A Thousand Years

Before you start todays devotional, ask the Lord to use it to grow you up in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The Millennial Kingdom is God’s answer to the Lord’s prayer, “Your kingdom come … on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). For a thousand years, the kingdom of Jesus Christ will flourish on the earth and, at the end, mankind will take its final test.

More is written about the Millennium in the Old Testament than any other prophecy. It’s the theme of Old Testament prophecy; not one of the prophets missed it.

And it begins with what we’ve wanted all along. On His return, Jesus Christ first imprisons Satan. An angel with the key to the abyss and a great chain captures “the dragon,” binds him, and throws him into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. Having removed Satan’s powerful influence, Jesus next removes the curse of sin from the physical earth.

Next, Jesus raises the Old Testament saints to life again. “Resurrection” means “to stand up,” and only God can do it. Those who gave their lives for Christ in the Tribulation are next. The group called “the priests of God” also join the group. God originally planned Israel to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (see Exodus 19:6), and now they are.

Multitudes of both Israel and Gentiles who survived the Tribulation will enter the Millennium in their natural bodies. These are the ones, together with those who are born during the Millennium, who are tested during the one thousand years.

What about the church? Just as Jesus Christ mingled with His apostles and followers in a glorified body after His resurrection, so the church in glorified bodies will mingle with the multitudes in their natural bodies here on the earth. In these glorified bodies, we will move about space, from the New Jerusalem to heaven.

The Millennium is mankind’s final test. It’s the answer to people who think we wouldn’t sin if we lived in ideal circumstances. But by the end of the Millennium, mankind is again rebelling against God.

When the thousand years are complete , Satan is released from the abyss. A great company goes over to Satan. Imagine the tragedy of this revolt: People living in a perfect world will admit they hate Jesus Christ and rebel against Him as King and Savior. The human heart alone remains unchanged. Given the freedom, many still turn their backs on God.

The nations of the earth, again under Satan’s spell, plot a rebellion. This last resistance against God is as foolish and futile as man’s first rebellion in the Garden of Eden. God deals with their sin definitively, ending man’s disobedience to God. Nothing remains now but the final judgment.

God will throw Satan in the lake of fire with the Antichrist and False Prophet, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. This is a solemn statement. It’s a relief to God’s child to know that the enemy—both his and God’s—will, at last, be brought to permanent justice. But the reality of what it means to be lost, to be separated from God for eternity, exceeds description.

The Great White Throne Judgment

John then sees a great white throne. The lost people of all ages are given a fair evaluation of their works with respect to their salvation. There will be a Judge but no jury, a prosecution but no defense, a sentence but no appeal. No one will defend himself or accuse God of unrighteousness. It will be a sober, awesome scene.

People say today they want to be judged according to their works. This is their opportunity. The judgment is just, but since they failed to believe in Jesus Christ, no one is saved.

If you have turned to Jesus, you won’t be judged here. Your sin has been dealt with at the Cross of Christ. Your life has already been evaluated at the Bema, when Jesus rewards you for your works (see 2 Corinthians 5:10).

All who stand at this White Throne judgment are lost and cast into the lake of fire with Satan, the wild Beast, the False Prophet, and their minions. If people do not accept the life of God, they must accept the only alternative: Eternal association with Satan.

God didn’t create man to be put in this place. Hell was created for the devil and his angels. The “second death” means eternal and absolute separation from God. The Lord called it “outer darkness.” This is literally worse than actual fire or darkness; it is an eternity without God.

Next: Your future home address.

1. Does it surprise you to see people who have been living in a perfect society, with a perfect king, decide to rebel? What does this response tell us about human nature?

2. The Millennium marks a reversal of Adam and Eve’s fall in the Garden of Eden. What part of this reversal is the most intriguing to you?

3. We may not understand why God allows evil or why He would allow Satan to leave his imprisonment and start a rebellion, but can we trust God? Why or why not?

Additional Resources

Listen to Dr. J. Vernon McGee’s complete teaching on Revelation 20:9-13, Revelation 20:4-9 and Revelation 20:1-6.