MILLENNIAL JUDGMENTS. Trump’s reassignment of US troops in Syria has shaken nearly all of the adjoining nations. The Sunni nations and factions—Turkey, the Kurds and ISIS—are struggling to assert their dominance over their claimed territories. The nations split between Shiite and Sunni—Iraq and Lebanon—are contending with new anti-government protests.
Also, the Shiite nations—Iran and Syria itself, with the help of Russia—seek to extend their dominance into those nations. And Iran seeks to destroy little Israel. While the US vows to protect Israel, it is tiring of trying to act as arbiter or policeman in the other “endless wars” in the Middle East.
Yet one of these nations will at last emerge as the final arbiter and judge over the others. Not only over the Middle East, but over the whole earth.
And many peoples will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples;
And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation,
And never again will they learn war (Isa 2:3-4).
Instead of learning war, they will learn prayer. The temple will serve as a house of prayer for all nations. But instead of praying only in Spirit, they will ask God in person. Christ Himself will inhabit the temple (Mal. 3:1).
Filling the power vacuum left by the Antichrist
The nations will have much to pray for when the Millennium begins. All those who took the beast’s mark will have perished. Some will have died in the seal, trumpet or bowl plagues, including at Armageddon (Rev. 6,8,9,16). Others will have been plucked away by avenging angels and thrown into hell (Mt. 13:40-43,47-50).
At that time, around the world, survivors who never received the Antichrist’s mark will face a power vacuum left by the collapse of his empire. They will contend with their historical foes for dominance over devastated lands.
The trumpet plagues will have burned up one-third of the trees, and all of the green grass (Rev. 8:7). The bowl plagues will have turned the seas, rivers and springs into blood (Rev. 16:3-7). The nations will not have much left to fight over.
The survivors seek answers
But at the temple in Jerusalem, the Lord will have ready His answers for their dire conditions.
“For I know their works and their thoughts. 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: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations” (Isa. 66:18-20).
Then the nations in their despair will hear that the Savior has come to Jerusalem in glory. They will want Him to heal their lands, settle their disputes, and fill the earth. They will say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
That He may teach us concerning His ways
And that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He will judge between the nations,
And will render decisions for many peoples” (Isa. 2:3-4).
Christ, and the glorified saints who reign with Him, will judge between the disputing nations. They will bring about the needed repentance, forgiveness and reconciliation (Acts 3:19). Moreover, they will decide who to entrust with the task of replanting the lands and rebuilding the cities.
The period of the restoration of all things
The “period of the restoration of all things” (Acts 3:19-21) will begin in Israel. For God has said to Israel,
“On the day that I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be inhabited, and the waste places will be rebuilt. The desolate land will be cultivated instead of being a desolation in the sight of everyone who passes by. They will say, ‘This desolate land has become like the garden of Eden; and the waste, desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.’ Then the nations that are left round about you will know that I, the Lord, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted that which was desolate; I, the Lord, have spoken and will do it” (Ezek. 36:33-36).
Thus during the Millennium, Christ and His saints will see to it that His glory comes to fill the whole fallen world.
But His glory will come by degrees, beginning in the temple where He reigns in Jerusalem…
Upcoming article: Ever Increasing Glory—Renewal in the Millennium
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DailyInsight. We may judge actions when we have honest witnesses. But we cannot judge persons, because only Judge knows their hearts (See 1 Cor. 2:10-16).
Keyphrase: Millennial judgments
