What is the millennial kingdom?
Following the second coming, Jesus Christ will personally set up His 1000-year kingdom on earth. In theological circles, this is known as the millennial kingdom (from the Latin word mille, meaning “thousand”). Many Scripture passages speak of the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:2-7; see also Psalm 2:6-9; Isaiah 65:18-23; Jeremiah 31:12-14,31-37; Ezekiel 34:25-29; 37:1-13; 40–48; Daniel 2:35; 7:13-14; Joel 2:21-27; Amos 9:13-14; Micah 4:1-7; Zephaniah 3:9-20).
Do people who become believers during the tribulation period enter into Christ’s millennial kingdom?
Yes. Following the second coming of Christ, the Gentiles will face Christ at the judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). Only those found to be believers will be invited into Christ’s millennial kingdom in their mortal bodies—that is, they are not yet resurrected (25:34,46). Likewise, the redeemed remnant among the Jews will be invited to enter into the millennial kingdom in their mortal bodies (Ezekiel 20:34-38).
How do we know that only believers enter into Christ’s millennial kingdom?
The book of Daniel informs us that only believers enter into the kingdom. We are told that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom…the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom” (Daniel 7:18,22). The word “saint” in Daniel has the connotation of a divine claim and ownership of the person. It connotes what is distinct from the common or profane. In other words, profane people do not enter into the millennial kingdom. Only those who are God’s people—those “owned” by God—enter in.
It would be inconceivable that the wicked and the saints could together inherit a kingdom universally characterized by righteousness (Isaiah 61:11), peace (Isaiah 2:4), holiness (Isaiah 4:3-4), and justice (Isaiah 9:7). The parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:30-31) and the parable of the good and bad fish (Matthew 13:47-50) confirm that only the saved go into the kingdom.
Since these individuals enter the kingdom as mortals, do they still grow old and die?
Yes. Though longevity will characterize the millennial kingdom, Scripture reveals that both mortal Jews and Gentiles will continue to age and die (Isaiah 65:20). Scripture also reveals that married couples among both groups will continue to have children throughout the millennium. All who die during this time will be resurrected at the end of the millennium (Revelation 20:4).
Will some of the children of these believers who enter the millennial kingdom not be believers?
Unfortunately, yes. The fact that only believers (“saints”) enter into the kingdom does not stand against the possibility that some of the children of the saints will not be believers. After a few years have passed, there will be children born during the millennium who will grow to adulthood rejecting the Savior-King in their hearts—though outwardly rendering obedience to Him and His government. Some of these will eventually participate in a final revolt against God that takes place at the end of the millennium under Satan’s lead (Revelation 20:3,7-10).
Will Israel finally take full possession of the promised land in the millennial kingdom?
Yes. Israel will not only experience regeneration in fulfillment of the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), but the unconditional land promises in the Abrahamic covenant will finally be fulfilled (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:21; 35:10-12; see also Isaiah 60:18,21; Jeremiah 23:6; 24:5-6; 30:18; 31:31-34; 32:37-40; 33:6-9; Ezekiel 28:25-26; 34:11-12; 36:24-26; 37; 39:28; Hosea 3:4-5; Joel 2:18-29; Micah 2:12; 4:6-7; Amos 9:14-15; Zephaniah 3:19-20; Zechariah 8:7-8; 13:8-9). It was promised that even though Israel would be dispersed all over the world, the Jews would be regathered and restored to the land (see Isaiah 43:5-7; Jeremiah 16:14-18). This will find its ultimate fulfillment in Christ’s millennial kingdom (see Genesis 15:18-21; 26:3-4; 28:13-14; Psalm 105:8-11).
Will Christ actually reign from the Davidic throne during the millennial kingdom?
Yes, He will. God made a covenant with David in which He promised that one of his descendants would rule forever on the throne of David (2 Samuel 7:12-13; 22:51). This is an example of an unconditional covenant. It did not depend on David in any way for its fulfillment. David realized this when he received the promise from God, and he responded with an attitude of humility and a recognition of God’s sovereignty over the affairs of human beings.
The three key words of the covenant are “kingdom,” “house,” and “throne.” Such words point to the political future of Israel. The word “house” here carries the idea of “royal dynasty.”
This covenant finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who was born from the line of David (Matthew 1:1). In the millennial kingdom, Christ will rule from the throne of David in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 36:1-12; Micah 4:1-5; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Zechariah 14:1-21). This reign will extend beyond the Jews to include the Gentile nations as well.
Is Christ’s millennial rule substantiated in Bible verses aside from the Davidic covenant?
Yes, indeed. Here’s a very brief sampling:
• “May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!” (Psalm 72:8).
• “To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
• “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And 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 one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).
• “He shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth” (Zechariah 9:10; see also Revelation 20:4).
How does Scripture characterize Christ’s government?
Christ’s government will be centered in Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:1-3; see also Jeremiah 3:17; Ezekiel 48:30-35; Joel 3:16-17; Micah 4:1,6-8; Zechariah 8:2-3). His government will be perfect and effective (Isaiah 9:6-7), it will be global (Psalm 2:6-9; Daniel 7:14), and it will bring lasting global peace (Micah 4:3-4).
What kinds of physical blessings will Christ bring about in the millennial kingdom?
Scripture reveals that those who enter into Christ’s millennial kingdom will enjoy some unique physical blessings. For example:
• People will live in a blessed and enhanced environment (Isaiah 35:1-2).
• There will be plenty of rain and hence plenty of food for animals (Isaiah 30:23-24).
• All animals will live in harmony with each other and with humans, their predatory and carnivorous natures having been removed (Isaiah 11:6-7).
• Longevity among human beings will be greatly increased (Isaiah 65:20).
• Physical infirmities and illnesses will be removed (Isaiah 29:18).
• Prosperity will prevail, resulting in joy and gladness (Jeremiah 31:12-14).
What kind of spiritual blessings will characterize the millennial kingdom?
Christ will bring about great spiritual blessing in His kingdom—all of which relate to the wonderful reality that Jesus Himself will be present with His people on earth. We are told that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Moreover, Satan will be bound during the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20:1-3).
Other key spiritual blessings include:
• The Holy Spirit will be present and will indwell all believers (Ezekiel 36:27; 37:14).
• The Holy Spirit will be “poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:15; see also Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28-29).
• Righteousness will prevail around the world (Isaiah 46:13; 51:5; 60:21).
• Obedience to the Lord will prevail (Psalm 22:27; Jeremiah 31:33).
• Holiness will prevail (Isaiah 35:8-10; Joel 3:17).
• Faithfulness will prevail (Psalm 85:10-11; Zechariah 8:3).
• The world’s residents will be unified in their worship of the Messiah (Malachi 1:11; Zephaniah 3:9; Zechariah 8:23).
• God’s presence will be made manifest (Ezekiel 37:27-28; Zechariah 2:10-13).
Will believers who participated in the rapture take part in reigning with Christ?
I believe so. Scripture promises that Christ will gloriously reign from the Davidic throne. But Scripture also promises that the saints will reign with Christ. In 2 Timothy 2:12, for example, the apostle Paul instructs, “If we endure, we will also reign with him.” Those who endure through trials will one day rule with Christ in His future kingdom.
Revelation 5:10 likewise reveals that believers—God’s faithful bondservants—“shall reign on the earth.” This refers to faithful believers participating in the government during Christ’s future millennial kingdom on earth. But this reign extends beyond the millennial kingdom into the eternal state. Indeed, Revelation 22:5 affirms that believers “will reign forever and ever.” Luke 19 reveals that a believer’s position in the heavenly government will apparently be commensurate with his or her faithful service to God during mortal earthly life.
Reigning with Christ appears to include judging the angels in some capacity. In 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 the apostle Paul asks, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?…Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” This is interesting because Psalm 8 teaches that human beings were created lower than the angels. In the afterlife, things will be reversed. Apparently the angels will be lower than redeemed humans and will be subject to their rule.
Will a new temple be built in the millennial kingdom?
Apparently so. Ezekiel 40–48 speaks of a millennial temple being built (see Joel 3:18; Isaiah 2:3; 60:13) and the institution of millennial animal sacrifices (see Isaiah 56:7; 60:7; Jeremiah 33:17-18; Zechariah 14:19-21). The millennial temple will be the final temple for Israel. The dimensions provided for this temple make it significantly larger than any other temple in Israel’s history.
This large temple will apparently represent God’s presence among His people during the millennium (see Ezekiel 37:26-27). The restoration of Israel as a nation will also entail a restoration of God’s presence (and glory) reentering the temple and being with His people visibly. This temple will also be a worship center of Jesus Christ during the entire millennium. It will be built at the beginning of the messianic kingdom (Ezekiel 37:26-28) by Christ (Zechariah 6:12-13), by redeemed Jews (Ezekiel 43:10-11), and even by representatives from the Gentile nations (Zechariah 6:15; Haggai 2:7).
Why will there be animal sacrifices in the millennial kingdom?
This is understandably controversial. Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice has taken away sin and has caused the Mosaic law of sacrifices to be abolished (see Hebrews 7–10). Why, then, is the sacrificial system predicted here?
We begin with the observation that Israel and the church are not only distinct today (1 Corinthians 10:32; Romans 9–11), they will also be distinct in the millennial kingdom. We might surmise, then, that temple activities in the millennium relate primarily to Israel (though redeemed Gentiles can also participate) and not to the church (see Isaiah 60–61).
This being the case, some Bible expositors have surmised that the millennial sacrifices will be a kind of Jewish memorial of the awful price Christ—the Lamb of God now living in their midst—had to pay for the salvation of these believing-but-not-yet-glorified Jews. They are yet in their mortal bodies, having entered into the millennial kingdom following the tribulation. The temple system will thus allegedly function much like the Lord’s Supper does today, as a memorial ritual (1 Corinthians 11:25-26; see also Isaiah 56:7; 66:20-23; Jeremiah 33:17-18; Ezekiel 43:18-27; 45:13–46:24; Malachi 3:3-4).
The problem with this viewpoint is that Ezekiel says the sacrifices are to “make atonement” (Ezekiel 45:15,17,20). Hence, the “memorial” viewpoint seems to fall short of explaining these sacrifices.
The solution may be that the purpose of the sacrifices in the millennial temple is to remove ceremonial uncleanness and prevent defilement from polluting the purity of the temple environment. According to this view, such ceremonial cleansing will be necessary because Yahweh will again be dwelling on the earth in the midst of sinful (and therefore unclean) mortal people. (Remember, these people survive the tribulation period and enter the millennial kingdom in their mortal bodies—still retaining their sin natures, even though redeemed by Christ as believers.) The sacrifices will thus remove any ceremonial uncleanness in the temple.
Seen in this light, the sacrifices cannot and should not be seen as a return to the Mosaic law. The law has forever been done away with through Jesus Christ (Romans 6:14-15; 7:1-6; 1 Corinthians 9:20-21; 2 Corinthians 3:7-11; Galatians 4:1-7; 5:18; Hebrews 8:13; 10:1-14). The sacrifices relate only to removing ritual impurities in the temple, as fallen-though-redeemed human beings remain on earth.
Will Satan be around to harass God’s people during the millennial kingdom?
No. Revelation 20:1-3 speaks specifically of the future binding of Satan:
I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to 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, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.
Notice that Satan is referred to as a “dragon,” an apt metaphor that points to the ferocity and cruelty of this evil spirit being. He is also called an “ancient serpent,” apparently an allusion to Satan’s first appearance in the Garden of Eden where he deceived Eve (Genesis 3; see also 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14). The “bottomless pit” referred to here serves as the place of imprisonment of demonic spirits (Luke 8:31; see also 2 Peter 2:4). The devil—along with all demonic spirits—will be bound here for 1000 years during Christ’s millennial kingdom. This quarantine will effectively remove a powerful destructive and deceptive force in all areas of human life and thought during Christ’s kingdom.
Will Satan make one last attempt at deception before being tossed into the lake of fire?
Yes. Revelation 20:7-8 warns that “when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations.” He will move his forces against Jerusalem with fervor.
Deception has always been at the very heart of Satan’s activities. John 8:44 tells us, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” So when he engages in deception, he is “in character.” Deception will be his modus operandi in motivating certain human beings to revolt against Christ.
Who will join sides with Satan?
Even though the millennium will involve the perfect government of Christ, there will still be mortal and fallen human beings who live during the millennium. To be sure, Matthew 25:31-46 is clear that only believers are invited into Christ’s millennial kingdom. As noted previously, however, these people will still give birth to babies and raise children, some of whom will choose not to follow Jesus Christ. So long as they do not externally rebel against the government of Christ, they are permitted to live during the millennial kingdom. But all outward rebellion will be squashed instantly.
When Satan is released at the end of the millennium, he will—by deception—succeed in leading many of these unbelieving children in a massive rebellion against Christ. As the text says, “Their number is like the sand of the sea” (Revelation 20:8). This will represent Satan’s last stand.
How will Christ respond to the attack?
Jerusalem will be the target city of the satanic revolt. Jerusalem is the headquarters of Christ’s government throughout the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 2:1-5). Fire instantly comes down upon the invaders (Revelation 20:9), a common mode of God’s judgment (see Genesis 19:24; Exodus 9:23-24; Leviticus 9:24; 10:2; Numbers 11:1; 16:35; 26:10; 1 Kings 18:38; 2 Kings 1:10,12,14; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1,3; Psalm 11:6). The rebellion is squashed instantly with no chance of success.
At what point will Satan be cast into the lake of fire?
Revelation 20:10 tells us that following the final revolt against Christ, “the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Notice that our text tells us that all three persons of the satanic trinity—Satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet—will suffer the same dire destiny. More specifically, the antichrist and the false prophet will be thrown into the lake of fire prior to the beginning of the millennial kingdom. They will have been burning there for 1000 years when Satan will join them—and all three will continue to burn for all eternity. They will receive their just due.