I didn't understand why my maternal grandfather's relished study about the Millennium of Christ in his Bible. As he aged, the contrasts between the society in which he found himself and the perfect rule of Jesus during His 1000-year reign grew in disparity. Almost weekly, I find myself conversing with Mother about the wonderful differences the millennial reign of Jesus will bring. Like Grandpa I find myself longing for the millennial reign with Jesus on this earth.
Our farm cats’ predatory nature endangers birds, butterflies, rodents, lizards, and anything smaller than them. Spotting a dead butterfly like the one below prompts a sense of sadness. Unlike me, the cats fail to appreciate the beautiful colors of the winged creature but rendered it lifeless with one paw swipe.
As I continued watering the tomato plants, I mused on the ten centuries in the future when the
animal kingdom will no longer be predatory. The passage in Isaiah 11:6 came to
mind, The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down
with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And
a little child shall lead them.
In this future era, the cats and the butterfly will
“live and let live.” The Revelation of Jesus Christ, the final book in
Holy Scripture penned by the Apostle John, delineates the length of this
glorious time being 1,000 years, thus giving it the name Millennium (Revelation
20:4).
The
Old Testament prophet, Zechariah, predicts in chapter 14, verse 9, And the
Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be – “The Lord is
One,” and His name one. David writes of this time and Jesus’ role in Psalm
22:28, For the kingdom is the Lord’s, and He rules over the nations. The
idealogy of the rule of Jesus is described by Isaiah in Isaiah 11:4-5 with
righteousness He shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of
the earth. The words “righteousness” and “equity” depict
His future reign.*
Isaiah
65 expounds on the extended longevity during this 1000-year-period. Amos, the
shepherd/farmer-turned-prophet, writes of the unheard-of productivity of the
earth as the plowman will overtake the reaper due to the enormous harvest in
Amos 9:13.
With
the curse lifted on the animal kingdom and the earth itself freed of thorns and
thistles and the government of the Lord Jesus ruling perfectly, what could be
wrong? People’s life expectancy will rival the days of Methuselah. Even lowly
kitchen pots and the bells on the horses’ bridles will have the engraving Holiness
to the Lord. With this perfect environment much like the Garden of Eden,
what could go wrong?
A
sinister verse recorded in Revelation 20:3 says he must be released for a
little while. Prior to the beginning of the 1,000-year reign, Satan will be
confined to the bottomless pit for the duration of the millennium, but then the
enemy of God is allowed to infiltrate the perfectly ruled world and delude the
hearts of the unredeemed earth dwellers.
In an
incomprehensibly brief time, the Deceiver will rally humans from all areas of
the earth that lived through the glorious reign of Jesus. Revelation 20:7-9
details the number of those who, although experiencing heaven on earth, will
rebel against the rule of Jesus will be as the sand of the sea. They will
join wholeheartedly with Satan to surround the saints (those of us who have
trusted Jesus along with those born during the 1,000 years who will yield their
lives to Him) and the beloved City, Jerusalem. But God will put a stop to their
insurrection against the King of Kings.
With
the very best situation in which to live for 1000 years, how can anyone have
unmet needs? The government under the rule of Jesus will treat each global
citizen equitably because the omniscient King knows everything that is done and
the motives of the heart of each person. The irony of the millennium reminds us
that even in the perfect environment where Jesus will govern with justice and
righteousness, the rebellious human heart will still be “deceitful and
desperately wicked” as Jeremiah characterized it in Jeremiah 17:9.
An
incalculable number of the loving King’s subjects will rebel and seek to take
down His kingdom, destroy His loyal subjects, and raze the beloved city of Jerusalem.
The hatred and resentment will have festered for many years in the dark
recesses of the hearts of these who will answer swiftly the sinister, twisted
call by the devil to challenge the reigning King Jesus. God will quell the
rebellion with fire from heaven on those who experienced a perfect world but rejected it
viciously.
As we celebrate the 245th remembrance of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence, we acknowledge that we do not have a perfect Union, our government does not mirror the Millennium rule of Christ. Yet the scripture in Proverbs 14:34 gives us the effective formula for improving it. May we seek what God calls righteousness through a relationship with His Son. Then each day may we obey Him as we do what we read in His Word.
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
*Another verse about the type of judgment Jesus will administer - He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness. Psalm 9:8.
For those interested in more about the Millennium's place in End Time Events. Here is a link to the late Bible scholar, Dr. John Walvoord’s End Times Graph. Once one gets to the site, click on the graph to enlarge it - https://www.calvaryflathead.org/helpful-links/bible-prophecy-timeline-walvoord/
No comments :
Post a Comment