sin on the once beautiful planet; broken cities and an utter desolation of the earth. Slowly and painfully friends, Satan and his angels wait for the millennium to pass by.

C) EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE AFTER THE MILLENNIUM

1. New Jerusalem descends from heaven.

"And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Revelation 21:2).

After the millennium, the city of God descends from heaven to the earth. Across the vast expanse of the universe of God, it is the most festive occasion. Within the city are the saints of God, and also their King as well as Redeemer. Now, as the city gets closer to earth, the Mount of Olives is parted and the beloved city settles on the vast plain that has been created (Zechariah 14:4).

2. The wicked dead are resurrected.

As the City of God glitters with indescribable beauty, the God who has power over life and death, calls back to life the wicked dead.

From the beloved apostle, we read the following in relation to the resurrection of the wicked: "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Revelation 20:5).

3. Satan is loosed out of his prison.

"7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea" (Revelation 20:7-8).

When God resurrects the wicked dead after the millennium, Satan's chain of circumstance is now broken. He is loosed out of his prison, so to speak, as he can now go around and continue with his work of deception. The Bible refers to the resurrected wicked as Gog and Magog. From the Old Testament, we learn that Gog and Magog were two of the bitterest enemies of ancient Israel (see Ezekiel 38-39). Thus, the apostle John uses these nations to symbolically represent the wicked of all ages who partnered with Satan in persecuting the people of God. The beloved apostle describes their number as the "sand of the sea" (Revelation 20:8). What a sobering thought!

Friends, with all that heaven offered to ensure that these people could have had the opportunity of salvation, they rather chose to give their allegiance to the devil. Now, after the millennium, they stand in company with him. It does not take Satan much effort to deceive the resurrected wicked, and gather them on a final mission to attempt an overthrow of the government of God.

From Revelation 20:7-9, we read the following: "7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. 9 AND THEY WENT UP ON THE BREADTH OF THE EARTH, AND COMPASSED THE CAMP OF THE SAINTS ABOUT, AND THE BELOVED CITY:" (Revelation 20:7-9; Capital Emphasis Added).

4. The Wicked are Arraigned before the Executive Judgement of God. "20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

20:13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works."

(Revelation 20:11-13) Beloved, as the wicked are led by Satan to surround the city of God, little do they know that they are arraigning themselves for judgement before the God of the universe. Without warning, the wicked inhabitants of the earth find themselves arraigned before the supreme court of the most high. At this moment, everyone who has ever lived on the earth will stand before the Majesty of heaven to be judged (2 Corinthians 5:10). The righteous will find themselves inside the New Jerusalem, while the wicked will find themselves outside the beloved city. At this moment of time, the executive judgement of God will take place.

Outside the walls of the beloved city, the wicked will soon discover that God's Ten Commandment law that they had despised and trampled upon is to be the measure of the judgement (James 2:10-12). On that fateful day, all the secret works of darkness will be made plain. From Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 we read the following in relation to the executive judgement of God: "13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

Friends, when God's Ten Commandments law is revealed to the wicked as the standard of the judgement, each one of them will recall with terrible accuracy, the sins that they had committed on the earth. They will also remember the opportunities that God had brought upon their way to draw them unto Himself, but were ignored and slighted. Now on the outskirts of the city, their expression of sorrow is worse than death. The wicked recognize people in the beloved city that God had brought on their path to save them from the fate of eternal loss which they now face. Sad encounters take place at the city wall as friends and family recognize each other and come to understand the hard truth that they are separated for all eternity. The daughter who rejected the fervent pleas of her mother to end an adulterous relationship catches the glance of her mom inside the city and bows her head as a sign of regret. She knows it's too late now, and that nothing can be done to reverse her fate.

All the wicked will acknowledge that their own choice to disobey the commandments of God had taken their names from the book of life, and unfitted them for eternal life. Now, together with their commander, they fall on their knees and acknowledge the justice of God before the entire universe (Romans 14:10-11; Philippians 2:10).

5. Satan and the wicked are destroyed.

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15).

"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14).

Friends, from the texts above, we learn about the terrible end of the wicked. We learn clearly that as the wicked surrounds the city of God, fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them (Revelation 20:9). In other words, the wicked are killed by this lake of fire. They do not burn on forever as is popularly taught in Christendom today (Malachi 4:1, 3). In fact, the Bible refers to the destruction of the wicked as the second death (Revelation 20:6, 14). The second death, friends, is the death without any hope of a resurrection.

6. God Creates a New Heaven and a New Earth.

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea" (Revelation 21:1).

Friends, the lake of fire that God will use to destroy the wicked is the same fire that He will use to cleanse the earth from the virus of sin. Now, after the fire has finished with its work of destruction and cleansing, the Lord will then extinguish it. The planet will now be rid of sin and sinners. It is at this time beloved, that the God of creation will create a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Peter 3:13; Isaiah 66:22-23).

The redeemed of all ages will now inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5). The New Jerusalem will be the capital city of the New Earth (Isaiah 66:22-23). God Himself will dwell with us in this new earth (Revelation 21:3). The beloved apostle writes: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful (Revelation 21: 4-5).

Exhortation: Beloved, with what Christ has done for the human race, no one will have to go through the agony of the second death. This is because on the cross of Calvary, Christ paid the price for our sin in full. Our Saviour died outside the city of Jerusalem on that fateful Friday so that we can gain entrance into the beloved city; the New Jerusalem at the end time. It does not matter what you have done in the past, if you come to Christ today, He will not turn you away (John 6:37). From John 3:16, we read these timeless words: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

In our next study, which happens to be the last in our series on The Plan of Salvation, we will consider the topic: The New Earth: Our Eden Home Restored. The Bible study references for this study are Matthew 5:5, Psalm 37:11, 2 Peter 3:13, Isaiah 66:22-23 and Revelation 21:1-4. Please do well to go through these study references before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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