Chapter 2
Before the Millennial
Kingdom of God can be established, two things must occur
1. The 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ: Why will
Jesus have to return, you may ask (assuming you really didn’t believe
much of the last chapter)? I
mean, we’re doing such a good job of taking care of ourselves on
this planet, why would Jesus need to come back, right? Prophecy
does indicate that mankind will get mixed up in a World War so deadly
that Jesus will have to return just to stop mankind from killing
himself (and all life) off the planet entirely. Good
enough reason? But he’s coming
back for another reason as well. He’s
bringing his reward with him, the true reward of the saints. Now if you think the gift of eternal life is
our reward, you are somewhat misinformed in your understanding of
Scripture. We are given salvation,
eternal life as a free gift, along with unmerited pardon for our
sins. But our reward is something entirely different. Jesus
was trying to explain this concept to his listeners and disciples
at the house of Zacchaeus. Let’s see what Jesus had to say.
While Jesus was at the house of Zacchaeus he told all the people gathered
a parable. By the way verse
11 is worded this is not talking (nor is the parable) about how God
establishes his kingdom of light in our hearts and minds by filling
us with the Holy Spirit. This
is talking about the establishment of the Millennial Kingdom of God
physically and supernaturally on this earth at Jesus’ 2nd coming. Let’s
read Luke 19:11-27. “While
they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because
Jerusalem was near and the people thought the kingdom of God was
going to appear at once. He
said: ‘A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and then return. So
he called ten of his servants and gave then ten minas [a minas was
about three month’s wages]. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I
come back.’ But his subjects
hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want
this man to be our king.’ He
was made king, however, and returned home. Then
he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order
to find out what they had gained with it. The
first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’ ‘Well
done, my good servant!’ his
master replied. ‘Because you
have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten
cities.’ The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has
earned five more.’ His master
answered,
‘You take charge over five cities.’ Then
another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it
laid away in a piece of cloth. I
was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You
take out what you did not put in and reap what you did now sow.’ His
master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You
knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in,
and reaping what I did not sow? Why
then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I
could have collected it with interest?’ Then
he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it
to the one who has ten minas.’ ‘Sir,’ they
said,
‘he already has ten!’ He replied, ‘I
tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the
one who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of mine who did not want
me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’” So the average believer in Jesus, Yeshua,
will be given rule over whole cities at Jesus’ return! Our
reward which Jesus is bringing with him is also spelled out in Revelation
2:26 where Jesus said, “To him who overcomes and does my will to the
end, I will give authority over the nations—‘He will rule them with an
iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery’—just as I have
received authority from my Father.” Being given authority over cities and nations
is a reward, not a gift. Jesus
earned the authority he now has, even though it was his to take anyway
as part of the God-head. Obeying God isn’t a work’s trip, to be sure. Most
of the power to overcome comes from God through his Holy Spirit he places
within us. But what we do with that opportunity to
grow and serve others, proclaiming the gospel both verbally and in print,
and being a light by helping those less fortunate than ourselves will
determine our reward. Whatever
we do in that area in this lifetime of ours will determine our reward
when Jesus returns. Don’t bury that mina in the ground or wrap
it up in a napkin! This isn’t
the only place Jesus brought out this point. Let’s
read Matthew 16:27, which says, “For the Son of Man is going to come
in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according
to what he as done.” The context
of Matthew 16:24-27 is being totally committed in our service to Jesus
Christ—an active giving our ourselves in service to the Lord, wherever
he leads us. Sometimes all we
can give is money, say to an organization like Samaritan’s Purse when
such a huge disaster as hurricane Katrina broke the levies in New Orleans. Sometimes we can actually volunteer a week,
two, maybe more in actual service to those in need, right on location,
as some churches are doing. This
is being a light to the world, and it is noticed by the world. To obtain some ideas towards unified giving,
log onto http://www.unityinchrist.com/missionstatement.htm .
In Acts 1:9-11, Jesus rose to
heaven, going to that far country in the parable. His enemies that didn’t want him king soon
died in the first Jewish war with Rome in 70AD, when Jerusalem and
the temple were burned by a white-hot raging fire. The
whole neighborhood of the high priest was devastated with intense
fire which blackened stone (this section of ancient Jerusalem has
been excavated by archeologists). Acts
1:9-11, “After he had said this, he was taken up before their very
eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They
were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly
two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men
of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you
into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go
into heaven.’” Now we await
that “nobleman’s” return with his reward which he brings with him. Isn’t that exciting! Jesus gave us a parable promising us a tangible
reward for our efforts, on top of his free gift of salvation-- eternal
life! As we read on, we’ll
see that this reward isn’t some willy-nilly, pie in the sky promise,
but something that’s real, something that’s coming back with Jesus! Now
let’s learn more about Jesus’ return to earth, what it will be like
and how it will occur.
Matthew 24:27-31, “For as lightning that comes
from the east is visible even in the west, so will the coming of
the Son of Man. Wherever there
is a carcass, there the vultures gather. Immediately
after the stress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, the moon
will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky and the
heavenly bodies will be shaken [cf. Isaiah 13:10; Isa. 34:4].’” Now
why will the sun be darkened? The
returning Jesus, Yeshua will be glowing with such intensity that
the stars, sun and moon’s light will be blanked out. Just as the intensity of starlight is overpowered
by the intensity of the sun at sunrise, so the glowing fiery appearance
of Jesus will overpower the stars, sun and moon at his coming. They will still be shining, you just won’t
be able to see them, just like you can’t see the stars when the sun
rises in the morning. Let’s
continue, verses 30-31,
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and
all the nations of the earth will mourn. They
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and
great glory. And he will send
his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, and from one end of heaven to the other.” This,
as verse 31 says, is happening “with a loud trumpet call”. This is the 7th Trumpet of Revelation
11:15-18. Let’s read that. Revelation
11:15-19, “The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud
voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ [Christ = anointed, in context
here, that’s us folks!], and he will reign forever.’ And
the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God,
fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, ‘We give thanks to you,
Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken
your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were angry; and your wrath has
come. The time has come for judging
the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints
and those who reverence your name, both small and great—and for destroying
those who destroy the earth.’ Then
God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the
ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings,
peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.” This is the same identical event as described
in Revelation 16:17-20, which is labeled as the 7th plague
(of the 7th trumpet blast). I.e.
there are seven trumpet blasts, and within the 7th trumpet
blast are seven plagues poured out on man. The
last plague is when this earthquake occurs. It
is the same event triggered by Jesus stepping onto the top of the Mount
of Olives described in Zechariah 14, which causes the mountain to split
in two and each side to move either north or south. So
what else occurs at the 7th trumpet blast? Revelation 11:15-19 gave us a hint—“The time
has come for judging the dead,…”—in Revelation 20:5, it says the rest
of the dead, the unsaved dead, are not to be resurrected until the 1,000
years are over, so this must be the righteous dead. Let’s
read further—“…and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your
saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great…” This resurrection is for those people just
described there, i.e. the righteous dead, the prophets and saints who
have died in Christ, no matter when in history that was. As
the brilliant Jesus is returning, Matthew 24:30-31, it says in verse
31, “he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and
they will gather his elect from the four winds,…” What
has just occurred here? Turn to
1 Corinthians 15:49-54, “And just as we have borne the likeness of the
earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit
the imperishable. Listen, I tell
you a mystery: We will not all sleep [the sleep of death is what Paul
means here, soul-sleep], but we will all be changed—in a flash, in the
twinkling of an eye,…--When??--“at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be
raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” So
the 1st resurrection to immortality takes place at the 7th trumpet
blast of Revelation 11:15-19. In
1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 Paul gives a parallel description to the one
he just gave us in 1 Corinthians 15. It
also time references this to the 7th trumpet blast, so the
timing of this resurrection is identical to that of 1 Corinthians 15. Some beg to differ, but it’s hard to argue
with the wording. You be the judge. But in this one, Paul goes a little further
in describing what happens immediately after this resurrection. Let’s read it for ourselves. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, “Brothers, we do not
want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like
the rest of men, who have no hope. We
believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will
bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep [there it is again, soul-sleep,
i.e. the dead] in him. According
to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who
are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those
who have fallen asleep [died]. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel [when?] with the trumpet call of God [i.e. the 7th trumpet blast of Revelation 11!], and the dead
in Christ will rise first. [They
were dead, they come to life, right here in this resurrection, at the
7th Trumpet blast.] After
that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. [Get
the context, the Lord is returning. The
just resurrected and/or changed immortal saints are rising up in this
huge resurrection, rising to meet the returning Jesus Christ. The
time setting is unmistakably the 7th trumpet blast of Revelation
at the return of Jesus Christ—in both 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians
4:13-17 this “trumpet blast” is given unmistakably as a reference point. It continues, “And so we will be with the Lord
forever.” Where
is the Lord headed on his return? I don’t know why people get so confused about
this. The answer is plain. Revelation 19:4-6 is almost identical to Revelation
11:15-18, and is apparently the same time setting. Jesus is returning, and Revelation 19:11-21
describes this event. But first
in Revelation 19:7-8 describes the bride of Christ (the immortal saints
as a whole are referred to in Revelation as “the bride of Christ”). They, those that make up this symbolic “bride”,
are identified by what they are wearing. Let’s read and see what identifies this “bride”. Revelation
19:7-8, “Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For
the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her
to wear. (Fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of the saints.)” Righteousness is always symbolized by bright
white clothing. Keep this in mind. Now let’s read Revelation 19:11-21, and take
particular note of who’s riding with Jesus, and how they’re dressed. They’ve obviously met up with the returning
Jesus, and mounted up on the same kind of animal Jesus is riding back
to earth on. The description is
rather exciting, realizing who is riding back with Jesus, Yeshua.
The Rider on the White
Horse
Revelation 19:11-21, “I saw heaven
standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider
is called Faithful and True. With
justice he judges and makes war. His
eyes are like blazing fires, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows
but he himself. He is dressed
in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding
on white horses and dressed in white linen, white and clean.”—know who those in white linen are? That’s
us, folks!--the immortal resurrected saints! “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He
will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He
treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On
his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to
all the birds flying in midair, ‘Come, gather together for the great
supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals,
and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all
people, free and slave, small and great.’
Then I saw the beast and
the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make
war against the rider on the horse and his army. But
the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed
the miraculous signs on his behalf. With
these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the
beast and worshipped his image. The
two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword
that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the
birds gorged themselves on their flesh.”
So Jesus,
Yeshua is on a white horse, as we all are, riding back to earth to
engage in this battle. (I
don’t know if a lot of you Christians and Messianic believers in
Yeshua like horses, but we each get one. It’s
going to be exciting, to say the least!) Now
where on earth could this battle-ground be? Zechariah
14 gives the location and a vivid description of the ensuing battle,
along with other key events that all seem to take place simultaneously. Let’s read it, Zechariah 14:1-15, “A day of
the Lord [KJV: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh] is coming when
your plunder will be divided among you. I
will gather all nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city
will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half
of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not
be taken from the city.
Then the Lord will go out and fight
against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. [Remember
where Jesus is, and we are, coming back to earth on supernatural
white horses, as the army of God. This
shows where Jesus appears next, or sets foot.] On that day his
feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and
the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming
a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving
south. You will flee [instructions
for the remaining residents of Jerusalem] by my mountain valley,
for it will extend to Azel. You
will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king
of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the
holy ones with him [KJV: “and all the saints with thee.”].
On that day there will be no light,
no cold or frost. It will
be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime—a day know to the Lord. When evening comes there will be light.
On that day living water will flow out
from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea [i.e. the Dead Sea] and half
to the western sea [margin: that is, the Mediterranean Sea], in summer
and in winter.
The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his
name the only name.
The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become
like the Arabah. [KJV: “All
the land will be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem:
and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place…] But
Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in place, from the Benjamin
Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from
the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. It
will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.
This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that
fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still
standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and
their tongues will rot in their mouths. [It
is said that no one can look on the brilliant face of God and live. Jesus’ face
(and ours too) will be glowing with such white-hot intensity, that
the effect will be to melt those who are in sight of him (unless
they are protected somehow, like the Jews will be).] On that day men will be stricken by the Lord
with great panic. Each man
will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight [on the side of the Lord,
as described in Zechariah 12:1-7] at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will
be collected—great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. A similar plague will strike the horses and
mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.” Zechariah 12:2-7, “‘I am going to make Jerusalem
a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem. On
that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against
her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All
who try to move it will injure themselves. On
that day I will strike every horse with panic and its rider with
madness,’
declares the Lord. ‘I will keep
a watchful eye over the house of Judah, but I will blind all the horses
of the nations. Then the leaders
of Judah will say in their hearts, ‘The people of Jerusalem are strong,
because the Lord Almighty is their God.’
‘On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile,
like a flaming torch among sheaves. They
will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem
will remain intact in her place.
The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of
the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater
than that of Judah.”
What will we be like in this resurrection of the righteous dead? In 1 John 3:2, the apostle John (before he
saw Jesus in vision on the Isle of Patmos) said that he didn’t know
what we would be like (in the resurrection), but that we would know
him, because we would be like he is. 1
John 3:2, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we
will be [like] has not yet been made known. But
we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall
see him as he is.” John in writing this had not yet seen Jesus
in his glorified state. What
is Jesus like in his glorified state? What
did John see when he looked at Jesus in Revelation 1? Revelation 1:13-16, “…and among the lampstands
was someone ‘like the son of man,’ dressed in a robe reaching down
to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as
white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in the furnace,
and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and
out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all
its brilliance.” In Daniel 12:1-3, Daniel said this about how
we would look, “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects
your people, will arise. There
will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning
of nations until then. [this
is obviously the tribulation being spoken of here.] But
at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in
the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth
will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting
contempt…” [Revelation 20:4-5-6
separates this into two separate resurrections, separated by 1,000
years. Often the Old Testament prophecies give the
details of events but not the proper chronological order. Daniel is one of those prophetic books, along
with Revelation that does given the proper chronological order of
most prophetic events it mentions, but here two events have been
lumped into one. We must let
Revelation modify this verse here. Now
verse 3, which describes us in the first resurrection to immortality,
and gives a glimpse of what we’ll be like. Ready
for this?] “…Those who are wise [margin: who
impart wisdom]
will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead
many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
At this point, Jesus, Yeshua will be King of the earth. Zechariah 14:9, “The Lord will be king over
the whole earth…” Isaiah 16:5, “In
love a throne will be established; in faithfulness a man will sit
on it—one from the house [tent] of David—one who in judging seeks
justice and speeds the cause of righteousness.” Isaiah
24:23, “The moon will be abashed, the sun ashamed; for the Lord Almighty
will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders,
gloriously.”
2. The
Second Event Which Must Occur Before the Millennial Kingdom of
God Can Be Established—The Putting Away of Satan (and his demons): Remember
the description of the unseen influence Satan and his demons have
had on this evil age of man we live in (since Adam to now)? Satan’s
evil broadcast of his attitudes cannot cease until he is removed. When
Jesus sets out to save those in the world who have survived World
War III, he isn’t about to be hampered by Satan or his demons. Like
I think I mentioned before, if Jesus wanted to save the whole world
now, he could do it. He
is all-powerful. There is a huge lesson-plan God is in the middle
of here, and things are being done in the order that God wants
them done in. We as Christians
have been way to narrow-minded in our Christian world-views here
on this subject. Revelation gives the proper chronological order
of events during the tribulation, leading up to and including the
2nd coming, and then leading into the time of the Millennial
Kingdom of God. In Revelation 19 the 2nd coming
was described. In Revelation
20, verse 4, the Millennial Kingdom of God has just started. But just before that, in Revelation 20:1-3,
just after the 2nd coming described in Revelation 19,
is the description of an event the whole world has been longing
for, the creation has been groaning for. Let’s
read it for ourselves. Revelation
20:1-3, “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 locked and sealed it over him, to
keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand
years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short
time.” Some might ask, why
would God, Jesus let Satan (and his demons free for a short time
after the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and us in the Millennial Kingdom
of God? This has puzzled many Christians for millennia. Paul
gives us a hint in 1 Corinthian 3:7-15, “So neither he who plants
or he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The
man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each
will be rewarded according to his own labor. For
we are God’s fellow workers [and so also will we be as co-rulers
with Jesus in the Millennial Kingdom of God]; you are God’s field,
God’s building. By the grace of God has given me, I [Paul]
laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building
on it. But each one should
be careful how he builds. For
no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid,
which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using
gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will
be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire
will test the quality of each man’s work. If
what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he
himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.” It must be remembered, our work with Jesus
in and during the Millennial Kingdom of God will have a final test
or exam period as well. Revelation
20:7-10 shows this brief span of time when Satan (and his demons)
are released. After that, they are bound up forever, removed
from influencing the earth forever (and probably the heavens as
well). Not much is said
about this, but it will happen. But
everyone who has ever been born or will be born, for some reason,
must experience the influence of Satan. It’s
just part of God’s lesson-plan for mankind. We’ll
obviously learn more about this from Jesus when he returns. Where does it indicate the demons are removed
as well? Turn to Zechariah
13:2, “And it will come to pass in that day [context is “day
of the Lord” all the way from Zechariah 12-14] saith the Lord of
hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land,
and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the
prophets [by context, false prophets] and the unclean spirit to
pass out of the land.” After
this event has occurred, then the peace and tranquility that Jesus,
Yeshua is bring to the world through the Millennial Kingdom of
God can really truly begin, and not a moment before. Latent
attitudes of hatred, wrath, and all the attitudes of spiritual
garbage mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 will still be lingering
in the spirits of the remaining humans for awhile, but these residual
attitudes will diminish with time and under the influence of God’s
Holy Spirit, who will be freely offered to all from here on out.
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