Reference: Thousand Years
Fausets
The millennium. The period of Christ's coming reign with His saints over this earth, delivered from Satan's presence. As Satan and His kingdom in successive stages sink, Christ and His kingdom rise (Revelation 19-20). Satan, having been foiled in his last desperate attempt to overthrow Christ's kingdom by Antichrist or the beast, shall by the just law of necessary retributive consequence be bound immediately afterward and imprisoned in the bottomless pit a thousand years. (See ANTICHRIST.) On the same just principle they who have suffered for Christ, and not worshipped the Godopposed world power, shall come to life again and reign with Christ (2Ti 2:12), at His coming, a thousand years. Their resurrection is "the first resurrection." (See RESURRECTION.) "The rest of the dead live not again until the thousand years are finished: blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
Ten, the "world number", raised to the third power, the "divine number", expresses the world pervaded by God. Possibly the "thousand" may extend much longer than the literal number. So also (Php 3:10.) Paul's ambition was to "attain the resurrection from out of the rest of the dead" (exanastasis). So our Lord declares (Lu 20:35), "they who shall be accounted worthy to obtain the resurrection from the dead cannot die any more, for they are equal unto the angels, and are children of God, being children of the resurrection." Again, to the apostles (Lu 22:18), "ye are they who have continued with Me in My temptations, and I appoint unto you a kingdom as My Father hath appointed unto Me, that ye may eat and drink with Me at My table, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Again (Mt 19:28), "ye that have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit upon the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
Those "beheaded (virtually or actually, literally, hatcheted) for Jesus and for the word of God" stand first; then they" who have not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands," i.e. did not treat the world's riches, ambitions, and pleasures as their portion. Jesus implies, in reply to the request of Zebedee's two sons, that there are places of peculiar honour reserved by the Father for those who drink Christ's bitter cup (Mt 20:22-23). Thus, "whosoever shall lose his life for Christ's sake (in will or deed) shall save it" (Mr 8:35). Satan thought to destroy God's people by persecutions (just as previously to destroy Christ, Revelation 12); but the church is not destroyed from the earth, but raised to rule over it; Satan himself is shut up for a thousand years in the "abyss" (" bottomless pit"), preparatory to the "lake of fire," his final doom. As before, by Christ's ascension, he ceased to be accuser of the brethren in heaven, so during the millennium he ceases to be seducer and persecutor on earth.
As long as he rules in the darkness of the world we live in an atmosphere tainted with evil physical and spiritual (Eph 2:2). Christ's coming will purify the world (Mal 3:3). Sin will not wholly cease, for men shall be still in the flesh, and therefore death will come, but at long intervals, life being vastly prolonged as in the days of the patriarchs (Isa 65:20); but sin will not be that almost universal power that it is now. Satan will no longer seduce the flesh, nor be the "god" and "prince of this world" (Joh 14:30; 2Co 4:4), which now "lieth in the wicked one" (1Jo 5:19). The flesh, untempted from without, shall become more and more subject to the spirit. Christ with His saints, in transfigured bodies, will reign over men in the flesh. The millennial nations will be prepared for a higher state, as Adam would have been in paradise, had he never fallen (Re 21:1-24,26).
This will be the manifestation of "the world ("age", aion) to come" already set up invisibly in the saints in "this world" (Heb 2:5; 5:5). As each seventh year was Israel's year of remission, so of the world's seven thousands the seventh shall be its sabbatism (Heb 4:9, margin). Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Cyprian, expected an earthly millennial kingdom; not until millennial views carnally confounded the state of the transfigured king-priests with that of the subject nations in the flesh, and the church itself sought a present visible kingdom with Rome as its center, instead of hoping for it only when Christ shall come, was the doctrine abandoned by the church and apostasy set in. Earth, not becoming transfigured until after the millennium, shall not be, during it, the meet home for the transfigured saints; but from heaven they with Christ rule the earth, the comparatively free communion between the heavenly and earthly churches being typified by Christ's communion at short intervals with His disciples during the 40 days between His resurrection and ascension.
Old Testament prophecy everywhere anticipates Christ's kingdom at Jerusalem: Jer 3:17; Isa 4:3; 11:9; 35:8; 22/type/j2000'>60:22,22; Ezekiel 37 to 48, etc., etc. He confirms His disciples' expectation of it, but corrects their impatience to know the time (Ac 1:6-8). The kingdom begins, not as the carnal Jews thought, from without, but from within, spiritually; then when Christ shall be manifested it shall be manifested outwardly (Col 3:4; 1Jo 3:2). The papacy blasphemously anticipates the visible headship which Christ shall then assume, "reigning as kings" without Christ (1Co 4:8).
When Christianity became a worldly power under Constantine, the future hope was weakened by joy over present success (Bengel); the church becoming a harlot ceased to be the bride going to meet her Bridegroom. The saints' future priesthood unto God and Christ "in His temple" (Re 1:6; 5:10; 7:15; 20:6) is the ground of their kingship toward men. Men will be willing subjects of the transfigured priest-kings whose power is the attraction that wins the heart, not counteracted by devil or beast. Church and state will be coextensive; and the church and the world no longer in mutual repulsion. The distinction between them shall cease, for the church will be co-extensive with the world. The veil shall be taken off Israel first, then off all people, and the kingdoms of this world shall be the kingdoms of Christ (Re 11:15; Isa 25:7). Christ's glorious appearing, the church's transfiguration, antichrist's destruction, and Satan's binding, will dispose the nations to embrace the gospel.
As a regeneration of elected individuals "taken out" from Jews and Gentiles (Ac 15:14) goes on now, so a regeneration of nations then. As the church begins at Christ's ascension, so the visible kingdom at His second advent. What the transfigured priest-kings shall be in heaven, that the Israelite priest-kings shall be on earth. A blessed chain of giving and receiving: God, Christ, the transfigured bride, i.e. the translated church, Israel, the world of nations. The outpouring of the Spirit on Israel (Zec 12:10) will usher in the new period of revelation, which has been silent so long as Israel, God's chosen mediator of revelations, and of establishing His manifested kingdom on earth, has been in the background. God from the first, in dividing to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the sons of Adam, set their bounds "according to the number of the children, of Israel" (De 32:8). Now is the time of preaching; then shall be the time of liturgy of "the great congregation" (Ps 22:25; Ezekiel 40 to 48; Zec 14:16-21; Isa 2:3).
Art and music will be the handmaids to spiritual worship, instead of drawing off the soul to sensuousness. Society will be pervaded by the Spirit of Christ. Earthly and heavenly glories shall be united in the twofold election: elect Israel in the flesh shall stand at the head of the earthly nations; the elect spiritual church, in the heavenly kingdom, shall reign over both. These elections are for the good of those to whom they minister respectively; compare, as to Israel's mediating blessedness to the nations
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surely they shall not see the land which I swore unto their fathers, neither shall any of those that provoked me see it. But my slave Caleb, because there was another spirit in him, and he proved to follow after me, I will bring him into the land that he entered into, and his seed shall receive it by inheritance,
when the most High caused the Gentiles to be inherited, when he separated the sons of men, he set the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel.
And Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land on which thy feet have trodden shall be thy inheritance and thy sons' for ever because thou hast entirely followed the LORD my God.
My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation; I will pay my vows before those that fear him.
Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.
And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the Gentiles and shall rebuke many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem,
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a child shall shepherd them. The cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. read more. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the sons and the grandsons, all the vessels of small quantity, from the cups to drink from even unto all the instruments of music.
And he will undo in this mountain the mask of the covering with which all the peoples are covered and the veil that is extended over all the Gentiles.
And a highway shall be there and a way, and it shall be called The Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; and for those in it there shall be someone to go with them, in such a manner that the foolish shall not err therein.
But the wicked are like the sea in tempest, that cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
The small one shall be as a thousand; the youngest as a strong nation; I the LORD will hasten it in its time.
The small one shall be as a thousand; the youngest as a strong nation; I the LORD will hasten it in its time.
There shall no longer be there an infant of days, nor an old man that has not filled his days, for the child shall die one hundred years old; and he who sins at one hundred years of age shall be accursed.
The wolf and the lamb shall be fed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not afflict nor do evil in all my holy mountain, said the LORD.
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the Gentiles shall congregate unto it in the name of the LORD in Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the hardness of their evil heart.
Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven fought the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, different one from another.
and that the kingdom and the dominion, and the majesty of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, be given to the holy people of the most High, His kingdom shall be an eternal kingdom, and all the dominions shall serve him and hear him.
And in that time I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heaven and with the serpents of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle of the earth and will cause them to sleep safely.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as the dew of the LORD, as the rains upon the grass, which did not expect a man, nor did they expect the sons of men.
He shall build the temple of the LORD, and he shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon his throne, and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
And I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be broken and he shall speak peace unto the Gentiles; and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth.
And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of prayer, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn over him as one mourns for his only son, afflicting themselves over him as one afflicts himself over his firstborn.
And the LORD shall be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD shall be one, and his name one.
And every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of the hosts, and to celebrate the feast of the tabernacles. And it shall be that whoever will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of the hosts, even upon them shall be no rain. read more. And if the family of Egypt does not go up and does not come, there shall be no rain upon them; instead there shall be the plague, with which the LORD will smite the Gentiles that do not come up to celebrate the feast of the tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of the sin of Egypt and of the sin of all the Gentiles that do not come up to celebrate the feast of the tabernacles. In that day there shall be written upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. And every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of the hosts; and all those that sacrifice shall come and take of them and cook therein; and in that time there shall be no more merchandizing in the house of the LORD of the hosts.
And he shall sit to refine and to purify the silver: for he shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them as gold and silver that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and those who do iniquity
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, We are able. And he said unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to those for whom it is prepared of my Father.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
And having called ten of his slaves, he delivered them ten minas and said unto them, Trade until I come.
And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these slaves to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much each one had gained by trading.
And he said unto him, Well done, thou good slave; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, thou shalt have authority over ten cities.
And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
but those who are accounted worthy to obtain that age and the resurrection from the dead neither marry, nor are given in marriage;
for I say unto you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come.
Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world comes and has nothing in me.
Then those that were come together asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put under his authority only. read more. But ye shall receive the virtue of the Holy Spirit which shall come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Simeon has declared how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he that raised up the Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwells in you.
For I know with certainty that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the coming glory which shall be manifested in us. For the earnest hope of the creatures waits for the manifestation of the sons of God. read more. For the creatures were subjected to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who has subjected them, with the hope that the same creatures shall be delivered from the slavery of corruption into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. For we now know that all the creatures groan together and travail in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is to say, the redemption of our body.
And if the fall of them is the riches of the world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles, how much more shall their fullness be?
For if the casting away of them is the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Now ye are full, now ye are rich, ye reign as kings without us, and I wish ye did reign, that we also might reign with you.
Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall all indeed be raised, but we shall not all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised without corruption, and we shall be changed.
in which in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the will of the prince of the power of this air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience,
That I may know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death,
When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also be manifested with him in glory.
if we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of clay, and likewise some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man, therefore, purges himself from these things, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and profitable for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work.
For unto the angels he has not subjected the world to come, of which we speak.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
So also the Christ did not glorify himself to make himself high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son; today have I begotten thee.
For we have not made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cunningly devised fables, but as eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. read more. And we heard this voice which came from heaven, when we were together with him in the holy mount.
but the heavens, which are now, and the earth are conserved by the same word, kept unto the fire in the day of judgment and of perdition of the ungodly men.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements, burning, shall be dissolved, and the earth and the works that are in it shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, read more. waiting for and desiring earnestly for the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promises, wait for new heavens and a new earth, in which dwells righteousness.
And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness.
and has made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame and have sat down with my Father in his throne.
and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
and hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth.
Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple, and he that is seated on the throne shall dwell among them.
And the seventh angel sounded the trumpet, and there were great voices in the heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are reduced unto our Lord and to his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Blessed and holy is he that has part in the first resurrection; on such the second death has no authority, but they shall be priests of God and of the Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of the heaven, prepared of God as a bride adorned for her husband. read more. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death shall be no more neither shall there be any more sorrow nor crying nor pain; for the former things are passed away.
And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and death shall be no more neither shall there be any more sorrow nor crying nor pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that was seated upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are faithful and true. read more. And he said unto me, It is done. I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is thirsty of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and fornicators and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. And there came unto me one of the seven angels who had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues and talked with me, saying, Come here, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of the heaven from and with God,
And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of the heaven from and with God, having the clarity of God; and her light was like unto a most precious stone, even like a jasper stone, shining like crystal.
having the clarity of God; and her light was like unto a most precious stone, even like a jasper stone, shining like crystal. And it had a wall great and high, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel:
And it had a wall great and high, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its wall. And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
And the city lies foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs; and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal. And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
And he measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the material of its wall was jasper; but the city was of pure gold, like unto clean glass.
And the material of its wall was jasper; but the city was of pure gold, like unto clean glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, emerald;
And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst.
the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, topaz; the tenth, chrysoprasus; the eleventh, jacinth; the twelfth, amethyst. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass.
And the twelve gates are twelve pearls; in each one, one; each gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as shining glass. And I saw no temple in her; for the Lord God Almighty is her temple, and the Lamb.
And I saw no temple in her; for the Lord God Almighty is her temple, and the Lamb. And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in her, for the clarity of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp.
And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in her, for the clarity of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. And the Gentiles that have been saved shall walk in the light of her; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into her.
And the Gentiles that have been saved shall walk in the light of her; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into her.