On the first day of the Millennium, an angel binds Satan in the abyss for 1000 years. The angel does this so that Satan “would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time” (Rev. 20:1-3).
With Satan, the Antichrist and all His enemies gone, Christ sets His own good and faithful servants in their places.
“Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years. (Rev. 20:4-6)
Throughout all of history a ”great cloud of witnesses” in heaven have been gathering to watch the living on earth (Heb. 12:1). Now they change their spectator seats for thrones.
From their thrones they will judge with great favour those they have watched endure suffering and beheading for their faith during the Great Tribulation. The cloud of witnesses will reward them with great authority with Christ for 1000 years.
Reigning with Christ
Everyone who was raptured “has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).
With so many people on thrones, what remains for them to rule?
Everyone who received Christ took part in the Rapture, and shares in His reign. Everyone who received the mark of the beast was condemned to hell. If some with the mark remain alive after Armageddon and the other bowl plagues, they will not live for long.
Dealing out retribution
Ruling during the early part of the Millennium will include the severe but just task of executing those marked by the beast:
“…the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day.” (2 Thess. 1:7-10)
Then there will remain “survivors” of the Tribulation who neither received Christ nor the mark of the beast (Joel 2:32). Many will be Jews who did not accept Jesus as Messiah until they saw Him return in glory.
Jesus and His co-regents will be gracious to them. They will send the survivors to other nations to gather more survivors to come to Him in Jerusalem.
“’…the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations… Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations … to My holy mountain Jerusalem,’ says the Lord.” (Isa. 66:18-20)
Jesus, His co-regents, and the survivors will have much else to do during the Millennium. After the ruinous plagues of the 7 trumpets and the 7 bowls of wrath, vast expanses of land and sea will need restoring.
One third of trees and grass will be burnt (Rev. 8:7). All seas, streams and springs will flow with blood instead of water (Rev. 16:3-4). As a result, most of the surface of the earth will need healing.
The period of restoration of all things
Therefore the apostle Peter called the Millennium “the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time” (Acts 3:21).
Many scholars have found far more Scriptures about the millennium in the OT than in the NT. I plan to write more on them later. Peter himself acknowledged in Acts 3:21 that the OT prophets had already covered that period extensively.
Still we can read many NT Scriptures that likely relate to the Millennium, such as Mt. 5:5; Mt. 5:35; Mt. 6:10; Mt. 13:41-43; Mt. 13:49-50; Mt. 19:28-29; Mt. 20:21-23; Mt. 22:9-14; Mt. 22:30; Mt. 25:23; Mt. 25:31-44; Lk. 1:30-33; Lk. 8:31; Lk. 12:37; Lk. 13:24-30; Lk. 13:35; Lk. 19:17-19; Jn. 16:21-22; Acts 1:6-7; Rom. 8:17-22; 1 Cor. 6.2-3; Gal. 5:5; 2 Thess. 1:9-10; 2 Tim. 2:12; Heb. 11:9-16; 2 Pet. 2:4; 2 Pet. 2:9; Jude 6; Rev. 1:6; Rev. 2:26-27; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 3:9; Rev. 3:21; Rev. 5:10; Rev. 11:18; Rev. 12:5; Rev. 15:4; Rev. 19:15; Rev. 20:1-6.
Furthermore, during the end-times I look forward to God giving grace for His people to reach the perfection in unity that He speaks of in many NT Scriptures. But if they do not, we can expect that they will during the millennium: Jn. 17:23; Rom. 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:4-7, 1 Cor. 12:12-21; 1 Cor. 12:24-27; Eph. 4:3-6; Eph. 4:11-16.
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