Revelation 20:1-10 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. (2) He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; (3) and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. (4) And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (5) But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (6) Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. (7) Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison (8) and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. (9) They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. (10) The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
In this section we want to discuss the various aspects of the Lord’s millennial reign. But firstly we want to confirm the reality of the Lord’s millennial reign. The word millennium is not found in scripture, and so the question is asked why do we refer to the Lord’s millennial reign? The answer is simply because the word millennium means one thousand years, and in the passage of scripture quoted above the thousand-year reign of our Lord Jesus is mentioned no less than six times. The reason the Holy Spirit mentions it over and over again in this passage, is to assure the believer that the Lord’s millennial reign is fully assured in scripture.
Psalms 72:1-18 “Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's Son. (2) He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. (3) The mountains will bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. (4) He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, and will break in pieces the oppressor. (5) They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. (6) He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth. (7) In His days the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. (8) He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. (9) Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, and His enemies will lick the dust. (10) The kings of Tarshish and of the isles will bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. (11) Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him. (12) For He will deliver the needy when he cries, the poor also, and him who has no helper. (13) He will spare the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy. (14) He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; and precious shall be their blood in His sight. (15) And He shall live; and the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, and daily He shall be praised. (16) There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; and those of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. (17) His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And men shall be blessed in Him; all nations shall call Him blessed. (18) Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things!”
The above quoted passage of scripture links the length of our Lord Jesus’ reign to the duration of the sun and the moon, for this passage declares that the Lord’s reign will be in place as long as the sun and moon endure. This passage goes on to say, that His reign will continue until the moon is no more and continue as long as the sun. The reason this passage speaks of our Lord’s reign in that manner, is because at the end of His reign the current earth and current heavens will be destroyed and God will create a new earth and new heavens. And so when this current earth is finally destroyed, God will at the same time destroy the whole physical universe, including the sun and the moon. Something else that clearly shows us that this passage is referring to the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus is because this passage refers to His dominion stretching from sea to sea. It is only this current earth that has seas, because the new earth that God the Father will create will not have any sea in it (Revelation 21:1).
Michael E.B. Maher
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