THE MILLENNIUM
Welcome to an intense study of The Millennium. Although it will be intense, it will also be strictly focused on the Bible. What does the Bible say about The Millennium?
The word “Millennium” means a thousand years. It means one thousand years. The Millennium is a Bible fact. The book of Revelation mentions the thousand-year Millennium 6 times. Every reference is in Chapter 20 of Revelation.
Here are the first 2 references to the Millennium.
Revelation 20:2-3 (KJV)
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Notice, the Millennium begins when Satan is bound. When Satan is bound, he can no longer tempt people.
Why is there a Millennium? Why did God choose 1,000 years? Why couldn’t Satan be bound for 999 years? The Bible clearly answers these questions.
God does nothing arbitrary. God does not leave anything to chance. God allows choice; but He does not allow meaninglessness. Every sin will be judged; the ownership of every sin will be determined.
The Bible records the events of the Babylonian captivity. The Babylonian captivity is a microcosm of end events. Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, burned it down, and took chosen people captive back to Babylon, the golden city. The captive people stayed in Babylon 70 years and then returned to Jerusalem, where they continued their lives. Here’s the Bible account.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21 (KJV)
19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.
20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia:
21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
Did you catch that? The Babylonian captivity happened because “the land” had not “enjoyed her Sabbaths.” The Babylonian captivity happened because the Hebrew people did not follow God’s commandments. The number of years of the captivity was equal to the number of years the Hebrew people did not allow the land to rest during the yearly Sabbath. Many people do not know what the yearly Sabbath is. God commanded the entire Earth to rest every 7th year.
Leviticus 25:4 (KJV)
4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.
God also stated that the Earth, the land of this planet, has never had that required rest.
Leviticus 26:33-35 (KJV)
33 And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.
34 Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.
35 As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.
God had specifically warned the Hebrew people living in Jerusalem that they must obey the yearly Sabbath commandment. If they did not, they would be violently removed from the land so it could rest.
Jeremiah 25:8-13 (KJV)
8 Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words,
9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.
10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle.
11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.
13 And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
Jeremiah 33:11 (KJV)
11 The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the LORD of hosts: for the LORD is good; for his mercy endurethfor ever: and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of praise into the house of the LORD. For I will cause to return the captivity of the land, as at the first, saith the LORD.
God told the people to rest the land every seventh year. They did not do it. Therefore, after 420 years of their dominion of the land of Jerusalem, God put an end to their disobedience and caused them to be removed from Jerusalem. The land was left desolate for 70 years, which was the number of years God required the land to rest.
God’s requirement to rest the Earth every seventh year will also influence events of Earth’s final days. Because the Earth has never had its yearly Sabbath rest, God will force that rest to happen. After Adam sinned, a year of rest was required after every six years. After 6 years of sin, the Earth owed God 1 year of rest. After 600 years of sin, the Earth owed God 100 years of rest. After 6,000 years of sin, the Earth owed God 1,000 years of rest. That 1,000 years of rest is the Millenium. The Millennium is the 1,000 yearly Sabbaths which the Earth was not allowed to keep over the 6,000 years of Satan’s control. Notice that if Earth’s probation was less than 6,000 years, the number of years of rest would be less than 1,000. Also, if Earth’s probation was more than 6,000 years, the number of years of rest would be more than 1,000. Because we know from Revellation 20 that the
Millennium is one thousand years, we also know Earth’s probation is exactly 6,000 years!
The Babylonian captivity also shows how end-time events will transpire. Just as the King came down from the golden city of Babylon to Jerusalem, so Jesus, King of the Universe, will come down from Heaven to Earth. Just as Jerusalem was burned and left totally desolate, so the Earth will be burned by the brightness of Jessus’ coming and left totally desolate. Just as a select number of Hebrews in Jerusalem were carried to Babylon, so God’s people will be carried to Heaven. Just as the Hebrews were held in Babylon for the number of years the land of Jerusalem was not allowed to rest, so God people will be held in Heaven for the Millenium. Just as the Hebrew people were returned to Jerusalem after the 70 years of captivity, so God’s people will be returned to Earth after the Millennium. Just as Jerusalem was rebuilt, so the Earth will be made new.
What amazing parallels the Babylonian captivity has with end-time events! Here’s another parallel. When the Hebrew people lived in Jerusalem before the Babylonian captivity, “the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride” were heard. However, God took that away when the people were in Babylon. When the Hebrew people returned to Jerusalem, the “the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride” were heard again. Thus, when God’s people are taken to Heaven for the Millennium, there will be no marriages. However, when God’s people are returned to live on the Earth, marriages will happen again. This parallel exactly matches what Jesus said:
Matthew 22:30 (KJV)
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
The pages of THE GREAT CONTROVERSY corroborate these end-time events.
Satan’s work of ruin is forever ended. For six thousand years he has wrought his will, filling the earth with woe and causing grief throughout the universe. The whole creation has groaned and travailed together in pain. Now God’s creatures are forever delivered from his presence and temptations. “The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet: they [the righteous] break forth into singing.” Isaiah 14:7. {GC 673.2}
For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro in the desolate earth to behold the results of his rebellion against the law of God. {GC 660.2}
Praise Jesus!