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The_drake_
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THE 1000 YEAR MILLENNIUM - THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF CHRIST - ON EARTH OR IN HEAVEN?
There is great confusion among the churches of the world today concerning the 1000 year millennium - a time in which the saints of God reign with Christ. The main confusion is regarding the PLACE in which this 1000 years is going to occur. Many believe the 1000 years is going to take place on earth. One of the main popular mainstream teachings says that Christ and the church are going to bring in a 1000 years of peace and prosperity, with the church reigned over the world with Christ. And who do you think wants the world to believe that a time of 'peace and safety' is coming upon the earth, with the "CHURCH" REIGNING over the world? The Roman Catholic Church and her apostate daughter churches. But what does the Bible say?
1 Thessalonians 5:3
Sudden destruction - yes, and make note of those words, sudden destruction is coming to all those who are deceived by the 'peace' plaplans of the Roman Catholic Church and her apostate daughter churches. But let us ask the question quickly - IF the thousand years reigned with Christ was on earth, then what kind of world would we be reigning over? And what people would we be reigning over? The Bible gives us a very clear picture of what is going to happen to this world and to the wicked when Jesus returns:
Luke 17:26-30; Revelation 19:11-21; Jeremiah 4:23-26.
What does the 'presence of the LORD' bring to wicked unrepentant man and this sin laden earth? DESTRUCTION. Our God is an 'all consuming fire' (Hebrews 12:29). And when Jesus returns, as you can see above, all the wicked are going to be destroyed and this world is going to be 'laid waste.' So I ask you, what is there to 'reign over' if the 1000 years are spent on earth? Nothing!
The wheat and tares parable taught by Christ gives us a vital truth to understand regarding this. Not only does the wheat and tares parable PROVE the popular 'rapture' teaching to be false. It also shows this 1000 year millennium reign on earth teaching to be false. Jesus taught us through this parable in Matthew 13 that God's people (the wheat) and the wicked (the tares) grow together until the harvest. The harvest is the second coming of Christ for His church, according to Matthew 13 and is the 'end of the world.'
So if the harvest of the church is the 'end of the world', with the wicked destroyed and earth 'laid waste', then what is there to reign over? NOTHING! Do you see the problem with this teaching of a 1000 years on earth? It is NOT Biblical.
So let us take a look at what REALLY happens during the 1000 year millennium. Let us go through the verses in Revelation 20 and compare them with other scripture to gain a true Biblical understanding of what is going to take place.
Revelation 20:1-3
So Satan is going to be bound for the 1000 years. But what is 'binding' in the 'bottomless pit'? Satan isn't going to be literally bound in a pit, wrapped in chains where he can't move. There are many prophetic symbols in Revelation Bible prophecy, and the bottomless pit is one of those prophetic symbols. Let's take a look at the bottomless pit.
Revelation 11:7
Is this a literal beast that rises out of a pit to kill God's people? No! A beast in prophecy is a symbol of a nation/kingdom of this world, which we know from Daniel 7:23.
Daniel 7:23
Revelation 13 also talks of a beast that 'rises out of the sea.' This is a reference to a 'kingdom' rising up where? ON EARTH. So the bottomless pit is a prophetic symbol of the earth. So when it says that Satan is 'cast into the bottomless pit' and 'bound in a pit' it basically means he is bound to the earth with no one to tempt or deceive. But why? Why has he got no one to tempt? Let us take a look further into Revelation 20.
Revelation 20:4-5
We see TWO groups of people here. One group LIVE and reign with Christ for the 1000 years. The other group is DEAD for the 1000 years. And we are told that this is the 'first resurrection.' So let us take a look at some other Bible verses to find out what happens at the 'first resurrection'.
Revelation 20:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Matthew 24:30-31; Luke 17:26-30
Do you see what happens at the first resurrection, which is the return of Christ? This STARTS the 1000 year millennium period, and those TWO groups of people are the lost who are KILLED when Jesus returns and the saints who 'meet the Lord in the air' to go to HEAVEN with Him.
So Satan is 'bound' ON EARTH and has no one to tempt, because there is NO MAN on earth during the 1000 years. The lost are dead and the saints are taken to heaven with Jesus. Satan is the one on earth during this time, NOT the saints or Christ. We do not come back to earth until AFTER the 1000 years when the lost are resurrected to receive their final judgment in the lake of fire and the earth is renewed by that fire.
Now did you notice in Revelation 20:4 that judgment is given to the saints and they sit on thrones during the 1000 years? Please mark this point well. Where are these thrones that the saints sit on to judge? In Daniel 7:9 we are told that 'thrones are set up and the Ancient of Days did sit.' Who is the Ancient of Days? It is God the Father. And where does He preside on His throne? IN HEAVEN (Psalm 11:4). This is a judgment scene in HEAVEN. So where are the saints going to go to after they 'meet the the Lord in the air' to judge? TO HEAVEN. This where the judgment of the lost will take place and as the apostle Paul said:
1 Corinthians 6:3
So we will take part in the judgment of the lost and wicked angels, with God the Father presiding over the judgment. And this clearly takes place in heaven, NOT on earth.
Please understand that point. The apostle Paul said that when Christ returns, we 'meet Him in the air'. This is because Christ does NOT set foot on earth when He returns. Instead, we meet Him in the air and go to HEAVEN with Him for the 1000 years.
Revelation 20:7-8
What Revelation 20:5 say about the lost? That they did not live again UNTIL the 1000 years had expired. And what does verse 7 above say? That when the 1000 years are expired, Satan is loosed out of his prison. So basic logic tells us that Satan being loosed out of his prison coincides with the lost being resurrected. This is how Satan is loosed from his prison when the 1000 years are ended. The wicked are resurrected and Satan can now gather them under his leadership again.
Revelation 20:9,14
After the 1000 years, we return with Christ and the holy city - new Jerusalem - descends to earth (Revelation 21:2). Satan deceives the resurrected wicked to attack and take the city. They surround the new Jerusalem to capture it, but then God Intervenes and fire comes down God, which devours the lost. Earth is renewed by those fires and the saints inhabit the new earth forever in peace, joy and righteousness.
WHAT WILL THE EARTH BE LLIKE DURING THE 1000 YEARS?
As I have said, one of the mainstream teachings concerning the millennium contends that during the 1000 year, Jesus will rule the earth - ON EARTH - with the saints, and there will be peace amongst the nations as Jesus rules from Jerusalem. But there is a BIG problem with this teaching. Take a look at the following verses describing what the earth will be like after the second coming of Christ:
Does the following sounds like the earth will continue as it is for another 1000 years after Jesus returns?
Isaiah 24:1; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Jeremiah 25:33; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; 2 Peter 3:10
Does it sound like this world as we know it will continue on for another 1000 years with the saints reigning with Christ from Israel? No! The wicked are destroyed at Jesus' second coming and the earth is laid waste. The saints go to heaven with Jesus 'meeting Him in the air', and as we can clearly see above, the earth will lay desolate for the 1000 years. This is what the earth will be like during the thousand year millennium. It won't be a happy, peaceful place where Jesus reigns the nations, it will be desolate, laid waste and empty! And to Satan it will be a "bottomless pit" to which he is bound to for the thousand years.
Then the earth will get its 1000 year 'Sabbath rest.' Just as God gave us 1 day a week for a Sabbath rest, and as the Bible says, 'a day is as a thousand years' to God (Peter 3:8), so will the earth get its Sabbath rest during the 1000 years millennium.
Let's face it, why would we reign over a desolate earth? We will be reigning with Christ IN HEAVEN, in glory! Praise God! Do not be deceived by this movement of the fallen churches to bring about a reign of people on earth, and accept Satan as Christ. The churches are following themselves to be ruled by antichrist rather than the REAL Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God. Please do not be deceived. Please seek the truth!
The churches are so focused on literal Jerusalem on earth, when it is new Jerusalem IN HEAVEN we should be focused on ... "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." Galatians 4:26)
John 14:1-3
Bless!
I know when it won't be happening... October 22 1844.
