The Kingdom (Millennium)
We have noted how Jesus often discussed "The Kingdom" during His earthly ministry. Many who read the Bible misinterpret this to be some kingdom of believers in a general sense, but that is not accurate. It is a specific reference to the literal 1000 year Age when Christ will rule the earth from Jerusalem, and it will be an Age of perfect environment and extended lifetimes. And it will be the last Age of human history, after which only eternity remains.
As a short review, Jesus’ earthly ministry included two main items He was sent to offer, first salvation, and secondly the Millennial Kingdom. Jesus taught about the Kingdom in nearly everything He preached publicly to the masses, and also to the disciples in private, and He made a legitimate offer to institute the Millennial Kingdom to the Jews during His day. But the Jewish leadership rejected the offer, and they had Jesus Christ crucified instead. Therefore the Millennial Kingdom was delayed, and the Church Age was inserted instead, which was the "mystery Age" never before revealed, not even by Jesus during His entire earthly ministry.
The earth will undergo significant changes during the destructive judgments of the Tribulation, as mountains will fall, islands will explode and vanish, and so on. The current earth will continue during the Millennium but will be changed. Jesus Christ will heal the earth when He institutes perfect environment, so the destruction which occurs during the Tribulation will be overcome by His transformations. Satan and his demons will no longer be able to tempt mankind since they will all be in prison during the Millennium awaiting their final judgment. There will be no war and minimal crime, and death will be very rare as people's bodies will no longer wear out with age, and there will be no diseases. But although the earth will be changed, it will still be the same earth we now live on. It will still have 1000 years of usefulness remaining at that point, then human history will end and the entire universe will be destroyed. Therefore human history will start and end with perfect environment, starting with the Garden of Eden, and ending with the perfect environment of the Millennium.
The Old Testament has quite a lot to say about the Millennium and provides many more details than the New Testament. That is because it is a fulfillment of promises made to ancient Israel. But the New Testament reiterates that it must occur, such as in Revelation 20:1-4:
"And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 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. 4 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 their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years."
There are several purposes for the Millennium in God's plan. One of the main purposes is to show that perfect environment is not the solution to man's sinful nature or problems. The only answer is salvation through Jesus Christ and study of the Word of God, which leads to living the spiritual life God provides for us no matter the environment or other conditions. During the Millennium people will still have the same sinful nature as all who came before them, and perfect environment will not make them any better as people. They will still be sinners with plenty of personal problems and many will reject Jesus Christ as Savior even though He is on earth with them. There will be millions of unbelievers on earth by the end of the Millennium, and they will join with Satan during his final revolt when he is briefly released from prison. This shows how faith in Christ and learning God's Word to enable living the spiritual life will still be the only true solution, both eternally and temporally.
Another primary purpose of the Millennium is to fulfill the promises God made to the Jews in Old Testament times, since the Millennium is included in numerous prophecies. History cannot end until all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. The Millennial Kingdom was what the disciples expected Jesus Christ to institute when He started His ministry on earth during His First Advent. That is why they continually discussed “the Kingdom”, referring to the Millennium. They initially did not understand that Christ's salvation work for mankind had to occur first, and only truly understood this issue after the crucifixion had occurred and the Holy Spirit revealed it all to them. As previously noted, Jesus made a legitimate offer of the Kingdom (Millennium) during His First Advent but He was rejected as the King of the Jews. The insertion of the Church Age split the Jewish Age into two parts, the Old Testament period from Abraham to just after the Cross, and then the Tribulation which completes the Jewish Age. Of course this was God's Plan all along knowing the rejection of Christ would occur. This insertion of the Church Age happened seven years before the Jewish Age was prophesied to end (Daniel 9:24-27), which is why the Tribulation is necessary to complete the last seven years of the Jewish Age. Once the Tribulation completes the Jewish Age the Millennium can begin. Therefore the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Millennium were delayed, so they must still be fulfilled in the future. More details about such issues are included in my book "The Future Times" which can be obtained free online if more information is desired.
The Millennium is a regathering and restoration of Israel with Jesus Christ established as the King of Israel under a Theocracy (rule by God). The Jews had rejected the previous Theocracy rule during Old Testament times when they demanded a human king like other nations, and Saul became king of Israel against the will of God (1 Samuel 8:6-8). God promised that Abraham's descendants would own a very large portion of the Middle East, an area much larger than has ever been known as Israel, and the Messiah as a descendant of David would be King over this expanded Israel. God also established a New Covenant to Israel which will be fulfilled in the Millennium:
Jeremiah 31:33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, 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.””
There will be a new covenant to Israel during the Millennium, just as a new covenant (New Testament) was provided for the Church Age. Jesus Christ as the Ruler of Israel will directly provide this new covenant information about the spiritual life and how it must be lived during that 1000 year Age. All who want to know the new covenant doctrines will receive them easily and directly. No more will there be a long process of learning Bible information as we during the Church Age are required to do, but then the Church Age believers are rewarded for that learning and growing process, so it is not a negative for us. There will be a new temple in Jerusalem, and animal sacrifices will be offered once again in Israel, but as a memorial to the cross, not like Old Testament times when they taught about the future Messiah. (Ezekiel 43:18-27) Restored Israel will once again become the chief evangelizers to the people of the earth. Even though Christ is present as their ruler on the earth, the people born during the Millennium will still need to be evangelized, and many will refuse to accept the salvation plan of God. People at that time must believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, not just as their ruler, to have salvation and eternal life. But many will be distracted by the perfect environment and think they need nothing else, and will remain unbelievers. This is part of what the Millennium is intended to demonstrate in human history.
The Jews will have lived “in exile” scattered among the various nations for thousands of years until the Millennium begins. The existence of a nation called Israel today has nothing to do with the supernatural regathering of every single Jew (as Ezekiel said “not leaving any behind”) into a nation ruled by Jesus Christ Himself during the Millennium. There are many more Jews scattered today than living in the current nation of Israel. And simply being Jewish without having believed in Jesus Christ as Savior has no standing with God. Ezekiel 39 provides a good summary of the Millennium as related to the regathering of Israel:
Ezekiel 39:25 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob and will have compassion on all the people of Israel, and I will be zealous for my holy name. 26 They will forget their shame and all the unfaithfulness they showed toward me when they lived in safety in their land with no one to make them afraid. 27 When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will be proved holy through them in the sight of many nations. 28 Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. 29 I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
During the Millennium the remainder of the earth will be populated by gentile nations, also ruled by Jesus Christ from Jerusalem. Believers from Old Testament times, the Church Age, and the Tribulation who had previously died will return in their eternal resurrection bodies with Christ at the Second Advent, and these believers will serve Him during the Millennium as rulers of cities and nations, as judges, as priests and will serve the King of kings in many other leadership positions. So on the earth will be the Lord Himself, believers in resurrection bodies who had previously lived on the earth, believers in natural bodies who survived the Tribulation, and people who will be born during the Millennium. There will even be angels (elect only) living on the earth who will be visible at that time. Needless to say, it will be an unusual time.
As already mentioned, the land which will belong to Israel during the Millennium will be much larger than the current size of Israel as a fulfillment of the following promises to Abraham:
Genesis 13:14 “The Lord said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.”
Genesis 15:18 “On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram and said, “To your descendants I give this land, from the Wadi of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates— 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.”
Genesis 17:7 “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. 8 The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”
The Millennium will also fulfill the promises to David that his descendant (Jesus Christ as the Son of David) would rule forever beginning in the Millennium and during the Eternal State.
2 Samuel 7:6 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”
Psalm 89:3 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, 4 ‘I will establish your line forever and make your throne firm through all generations.’”
Isaiah and Zechariah prophesied how Jerusalem will be the most important city during the Millennium, since the Lord will rule over the entire earth from there:
Isaiah 2:2 “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. 3 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.”
Zechariah 14:10 “The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah [a low flat plain]. But Jerusalem will be raised up high [Jerusalem will become a much higher plateau] 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, and will remain in its place. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure [safe during the entire Millennium].”
Jerusalem will be “raised up high” from its current height while the countryside all around it, which is currently quite hilly, shall be made level like the Arabah, a low plain. Present day Jerusalem is about 2500 feet above sea level, and some hills around it are higher. The Millennial elevation changes will make the approach to the city on a high mountain where Christ rules a spectacular sight for those who approach His city.
Isaiah 40:4 “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together.”
We see that Jerusalem will be the highest point on the earth as “the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains.” The earth will be much flatter, as the Tribulation earthquakes will have caused the mountains to fall into the valleys. The remaining elevated areas are now called “hills” by Isaiah, with none as high as Jerusalem. Recall the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem, which is currently higher than the city, will be split in half by the Lord at the Second Advent and will become much shorter. According to Ezekiel 48 the size of the Millennial Jerusalem will be approximately seven miles square. The Lord will rule from Jerusalem, so the city will be elevated physically, spiritually, and in importance in the eyes of all the Lord's subjects throughout the entire earth.
Ezekiel Chapters 40 – 43 provide a detailed blueprint for the Millennium temple, which will be built before the start of the Millennium by the Lord Himself. The Tribulation temple will be destroyed by the earthquake which splits the Mount of Olives during the Second Advent of Christ. The new Millennial temple will be the throne of Jesus Christ:
Ezekiel 43:6 “While the man was standing beside me, I heard someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7 He said: “Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I will live among the Israelites forever.”
Offerings at the Millennium temple will be in memory of the salvation sacrifice of Jesus Christ, not looking forward to the sacrifice of Christ as with the Old Testament sacrifices. The martyrs of the Tribulation will serve as priests, along with the Levitical priesthood which had been set aside after the cross. (Ezekiel 43:19)
The Millennium will be a time of universal peace on the earth:
Isa 2:4 “He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
There will be no more war, but there will be plenty of disputes among people and nations since mankind remains sinful and therefore no better than during any other period of time. There would be war except that the Lord will not allow it. He will rule with an iron scepter, so it will not simply be everyone getting along just fine without firm leadership. Remember, perfect environment does not make people any better as people. Jesus Christ will strongly enforce the rule of law. As such there will be no war, and almost no crime.
The Prophet Micah echoes the statements of Isaiah:
Micah 4:1 “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains [no mountain on earth higher than Jerusalem]; it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. 2 Many nations 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. 3 He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. 4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
Believers from all the Ages who are in their eternal resurrection bodies during the Millennium will be on the earth as rulers of the nations, and will serve in other positions of leadership in the Lord's rulership hierarchy such as governors, judges and administrators. Jewish believers will generally have leadership over Israel, and gentile believers will generally have leadership over gentile nations, but that may not be a firm distinction. David will be a Chief Prince. The disciples who became apostles to the Church (plus Paul), who were all Jews, will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel:
Matthew 19:28 “Jesus said to them [disciples], “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Luke 22:29 “And I confer on you [disciples] a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom [Millennium] and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
1 Corinthians 6:2 “Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels?”
Resurrected gentile believers who were spiritual winners during their previous time on earth, including from the Church Age, will rule generally throughout the rest of the earth. It is interesting to think about how there will be many millions of believers on earth who are in their eternal resurrection bodies, having previously lived out their lives during earlier Ages of time.
Isaiah 11:3 “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; 4 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. 5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.”
In the very, very rare case where a capital crime is committed, the Lord Himself will judge and execute the person very quickly with perfect fairness. We often think of perfect environment as solving the world's problems, but the Millennium will prove this to be wrong. Only the strong rule of the Lord will enable this perfect environment among imperfect humans.
Isaiah 11:6 “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. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest. 9 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.”
The curse put on the earth after the fall of Adam will be lifted. Both animal and plant life will be friendly to mankind. There will be no wild animals, and they will not eat each other. There will be no more thorns or dangerous plants. Nature will become very tame, and the earth will be fruitful and will easily give up its bounty. Therefore there will be no hunger or poverty during the Millennium. But people will still work to earn a living.
Micah 4:4 “Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.”
Zechariah 3:10 “Shout and be glad, Daughter Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,” declares the Lord. 11 “Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. 12 The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem.”
Jesus Christ will cause Israel to be the preeminent nation during the Millennium and will rule from Jerusalem. Other nations will look to Israel as the most favored of nations. The Lord will be present among the people and those who are believers will have the benefit of knowing Him as their resurrected Savior while they are still on the earth.
Zechariah 14:8 “On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter [Second Advent earthquake forms a new valley]. 9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth [Millennium]. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.”
Ezekiel 47:1 “The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.….8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets.”
Splitting the Mount of Olives creates a new river flowing both east and west from Jerusalem. It will flow east to the Mediterranean Sea, and west to the Dead Sea and on to the Red Sea. The resulting waterways will make Jerusalem a major seaport, connecting Jerusalem to both the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean creating a significant new trade route for international commerce. Jerusalem will become the most important and prosperous city on earth during the Millennium, and a center of trade as well as the world's capital city. Although the Dead Sea water currently does not support life since it is 34% salinity, the water flow from the temple mount into the Dead Sea freshens it during the Millennium, and will turn southern Israel into a paradise of great beauty and bounty for farming and will create great fishing and provide other pleasure purposes. We also see that although all the fish of the oceans and seas were killed during the Tribulation, the fish are back in abundance in the Millennium as a result of the Lord healing the earth. It is also important to note that although there will be perfect environment on the earth, all people will still need to work for a living. The Lord does not promote idleness under perfect environment, since even at that time it would encourage misbehavior.
Zechariah 14:16 “Then the survivors [believers from gentile nations] from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem [during the Tribulation] will go up year after year [during the Millennium] to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 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. 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 20 On that day holy to the Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite [idolaters] in the house of the Lord Almighty.”
This passage is instructive in showing how after the initial believers begin the Millennium, many of their descendants born during the Millennium will not become believers. Some of those will not want to pay their respects to honor the Lord's deliverance of His people. Even in perfect environment, the Lord can and will withhold blessings to those who refuse to obey Him. This shows the "iron hand" of the Lord as He enforces law, order and proper respect for His rule. Even under the perfect ruler and in perfect environment people would still resort to crime, war and other unsavory actions, which shows the true nature of mankind apart from salvation and the Word of