Millennial Kingdom

All that occurs when Christ returns to this earth is in preparation for Christ’s Millennial Kingdom when He will reign over all the earth (Zc 14:9). However, before this, Christ’s kingdom will only include those righteous as Satan will not be loose during this time (Rv 20:1-3).

The beginning of the Millennium is almost like the antithesis of the earth after the Rapture. This time all those who have not accepted Christ as their Savior are removed.

There are two groups who enter the Millennium. One group is composed of those who were alive at the time of Christ’s return and who had accepted him as their Savior. They enter the Millennium in their current human bodies. The other group is composed of those who are part of the first resurrection and enter the Millennium in glorified bodies. These consists of the following:

·       Those who returned with Christ when He came to destroy the Antichrist and bind Satan (Rv 19:14). These are considered the church, i.e., those from Christ’s resurrection until the Rapture who put their faith in Him.

·       Those that put their faith in the Messiah prior to his resurrection (Dn 12:1-2). These are resurrected after Christ’s return and before the start of His reign (Rv 20:4).

·       Those martyred for their faith during the Tribulation period. These also are resurrected after Christ’s return and before the start of His reign (Rv 20:4).

Those of the Gentiles who are left will travel to Jerusalem each year to worship the Lord (Zc 14:16) and the punishment for not doing so will be lack of rain (Zc 14:17) and those of Egypt will receive plagues as punishment for not worshiping the Lord (Zc 14:18-19). Egypt here may be a metaphor for all the Gentile nations where lack of rain would not be devastating due to river irrigation and, therefore, more severe punishment will be instituted to show to all the world that nation’s disfavor with God. God will establish Jerusalem as the place from which He will reign and will become a holy city dedicated to the Lord (Zc 14:20-21).

A sacrificial system is reinstituted. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, death is abolished. There is no mention of another resurrection of believers after the first resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium (Rv 20:5-6). Sacrifices are the only way the people will know what death means. Those born during the Millennium will need to accept Christ by faith just as all who lived previously had to do. These sacrifices will help those born during the Millennium to understand the death Christ underwent to pay for their sins. The sacrificial system will be used threefold:

·       Sacrificial system depicts what Christ has done for every individual.

·       Sacrificial system depicts what death and separation from Christ looks like.

·       Sacrificial system shows that cleansing is needed to worship a holy God.

Four of the seven feasts will be observed: (Pesach) Passover, (Matzah) Unleavened Bread, (Bikkurim) First Fruits, and (Sukkot) Tabernacles. These represent the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, as well as his literal dwelling with his people. The other three feasts are fulfilled and not needed.

Israel will fulfill their original mandate to be the priests to the world. Israel will lead the world in worship of the Messiah. Just as the Church led to the final harvest prior to the Rapture, Israel is now leading the world to how to worship the Messiah under a sacrificial system. This will be led by an individual known as the Prince. Jesus Christ is the King of kings during this time and over all the other kings of the nations during this time with David serving as the king of Israel. The Prince will be a non-glorified human who will be of the tribe of Judah and lead all the world into the worship of Jesus Christ. It is thought he may be one of the 12,000 Jews of the tribe of Judah who served as evangelist during the Tribulation and Great Tribulation periods.

We have so much to look forward to! It is hard to believe how much he loves us and does for us—both now and in our future. If you accept him and put your faith in him for your future, you too, can be a part of all of this!

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens