Saturday, June 8 2002

The 1,000 year period between The Return Of Jesus Christ with the first resurrection (Matthew 24:30, Zechariah 14:4, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17), and the second resurrection with the time of their Judgment (Revelation 20:5,11-15) has also become known as the Millennium, from the Latin word meaning “thousand years.” It will be a very different world than has been allowed to run its course from ancient times to the present.

Satan Put Away

Unlike now, when Satan is still free (although his time is running short) to run amok through the world, during the 1,000 years he will be imprisoned (see What Satan Fears Most). No more lies, no more deception.

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.” (Revelation 20:1-3 RSV)

Christ Will Rule

The King of kings will rule with Truth and Justice:

“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of The Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of The Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of The Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:2-4 RSV)

Those Of The First Resurrection Will Reign With Christ

The “first harvest” of salvation will then be spirit beings, after being resurrected from the dead, or instantly transformed if alive that day, and they will rule with Christ:

“Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6 RSV)

A Second Great Exodus – Israel and Judah Gathered

There is coming another Exodus, a far larger one:

“He will raise an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim.” (Isaiah 11:12-13 RSV)

“For I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new Spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.” (Ezekiel 36:24-28)

A New Nature

“The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of The Lord as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9 RSV)

Fact Finder: What is the time sequence of the resurrections?

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