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/moffatt'>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
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Blessed are the humble! they will inherit the earth.
the Son of man will despatch his angels, and they will gather out of his Realm all who are hindrances and who practise iniquity,
Jesus said to them, "I tell you truly, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve thrones to govern the twelve tribes of Israel.
Jesus replied, "You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." "You shall drink my cup," said Jesus, "but it is not for me to grant seats at my right hand and at my left; these belong to the men for whom they have been destined by my Father."
for whoever wants to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
He first called his ten servants, giving them each a five-pound note, and telling them, 'Trade with this till I come back.'
However he secured the royal power and came home. Then he ordered the servants to be called who had been given the money, that he might find out what business they had done.
'Capital,' he said, 'you excellent servant! because you have proved trustworthy in a trifle, you are placed over ten towns.'
To him he said, 'And you are set over five towns.'
but those who are considered worthy to attain yonder world and the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are married,
for I tell you I will never drink the produce of the vine again till such time as God's Reign comes."
I will no longer talk much with you, for the Prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me;
Now when they met, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time you are going to restore the Realm to Israel?" But he told them, "It is not for you to know the course and periods of time that the Father has fixed by his own authority. read more. You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses at Jerusalem, throughout all Judaea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Symeon has explained how it was God's original concern to secure a People from among the Gentiles to bear his Name.
And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells within you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also make your mortal bodies live by his indwelling Spirit in your lives.
Present suffering, I hold, is a mere nothing compared to the glory that we are to have revealed. Even the creation waits with eager longing for the sons of God to be revealed. read more. For creation was not rendered futile by its own choice, but by the will of Him who thus made it subject, the hope being that creation as well as man would one day be freed from its thraldom to decay and gain the glorious freedom of the children of God. To this day, we know, the entire creation sighs and throbs with pain; and not only so, but even we ourselves, who have the Spirit as a foretaste of the future, even we sigh to ourselves as we wait for the redemption of the body that means our full sonship.
Well, if their lapse has enriched the world, if their defection is the gain of the Gentiles, what will it mean when they all come in?
For if their exclusion means that the world is reconciled to God, what will their admission mean? Why, it will be life from the dead!
You Corinthians have your heart's desire already, have you? You have heaven's rich bliss already! You have come into your kingdom without us! I wish indeed you had come into your kingdom, so that we could share it with you!
Here is a secret truth for you: not all of us are to die, but all of us are to be changed ??52 changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet-call. The trumpet will sound, the dead will rise imperishable, and we shall be changed.
in which you moved as you followed the course of this world, under the sway of the prince of the air ??the spirit which is at present active within those sons of disobedience
I would know him in the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, with my nature transformed to die as he died,
When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you will appear with him in glory.
if we endure, then we shall reign with him, if we disown him, then he shall disown us,
In any great house there are indeed vessels not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for noble, some for menial service. If one will only keep clear of the latter, he will be put to noble use, he will be consecrated and useful to the Owner of the House, he will be set apart for good work of all kinds.
For the world to come, of which I am speaking, was not put under the control of angels.
There is a sabbath-Rest, then, reserved still for the People of God
There is a sabbath-Rest, then, reserved still for the People of God
Similarly Christ was not raised to the glory of the high priesthood by himself but by Him who declared to him, Thou art my son, to-day have I become thy father.
For it was no fabricated fables that we followed when we reported to you the power and advent of our Lord Jesus Christ; we were admitted to the spectacle of his sovereignty, when he was invested with honour and glory by God the Father, and when the following voice was borne to him from the sublime Glory, "This is my son, the Beloved, in whom I delight." read more. That voice borne from heaven we heard, we who were beside him on the sacred hill,
but the present heavens and earth are treasured up by the same word for fire, reserved for the day when the impious are doomed and destroyed.
The day of the Lord will come like a thief, when the heavens will vanish with crackling roar, the stars will be set ablaze and melt, the earth and all its works will disappear. Now as all things are thus to be dissolved, what holy and pious men ought you to be in your behaviour, read more. you who expect and hasten the advent of the Day of God, which dissolves the heavens in fire and makes the stars blaze and melt! It is new heavens and a new earth that we expect, as He has promised, and in them dwells righteousness.
We know that we belong to God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil One.
'The conqueror I will allow to sit beside me on my throne, as I myself have conquered and sat down beside my Father on his throne.'
thou hast made them kings and priests for our God, and they shall reign on earth."
thou hast made them kings and priests for our God, and they shall reign on earth."
For this they are now before the throne of God, serving him day and night within his temple. and he who is seated on the throne shall overshadow them.
Then the seventh angel blew; and loud voices followed in heaven, crying, "The rule of the world has passed to our Lord and his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever."
Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection; over such the second death has no power, they shall be priests of God and the Christ, and reign along with him during the thousand years.
Then I saw the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and the sea is no more.
Then I saw the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and the sea is no more.
Then I saw the new heaven and the new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy City, the new Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, all ready like a bride arrayed for her husband. read more. And I heard a loud voice out of the throne, crying, "Lo, God's dwelling-place is with men, with men will he dwell; they shall be his people, and God will himself be with them: he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more ??no more wailing or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away."
he will wipe every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more ??no more wailing or crying or pain, for the first things have passed away." Then he who was seated on the throne said, "Lo, I make all things new." And he said, "Write this: 'these words are trustworthy and genuine.'" read more. Then he said, "All is over! I am the alpha and the omega, the First and the Last. I will let the thirsty drink of the fountain of the water of Life without price. The conqueror shall obtain this, and I will be his God, and he shall be my son; but as for the craven, the faithless, the abominable, as for murderers, the immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars of all kinds ??their lot is the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues; and he spoke to me thus, "Come, and I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." So he carried me off, rapt in the Spirit, to a huge, high mountain, where he showed me the City, the holy Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven,
So he carried me off, rapt in the Spirit, to a huge, high mountain, where he showed me the City, the holy Jerusalem, descending from God out of heaven, with the glory of God. The sheen of it resembled some rare jewel like jasper, clear as crystal;
with the glory of God. The sheen of it resembled some rare jewel like jasper, clear as crystal; it has a huge, high wall with twelve gates, twelve angels at the twelve gates, and names inscribed thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel,
it has a huge, high wall with twelve gates, twelve angels at the twelve gates, and names inscribed thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel, three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. And the wall of the City has twelve foundation-stones, bearing the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the wall of the City has twelve foundation-stones, bearing the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. He who talked to me had a golden wand by way of a measuring-rod, to measure the City and its gates and wall;
He who talked to me had a golden wand by way of a measuring-rod, to measure the City and its gates and wall; the City lies foursquare, the length the same as the breadth, and he measured fifteen hundred miles with his rod for the City, for its breadth and length and height alike;
the City lies foursquare, the length the same as the breadth, and he measured fifteen hundred miles with his rod for the City, for its breadth and length and height alike; he made the measure of the wall seventy-two yards, by human, that is, by angelic reckoning.
he made the measure of the wall seventy-two yards, by human, that is, by angelic reckoning. The material of the wall is jasper, but the City is made of pure gold, transparent like glass.
The material of the wall is jasper, but the City is made of pure gold, transparent like glass. The foundation-stones of the city-wall are adorned with all sorts of precious stones, the first foundation-stone being of jasper, the second of sapphire, the third of agate, the fourth of emerald,
The foundation-stones of the city-wall are adorned with all sorts of precious stones, the first foundation-stone being of jasper, the second of sapphire, the third of agate, the fourth of emerald, the fifth of onyx, the sixth of sardius, the seventh of chrysolite, the eighth of beryl, the ninth of topaz, the tenth of chrysoprase, the eleventh of jacinth, the twelfth of amethyst.
the fifth of onyx, the sixth of sardius, the seventh of chrysolite, the eighth of beryl, the ninth of topaz, the tenth of chrysoprase, the eleventh of jacinth, the twelfth of amethyst. The twelve gates are twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl; and the streets of the City are pure gold, clear as crystal.
The twelve gates are twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl; and the streets of the City are pure gold, clear as crystal. But I saw no temple in the City, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.
But I saw no temple in the City, for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb. And the City needs no sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God illumines it, and the Lamb lights it up.
And the City needs no sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God illumines it, and the Lamb lights it up. By its light will the nations walk; and into it will the kings of earth bring their glories
By its light will the nations walk; and into it will the kings of earth bring their glories