May 24, 2026

What is the Millennium?

Introduction - This lesson is about the 1,000 year period of time immediately following the Second Coming of Christ.  It is commonly referred to as the Millennium.  You will not remember everything discussed today, as you probably won’t for any sermon you’ll ever hear in the future, but God will have something for you: a particular point, or hope, or lesson.  Be sure to please Him by obeying it.  Our next lesson will likely be on the New Jerusalem, our heavenly home.  Let’s get our historical bearings by reading the following passage: 

Revelation 20:1-4 - Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the Abyss, holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3And he threw him into the Abyss, shut it, and sealed it over him, so that he could not deceive the nations until the thousand years were complete. After that, he must be released for a brief period of time. 4 Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  NASB

1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? NASB

What events lie ahead for us and all of our Christian friends?  Here are the events in a nutshell:  At some point in the not-too-distant future, 1) the  Rapture occurs.  Without notice, God suddenly resurrects the dead of the Church Age, and within seconds and translates living Christians, mingling all together to meet him in the air at the New Jerusalem.  2) We take part in the spiritual Marriage of the Lamb (the presentation of the Church, which is Christ’s bride, to Jesus, the Bridegroom.)  3) Seven years later, the Lord gathers us together with Him for a massive ride as we follow Him on white horses down to the earth at His Second Coming.  He destroys every evil army on His descent to Armageddon and we witness the judgment of all people at the borders of Israel.  4) From that point onward we will essentially be doing work once done by the angels: works of power, delivering messages from Jesus Himself, settling disputes, administering blessings or correction to living people on the earth from our home in the New Jerusalem.  

The purpose of the Millennium is for God to demonstrate for one last time that man is hopelessly unable to live righteously under even the best of circumstances, with Satan bound, in an age of Glory.  It is about mortal believers who were saved during the Tribulation, both from Israel and Gentile.  God’s dealings during this 1,000 years are with natural living people on the earth, not with Christians who are already in heaven.  He will, for the first time, live on the earth amongst mortals.  Our home, by contrast, will be in the Heavenly city, the New Jerusalem.   

Conditions on the earth during the Millennium

1. Christ will be the King of all nations with resurrected David as His regent, and many other secondary leaders, selected by the Holy Spirit, will guide affairs on the earth
2. Labor and economic prosperity will flourish due to the absence of war.  National and individual peace is the fruit of Messiah’s reign - (Zechariah 8:11-12)
3. Changes in the earth - During this time, the earth’s crust will move and change.  Mountain ranges will move, the Mount of Olives will split, barriers to movement will be lessened so gatherings of people can occur, there will be an increase in light:

Isaiah 30:26 And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day the LORD binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted. NASB

d.    Joy - the emotional gladness people of every generation desperately seek,  (Isaiah 9:3-4)

e.    Holiness - everything will be “set aside” (the real meaning of holiness) for theLord’s purposes. (Isaiah             1:26-27)

f.     Glory - the display of beauty, comeliness - (Isaiah 24:23)

g.    Comfort - the King will personally minister to every need. - (Isaiah 12:1-2)

h.    Justice - (Jeremiah 31:23-25)

1. Full knowledge  and instruction - never-before-seen teaching by the Holy Spirit - (Habakkuk 2:14)

j.     Removal of the curse the original curse placed upon creation (Genesis 3:17-19) will be removed - 

    Genesis 3:17-19 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife,             and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from             it’; Cursed is the ground because of you;With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of             your life.18 Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the             field;19 By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because             from it you were taken;  For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

    Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox;                   and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm on all My holy mountain,” says             the LORD. NASB

k.        Sickness removed and healing of the deformed even death will be removed except as a penal             measure for extreme sin.  (Isaiah 33:24)

l.         Protection - Life will be preserved by the King - (Isaiah 41:8-14)

m.       Freedom from oppression - There will be no social, religious, sexual, economic, military or political                 oppression of any kind (Zechariah 9:11-12)

n.        Reproduction by living people with no immaturity - Isaiah 65:20

o.        Reversal of the multiplicity of languages and unified worship- what was done at the tower of             Babel, where God scrambled mankind’s languages, will be reversed so language barriers are removed.  

        Zephaniah 3:9 “Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the                 LORD  together.  NLT

p.    Manifest presence of God - Fellowship with Him will be much more intimate and full than we                 experience now.  Ezek 37:27-28

q.        Fulness of the Spirit the Holy Spirit will be poured out on the natural living people and received Just             like we received the Spirit.  (Joel 2:28-29)

r.         The perpetuity of the millennial state - what is seen in the Millennium is going to exist throughout             eternity.  

    Hosea 2:18-23. On that day I will also make a covenant for them With the animals of the field,The             birds of the sky, And the crawling things of the ground. And I will eliminate the bow, the sword, and             war from the land, And will let them lie down in safety.  “I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will             betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In favor and in compassion, And I will betroth you to             Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD. 21 And it will come about on that day that I will             respond,” declares the LORD. I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth, 22 And     the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine, and to the oil,  And they will respond to Jezreel.  I             will sow her for Myself in the land.  I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained                 compassion,  And I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’

Government in the Millennium Unlike human government which is imperfect, God’s government will be perfect.  He will in righteousness punish overt acts against Him and His kingdom with death.  Since their are still mortal people on the earth, some will choose to do evil and claim “but we have prophesied in your name and done miracles (Matthew 7:21-23).  Since fellowship with God is so available, God will know instantly those who are lying.  Since they have every advantage to live a righteous life, their sin will be even more egregious.  

Worship in the Millennium will take place in the hearts and congregations of saints just as we are accustomed to today.  Special memorials will be conducted at the Temple in Jerusalem described in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 41-47.  We call it “Ezekiel’s Temple”. The presence of God will always be there and Jesus will rule in person on His throne there.  Sacrifices will be brought there by earth-living natural saints as remembrances.  Just like we have sacrifices at Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas, Saints on the earth will bring these sacrifices to enjoy as a family.  There is a priesthood and rituals, but they are very different

the old Aaronic order. 

Living and resurrected saints in the Millennium will be living in two different locations.  All of us Christians will be living in the New Jerusalem (heaven) along with unfallen angels.   We got their via the rapture or resurrection.  Old Testament saints and people saved during the Tribulation got there by being resurrected at the Second Coming. We are all transformed and have eternal, glorified bodies.  

Mortal believers who live in the Millennium need to be saved and eventually will die a natural death, although probably milder than what we observe in death experiences today. They will be resurrected and join the rest of the resurrected saints in the New Jerusalem.  If they live through the end of the Millennium, they will probably get glorified bodies and be moved immediately to the New earth to resume eternal life in their glorified bodies.  

The Fulfillment of Israel’s Covenants  will be accomplished during the Millennium.  The Abrahamic covenant concerning a land and seed, the Davidic covenant concerning a king, a throne and the royal house, the Palestinian covenant concerning possession of the land, and the New Covenant, concerning a new heart, forgiveness of sin and the filling of the Spirit are accomplished by Jesus for Israel in the Millennium.  

Conclusion - What about you?  Use wisely your opportunity to be changed from glory to glory down here: 

2 Corinthians 3:18 But we all, with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord,         are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NASB

You can live a life totally centered on yourself and your survival and go to heaven, but you’ll have little reward.  It is very easy to get saved due to God’s extreme mercy and then live in your own small world of survival with few friends.   Heaven is very different.  It is a place full of life and industry.  When we die we are given tireless bodies to do God’s work throughout the universe, perhaps managing the myriad heavenly bodies we know so little about now. We will not need to eat or sleep and we will know much more than we know now, so use this time on earth wisely to "make friends,” ultimately disciples, with your earthly goods - your car, your kitchen, your food, your spare room.  God is a great rewarder of those who love Him! - start building your eternal future!