No More War

When Wars and Nuclear Bombs Are No More

Revelation 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Introduction:

The millennium is a period of 1000 years. In the Old Testament, there are a number of references of a time to come with peace and prosperity, when the earth will resemble Eden. The Jews were looking forward to their messiah, who would free them from oppression and bring in such a time of prosperity. Today, some will deny such a time, and are called amillennialists. 

However, in Revelation 20:2-6, we read the following: And he (an angel) 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 thethousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4. And I saw thrones: and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. The duration is written five times; remember, God emphasizes what is important.

What is the millennium like?

1.     The devil will be in chains. This is clearly stated in the Bible. The chief instigator of rebellion on earth will not be free to do his evil works. The Bible also teaches that the saints will one day judge angels. I assume that the Bible is speaking about fallen angels, who are demons, and this would be the appropriate time for them to be judged, although the exact time is not made clear. The situation on earth will be very different without demonic activity.

2.     The nature of wild beasts will be changed, presumably similar to that of Eden. Isaiah 6:6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall dwell with the kid; the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. 7. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox….

3.     No more war (and apparently no more famines, pestilences, & earthquakes). Micah 4:3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn of war anymore. Isaiah 2:4 And he (the Lord) shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people, and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.

4.     The knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth. False worship will cease. God’s Word will be known in every tribe, nation, people, and language. Isaiah 11:9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

5.     The curse on the earth will be removed. When Adam sinned, not only were he and his wife Eve judged, but also the earth was placed under a curse. Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of life, which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat of the fruit of the field. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. But apparently this will be changed during the millennium: Isaiah 35:1 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. 2. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing, the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

6.     The saints shall rule. I Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more the things that pertain to this life? 2 Timothy 2:12 If we suffer, we shall reign with him; if we also deny him, he will deny us. Revelation 20:4. And I saw thrones: and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

In Matthew 25, Jesus told the parable about the talents, and in Luke 19, the parable of the points. Both demonstrated that what we do for Christ now will affect what we do for him in the future, including the millennium. In both situations, there were rewards for being faithful and working hard hear on earth to serve him. These rewards are described as ruling and reigning with him.

7.     Jesus Christ will personally reign physically on the earth. Zechariah 9:10 And I will cut of the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle bow shall be cut off and he shall speak peace upon the heathen, and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even in the ends of the earth. Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.

Conclusion:

As believers, we can know that the Lord is indeed coming back to rule and reign. Then we will be privileged to rule and reign with him. It is only fit that we begin to allow him to rule and reign now in our hearts and lives.