OVERVIEW OF THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF JESUS
I THE DEFINITION OF THE MILLENNIUM
A. The literal 1,000 year reign of Jesus on the earth. (mille – Latin for thousand; annum – year) The millennium
is the intermediate period between the second coming of Jesus to establish His reign on the earth and His final judgment
of all the peoples on judgment day. It is this period of time that Jesus through His reign over all the nations will accomplish
two major works:
1. Fulfill all the covenant promises made by His Father to Israel by establishing her as the chief nation among
all the nations of the earth;
2. Together with His bride, the church, fulfill the original mandate given to Adam at creation: to fill the earth and
subdue it. (Genesis 1:28; Matthew 28:18-20). He will reign until He has put all enemies under His feet, delivering
His kingdom into the hands of His Father. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
B. In addition, there are two other key themes that are highlighted during the millennial reign of Jesus:
1. The first resurrection of the saints at His coming (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) in which He will reward the faithful
(Matthew 25:14-30) by allotting each their inheritance (Psalm 47:4) during this thousand year reign.
2. Reaffirm the intrinsic depravity of man; the Book of Revelation is not about how mad God is at those who reject
Him; it is about how evil man truly is – and the God of justice that must respond to man accordingly. This is a key
point: that the true nature of man independent from God is revealed, much to the surprise of those who think of
man as “basically good” and “think more highly of themselves” than they ought to (Romans 12:3).
C. There may be as many as 1,233 verses in the Word of God about the millennium – not just one “obscure” and
“highly symbolic” passage in Revelation 20.
II TWO KEY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE MILLENNIAL REIGN:
A. Why would saints who have been taken to heaven with Jesus be happy about leaving their eternal bliss to come
back to this reality?
B. How could people become deceived and rebel against the perfect rule of Jesus on earth?
III MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE MILLENNIAL REIGN:
A. Satan will be bound and unable to deceive the nations for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:2,3)
1. Sin will exist in the millennium (Isaiah 65:20; Zechariah 13:1-6; 14:16-19; Revelation 21:24) but will be greatly
restrained without the reality of deception prevalent among the earth.
2. Men will still have the capacity to sin with greatly reduced opportunity – the reality of the “rod of iron” being the
great restraint.
3. Sin will manifest itself not as the fruit of deception and temptation but as the pure expression of the rebellious
heart.
4. In this atmosphere many who were invited to come to the wedding feast – good and bad – will be given the
opportunity to be called friends of God (Matthew 22:1-14).
B. The everlasting throne of Jesus will be established with justice and judgment (Revelation 20:4; Psalm 2:6-8;
Isaiah 9:6,7; Hosea 2:19,20)
1. He will rule with a rod of iron over the nations (Psalm 2:9; Revelation 2:27; 12:5; 19:15) transforming every
earthly institution into a reflection of His kingdom, establishing his house of prayer for all nations – beginning with
Mount Zion, His holy mountain. (Isaiah 56:7)
2. His rule will be perfect, instituting a real peace among all the nations of the earth (Isaiah 2:4; 9:7) and
administrating righteousness, justice, lovingkindness, and mercy among the peoples of the earth; particularly for
His people (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
3. His rule will be just, administering with severity where necessary – “dashing to pieces like a potter’s vessel”
rebellious nations (Psalm 2:9); withholding rain from disobedient nations (Zechariah 14:17, 18); and causing the
nations of the earth to tremble regarding His people (Deuteronomy 28:10)
4. The administration of His rule will vary according to the degree that His kingdom is established in pockets
around the nations prior to His coming – the continuity from this age to the next.
C. The saints of the most high reign with Jesus (Revelation 20:4, 6; Psalm 37:9; Daniel 7:22, 27)
1. The saints of the Most High share in the inheritance of the nations given to the Son – He allots this inheritance
among the faithful of this age.
2. We are laboring faithfully to attain the first resurrection (Revelation 20:5, 6; Philippians 3:11; Hebrews 11:35),
the better resurrection.
3. We will rule alongside Him as His bride, walking in full partnership with Him, administering His government
from a place of complete maturity and understanding of His heart.
4. We will partner with Him to “fill the earth and subdue it” by completing His commission to disciple the nations.
5. We will move among the nations with resurrected bodies (1 Corinthians 15:35-58), incorruptible, immortal
bodies that can rightly inherit the kingdom of God; in these bodies we will judge the world (1 Corinthians 6:2) as well
as angels (6:3).
6. We will enter into a place of unprecedented maturity before we are set into place to administer His government
humbly, serving the nations as He serves. This maturity will be made manifest during the final 3 ½ year period on
earth, as the glorious church is partnering with Him to loose His judgments on the enemies of God.
D. The fruit of His reign in partnership with the saints: the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
(Isaiah 11:9)
E. Israel will be established as the preeminent nation on earth, both as the first fruits of the nations – the first nation
on earth to be completely filled with wholehearted worshippers (Isaiah 59:20; Zechariah 13:8, 9; Romans 10:1; 11:26);
and as the chief nation leading the earth as the head, not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13). All the nations will fear her
(Deuteronomy 28:10).
1. Jerusalem will be the center of world government and the place of Jesus’ earthly throne (Isaiah 2:1-5;
Micah 4:1-5) establishing worldwide peace and prosperity among the nations.
2. The Temple of the Lord will be reestablished – as the New Jerusalem – and function as a worship center
and dwelling place for Him in the midst of His people (Revelation 20:9-22:5; Ezekiel 40-48; Ezekiel 43:7); it is the
Temple of God in heaven that comes down with the holy city (Revelation 14:15, 17; 15:5, 6, 8; 16:17)
3. This new city will be brilliant in radiance, illuminated by the glory of God (Revelation 21:23); the saints of God
will reign with Him for this base (Revelation 22:5); it will contain the river of water of life and the leaves of the tree of
life that grow next to it, which together are for the healing to the nations (Ezekiel 47:1-12; Revelation 22:1-5).
IV MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM:
A. The release of satan from captivity to deceive the nations (Revelation 20:7, 8)
1. Those of the later generations who are not established in intimacy or given to complacency are candidates for
deception.
2. The possibility of deception in the perfect environment (Gen. 3; 1 Timothy 2:8-15)
3. Even in the Millennium it will be necessary to “pursue the knowledge of the Lord” (Hosea 6:1-3)
B. The final Victory of God over his enemies (Revelation 20:9, 10; Psalm 46:4-9)
C. The heavens and the earth flee away (Revelation 20:11; Psalm 46:1-3)
D. The great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-13)
E. Death and Hell are conquered; weeping and gnashing of teeth; the earth is presented to the Father as a finished
work (Revelation 20:14, 15; Matthew 8:12; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28)
F. The new heaven and the new earth arrive (Revelation 21:1)
G. The New Jerusalem settles onto the new earth (Revelation 21:2-3)
H. All things are made new (Revelation 21:5)
I. He makes a table for us in the midst of our enemies (Revelation 21:8; Psalm 23:5)