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/williams'>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 lowly in mind, for they will possess the land.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all those who cause wrongdoing, and the wrongdoers,
Jesus said to them: "I solemnly say to you, in the new order of life, when the Son of Man shall take His seat on His glorious throne, you too, who have followed me, will sit on twelve thrones, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
But Jesus answered, "You do not realize what you are asking for. Can you drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They answered, "Yes, we can." He said to them, "You will drink the cup that I am to drink, but seats at my right and at my left are not mine to give, but they will be given to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father."
For whoever wants to save his higher life, will have to give up the lower life, and whoever gives up his lower life for me and for the good news, will save the higher life.
He called in ten of his slaves and gave them twenty dollars apiece and told them to do business with his money while he was gone.
Then after he had gotten the appointment as king, he returned and ordered those slaves to whom he had given his money to be called in, that he might find out what business they had done.
So he said to him, 'Well done, my good slave! Because you have proven dependable in a very small business, be governor of ten cities!'
So he said to him too, 'Be governor of five cities?
but those who are considered worthy to attain that other world and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are married.
for I tell you, I shall not after today drink the product of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."
"I shall not talk much more with you, for the evil ruler of this world is coming and he has nothing in common with me,
So those who were present began to ask Him, "Lord, is this the time when you are going to set up the kingdom again for Israel?" He answered them, "It is not your business to learn times and dates which the Father has a right to fix, read more. but you are going to receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you must be witnesses for me in Jerusalem and all over Judea and Samaria, and to the very ends of the earth."
Symeon has told how God at first graciously visited the heathen to take from among them a people to bear His name.
If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead has His home within you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give your mortal bodies life through His Spirit that has His home within you.
For I consider all that we suffer in this present life is nothing to be compared with the glory which by-and-by is to be uncovered for us. For all nature is expectantly waiting for the unveiling of the sons of God. read more. For nature did not of its own accord give up to failure; it was for the sake of Him who let it thus be given up, in the hope that even nature itself might finally be set free from its bondage to decay, so as to share the glorious freedom of God's children. Yes, we know that all nature has gone on groaning in agony together till the present moment. Not only that but this too, we ourselves who enjoy the Spirit as a foretaste of the future, even we ourselves, keep up our inner groanings while we wait to enter upon our adoption as God's sons at the redemption of our bodies.
But if their stumbling has resulted in the enrichment of the world, and their overthrow becomes the enrichment of heathen peoples, how much richer the result will be when the full quota of Jews comes in!
For if the rejection of them has resulted in the reconciling of the world, what will the result be of the final reception of them but life from the dead?
Are you satisfied already? Have you grown rich already? Have you ascended your thrones without us to join you? Yes, I could wish that you had ascended your thrones, that we too might join you on them!
Let me tell you a secret. We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the sound of the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised with bodies not subject to decay, and we shall be changed.
in which you once lived in accordance with the spirit of this present world, and the mighty prince of the air, who is always at work in the disobedient, among whom all of us, we Jews as well as you heathen,
Yes, I long to come to know Him; that is, the power of His resurrection and so to share with Him his sufferings as to be continuously transformed by His death,
When Christ, who is our life, appears, you too will appear to be glorified in fellowship with Him.
"If we patiently endure, we will reign with Him too. If we disown Him, He will disown us too.
In any great house there are not only gold and silver articles but also wooden utensils, some for honorable uses and some for lowly uses. So if a man will cleanse himself from these things, he will be an instrument for honorable uses, consecrated, useful for the Master, and ready for any good service.
For it was not to angels that He gave authority over that world to be, of which we are speaking.
So a sabbath of rest is still awaiting God's people.
So a sabbath of rest is still awaiting God's people.
So Christ too did not take upon Himself the glory of being appointed High Priest, but it was God who said: "You are my Son; I have today become your Father,"
For it was not mere stories of fancy that we followed when we told you of the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received such honor and glory from God the Father, when from the majestic glory there was borne to Him a voice like this, "This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I take delight," read more. we heard this voice ourselves borne from heaven while we were with Him on that sacred mountain.
But by the same command the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire and are kept for the day when godless men are to be doomed and destroyed.
The day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a roar, the heavenly bodies will be destroyed by being burned up, and the earth with all its works will melt away. If all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what men you ought to be! What holy and pious lives you ought to lead, read more. since you are awaiting and hastening the coming of the day of God, which will cause the heavens to blaze and dissolve and the heavenly bodies to burn up and melt away! In accordance with His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which uprightness will have its permanent home.
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
and has made us a kingdom of priests for His God and Father: to Him be glory forever. Amen.
I will give to him who conquers the privilege of taking his seat with me on my throne, just as I have conquered and taken my seat with my Father on His throne.
and have made them a kingdom of priests for our God; and they will rule over the earth."
and have made them a kingdom of priests for our God; and they will rule over the earth."
This is why they are before the throne of God, and day and night serve Him in His temple, and He who is seated on His throne will shelter them in His tent.
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and loud voices were heard in heaven, saying, "The sovereignty of the world has come into the possession of our Lord and His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever."
Blessed and holy is the man who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death will have no power, but they will be priests of God and Christ, and reign with Him the thousand years.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. And I saw the new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready like a bride to join her husband. read more. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne say: "See! God's dwelling place is with men, and He will live with them, and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no death any longer, no sorrow, no crying, no pain. The first order of things has passed away."
and He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no death any longer, no sorrow, no crying, no pain. The first order of things has passed away." Then He who was seated on the throne said, "See! I am making everything new." He continued, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." read more. He further said to me: "They have come true. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I myself, without cost, will give to anyone who is thirsty water from the springs of living water. Whoever conquers will come into possession of these things, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowards, the unfaithful, the polluted, the murderers, the sexually immoral, the practicers of magic, the worshipers of idols, and all liars will have their portion in the lake that keeps on burning with fire and brimstone. This is the second death." Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls that were full of the seven plagues came and talked with me, and said, "Come; I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." So he carried me off under the power of the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God;
So he carried me off under the power of the Spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God; and it continued to retain the glory of God. The luster of it was like a very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal.
and it continued to retain the glory of God. The luster of it was like a very precious stone, like jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve huge gates, and twelve angels in charge of the gates, which had inscribed upon them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
It had a great, high wall, with twelve huge gates, and twelve angels in charge of the gates, which had inscribed upon them the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.
There were three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the Lamb's twelve apostles.
The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the Lamb's twelve apostles. The angel who was talking with me had a measuring rod of gold, to measure the city, its gates and wall.
The angel who was talking with me had a measuring rod of gold, to measure the city, its gates and wall. The city lies in a square, its length the same as its breadth. He measured the city with his rod, and it was one thousand, five hundred miles. Its length, breadth, and height were the same.
The city lies in a square, its length the same as its breadth. He measured the city with his rod, and it was one thousand, five hundred miles. Its length, breadth, and height were the same. He measured its wall, two hundred and sixteen feet as a man measures, which is the way the angel measured.
He measured its wall, two hundred and sixteen feet as a man measures, which is the way the angel measured. The material of its wall was jasper, but the city itself was pure gold, as transparent as glass.
The material of its wall was jasper, but the city itself was pure gold, as transparent as glass. The foundation stones of the city's wall were ornamented with all sorts of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald,
The foundation stones of the city's wall were ornamented with all sorts of precious stones. The first foundation stone was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst.
the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate built of a single pearl. The Broadway of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass.
The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate built of a single pearl. The Broadway of the city was pure gold, as transparent as glass. I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty Himself and the Lamb Himself are its temple.
I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty Himself and the Lamb Himself are its temple. The city does not need the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God has lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp.
The city does not need the sun or moon to shine in it, for the glory of God has lighted it, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light; the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.
The nations will walk by its light; the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.