What is the Millennium?

Where is the Millennium?

When is the Millennium?

Who establishes the Millennium? And why is the Millennium?

Beginning with Isaiah and continuing through the Old Testament, there is a section of Scripture which is called the prophetic portion of the Bible. 

The prophets were more than foretellers.  Actually, God raised up these men  in a decadent day  when  both priest and king  had failed.

Isaiah and all the Old Testament prophets were extremely nationalistic. They rebuked sin in high as well as low places.  They warned the nation. 

They pleaded with a proud people to humble themselves  and  return to God. 

Fire and tears were mingled in their message, which was not one of doom and gloom alone, for they saw the Day of the Lord and the glory to follow. 

All of them looked through the darkness to the dawn of a new day. 

In the night of sin they saw the light of a coming Savior and Sovereign; 

They saw the Millennial Kingdom coming in all its fullness. 

We must understand their message before we can correctly interpret the Kingdom in the New Testament. The correct perspective of the Kingdom must be gained through the eyes of the Old Testament prophets.

Millennium. 

Where do we get the word? 

What does it mean? 

It is like several other important words that are essential for our understanding of the Bible  but which do  not actually appear in it. 

The word  millennium does  not  appear in the Bible but words  that  mean  millennium  do  appear repeatedly.

The word millennium comes from two Latin words: mille, meaning  "one thousand"  and  annus,  meaning "years." 

A MILLENNIUM IS ONE THOUSAND YEARS.

In the Greek, the word used is chilia. 

When theologians talk about chiliaism and millennialism, they are talking about the same event. 

Both words  mean  a thousand years,  and they have to do with 

THE THOUSAND  YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST HERE UPON THIS EARTH    (Revelation 20).

That chapter is the only place that gives the duration of the Kingdom, and the phrase "thousand years" occurs there  six times. 

However,  the theme of the thousand-year Kingdom which is coming on the earth is a great subject of Scripture.

GOD'S MAGNIFICENT PROGRAM.

Actually,  the Millennium  is merely one phase of God’s eternal Kingdom;  that is,  the  "theocratic Kingdom," as 

Dr. George N. H. Peters  calls it.

Actually,  everything that  has  happened in history,  that is happening  in our day,  and  will  happen in the future  

is all part of God’s program in setting up His Kingdom here upon this earth.

The Millennium,  one feature of  God’s eternal Kingdom, is a  special dispensation that is yet future. 

The Millennial Kingdom will come to an end, and the eternal Kingdom will begin. That is stated clearly in Scripture. 

1 Corinthians 15:20  The apostle  Paul gives us  the order of events,  beginning with  the resurrection of Christ  and  then he says  that  those who are Christ’s will be raised at His coming.

1 Corinthians 15:23   "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming."

After that, "Then cometh the end."  

The end of what? 

The world? 

No. 

The Bible does not teach the end of the world. 

This world that we live in will not come to an end  but  it is going into eternity. 

It’s to be renovated,  made new,   but  it  is going into eternity.  

1 Corinthians 24-25   "Then cometh the end,  when He shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God,  even the Father   when He [Christ]  shall have put down  all rule and  all authority  and power.   For He must reign,  till He  hath put all enemies under His feet."

THERE DOES COME A TIME WHEN THIS THOUSAND YEAR REIGN  WILL BE DELIVERED UP TO GOD THE FATHER.

CHRIST IS COMING INTO THIS WORLD SOMEDAY.

HE WILL COME IN WITH GREAT JUDGMENT.

HE WILL SET UP HIS THOUSAND YEAR REIGN HERE UPON THIS EARTH.

And during that thousand-year reign,  He will accomplish a purpose.  

Today He is accomplishing His purpose of calling a people out of this world unto Himself. 

During the millennial reign  He’s going to bring this earth  under His rule.  He will rule with a rod of iron. 

Those who oppose Him  will be dashed in pieces like a potter’s vessel. 

That is going  to be a time  when Christ will rule arbitrarily upon this earth.

THIS EARTH HAS  NOT  SEEN A DICTATOR RULE.

WHEN CHRIST RULES THEY WILL.

When He rules  on this earth a bird won’t even cheep,  a rooster won’t crow  and a man won’t open his mouth without His permission.  That will be  a time  when His will at last will be done on this earth. 

And even the Millennium  would be a hell for any man who is in rebellion against God.

The Bible tells us that  there will be some in rebellion, that rebellion breaks out during the Millennium. 

Christ will judge it immediately because He is going to bring this earth back under the rule of God. That is God’s purpose for the earth. 

1 Corinthians 15:25-28    "For  He must reign,  till He hath put all enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed  is death.  For He hath put all things under His feet.  But when He saith  all things are put under Him,  it is manifest  that He is excepted,  which did put all things under Him.  And when all things  shall be subdued unto Him,  then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him  that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

What does that mean? 

It means simply this: 

The Lord Jesus will come to this earth,  reign one thousand years,  and bring this earth back under the rule of God.  When  this is accomplished,  and this earth  becomes what God intended it to be throughout the eternal ages of the future.  

This is the picture that the Scripture presents.

All through the Old Testament, and especially in the Prophets, this Kingdom, this thousand-year reign of Christ on the earth, is set before us.

There is more Scripture  -  on this subject  than on any other subject in the Bible. The prophets  had more to say  about this coming Kingdom than anything else. It was their theme song. 

They sound like a stuck record,  saying over and over  that the King is coming,  the Kingdom is coming,  and   great blessings  will be on this earth.

The prophets spoke of it as coming in the future. And from where you and I are today, it is still future. 

THE CONDITIONS PREDICTED FOR THIS KINGDOM HAVE NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED.

The Kingdom of God will not be established  by man’s efforts,  by human ability. 

The church is  not  building the Kingdom  today,  yet it is geared into a program that will see the coming of the Kingdom. 

It’s not  our business  to build a Kingdom. 

There is so much talk  about the kingdom today  but  dear reader  when   God is ready to set up His Kingdom,  He won’t need  help  from  any church.   In fact,  He is going to remove His true church out of the world before He establishes His Kingdom here upon the earth. 

THAT IS HIS PLAN.

Now the Kingdom that we are looking at  in these few pages  will be confined to what Isaiah had to say  on this subject.  And believe me, he had  a great deal  to say about 

THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

This Kingdom  is the same  as we find in the New Testament  where it is called  the Kingdom of Heaven. That was the message  John the Baptist  began with:  

Matthew 3:2   "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

When the Lord Jesus began His ministry,  He said the same thing.

Now neither John  nor  the Lord Jesus  explained  what that phrase meant.  That seems to indicate that the only ones who miss this are theologians  and seminary professors who do not seem to know what is happening in this world. 

They try to make something very obtuse,  something esoteric  out of the Kingdom of Heaven. It is something that only  they and their little clique know. 

May I say to you  that  the common people  who heard John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus understood what they were talking about. 

The Kingdom we are talking about  is just what  the Old Testament  has been talking about: 

THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM COMING ON THE EARTH.

The Kingdom of Heaven is just simply this: 

THE RULE OF THE HEAVENS OVER THE EARTH.

WHEN HEAVEN RULES OVER THIS EARTH ON WHICH WE LIVE

THEN,  WE WILL HAVE THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN CONDITION.

That’s all it means.

The reign of the Heavens over the earth is all the Kingdom of Heaven can possibly mean.

The Millennium will be the time when there will be the full manifestation of the glory, the power and the will of God over this earth. 

And all agree  that this is  not in evidence today. 

WHEN CHRIST REIGNS UPON THE EARTH ,

THERE WILL BE NO HOSPITALS.

THERE WILL BE NO GRAVEYARDS.

THERE WILL BE NO MORE SUFFERING.

AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE BROKEN HEARTS.

It is an insult to my Lord  to say  that the Kingdom of Heaven  is being built today  and  that it is in existence  on this earth. 

When Christ reigns, there will be no more tragedy  that  presently  exists  throughout the world.

Of course we may ask these questions.  

Why must we have tragedies? 

God has to vindicate Himself. 

Why is it that the earth is in such a deplorable condition? 

Why isn’t God reigning on this earth now? 

Isaiah tells us  how  it all began. 

This is where  sin  began 

and Isaiah deals with this subject.

WHERE SIN BEGAN.

The prophet  Isaiah tells about  the fall of God’s highest creature  and  that  this creature led a rebellion against God to set up a kingdom that was opposed to God.  This verse is the revelation concerning it,  and  it is startling indeed.

The prophecy of Isaiah goes back into the past and then looks on into the future concerning this creature who is yet to be judged and brought down. 

Who is this creature that rebelled against God? 

He is the highest creature God ever created,  Lucifer.  We know him today  as Satan and as  the Devil.  He has many different names.  Our Lord even called him a liar and a murderer.

This highest of God’s creatures, according to Ezekiel 28, was  "full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." 

And  Satan  has not  lost that beauty. 

If you could see him today,  you would not  see an ugly, fearsome being. 

He would be most attractive. 

HE DISGUISES HIMSELF AS AN ANGEL OF LIGHT (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). 

AND HIS MINISTERS ARE AS PREACHERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

THERE  ARE MANY LEADERS OF CULTS TODAY WHO ARE VERY ATTRACTIVE AND REALLY DO HAVE WONDERFUL VOICES.

THEY SURE LOOK AND SOUND LIKE MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Satan,  if you could see him today,  would be  the most beautiful creature you have ever seen.  

God created him that way.

What was it that Satan did?

This significant passage refers to the beginning of sin in the universe:

Isaiah 14:13-14   "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

Satan does not want to be unlike God,  he wants to be like God. 

When Lucifer,  son of the morning,  said,  "I will,"  sin entered the universe.

Way back in the past, and we’re told practically nothing about this in the Bible,  something happened to this earth.  Apparently,  it happened long before man got here.  I believe that this catastrophe took place between verses 1 and 2  of the Genesis account,  and  that the earth became without form,  and void.  Also, I think that the catastrophe was connected with the fall of Lucifer,  who became Satan,  as we know him today.  

However, God has given us no details in the first chapter of Genesis.

In the third chapter  of Genesis  God does tell us  that  Satan had  access  to this earth  and that  he approached our first parents  with the same temptations that had affected him,  the desire to  

"be as gods,    knowing good and evil."

THIS IS THE SIN OF MAN RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS OUR PROBLEM TODAY.

Isaiah 53:6  "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way."

these are the three words  that tell us what is  wrong with each one of us today.

EACH ONE OF US WANTS TO GO OUR OWN WAY.

The tiny baby soon after it is born,  gets red in the face and yells at the top of its voice.

You would think the baby was going to die! 

Why does the baby do that? 

Because he wants you to pick him up. 

He wants his way. 

It’s born in us. 

We have a nature that says, "We want our way." We don’t want God’s way. 

Mankind today is in rebellion against God.

God says that He is going to establish His Kingdom on this earth. 

His way  is going to prevail some day. 

That is the meaning of the rule of the Heavens over this earth.

Sin entered the universe when Satan rebelled.

Then man rebelled against God  and continues to do so.

God’s  process  by which  the Lord Jesus will come to the throne  -  that is,  the establishing of the Kingdom here upon this earth  and  the Millennial Kingdom -  is part  of  the great theocratic Kingdom of God.

The controversy today is not actually around the Person of Christ,  but rather centers around the Millennium.

There is postmillennialism which holds that the church or Christian agencies will correct every evil in the world until Christ has a "spiritual reign" for a thousand years. 

And not until after that would He return in Person to reign over the earth. However two world wars,  a worldwide depression  and  then the atomic bomb  put the postmillennialists out of business.

Then there is the  amillennial  position, which is  that there will be no Millennium other than that which is in progress at the present time! 

To my judgment amillennialism is a preposterous position.

Then there is  premillennialism  which  holds the position that in the present age,  evil will increase and end in judgment at the second coming of Christ to the earth,  at which time He will set up His Kingdom and reign in righteousness for one thousand years.

These are the three views of eschatology today, and they all center around the Millennium.

The amillenialist makes the charge against those of us who are premillennial that we believe in only a materialistic kingdom with physical blessings in the future. 

These are some of the spiritual blessings of the Kingdom that are yet to come.

Spiritual Blessings of the Millennium.

1)   Peace.

THIS WILL NOT BE EXPERIENCED UNTIL THE MILLENNIUM.

ONLY THEN WILL THERE BE PEACE.

We had better not believe that aggressive superpowers will stop filling their arsenals, because they have lied  before  and are very capable  of doing that sort of thing.

BUT THE DAY IS COMING WHEN  THERE WILL BE PEACE.

That peace will come when  the Prince of Peace rules on this earth. 

In that day you can beat swords into plowshares. 

PEACE IS A GREAT SPIRITUAL BLESSING THAT IS YET IN THE FUTURE.

Isaiah 32:17  "And  the work of righteousness shall be peace;  and the effect of righteousness quietness  and  assurance for ever."

TODAY THEY ARE NOT EVEN ON SPEAKING TERMS.

One of the reasons we cannot have peace on this earth is  because  we do not have righteousness. However,  righteousness will characterize the reign of Christ during the Millennium.

3)   Holiness.  

Isaiah 4:3   "And it shall come to pass,  that he that is left in Zion,  and he that remaineth in Jerusalem,  shall be called holy,  even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem."     

The word  holiness  literally means  separation, a thing set apart. A believer’s spiritual birth,  his salvation,  sets him apart as holy,  that is,  separated unto God. 

OUR SALVATION IS IN THREE TENSES.

I have been saved; 

I am being saved; 

And I shall be saved.

Our problem comes in the second tense: "I am being saved." 

We are told in

Philippians 2:12-13  "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

Yet the believer still has that old sinful nature, and the idea that we can get rid of it in this life is a tragic mistake. 

1 John 1:8   "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." 

Not until we go to be with Christ will we experience the final stage of our salvation. 

1 John 3:2   "… We know that,  when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is."  

Dear reader let’s be honest about these things. 

We are not going to see holiness on this earth until Jesus Christ rules. 

Not only does Isaiah mention  peace, righteousness and holiness, but we’re also told here that glory is another spiritual blessing during the Millennium.  

Isaiah 4:4-5   "When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion,  and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem  from the midst thereof  by the spirit of judgment,  and by the spirit of burning. 

 And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion,  and upon her assemblies,  a cloud and smoke by day,  and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory  shall be a defence."

GLORY IS A SPIRITUAL BLESSING DURING THE MILLENNIUM.

5)  Joy. 

Isaiah 12:3-4  "Therefore with joy  shall ye draw water  out of the wells  of salvation.  And  in that day  shall ye say,  Praise the Lord,  call upon His name, declare His doings among the people,  make mention that His name is exalted." 

The phrase "in that day"  in Isaiah  and in all the Prophets  is referring to  the Millennial Kingdom. 

"And in that day shall ye say, Praise the Lord," when we hear people say,  "Praise the Lord"  in church in that day,  people won’t look at them as if something is wrong. You will be able to say out loud, "Praise the Lord, call upon His name, declare His doings among the people, make mention that His name is exalted!"   

Isaiah 12:5   "Sing unto the Lord;  for He hath done excellent things:  this is known in all the earth." 

Joy   is one of the blessings  that will characterize the Millennium. 

Joy  does not characterize the world today. 

Instead there is  dissatisfaction,   loneliness,   sorrow  and heartbreak. 

But just imagine being on this earth when all is joyful, and everyone is filled with joy!

Now here is another wonderful feature:  there will be  full knowledge in the Kingdom. 

1 Corinthians 13:12    "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then 

: now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known" 

Isaiah 11:1-2   "And there shall come forth  a rod out of the stem of Jesse,  and a Branch shall grow out of His roots:  and the Spirit of the Lord  shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom  and  understanding,  the Spirit of knowledge  and of the fear of the Lord."

There will be knowledge in that day.

8)  Instruction.

IT WILL BE A TIME OF INSTRUCTION.

During the Millennium there will be great knowledge, and there’ll be a great deal of instruction. 

Isaiah 2:2-3   "And it shall come to pass in the last days,  that  the mountain of the Lord’s  house shall be established  in the top of the mountains,  and shall be exalted above the hills;  and all nations  shall flow unto it.  And many people  shall go and say,  Come ye,  and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,  to the house of the God of Jacob;  and  He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths:  for out of Zion  shall go forth the law,  and the Word of the Lord  from Jerusalem."

There will be a great hunger and thirst for God,  people wanting to know  about God. 

People will want to know Christ and His Word.

Every now and then  we meet those who are  eager to know God.

There are those in this world today who are  hungry  for the Word.

We see little indications of  thirst  for God,  but just think what it will be during the Millennium. 

It’ll be most wonderful!

Oh how we need  to  equip  ourselves down here  for what we are going to do over there. 

THIS EARTH,  IS ACTUALLY A TRAINING SCHOOL.

THIS IS WHERE  WE GET READY  TO GO OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE.

AND ONE OF THESE  DAYS WE ARE GOING OVER.

THIS IS THE TIME TO PREPARE OURSELVES  TO REIGN WITH CHRIST JESUS.

THESE ARE SOME OF THE SPECIAL FEATURES  -  

THE PERSON,  

THE CHARACTER,

AND THE PHYSICAL FACTS OF HIS KINGDOM.

Isaiah 2:1-2   "The word that Isaiah  the son of Amoz saw  concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And  it shall come to pass  in the last days,  that the mountain of the Lord’s house  shall be established  in the top of the mountains,  and shall be exalted above the hills;  and all nations  shall flow into it."

Jerusalem will become the capital of this earth in the Kingdom. 

Babylon is to be the capital of Antichrist during the Tribulation, 

Jerusalem will be the capital on the earth  for the Lord Jesus Christ  as the Messiah.  

Isaiah 2:3-4   "And many people  shall go and say,  Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,  to the house of the God of Jacob;  and He will teach us of His ways,  and we will walk in His paths:   for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 

And He shall judge among the nations,  and shall rebuke many people:  they shall beat their swords into plowshares,  and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation,  neither shall they learn war any more."

THIS IS A WORLDWIDE KINGDOM.

Person.

Isaiah 11:1   "And there shall come forth  a rod  out of the stem of Jesse,  and  a Branch  shall grow out of His roots."

THE KINGDOM IS NEVER ESTABLISHED BY THE CHURCH,  NEVER BY AN ORGANIZATION AND NEVER BY ANY MOVEMENT.

THE WORLD WILL NOT GROW INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

BUT THE ONE WHO WILL  ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM IS MENTIONED IN SCRIPTURE AS A "ROD"  AND  A   "BRANCH"  

THE MESSIAH WHO IS TO COME.

This is  exactly  what  John the Baptist  meant when he said, 

"The kingdom of heaven is at hand;" 

literally  "in your midst."

The Kingdom of Heaven is in your midst because the King is here. 

And you cannot have a kingdom  without a king,  any more than you can have a marriage  without a bride and groom. 

They are essential.  If I say that I went to a wedding, you know immediately  that a bride and groom were there. 

There cannot be a wedding without a couple. 

And you cannot have a kingdom without a king. 

When John said, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand," he meant the King is here. It could not be otherwise,  could it? 

THE KING HAD COME.

NOW,  THEY REJECTED HIM  BUT THE PROPHET ISAIAH WAS EMPHASIZING  THE NECESSITY OF THIS ONE COMING IN THE LINE OF JESSE.

He was to come out of the stem of Jesse.  Why didn’t Isaiah mention David?  Did Jesus come from the line of King David? Yes,  but David’s line had returned to peasantry  by the time Jesus came. 

Jesse was a farmer from Bethlehem.  

The Lord Jesus was a carpenter from Nazareth  -  that’s the way He was identified when He was here. 

The stem was of Jesse  and a Branch  would grow out of his roots.

Notice that the Messiah was to have the fullness of the Spirit:  

Isaiah 11:2   "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.   

John 3:34   "For He whom God hath sent speaketh the Words of God:  for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him."

GOD  GAVE TO JESUS  THE SPIRIT  WITHOUT MEASURE, THE FULLNESS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.  

Isaiah 11:3   "And shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord:"

One thing that will characterize the Kingdom is that the Lord is going to jack up the IQ of all the people. 

Won’t that be wonderful! 

There will be no neurotics,  no mentally retarded,  no dull minds. 

There will be nobody in the class  who will have to say,  "Teacher, I didn’t get that. Would you go over that again?" 

They will get the point immediately. 

I  would certainly like to have my IQ stepped up.

Character of Reign

Isaiah 11:4   "But with righteousness shall He judge the poor   ..." 

The poor have never had a fair deal yet.  The politicians talk about the poor before election day,  and  then they forget all about them the day after election. 

The Lord Jesus shall judge in righteousness  -   the poor.

Special interests and labor unions are not  for the poor anymore. 

Capitalists have never been for the poor. 

The poor man just does not have a chance in this world. 

Thank God for a King who is coming to judge in righteousness for the poor! 

He is the One I want to see rule on this earth. 

Isaiah 11:4    "  ...  and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth:   ..."   

Meek people,  the Lord Jesus says in  Matthew 5:5   are going to inherit the earth,  and they are certainly not inheriting it today.  

Isaiah 11:4  "....    and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked." 

You may want to play that down,  but the Word of God  does not play it down.  He will  "break them with a rod of iron," according to the second  Psalm. 

The Word of God is very specific. 

He intends to put down the wicked. 

He will make no treaty with the godless superpowers of this world. 

THE LORD JESUS DOES NOT NEED ANY VOTES.

HE DOES NOT NEED ANY INFLUENCE FROM ANYONE.

 He intends to slay the wicked. 

Thank God,  this earth  is yet to get a square deal. 

And it will never get it until Christ comes. 

That is the reason the Millennium is quite a wonderful prospect for this earth.   

Isaiah 11:5   "And righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins, and faithfulness the girdle of His reins." 

Righteousness and faithfulness are two additional Spiritual blessings,  and they are wonderful.

THEN THERE ARE THE PHYSICAL BLESSING.

Isaiah 11:6   "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

Apparently in the Garden of Eden  there was no distinction  between wild animals and domesticated animals. They were all tame.  The animals would just walk right by Adam, and he named them. Then, after the fall, certain animals became wild,  no longer friendly to man.

Isaiah 11:7   "And the cow and the bear shall feed;  their young ones  shall lie down together:  and the lion  shall eat straw  like the ox."    

GOD MADE THE LION AND HE CAN MAKE THE LION EAT WHATEVER HE DECIDES.

OH HOW TRULY WONDERFUL AND GLORIOUS OUR GOD REALLY IS.

Isaiah 11:8   "And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den."

Nothing that is poisonous will be on this earth.

Isaiah 11:9-10   "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain:  for  the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,  as the waters cover the sea.  And in that day  there shall be a root of Jesse,  which shall stand for an ensign of the people;  to it  shall the Gentiles seek:  and His rest  shall be glorious."

THE PROPHET ISAIAH NOW TALKS ABOUT THE JEWS RETURNING TO THEIR HOMELAND.

This is the nation Israel.  There can be no Millennium until Israel is back in the land. There are so many things out of sync today. The devil is in the wrong place  -  he goes to and fro in this earth  seeking whom he may devour. He has to be in the bottomless pit during the Millennium. He’s out of place today. 

Christ is not in His rightful place for the Millennium. 

He will be on the throne of David reigning over this earth. 

The church is out of place today  -  it’s in this world. 

The church is to be with Christ in the New Jerusalem. 

And Israel is out of place today,  her people scattered throughout the world,  and they must be back in their own land. 

There will be no Millennium until everything gets in its place.

One more reference that has to do with the physical characteristics of the Millennium is that wonderful 35 chapter of Isaiah. Now will you note this:  

Isaiah 35:1-2   "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice,  and blossom as the rose.  It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy  and singing:  the glory of Lebanon  shall be given unto it,  the excellency of Carmel  and Sharon,  they shall see the glory of the Lord,  and  the excellency of our God." 

The desert will blossom as a rose in the Millennium. 

The curse that’s on this earth today will be removed. 

That’s not all. He says something else here: 

Isaiah 35:3-5   "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance,  even God with a recompense;  He will come and save you. 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,  and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."

There’ll be no blind in the Millennium.  There will be no need for sign language  to translate for those who do not hear.  There will be no deaf in that day at all.  

Isaiah 35:6   "Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing:  for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."

Isaiah 35:10   "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with song   and everlasting joy  upon their heads:  they shall obtain joy and gladness,  and sorrow and sighing  shall flee away.":

THAT IS THE MILLENNIUM.

THE HOPE OF THIS EARTH.

However,  that is not the hope of the church.  The church’s hope is that one of these days  we are to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air,

1 Thessalonians 4:14–17   "For if we believe  that Jesus died  and rose again,  even so them also which sleep  in Jesus  will God bring with Him.  For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord,  that we which are alive  and remain unto the coming of the Lord  shall not prevent them  which are asleep.  For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven  with a shout,  with the voice of the archangel,  and with the trump of God:  and the dead in Christ  shall rise first:  then we which are alive  and remain  shall be  caught up together with them in the clouds,  to meet the Lord in the air:  and so shall we ever be with the Lord."

The Lord Jesus will take us to a place that  is going to be even more wonderful than this earth,  the New Jerusalem.  

What glorious things God has planned for our future!

I wonder today if you are on the way to the New Jerusalem. 

PRAYERFULLY MEDITATE ON:

Our Lord Jesus said,

John 14:6    " I am  the way,  the truth,  and the life:  no man cometh unto the Father,  but by Me." 

HYMN:   The sands of time are sinking.

The sands of time are sinking,
The dawn of heaven breaks,
The summer morn I've sighed for,
The fair sweet morn awakes;
Dark, dark, hath been the midnight,
But dayspring is at hand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The King there in His beauty
Without a veil is seen;
It were a well-spent journey
Though seven deaths lay between:
The Lamb with His fair army
Doth on Mount Zion stand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

O Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted
More deep I'll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

The bride eyes not her garment,
But her dear bridegroom's face;
I will not gaze at glory,
But on the King of grace;
Not at the crown He giveth,
But on His pierced hand:
The Lamb is all the glory
Of Emmanuel's land.

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THIS PAGE UPDATED: 8-3-2007.