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When Jesus Christ returns to reign, He will make an unforgettable entrance. As in everything, God has a purpose for His bold return. None on the face of the earth will mistake His identity. First, He wears a robe with the insignia “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” [Revelation 19:16]. This is righteous clarification as many false christs and counterfeit messiahs and religious leaders will precede His physical return, trying to usurp His authority. As has been stated many times in Prophecy Chat because of its importance, Jesus Christ warns His followers to beware of deception [Matthew 24:4-5; Mt 24:26]. Unless He returns exactly as He said He will, we are told “do not believe it.” If the deceivers say he is “in the desert” or “in the inner rooms,” it is not Jesus Christ. How unfortunate that these passages are rarely taught. Without the truth, we are ripe for deception. False christs will be believed, but our LORD’s return will put to shame all false contenders.
Our Lord’s return will be nothing less than spectacular and not to be equaled. The brightness and visibility of His entrance as He descends from the clouds will be seen by “every eye” [Revelation 1:7] and is like “the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west…” [Matthew 24:27]. The prophet Zechariah describes the impact of His feet touching down on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem: “And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.” [Zechariah 14:4]
Those who do not take scripture literally should also take note of the spectacular prophecies of His coming. Full preterists, for example, believe Jesus Christ already returned to the earth in A.D. 70 at the fall of Jerusalem. If indeed His return is past, why is there no historical documentation of any split of the Mount of Olives as described in Zechariah 14? Josephus, the Roman historian, who recorded the A.D. 70 siege, did not record any events describing Christ’s return in the clouds, the mountain-splitting touch of His feet, or the fact that Israel WINS THE BATTLE AT HIS RETURN. In A.D. 70, Israel was defeated; when Christ truly returns, He will take victory over all the nations that come against Israel.
How literal is His literal return? It is as literal as His ascension. As the angel prophesied in Acts 1:11, “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” The disciples were mesmerized to see Christ ascend into the clouds to heaven, and followed His ascent by looking up. If we do not see Him descend from the clouds as He ascended into the clouds from the Mount of Olives [Acts 1:12], HE HAS NOT YET COME.
The only way those who believe His return is already past can explain these passages is to claim they are not meant to be literally interpreted and that they have been symbolically fulfilled. The precedent of scripture opposes such a method. Rather, the events of Christ’s first coming were fulfilled in literal detail and so shall His second coming also be literally fulfilled. All historical and scriptural evidence is that Christ has not YET returned.
Christ’s own words in Matthew 24:21 should settle the issue for the preterists, at least for those who have an ear to hear. To target the time sequence He is referencing, Christ first mentions the “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” [Matt. 24:15; Daniel 9:27; Dan 11:31] to put His prophecy in perspective. Daniel’s prophecy revealed that the Tribulation’s abomination when Antichrist will place an image of himself in the temple, will occur in the middle of the last week of years [seven years] of the 70th Week of Daniel, or three-and-one-half years after the Tribulation begins. After this mid-point event, the Lord warns the remnant of believers in Jerusalem to flee from the city because of the persecution of Antichrist that will now begin. To make it completely clear that this has not yet happened is His description of this future Tribulation: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”
The Lord used an unusual amount of emphasis in order to stress that the Tribulation will be an unprecedented time of trouble, not yet equaled and never to be equaled ever again. If this event is already past, then Christ’s words would be incorrect.
The world has seen wars of terrible proportions much more intense and broader in scope than the siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. World War I and World War II, both having occurred since that time, far surpass what happened in one small country in the Middle East two thousand years ago. But the Tribulation will far exceed both world wars. The Tribulation is described as a global war of terrible devastation and consuming global natural disasters that will kill one-half of the world’s population. It is this terrible seven-year time period, the 70th Week of Daniel, that will finally culminate in Jerusalem at Christ’s return. Truly, then will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. The terrible Tribulation is yet future. It is at that time that Christ will return.
The most infamous deception will be perpetrated by Antichrist and the False Prophet. Both will deceive the world during the Tribulation, but the return of Christ will quickly reveal the true King. For those who took the Mark of the Beast, it will be too late. Christ’s defeat of His enemies is sudden and resounding.
REVELATION CHAPTER 20—SATAN BOUND FOR 1000 YEARS
· Rev 20.1-3—The great villain, Satan, is here named in his aliases (dragon, serpent of old, Devil). Contrast his vile names with KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Satan is bound for the time of the Millennial Kingdom, 1,000 years. THE PRINCE OF THE POWERS OF THE AIR WILL BE “DETHRONED” AND THE PRINCE OF PEACE “ENTHRONED.” Satan is called “serpent of old” to trace him back to Eden where his deception of man began and where his ultimate defeat was first predicted. Gen. 3:15—“He (Christ) shall bruise your head.”
· Why is he only “bound”? The Lord has one last job for him to do. Satan is allowed to rule the earth as the Prince of this world only through the sovereign allowance of God; it is God who rules Satan. Recall that in Job chapter one, Satan was required to present himself to the LORD in heaven along with all the angels, both fallen angels and God’s angels. The Lord will release him at the end of the Millennium to “deceive the nations” once again, Rev 20:3, 7-8. He is the catalyst to demonstrate to the universe that sin is rebellion against God and leads only to death [Romans 6].
· Why are the nations to be tested for another thousand years? Why not just take the believers into eternity? Both Clarence Larkin and J. V. McGee note that Satan is bound for the 1,000 years and the Kingdom exists on the earth to show man that he cannot blame Satan for his sinfulness. Larkin, p. 188: “That man may be ‘without excuse’ God is going to subject him to a final test under the most favorable circumstances…(Satan will be bound and)...man shall have during that period of probation all the blessed influences of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Christ Himself.” Even so, not all newly born will be saved—man still has a heart of inborn sin from Adam in the earthly kingdom, which is why the Lord must still rule “with a rod of iron.” (Psalm 2:6-9; Zech. 14:17-19) But Satan will not be allowed to stir up mass rebellion until the Kingdom is completed. When Satan is let loose, the “seed” of sin quickly grows into another rebellion of the lost. But in the New Heavens and New Earth [Revelation 21:1-8], sin will no longer be present. Heaven and eternity are free of sin forever.
· To review, recall that the Kingdom on earth in which Christ reigns for one thousand years begins with a population of ONLY believers. Living men who are found to be true believers enter the Kingdom in their physical bodies and reign with Christ. This is an unprecedented time period because the Old Testament resurrected Saints and the Church Age resurrected Saints and the Tribulation resurrected Saints will also be present in the Kingdom serving in their particular assignments. But only human men and women in their physical bodies will marry in order to repopulate the diminished numbers. The earth will quickly fill again because by the time of the rebellion, those who go against God are as numerous as the sands on the seashore [Revelation 20:8]. The Kingdom demonstrates human depravity again and the inability of man to receive Christ apart from the calling of the Holy Spirit, EVEN WHEN HE IS TESTED UNDER IDEAL CIRCUMSTANCES. “Many are called…few are chosen” [Matt. 22:14] is still true in the Millennium. Satan will quickly amass another uprising against God because the majority of men born in the kingdom will be ready to believe his lie and follow the “Angel of Light.”
· This rebellion is called Gog and Magog (Rev 19:7-9), similar to the rebellion in Ez. 38 and 39. It is quickly put down with fire. Then the times of testing are completed and God will re-create the universe. So it is that fallen man will have no excuse before the Great White Throne. Even when Satan is bound, only a remnant choose God over the lies of Satan and are ripe for rebellion.
· “Millennium” literally means in Latin “mille” = 1,000 “annum” = years. The Millennial Kingdom will be the golden age of the true King, never to be equaled on the earth.
FULFILLMENT OF THE COVENANT PROMISES TO ISRAEL:
The fundamental purpose of the Millennial Kingdom is to enable the true King to reign [Psalm 2] and to fulfill the promises of God. The right of the Son of David, Jesus Christ, to assume the throne is central to the covenant promises made to the nation of Israel that have not yet been fulfilled. These covenant promises are contained in unconditional covenants or contracts between God and His people Israel. They are legal and judicial and must be literally fulfilled. [Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy, p. 50] The three unconditional covenants fulfilled in the Kingdom are:
The Abrahamic Covenant, Genesis 12:1-3 – Abraham is promised that his seed shall become “a great NATION,” which is Israel. This covenant was expanded in Genesis 15:18 to include a LAND, from the river of Egypt [Wadi El Arish on the southern border of Judah] to the great river, the River Euphrates, the Promised Land. See also Numbers 14:1-12; Joshua 15:1, 2; Ezekiel 47:15-20 for specific descriptions of the Promised Land, centering on the ancient land of Canaan. [Ref. MacArthur Study Bible, New King James Version, p. 36-37].
The Davidic Covenant, 2 Samuel 7:4-17 – Nathan prophesied to David: “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom…And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” Israel was promised an everlasting KING and KINGDOM from the line of David.
The Palestinian Covenant, Deut. 30:1-10 – “…the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you…Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” [Deut. 30:3, 5-6] Israel is promised the LAND, when they return from captivity. They will never be taken from the land again when they return in the latter days. . [See also Amos 9:15—“’I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them,’ says the LORD your God.”]
The New Covenant, which is also fulfilled in the Church Age, applies to Israel regarding salvation and is promised in Jeremiah 31:31-37 as well as verse 6 of Deuteronomy 30, above. [Fast Facts on Bible Prophecy, pp. 50-52]
Who owns the region known as Palestine? It belongs to Israel; they named it Israel when the nation was reborn on May 14, 1948. The UNCONDITIONAL COVENANTS of the Old Testament promised the following to Israel: A NATION, A LAND, AND A KING and KINGDOM FROM THE LINE OF DAVID whose throne would be established forever. God’s promises to Israel have not yet been fulfilled and they must be fulfilled because God must keep His contracts. His Word is truth and His character is unquestioned.
Jesus Christ is the King in the line of His father, David, however He has not yet returned to establish His earthly Kingdom and ascend the throne. When He returns, He will fulfill completely the Davidic covenant.
· Christ Jesus has the key of David [Rev. 3:7]
· Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David [Rev. 5:5]
· Jesus is the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star [Rev. 22:16]
Mal Couch summarizes Christ’s fulfillment of the Davidic covenant requirements: “The Davidic covenant will be fulfilled in the future when the Lord comes to earth and sits ‘on His glorious throne’ [Matthew 25:31]. As king, He will call all who are blessed of His Father and say, ‘Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world’ [Matt 25:34]. Though this kingdom will last 1000 years, it is an eternal kingdom that will go on into eternity. Since the ‘throne,’ ‘house,’ and ‘kingdom’ were all promised to David in perpetuity, Messiah’s reign over David’s kingdom from David’s throne must never end. The Davidic covenant is therefore of vital importance to the understanding of future events.” [Couch, Mal, gen. ed. Dictionary of Premillennial Theology, Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1996.]
· IT IS CHRIST’S REIGN ON EARTH: The spiritual Kingdom now becomes the literal Kingdom. Just as the kingdoms of man were literal kingdoms in Daniel 2 (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome, & the Revived Roman Empire), so the kingdom of Jesus Christ will crush all those kingdoms and replace them as a literal, earthly Kingdom (Daniel 2:44). It is a Kingdom of TRUE UNIVERSAL PEACE. Only then will the nations beat their swords into “plow-shares” and their spears into “pruning-hooks” (Micah 44:3,4; Is. 2:1-4). Christ will bring peace, fulfilling these passages, not the United Nations that touts them on its building in NY now.
· WHY DIDN’T CHRIST TAKE THE THRONE THE FIRST TIME HE CAME? Israel’s heart was not right with God. They were not yet ready to receive their King. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stone those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’” [Matthew 23:37-38] Christ came to Israel, the fig tree, in His first coming; but the fig true bore no fruit. The nation was full of religion without true salvation. [Matthew 21:18-22; 43] “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.” God’s covenant purpose for Israel was INTERRUPTED; the 70th Week of Daniel [Daniel 9] was POSTPONED. But the Kingdom will eventually be restored to Israel. [Romans 11:11]. The gap or interruption is now understood to be The Church Age. When the Church is taken out in the Rapture/Resurrection of the Church, the Lord will resume the 70th Week, the Tribulation, the Time of Jacob’s Trouble [Jer. 30:7
], in order to refine the hearts of Israel so that the remnant is “saved out of it.” [See also Zechariah 13:9].
· WHY DO SOME IN THE CHURCH SAY CHRIST’S SPIRITUAL KINGDOM FULFILLS THE OLD TESTAMENT PROMISES? The Church has usurped Israel’s promises in a false teaching called Replacement Theology. The Church has NOT replaced Israel in the Lord’s eschatology [future things]. This teaching is fostered from a non-literal interpretation. Hear Christ’s own words at His questioning by Pontius Pilate and the words of the mob that sanctioned His death. Christ answered: “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here….And he [Pilate] said to the Jews, ‘Behold your King!’ But they cried out, ‘Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!’ Pilate said to them, ‘Shall I crucify your King?’ The chief priests answered, ‘We have no king but Caesar!’ Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and led Him away.” [John 18:36; 19:14-16]
Christ Jesus came to die in order to prepare a people for the Kingdom. When He returns He will establish the Kingdom for the people. But you cannot have a Kingdom without a King. The First and Second Comings of Christ must be taken together as one great purpose and plan of God, not to be separated. In fact, all the purposes of the first advent of Christ are realized and completed at His return.
Hear the words of M. R. DeHaan:
“It is a fact that far more is said concerning the glorious Second Coming of Christ in the Old Testament than about His first coming in humiliation, for without His Second Coming, the first is sterile, abortive, barren and incomplete. Read the Old Testament and you will find many more references to the Lord’s glorious Second Coming and the setting up of His Kingdom than to His first coming in humiliation at Calvary. No wonder that the people of Israel lost sight of the first coming amidst the mass of revelation concerning His Second Coming. As a result, almost everyone, including the disciples and even John the Baptist, expected that when the Messiah would come, He would set up His Kingdom in glory. And so when He came…and the revelation of the cross was given, it was to them a great, a tremendous shock and a terrible disappointment….We would not in any way minimize the importance of the cross, but without the Second Coming the entire plan remains incomplete. And so the Jews of Jesus’ day knew only Kingdom truth and nothing about the Church. Today the very opposite is true, and the mass of Christendom sees only the Church, and knows nothing about the Kingdom truth of our Lord’s return.”
[Coming Events in Prophecy, M. R. DeHaan, M.D., Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1967, pp. 27-28.]
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In the opening paragraphs, the issue of a LITERAL interpretation vs. a SYMBOLIC interpretation is the defining issue regarding prophetic interpretations. If scripture is interpreted using broad, symbolic meaning, the text can be made to say what it doesn’t actually mean. An old adage says “When the literal sense makes perfect sense, seek no other sense.” The literal method should be applied to the interpretation of the earthly kingdom just as all unfulfilled prophecy should be interpreted literally.
Just as the Tribulation is interpreted by dispensationalists as a literal event, so the Millennial Kingdom is seen as a future, literal period of one thousand years.
MILLENNIAL KINGDOM PROPHECIES:
1. 2 Sam. 7:12-16 = Nathan prophesied that Solomon would reign after King David, but he also revealed that David’s seed would “be established forever” and “Your throne shall be established forever.” Solomon literally fulfilled the first part of this prophecy, but the future prophecy is fulfilled in Christ Jesus in Luke 1:32b, 33 – “…and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Christ was born a son of David but He must return in order to begin His actual earthly reign, one thousand years that will transition into eternity forever. It must be at His second coming that He takes His throne as He did not take it at His first coming. Israel rejected their King the first time but they will say “Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” when He returns, Matthew 23:39.
2. Ps. 2:6—“Yet I have set My King on My holy hill of Zion…Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” The Father also prophesies His Son’s ultimate ascension to the throne of David.
3. Is. 11:6-12 = “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb…and a little child shall lead them.” This strange relationship between wild animals and man is poetically literal. The Lord will restore the original symbiotic companionship between animals and man in the Kingdom as it was in the Garden of Eden.
4. Is. 24:23 = “Then the moon will be disgraced and the sun ashamed; for the LORD of hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before His elders, gloriously.” Earlier, we spoke of the literal brilliance of Christ’s return. He will return as the Son of Man wearing the glory of God.
5. Hosea. 3:4, 5 = “For the children of Israel shall abide many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, without ephod or teraphim. Afterward the children of Israel shall return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They shall fear the LORD and His goodness in the latter days.” Here, “David” refers to Messiah during the Millennium, as “in the latter days” specifies. This reference has the Davidic Covenant as its background [See again 2 Sam. 7:12-17; Ps. 132:11-19]
6. Joel 3:9-21 = The Joel passage is a well-known description of the battle of Armageddon. Verse 13 echoes similar language of the battle in Revelation 14:14-20, describing the battle as the reaping of the grapes of God’s wrath.
7. Amos 9:11-15 = In the Kingdom, Israel’s land will be restored and become so fertile, “the plowman shall overtake the reaper…the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.” Amos ends with the promise that when the Lord plants Israel in their land, He will not allow them to be pulled up from the land He has given them again.
8. Mic. 4:1-8 = The mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains. The text of this passage is especially interesting. The first level of interpretation is literal; the mountain on which Jerusalem sits will be raised up to be prominent over all other mountains after the earthquake in Zechariah 14:9 and 10 lifts it up at the touch of Christ’s feet. In the seventh Bowl Judgment, the final great global earthquake will also level all other mountains on the earth. Only Jerusalem will be raised when others are flattened. But the passage then has a secondary spiritual application. Not only will Jerusalem literally be raised high topographically, it will also be “high” spiritually as the capital city of the God King. The primary literal interpretation should not be supplanted by the symbolic/spiritual meaning; both exist together.
9. Zeph. 3:14-20 =
10. Zech. 14:1-11 = READ
11. Matt. 24:29-31, 36-44 = Christ’s own promise of His literal return after the Tribulation.
· ECOLOGY RESTORED: As poetic justice, the Garden of Eden that was cursed is now restored by the returning King. See Ezekiel 36:37—“This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Eden; the cities that were lying in ruins, desolate and destroyed, are now fortified and inhabited. Then the nations around you that remain will know that I the LORD have rebuilt what was destroyed and have replanted what was desolate. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it.”
· The symbiotic relationship between man and animal is restored, as it was in Eden. Reference the following passages.
1. Is. 11:6-9
2. Joel 3:18—the land of Israel will be restored to its former fertility.
3. Amos 9:13 = “the days are coming …when the plowman shall overtake the reaper; and the treader of grapes him who sows seed.”
4. Is. 35:1 = In contrast to luxuriant Edom that is to become a desert [34:1-17], during Messiah’s reign on earth the whole world is to become a flourishing garden and this will offer encouragement to the weak. 55:13 = The thorn will be replaced by the cypress tree and the brier shall be replaced by the myrtle. In the Davidic kingdom positive changes in nature, including the reverse of the curse [Gen. 3:17], will be proof and testimony to the Lord’s redemption of His people. See Romans 8:19-23 and Is. 44:23.
5. Ps. 67:6 = “Then the earth shall yield her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.”
6. Joel 2:24-26
[Larkin notes that the full regeneration of the earth MAY not occur until the New Earth is created. P. 190]
· THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT: Jerusalem will be the capital city of the Kingdom, and all surviving nations will go to Jerusalem once a year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with their King (Zech. 14:16). This feast, which is literally Christ tenting/ living with His people, is fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom. Jerusalem is to be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the Times of the Gentiles is fulfilled, Luke 21:24, then it will be rebuilt. A detailed description of the restored land and city is found in Ez. 48:1-35. Jerusalem will be known by a new descriptive name, THE LORD IS THERE (Jehovah Shamah’), Ez. 48:35.
· Ezekiel 48:30 provides an idea of the size of the city. The four thousand five hundred cubits on each of 4 sides of the city when added together equals 18,000 cubits, which is nearly 6 miles around. Josephus, a Jewish historian, reported in the first century A.D. that Jerusalem was approximately 4 miles in perimeter. The future Millennial Jerusalem is much larger than the old city.
· The Shekinah Glory of God from the OT will return literally to His people in the person of Jesus Christ—Immanuel, “God with Us,” Matt. 1:23, as He came to the Church. (Jn. 1:1-14; Ez. 43:1-5 = READ; Is. 41:10 = FEAR NOT FOR I AM WITH YOU…; 43:2 = “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you…”)
· THE LORD’S REIGN: But the Lord will rule firmly. The government will be a theocracy, a God-centered government. God will rule in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Larkin, p. 182). Luke 1:30-33 = “…the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”; Daniel 7:13-14 = “…to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”
· DAVID AS REGENT? There are passages that seem to indicate that King David, in his resurrected body, may serve as co-regent or “prince”. “They shall serve the Lord their God, and David Their King, whom I will raise up unto them.” Jeremiah 30:9. See also Hosea 3:5; Ez. 37:24; 34:24; 37:25. The Prince may also refer to a contemporary descendant of David.
· SIN STILL PRESENT: Although the Kingdom will begin only with SAVED people (people who live through the Tribulation, both Jew & Gentile, and go into the Kingdom in human bodies, Is. 66:19-21), children born to the living survivors will still have to make a decision to follow Jesus Christ, the King. Many will not, as it is now, because man will still be born “in sin.” (Romans 5:12-14; 1 Cor. 15:22) There may be a 100 year period of grace in which new population can accept Christ before experiencing natural death, according to Isaiah 65:19-20 = “I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; the voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old, but the sinner being one hundred years old shall be accursed.”
· QUALITY OF LIFE: Life spans will again be extended, as in the Old Testament. A person will not be thought a man until he lives several hundred years (Is. 65:20-22 = “For as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people, and My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands…” Zech. 8:4 = “…Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age…”). This may be due to some climatic or atmospheric change, or to the healing or life-giving qualities of the water of the “New River” that shall flow from the Sanctuary (Ez. 47:1—12; Zech. 14:8) and the “medicine” leaves of the trees that line the banks of the River (Ez. 47:12). Moreover, there will be a sevenfold increase in light, but without negative affects (Is. 30:26). Ultimately God and the Lamb will be the light source of the Universe, Is. 60:19-20; Rev. 21:23-24.
· LAND GRANT: (Ref. Larkin, pp. 184-187) The Royal Grant of land that God gave Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 15:18) extended from The River of Egypt (not the Nile), a small stream at Kadesh about 100 miles south of Jerusalem—to Hamath, 100 miles north of Damascus (Ez. 48:1, 28). This grant was not conditional and was never revoked. It is 8 times larger than that formerly occupied by the Twelve Tribes and is to be divided among the restored tribes in horizontal sections, beginning at Hamath with a section for Dan, then Asher, Naphtali, Manassah, Ephraim, Reuben, Judah. Then is the square tract on the west of Jordan 50 miles on a side that is called the Holy Oblation. South of the Holy Oblation will be the tribes of Benjamin, Simeon, Issachar, Zebulon and Gad.
The portion of the Holy Oblation will belong to the Levites and Priests and will also contain the city with its suburbs. Ez. 48:15-19. In the center of this section, Jerusalem is located on the site of the old city but is much larger. MacArthur believes the city itself is 6 miles around; Larkin believes it may be 9 miles square, w/its suburbs ½ mile on a side, 10 miles square. It will have a wall with 3 gates on each side like the New Jerusalem (Ez. 48:15-18, 30-35), named after the 12 sons of Jacob. Larkin believes the Temple will not be rebuilt in the new city but in the middle of the Holy Oblation section, Ez. 48:10, 20, 21. This will locate it at or near Shiloh, where the Tabernacle rested after the children of Israel conquered the land, and where it remained until the Temple of Solomon was finished.
Note that Christ, the King, will build this Temple, Zech. 6:12-13—“…this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch (the root of Jesse), and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD. It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.’” Christ is the only Priest/King, which is why He is of the order of Melchisedek.
A highway shall lead from the sanctuary to the new city, Is. 35:8. It will be a magnificent boulevard, 12 miles long, lined with beautiful shade trees. The temple will occupy a space a mile square, Ez. 42:15-20. The “living waters” that will flow into the new river trench and Jordan arabah trench and into the refreshed Dead Sea come from under the new Temple. (Zech. 14:8; Ez. 47:8-12). When the Lord returns to the Mt. of Olives at the end of the Tribulation, His feet split the mount forming a trench for the New River, and the earthquake lifts the land up on a high plain “from Geba to Rimmon South of Jerusalem.” Zech. 14:4, 10, 11. These physical changes will level the land surface of Israel and make room for the new city and raise the Dead Sea so it is above sea level and its waters can flow out into both the Red and Mediterranean Seas. This “water” is symbolic of both literal and spiritual cleansing and regeneration of the land, and the elevation of the land is symbolic of the glory of Jerusalem during the Kingdom. It is called “chief among the mountains” in Isaiah 2:1-2, “and all nations will stream to it.”
· WHAT ABOUT GENTILES? The Gentiles who go into the Kingdom in living bodies share in the blessings of the Jews, but the Jews will hold a position of honor. See Zech. 8:22, 23. Larkin, p. 191, says Israel’s mission during the Millennial Age will be that of blessing to the Gentile nations. Israel has never as yet been a leading nation, but in that time, God says, “I will make thee the head, and not the tail.”
Deut. 28:13. A provision for land is to be given to “aliens” in Israel, Ez. 47:21-23.
· TEMPLE WORSHIP: Only in the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ will there be one TRUE universal religion, Malachi 1:11. A full description of the Temple and its courts is in Ez. 40:1; 44:31. No such magnificent building has yet been built. The Aaronic Priesthood will be re-established and the sons of Zadok shall officiate and offer sacrifices, Ez. 44:15-31. Four other prophets also speak of Millennial sacrifices, Is. 56:7; 66:20-23; Jeremiah 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21; Malachi 3:3,4.
· SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM TO CONTINUE:
Why will the sacrificial system continue in the Millennial Kingdom? Thomas Ice, p. 176-177: “Acceptance of the literal interpretation of a millennial sacrificial system does not contradict New Testament passages (such as Hebrews 7:26, 27 and 9:26, which teach that Jesus Christ was the perfect and final sacrifice for sin). Premillennial scholars have fully recognized the issues at hand. They offer at least two legitimate solutions to this concern:
FIRST, the sacrifices may function as a memorial to the work of Christ. This view does not, however, completely resolve all the concerns. Ezekiel says that the sacrifices are for atonement rather than a memorial (Ez. 45:15, 17, 20).
Therefore, a SECOND solution to the question of ‘why’ is that the sacrifices are for ceremonial purification. Since all the sacrifices of Ezekiel relate to purification of the priests for temple service, they do not depict or represent Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The sacrifices of the millennial temple will not be a return to the Mosaic law, since the law has forever been fulfilled and discontinued through Christ (Romans 6:14; 7:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9:20, 21; 2 Cor. 3:7-11; Gal. 4:1-7; 5:18; Heb. 8:13, 10:1-14). The presence and purpose of sacrifices neither diminishes the work of Christ nor violates the normal and literal interpretation of the prophetic passages. Although there will be sacrifices, the focus of all worship will remain on the person and work of the Savior.”
(Note all the things that will NOT be in the new Temple in Ezekiel. Ex: No high priest, save Jesus Christ, no Holy of Holies, no Ark of the Covenant, etc.) Only two feasts will be observed, the Passover to remember Christ’s sacrifice, and the Feast of Tabernacles, which was a foreshadowing of the Millennium, which fulfills it, when Christ would “tabernacle” with His people.
READ 20:4-6
20: 4-5--The bodily resurrection of the Tribulation martyrs is highlighted in vs. 4 to show victory over the power of Antichrist and Satan. Although many besides these saints will “live and reign with Christ for a thousand years,” the martyrs in particular are triumphant as they gave their lives.
Who are those who judge on thrones in vs. 4? Matt. 19:28—“Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” The 12 disciples will be given the honor of judging those who are resurrected. They will reward them according to the parable in Luke 19:11-16—the parable showing what Jesus will do to His servants, the Jews, when He shall have received the Kingdom and returned. Note that in the parable, faithful and good servants were given authority over cities.
Vs. 6--What is THE FIRST RESURRECTION? It is the category of Resurrection that includes only believers, which is why they are called “blessed and holy.” Who will be in the first resurrection?:
Christ, the first fruits (guarantee) of resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-25)
The Church, the “dead in Christ” (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:13-18, John 14:1-3
Old Testament Believers (Daniel 12:1-2, 13)
Tribulation Believers (Rev. 20:4-6)
All those in the First Resurrection category will be resurrected by the beginning of the Millennial Kingdom because they are to take part in it as part of their reward.
What is THE SECOND DEATH? MacArthur, p. 2021: “The first death is spiritual and physical, the second is eternal in the lake of fire, the final, eternal hell (vs. 14).” Those who partake of “the second death” are also those who experience “the resurrection of condemnation” or the resurrection of the unconverted who will receive their final bodies suited for torment in hell. (John 5:29; Daniel 12:2; Acts 24:15) Unbelievers of all ages and dispensations will be resurrected after the Millennium and before the New Heavens and New Earth to have their day in court at the Great White Throne Judgment, Rev. 20:12-15. They are the last to be resurrected as they have no reward other than eternal hell.
READ 20:7-10
Gog and Magog “II”: In order to test the repopulated earth of the Millennial Kingdom, Satan is released and allowed to practice his deception once again to separate saint from unbeliever. The rebellion he foments is likened to the battle in Ezekiel 38 and 39 where another Gog and Magog attacked the city of God. This time, they will get only as far as the outskirts of the city—its suburbs (camp of the saints)—when God will devour them with fire. Now that Satan’s usefulness is over, he is cast into the lake of fire (eternal and final hell) where the Antichrist and False Prophet have already been suffering for 1,000 years. He will not reign there—he will also be “tormented” forever. See Isaiah 14:9-11.
READ 20: 11-15
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT: Vs. 11 may indicate that the very holy face of God is what causes “earth and the heaven (to fly) away,” creating the New Heaven and New Earth (21:1). His holiness causes the contaminated universe to go out of existence. See also 2 Peter 3:10-13. God’s last act with earthly man before the new order of eternity is to judge the unbelievers of all ages at the Great White Throne.
THE GREAT WHITE THRONE IS THE JUDGMENT OF THE LOST OF ALL AGES:
This judgment includes their resurrection: “The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead…” The lost are “reserved” until this moment, having no part in any earthly reward. “…the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” Rev. 20:12. LaHaye, p. 186: “This judgment does not suggest these people may enter into heaven or hell on the basis of their works. All those who are judged at the Great White Throne are consigned to hell because they have "rejected God". [emphasis by Phil] (slc In God’s just judgment, they are still given their “day in court” to plead their case before the throne.) The Great White Throne judgment will determine the degree of punishment the rejecters will endure, based upon the nature of their evil work. When the books of works are opened (Rev. 20:12), a sentence of the severity of their punishment will be determined. All those sentenced will be consigned ‘into the lake of fire’ (Rev. 20:14), where they will suffer according to their personally assigned sentences.” Degrees of punishment in hell? See also Matt. 10:14, 15; 11:22; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 12:47, 48; Heb. 10:29.
BOOKS? It is speculated that they are judged by a “book of works” and a “book of life” from vs. 12. MacArthur, p. 1996: “(The Book of Life is) a divine journal (that) records the names of all those whom God has chosen to save (elected) and who, therefore, are to possess eternal life (13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19; cf. Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20).” God may consult the Book of Life to confirm that those who stand before Him are not saved. He will then consult the book of works to determine the degree of punishment involved in the sentencing.
Vs. 14—“Death” and “Hades,” two terms for an earlier form of “Hell” are now empty, having only held the souls of the lost from the time of Christ’s resurrection. Now that these souls are also resurrected and judged, they are sent to the final Hell, The Lake of Fire, and even the former “Hell” is thrown there. The Antichrist, False Prophet, and Satan are already in residence, having already begun their torment.
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We have much to look forward to in the future—a perfect reigning King, a restored ecology and the lifting of the curse, and an earth where Satan no longer prowls. We will reign with our Lord on the earth, and that throne will never end but will continue into the eternal state. How wonderful will be the return of our King.
In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon L. Clemens
[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@frontier.com]
