The Millennium

by J.L. Ferguson | Category: Great Spiritual Treasures | Sept 1991

The treasure that we shall consider in this article is one of golden glory.

It is about the coming, perhaps the soon coming, thousand year reign of Christ on earth commonly referred to as the Millennium. He will reign as Prince of Peace and His dominion will extend to every nation of men.

The Lord's coming to the air is imminent, when He will call up to Himself every true believer who has lived between the Day of Pentecost and the day of His coming. Dining the interval of time between the Lord's coming for His own and His coming to earth to reign there will be a period of unprecedented tribulation. Matthew 24 gives a valuable summary of events relating to that future time, and further details are found in Revelation chapters 6 to 19. The tribulation period will be brought to a close by the return of the Lord to earth in power and great glory (Mat. 24:30; 25:31). At His return the Lord will have Satan bound and imprisoned for a thousand years, and during that period of time the Lord will reign in His kingdom glory on earth.

The subjects of this kingdom will be deeply repentant Israelis who will have been bitterly persecuted and nationally depleted by Satanic forces during the tribulation period, together with those from other nations who will

be judged to have held fast to God's Word in the same period. All these will settle down to live in their own lands under the benign rule of the King, the Lord Jesus. Isaiah records a choice prophecy relating to that reign:

"Behold, a King shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgement" (32:1). So not only will the King be there to rule, but He will have administrators throughout His kingdom. For example, He promised the twelve apostles that they would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Luke 22:30). That will be in the Millennium. In various scriptures also the Lord has promised that all present believers, who prove to be overcomers in their lives, will also share in the kingdom administration throughout the nations. "And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations" (Rev. 2:26). What glories lie ahead for the believer - not only the assurance of eternal glory with Christ, but the promise also to the faithful of reigning with Him in His coming kingdom. The glory of the Lord will cover the earth during the Millennium:

a choice preview is given in the psalms: He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. In His days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace, till the moon be no more (Ps. 72:6,7).

Throughout the Bible many lovely aspects of the Lord's reign on earth are referred to. In the book of Zechariah we read:

And He shall speak peace unto the notions: and His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth (9:10).

What a contrast that is to the troubled world of today, with its distrustful nations, deep hatred motivating some; lust for power dominating others - an unfulfilled yearning for world peace. What a contrast it will be when the Lord is in direct sovereign control, and the words of the poet are at last realized:

Christ shall reign the wide world o'er, Hallelujah!

Vice shall lift its head no more, Hallelujah!

Peace shall spread from shore to shore, Hallelujah!

Then in the prophecy of Isaiah we read:

And there shall be stability in Thy times, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the LORD is His treasure (33:6).

There will be world-wide stability when the Lord reigns as King; no more economic chaos, falling values, rampant inflation; no more racial oppression, guerrilla warfare, cruel hijacking. But nations will live safely, showing wisdom, learning knowledge, with the fear of the Lord in the hearts of men. Read at your leisure Isaiah 35 and Psalm 72 to get a preview of the conditions that will prevail. No more desert wastes, crop failures, starving millions, but abundance for all when the King reigns. Today He is despised by many, those blinded by Satan to the realities of life here and hereafter. Some of our readers may be conscious of sharing His reproach and rejection. Others may be suffering from the many depressing problems of cruel circumstances. To all fellow-believers we say, take heart for the future is bright with the promises of God. The Lord is in control, not the leaders of the world powers. When God's time comes, His beloved Son will come to the air to call home to eternal glory all believers in the Lord Jesus. Then thereafter we shall return with Him to witness the setting up of His throne in world supremacy, the inauguration of His millennial reign. So let your heart live, fellow-believer, we are on the glorious winning side of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Maranatha!

J.L. Ferguson | Sept 1991
Great Spiritual Treasures