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Messiah’s Thousand-Year Peace.

9 hours ago

We are continuing our study on the Millennium, the thousand-year reign of Jesus on Earth. In the third study of the series Insights into Eternity, we discussed the resurrection of the saints at Christ's return. Those who are born again and walk with Christ will receive imperishable, powerful, immortal bodies. These bodies will be like Christ's resurrection body, which was sown in dishonor but raised in glory (1 Corinthians 15:43). The saints are granted authority to reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2), while Satan will be bound and cast into the Abyss (Revelation 20:1-3).

 

1And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. 4I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-6, Emphasis added).

 

Theologians and scholars refer to the thousand-year reign of Christ as the Millennium. The term millennium means a thousand years. There are three main beliefs regarding the Millennium. The first is called Amillennialism. An Amillennialist holds that the thousand years mentioned five times in the passage above is a symbolic number representing our current era, the church age. Secondly, there is postmillennialism. Postmillennialists also assert that the 1,000-year period mentioned in the passage is not intended to be taken as a literal 1,000 years. They believe the church will usher in a golden age of Christian ethics, followed by Jesus' Second Coming. Lastly, there is premillennialism, which is the view held by this writer. A premillennialist believes that Jesus' return will occur during a time of tribulation (Matthew 24:22), that He will raise the saints—those who have experienced the new birth through the Spirit (John 3:3)—and that the saints will reign with Him in a literal thousand-year rule on earth.

 

The dragon, that ancient serpent who appeared in the Garden of Eden and is also called the devil and Satan, will be bound, as verse three tells us, in the Abyss (the Greek word is Abussos, which means bottomless, unfathomed; enormous; unbounded; immeasurable depth). There will be no more war until the 1,000 years are complete; after that, Satan must be released for a time. Try to imagine what our world will be like with Satan bound. What changes will occur for those living on earth in total freedom from satanic influence?

 

For believers in Christ, in their resurrection bodies, there will be no temptation toward evil and sin, and no more deception at work on the earth (v. 3). Our resurrection bodies will eliminate all fear of harm, and there will be no fear of death. From the moment Jesus returns, all true believers in Christ will be immortal (Philippians 3:20-21). Our sinful nature will also be removed, and there will be no urge or desire to sin. Our creativity will be unleashed because we will be living in a state of freedom. We will see our bodies, souls, and minds functioning at an entirely different level, free from constraints. We will experience life as God intended us to know it. Oh, how I look forward to it! I hope you are too. Keith Thomas

 

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Taken from the series Insights into Eternity. Click on study five or this link: The Millennium. 

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