End Times Prophecy Passport

By Chuck Swindoll

THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM

At the physical return of Christ to earth and after His winnowing judgment of Israel and the Gentile nations, Jesus, the Son of David, will rule the earth in righteousness and peace (Isaiah 11:1-12). The surviving tribulation saints will enter the kingdom and enjoy long and happy lives, along with the saints previously raptured (Revelation 20:4). This time of bliss when wolves and lambs will live in harmony (Isaiah 11:6) will last a thousand years (Revelation 20:2-3, 7) and constitutes the marriage feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9).

Christ will rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, but He will not rule alone. All born-again believers who die on earth or are raptured will reign with Him in resurrected, immortal bodies (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10). They will sit with Christ on the thrones described in Revelation 20:4. These righteous rulers will not only constitute a moral majority; they will be unable to be corrupted by money, greed, pride, or power.

God’s glorified people will enforce the will of Christ and adjudicate disputes between their subjects—those who survive the tribulation in their mortal bodies (1 Corinthians 6:2). Additionally, they will judge angels (6:3). The nation of Israel will be restored to its land through the 144,000 believing Jews, and all Gentile nations will worship and serve the King of Kings.

However life in the kingdom will not guarantee sinless character. Not all born during this time will trust Christ in spite of their believing parents. At the end of the thousand years, God will release Satan, and Satan will deceive these unbelievers into rebellion. The ultimate battle between good and evil will pit the forces of Satan against the people of God (Revelation 20:7-9). But fire from heaven will devour the wicked once and for all, and Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire to “be tormented day and night forever and ever” (20:10).

YEAH, BUT…

A literal reading of Revelation 20:4-6 teaches that a real, future, thousand-year kingdom will be ruled by Christ and the resurrected saints after His second coming (known as premillennialism); some theologians, however, interpret this message figuratively. They consider the thousand-year reign symbolic, referring to the whole period of the church age. This view is called postmillennialism; it argues that we are currently living in the millennial kingdom awaiting the second coming of Christ. Still others believe the thousand year reign refers to Christ and the saints in heaven ruling spiritually rather than physically. This position is known as amillennialism because it assumes that no earthly kingdom will occur. Under this view, the second coming of Christ will immediately usher in the eternity.

However a direct reading of Revelation 20:4-6 argues strongly for a literal kingdom on earth. And Jesus’s own words in other passages suggest that a literal kingdom will be established upon His return. (Matthew 19:28-30; Acts 1:6-8).

So What?

Will the millennial kingdom be literal or figurative?

The millennial kingdom is an illustration of God’s continuing grace toward sinful humanity. Those who survive the great tribulation and enter the millennium and those born in their natural, sinful state during the millennium will have one final opportunity to place their trust in Christ the King. Tragically, many will reject Christ and follow the freed Satan in a vain attempt to overthrow the King (Revelation 20:7-9). Their future is eternity in the fiery pit. But many others will end their natural lives as believers in Christ Jesus—an opportunity they would not have had if it were not for the extension of God’s grace of that last thousand years of earthly time.