What is the Millennial Reign?
Do you often wonder what it would be like to have a great society? A paradise on earth? A return to the Garden of Eden? The Bible tells us that this will happen during the millennial reign of Christ.
When the Lord Jesus returns to this earth, the Scriptures tell us that the next great event, the culmination of history, is the one-thousand-year reign of Jesus on earth. The Lord will rule as King of kings and Lord of lords. During this time, the world will flourish under the rule of the Prince of Peace.
Immediately after Christ returns to destroy the Antichrist and his armies (Revelation 19:11-21), Satan is bound and Christ reigns for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6). The words a thousand years appear six times in Revelation 20:1-7).
Ten Key Texts on the Millennium
While Revelation 20:1-6 is the only Bible passage that records the length of Christ’s reign on the earth, it is certainly not the only passage that refers to the Messianic kingdom. The Old Testament has large passages on the millennium. More prophetic material is devoted to the subject of the millennial kingdom than any other topic.
Therefore, we must gain at least a basic understanding of this subject. Here is a list of ten of the most important Old Testament passages on the coming kingdom.
7 Key Titles of the Millennium
The title for an event helps shed light on its nature.
A title summarizes in a word or brief phrase the essence of the event. God has given us several key biblical titles that capture the essence of the coming messianic kingdom.
| Titles | Reference Scriptures |
| 1. The Kingdom of Heaven | Matthew 3:2; 8:11 |
| 2. The Kingdom of God | Mark 1:15 |
| 3. The Kingdom | Matthew 16:28 |
| 4. The World to Come | Hebrews 2:5 |
| 5. Times of Refreshing | Acts 3:19 (NASB) |
| 6. The Period of Restoration of All things | Acts 3:21 |
| 7. A Kingdom that Cannot Be Shaken | Hebrews 12:28 |
The Purpose of the Millennium
Why will there be a literal, earthly millennium? What purposes will it fulfill? Why is it necessary?
The Millennium will serve at least three important functions in the plan of God.
1. To Reward the Faithful
The first reason we need the Millennium is so God can reward the faithful. He will do this by giving them authority to reign over the earth.
When Jesus returns to this earth, He will bring His saints with Him (Jude 1:14; Revelation 19:14). After He defeats the armies of the Antichrist at Armageddon and judges the nations, He will establish His Kingdom on the earth.
Although worship and service are the main activities, the Word of God emphasizes our ruling and reigning with Christ. Scripture tells us that believers from every age will reign with Christ for a thousand years.
See Daniel 7:18, 22, 27; 1 Corinthians 6:2-3; Revelation 2:26-28; Revelation 20:4, 6.
What an exciting prospect! We will rule the nations with Christ for a thousand years on earth. We will even judge the angels.
2. To Redeem Creation
The second reason we need the Millennium is so God can finally reverse His curse on creation and fulfill His original purpose for the earth.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, God pronounced a series of curses. These curses were given against the serpent (Satan), the woman, man, and nature (Genesis 3:14-19). From that time until today, the earth has been cursed, as evidenced by “thorns and thistles.”
Man must work hard and endure to harvest food from the ground.
During the millennial kingdom, all animals will revert to being plant-eaters as they were originally in Creation (Genesis 1:30). A child will be able to play next to a poisonous snake (Isaiah 11:6-9).
Also, the entire earth will become amazingly productive and beautiful as even the desserts will bloom like a rose. The whole earth will be like a huge Garden of Eden. God’s original purpose was to bring all things under the dominion of humankind and to submit all things to Himself through human beings. (See Genesis 1:26-27.)
In the Millennium, God will fulfill His original purpose for humanity and His glorious creation.
3. To Realize the Biblical Covenants
The third reason we need the Millennium is to fulfill the biblical covenants.
In these covenants, God made very specific promises to Israel. These covenants include the Abrahamic Covenant, the Land Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. So far, only the first covenant has been literally fulfilled.
But Jesus, the Son of David, will fulfill them when He comes to sit on the throne of David. The King of kings will rule over the house of David from the city of David, which is Jerusalem.
God will fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant and its promise of the land. If God literally fulfilled His promise to bless Abraham with many descendants, it is logical to conclude that the land promise will also be literally fulfilled.
During the millennium, God will fulfill the remaining three covenants. In short, without a literal millennial reign of Christ, these covenants remain incomplete and unfulfilled.
A Sneak Peek at the Millennium
We live in a fallen world. It is often ugly and depressing. Everywhere we turn we find tragedy and heartache. Our world seems to be sitting on the verge of disaster. Thus, we might be tempted to wonder if God really cares about this world.
But the promise of the Millennium is God’s sign that this is not an abandoned world. Jesus is coming someday to restore paradise on earth.
What will the millennium be like? During the one-thousand-year reign of Christ, the earth will experience a return to the conditions like the Garden of Eden.
Here are ten prominent conditions that will prevail on the earth during the messianic kingdom
Peace
All wars will cease as the world unites under the reign of the true King (Isaiah 2:4; 9:4-7; 11:6-9; Zechariah 9:10)
We might call this one thousand years the Pax Messiah – the messianic peace.
Joy
The song “Joy to the World” by Isaac Watts was written to anticipate the glorious second coming of Christ to rule and reign on this earth.
Think of some of the words of this song: “Joy to the world! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her king … No more let sins and sorrows grow … He rules the world with truth and grace …”
This is a song of the Millennium – when full joy will come to the world. See Isaiah 9:3-4; 12:3-6; 14:7-8; 25:8-9; 30:29; 42:1. Also in Jeremiah 30:18-19; Zephaniah 3:14-17; Zechariah 8:19; 10:6-7.
Holiness
The word holy means to be “set apart” to God for sacred purposes. The Kingdom of Christ will be a holy kingdom. Everything in it will be set apart for God for His use.
The holiness of the Lord will be manifest in His own person as well as in the citizens of His kingdom. The land, the city, the Temple, and the subjects will all be holy unto the Lord.
See Isaiah 4:3-4; 29:19; 35:8; 52:1; Ezekiel 43:7-12; 45:1; Zechariah 8:3; 14:20-21.
Glory
The radiant glory of God will be fully manifest in Messiah’s kingdom. See Isaiah 35:2; 40:5; 60:1-9; Ezekiel 43:1-5. His glory will fill the earth.
Justice or Righteousness
When the millennial kingdom begins, it will be inhabited only by believers.
However, these believers will still have human bodies with fallen natures capable of sinning. They will have children who are also still in their mortal flesh. The reigning Messiah will judge man’s sin with perfect justice. See Isaiah 9:7; 11:5; 32:16; 42:1-4; 65:21-23.
The King of kings will rule with a “rod of iron” restraining and judging sin so that the prevailing atmosphere in the kingdom will be righteousness. See Isaiah 11:1-5; 60:21; Jeremiah 31:23; Ezekiel 37:23-24; Zephaniah 3:1, 13.
Full Knowledge
The teaching ministry of the Lord and the indwelling Spirit will bring the inhabitants of the kingdom into full knowledge of the Lord’s ways.
See Isaiah 11:1-2, 9; 41:19-20; 54:13; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Habakkuk 2:14.
Absence of Sickness and Deformity
Politicians are constantly working on plans to provide better healthcare for their citizens. In the Lord’s government, the health plan will be out of this world.
The King will heal all the diseases and deformities of His people (Isaiah 29:18; 33:24; 35:5-6; 61:1-2; Ezekiel 34:16).
As a result of this universal healthcare, people will live extended life spans like before the Flood. A person who dies at the age of one hundred will have died very prematurely (Isaiah 65:20).
Universal Worship of God
During the Millennium, all the inhabitants of the earth will join their hearts and voices in praise and worship to God. See Isaiah 45:23; 52:1, 7-10; 66:17-23; Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 13:2; 14:16; Malachi 1:11; Revelation 5:9-14.
This worship during the millennial reign will be centered in the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem. See Isaiah 2:3; 60:13; Ezekiel 40–48; Joel 3:18; Haggai 2:7, 9.
Economic Prosperity
The Millennium will not need rescue missions, welfare programs, food stamps, or relief agencies. The world will flourish under the hand of the King of heaven.
See Isaiah 35:1-2, 7; 30:23-25; 62:8-9; 65:21-23; Jeremiah 31:5, 12; Ezekiel 34:26; 26:29-30. Also in Joel 2:21-27; Amos 9:13-14; Micah 4:1, 4; Zechariah 8:11-12; 9:16-17.
The Presence of God
The greatest thing about the kingdom is that Christ Himself will be there. God’s presence will be fully recognized, and the Lord’s people will experience fellowship with the Lord. This will be unlike anything they have ever known (Ezekiel 37:27-28; Zechariah 2:10-13).
The city of Jerusalem will be called Yahweh Shammah, which means “the Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).
Conclusion
The Bible is clear that sinful men and women can never produce a perfect world in their own strength and ingenuity. However, when the Lord Jesus returns to rule over everything, the earth will enjoy unrestricted peace and prosperity.
When we look at our present world with all its difficulty, depression, and despair and then imagine the millennial kingdom, it is a refreshing thought. Every believer in Christ should look forward to that day when the earth will glorify the Lord and paradise will be regained.
Meanwhile, God is testing us to determine our future position of authority and responsibility in the millennial kingdom. Believers will be given rulership in the kingdom over men and angels based on what we did with what God has entrusted to us (Luke 19:11-26). Some will be governors over ten cities; some will rule over five cities.
All believers will reign, but the extent and responsibility of that reign are being determined right now in your life and mine. As it has been said, “this is training time for reigning time.”
How well are we doing?
Reference: The End, A Complete Overview of Bible Prophecy and the End of Days by Mark Hitchcock.
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Recommended Resource: The End Times in Chronological Order: A Complete Overview to Understanding Bible Prophecy by Ron Rhodes
Bible prophecy expert Ron Rhodes offers an easy-to-understand yet detailed chronology and explanation of end-times events.
The chapters are arranged around the major end-times themes: the rapture, the tribulation, the millennial kingdom, and the eternal state. Each chapter begins with a list of the specific events it covers, making this an extremely user-friendly chronological guide to end-times biblical prophecy.
Rhodes allows for various interpretations among Christians. Yet the sequence he describes is faithful to the biblical text, based on a literal approach to prophecy, and held by many Bible scholars.
As readers discover that they really can understand Bible prophecy, they will come to love and trust the Scriptures like never before.