Understanding the “Millennium”

Breaking the Code
Understanding the “Millennium”

I. Introduction

A. You and I are headed for 1 of 2 destinies!

B. Revelation 19:1-4, 7 (NLT)

II. Extreme Spiritual Reality

A. We were made for extreme with God.

1. Revelation 19:7 (NLT) “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.”

2. No relationship on this earth—however close and fulfilling—can fully satisfy the hunger of the human heart for .

3. Revelation 19:7 (NLT) “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself.”

4. Revelation 19:8 (NLT) “She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear.” For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.

B. will rule with extreme authority.

1. Revelation 19:11-16 (NLT)

2. In Jesus’ day, the horse was a animal. The donkey was not.

3. A “crown” was an indication of .

4. Every power will be accountable to —including you and me.

C. Some will suffer extreme .

1. Revelation 19:17-20:3 (NLT)

2. “The day is coming when all will be judged and completely destroyed by God.”

3. The judgment of God prevails without God having to at all!

4. Revelation 19:20b-21a (NLT)

5. The “Millennium” refers to a thousand-year period of time for the followers of Jesus who are going to with Jesus.

III. Views of the Millennium

A. Pre-millennial view

1. The idea here is the coming of Jesus will occur the thousand-year reign. And, at the end of that one thousand years, it will mark the beginning of our life in heaven.

B. Post-millennial view

1. This view says that the coming of Jesus will occur this thousand-year period. And this thousand-year period—this kind of “golden age”—will be ushered in by the Church.

C. Amillennial view

1. The idea here is that the thousand years—like most other numbers in the Book of Revelation—is a “” number—not literal. And it refers not to a chronological period of a thousand years. But, it refers to that period of time from the first coming of Jesus until the second coming of Jesus—however long that ends up being.

2. The first two views could be called a “” view of the Millennium. The Amillennial view could be called a “” view of the Millennium.

3. Virtually every other time frame and number found in Revelation is “”!!

4. Nowhere else in the Bible do we read of an Messianic reign lasting 1,000 years between the second coming of Jesus and the new heavens and the new earth.

5. I do not believe the Book of Revelation moves forward . I believe John keeps recapping the same events in a spiral-like way as we move toward the end.

a. Satan is bound. (Revelation 20:2)

b. The nations are undeceived. (Revelation 20:3)

c. We are raised with Christ. (Revelation 20:4)

d. We get to serve God as priests and kings. (Revelation 20:6)

6. I believe all 4 of those things are realities—not just future truths!

7. Right now, Satan is !!

a. Matthew 12:29 (NAS) “Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man?”

8. Right now, the nations are !

9. Right now, we are also with Christ!

a. Ephesians 2:6 (NAS) “And raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

10. We are priests and right now!

a. I Peter 2:9a (NAS) “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION.”

11. This is John’s description of our lives ! Not just in the future!

12. You and I would be under the judgment of God except for the Lamb Who was slain. It’s only because of that we go from extreme judgment to extreme intimacy.

IV. Conclusion