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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
February 1, 2026
*Descriptions of the Millennium
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
The previous sermon in this series focused on the fact of the Millennium, the future reign of Jesus Christ on earth for one thousand years following His second coming and prior to the final judgments and the replacement of the present heavens and earth with new ones. *I pointed out that a plain, literal reading of Revelation will result in the Pre-Millennial dispensational view because only it sticks with the grammatical-historical method of interpretation throughout the book. It is a theological understanding that arises from the text of Scripture. All other approaches to eschatology resort to allegory and symbolism to force the texts of Scripture into their theological positions. (See: The Fact of the Millennium – Rev. 20:1-10)
*The Millennium follows the seven year period of tribulation that concludes the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 that concerns the Jewish people, Jerusalem and God’s plans to make atonement for iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness. Jesus taught about the Tribulation period, also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7), in the prophecies of Matthew 24. Revelation 6-19 give details about what occurs during that period. The last half of it following the abomination of desolation will be much worse and so it is called The Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21).
*The final event of the tribulation period will be the second coming of Jesus Christ as the conquering king who returns with the armies of heaven. The beast and false prophet are seized and thrown into the lake if fire, and the armies he had gathered to make war with the Lamb are slain by the sword from His mouth with their bodies left on the field to be eaten by the birds. This battle is often referred to as Armageddon. I covered this passage in a sermon a few weeks ago (See: The Return of the King – Rev. 19:11-21) and also clarified the differences between the references to the Day of the Lord, the Rapture, the Second Coming and multiple battles referred to as Armageddon in the sermon after that (See: What’s the Difference: Rapture, Second Coming, Day of the Lord?). However, there are a few prophetic details about that Armageddon at the end of the tribulation period that I want to bring out about it because it sets the stage for the Millennium.
*The End of the Tribulation
The Beast Attacks
Recall from Revelation 16:13-16 that spirits of demons coming from the dragon (Satan), the beast (the Antichrist), and the false prophet “go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty” (vs. 14). They are gathered at Har-Magedon – Armageddon – in northern Israel. This is actually a result of the sixth bowl of wrath which dries up the Euphrates river which makes way for the kings of the east to also come. *At this point in the tribulation, the beast is the dominate authority on earth and people worship the dragon and the beast (Rev. 13:4). Those that do not receive the mark of the beast are cut off from commerce, and those that do not worship the image of the beast are subject to execution (Rev. 13:15-17). *There will be countless martyrs because of this (Rev. 7:9, 14), but there will still be a remnant that do not take the mark or worship the beast.
The angelic warnings about taking the mark of the beast (Rev. 14:9-11) combined with aspects of the wrath of God being restricted to only those with the mark of the beast (Rev. 16:2 – 2nd bowl) implies that there will be those without the mark. *That is confirmed by the protection given to those with the seal of God on their foreheads (7:3; 9:4). There is also the Jewish remnant that flee to the mountains in the wilderness that are protected and provided for by God (Rev. 12:6, 14-16; Joel 2:32-33; Zech. 14:5; Matt. 24:16). There also appears to be a remnant in Jerusalem since those not killed in the earthquake in Rev. 11:13 give glory to God which is the opposite reaction of those that continue in rebellion against God and will take the mark of the beast. In addition, there is a remnant left after Jerusalem is attacked and conquered and then rescued by God.
Revelation 19:11-21 which we examined a few weeks ago is a brief overview of Armageddon focused on Christ’s return to destroy the beast and his armies. *Despite the devastation caused by the previous five bowl judgments, the delusion of the beast and his followers is that they will still win the victory over God and His people. Several other scripture passages give much more detail about the four major phases of Armageddon – Preparation, Conquest, Defeat, Clean-up.
*Ezekiel 38 gives the most detail about the gathering of nations for it. It described God putting “hooks into your jaws” in bringing the nations to attack Israel (vs. 4-9) which at that time will be living securely in villages without walls (vs. 11). The nations will be enticed by the opportunity for spoil and plunder (vs. 12-13). Daniel 11:36-39 points out that the future Antichrist is motivated by conquest to honor a god of fortresses with the spoil which is also distributed to those that help him. God brings it about for the purpose “to magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am Yahweh (Ezek. 38:14-23).
*Destruction by the Beast
Zechariah 12-14 describes the initial part of the war including the victories of Antichrist and his forces. Jerusalem “will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city” (Zech. 14:1-2). The verses previous to this state, 8 “And it will be in all the land,” Declares Yahweh, “That two parts in it will be cut off and breathe their last; But the third will be left in it. 9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire And refine them as silver is refined And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are My people,’ And they will say, ‘Yahweh is my God.’” *Amos 9:8-11 point to this same truth that God will use this to purge Israel for He “will not totally destroy the house of Jacob” (vs. 8), but that “all the sinners of My people will die by the sword” (vs. 10). This is what Paul is pointing to in Rom. 11:26-27 in saying 26 “and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “And this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
*As pointed to in Daniel 9:24 and many other prophecies, it must be kept in mind that a particular purpose of the tribulation period is to bring about the purging of Israel even as the wrath of God also purges out sinners from the rest of the world. Theological perspectives that miss this point try to put the church into the tribulation, but she does not belong there because she is promised rescue from the wrath to come (1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9; Rev. 3:10).
*Destruction of the Beast & His Armies
Just when it appears that the beast has the victory, Zech. 14:3 states, “Then Yahweh will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle.” As foretold to the apostles by the angels, Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives (Acts 1:11), and when His feet stand on it again, there will be a great earthquake that splits the mountain from east to west (Zech. 14:4). Every wall in the city will fall as the city is raised up while mountains are thrown down and the area around Jerusalem becomes a plain (Ezek. 38:19-20; Zech. 14:10). *Ezek. 38:21-22 describes the armies that gather being destroyed as God sends pestilence, torrential rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone. Zech. 14:12, 15 describe the plague Yahweh will send upon those that have gone to war against Jerusalem as “their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, and their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongue will rot in their mouth,” and a plague of the same nature will be on their animals. *The armies turn on each other even as Judah also fights them (Ezek. 38:21; Zech. 14:13-14). They will fall on the mountains of Israel to become food for the birds and beasts (Ezek. 39:4; Rev. 19:17-18). And as previously pointed out in Revelation 14:19 and 19:15, the wicked not killed in the battle of Armageddon will be gathered after it and put to death in the wine press of the wrath of God.
*The Start of the Millennium – Revelation 20:1-3
The millennium starts with an earth devastated by the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments. As described in Ezekiel 39:4-20, there will also be extensive clean up from Armageddon. The birds and beasts will consume the flesh of the dead, but it will still take seven months for all their bones to be buried. The spoil from the armies will provide fuel to last for seven years. *Amos 9:11–12 points out that rebuilding will also begin as the Millennium starts, 11 “In that day I will raise up the fallen booth of David And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins And rebuild it as in the ancient days, 12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom And all the nations who are called by My name,” Declares Yahweh who does this. Early in the millennium there will also be changes to the biosphere as the flora and fauna of the earth is renewed as described in other prophecies.
The topography will have been radically changed by the earthquakes that level the mountains and cause the islands to flee. That explains some of the geographical references in passages about the Millennium that would otherwise be confusing.
*As pointed out last week, there will be many glorified humans when the millennium begins starting with the armies of heaven, the church, that accompanies Christ on His return. Joining them after Armageddon will be the martyrs of the tribulation period who soon after receive their resurrection bodies. There are also all the other various groups of saints that are part of the first resurrection and who will also reign with Christ.
*I also pointed out last week that the Millennium starts with Satan being captured, bound and thrown into the Abyss which is then shut and sealed for a thousand years. That eliminates the devil from being able to deceive anyone outside the Abyss during that time. That, combined with the fact that all the wicked that took the mark of the beast will have been killed, will drastically reduce the amount of sin in the world, but not eliminate it completely. *The only normal, non-glorified humans left on the earth will be the redeemed individuals who believed the gospel and followed God that survived the tribulation period. However, in the same way Christians currently physically alive are redeemed but not sinless, so will be these people.
Imagine living in a community in which everyone was a genuine Christian. That is how the millennium will begin. There will still be sin, but the desire to do what is right will mitigate that with forgiveness and reconciliation so that there will be a harmony that is very rare today even in churches. The children born to this population will be sinners in the same way as children born in the present time. That will have serious ramifications at the end of the millennium.
*The Reign of Messiah – Revelation 20:4-6 & Selected Scriptures
Another factor that will reduce sin to a minium in the millennium is that Jesus will reign assisted by the glorified saints. A perfect ruler with perfect government officials with perfect laws and perfect justice. I know that is hard to imagine, but that will be part of the blessings of the millennium.
*Here is what Jeremiah 33:14–16 states about it. 14 “‘Behold, days are coming,’ declares Yahweh, ‘when I will establish the good word which I have spoken concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 15 ‘In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch of David to branch forth; and He shall do justice and righteousness on the earth. 16 ‘In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell in security; and this is the name by which she will be called: Yahweh is our righteousness.’”
*That good word includes the new covenant detailed in Jeremiah 31:33-34, 33 “But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,” declares Yahweh: “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know Yahweh,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares Yahweh, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
*Zephaniah 3:13-17 also speaks of this future time when – 13 “The remnant of Israel will do no injustice And not speak falsehood, Nor will a deceitful tongue Be found in their mouths; For they will feed and lie down With no one to make them tremble.” 14 Sing for joy, O daughter of Zion! Make a loud shout, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 Yahweh has taken away His judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is in your midst; You will fear evil no more. 16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. 17 “Yahweh your God is in your midst, A mighty one who will save. He will be joyful over you with gladness; He will be quiet in His love; He will rejoice over you with joyful singing.”
*Those two passages are specific about Messiah’s rule in Israel and the peace she will have because of the internal change in their hearts and His protection of them. However, His rule is worldwide as pointed out in Isaiah 2:2–4, 2 Now it will be that In the last days The mountain of the house of Yahweh Will be established as the head of the mountains, And will be lifted up above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 3 And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, To the house of the God of Jacob, That He may instruct us from His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” For from Zion the law will go forth And the word of Yahweh from Jerusalem. 4 And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” It will be a time of worldwide peace such as has not been known since there have been nations, for even when there is peace within a nation, it must protect itself against other nations. And even when there has been peace between some nations, there are wars occurring between and within other nations.
*In order to maintain peace, righteousness must be upheld and quick action must be taken to bring justice to bear on those who advocate evil and act wickedly. The reason unrighteous protests become destructive riots and spread is because those breaking the law are not quickly brought to justice and held accountable for their evil. During the millennium law enforcement will be righteous and decisive. We already saw in Revelation 12:5 & 19:15 that Messiah will rule with a rod of Iron. Isaiah 11:4–5 is the ancient prophecy of that. 4 “But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with uprightness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will put the wicked to death. 5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist.” *Note that there is no hesitancy for Christ to institute the death penalty for the wicked. The Mosaic law detailed many transgressions of the law subject to capital punishment, and there will be such laws in the Millennial kingdom as well.
*The Curse is Curtailed – Selected Scriptures
Isaiah 11:6-9 continues on to describe the peace of Messiah’s rule extending to the animal kingdoms revealing a change in the nature of the animals. 6 “And the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with the young goat, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a young boy will lead them. 7 Also the cow and the bear will graze, Their young will lie down together, And the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 And the nursing baby will play by the hole of the cobra, And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. 9 They will do no evil nor act corruptly in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh As the waters cover the sea.” In our own time those are parings of dangerous predators with their prey and of children playing by deadly poisonous snakes. Notice in verse 7 the lion is eating straw like an ox. This is a reversal of the effects of the curse of sin upon creation.
*Paul points to this in Romans 8:18-25 in his discussion of our hope and eager longing for our adoption as sons and the redemption of our bodies. Creation is longing for this as well as he states in verses 19-22, 19 “For the anxious longing of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”
*Isaiah 65:17-25 also describes the curse being curtailed. Verse 25 even describes the wolf and lamb grazing together, the lion eating straw like an ox, and serpents no longer doing evil or harm. Verse 20 describes what is to us incredibly long life with no infant dying and those who die at 100 being considered to have been accursed for dying in their youth. Since death will still occur, the curse is only curtailed and not yet eliminated. *It is for that reason that though verse 17 introduces this section with God creating “new heavens and a new earth,” this should be viewed in relationship to the heavens and earth devastated by the seal, trumpet and bowl judgments of God’s wrath. These are not the same as the new eternal heavens and earth of Revelation 21-22 in which there is no curse and no death.
*Earth Restored to Bounty – Selected Scriptures
The removal of the curse on the animals also explains the restoration of the bounty of the earth that is described in several prophecies about the future kingdom of Messiah. *Joel 3:18–21 describes the blessing that will be on Judah and curses on surrounding nations that attacked her. 18 “And it will be in that day, That the mountains will drip with sweet wine, And the hills will flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water; And a spring will go out from the house of Yahweh To water the valley of Shittim. 19 Egypt will become a desolation, And Edom will become a desolate wilderness, Because of the violence done to the sons of Judah, In whose land they have shed innocent blood. 20 But Judah will be inhabited forever And Jerusalem from generation to generation. 21 And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, Indeed, Yahweh dwells in Zion.”
*The significance of the brooks running with water is usually missed by those living in areas with plenty of rain, but at the time of this prophecy and in the present time as well, Judah is in a Mediterranean climate that has long, dry Summers with little or no rain from late Spring until late Autumn, and most streams dry up. Its southern areas are deserts with even less water. It will be a great blessing to have sufficient rain to keep the brooks running, and that will also greatly enhance plant life including crops. *The spring coming from the temple is also mentioned in Zechariah 14:8 and described in detail in Ezekiel 47:1-12. As it flows toward the Arabah where Shittim is located (the Dead Sea valley), it will become a deep river supporting fishing and agriculture.
*Amos 9:13–15 has an even more astounding description of the agricultural bounty of the millennium. 13 “Behold, days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “When the plowman will overtake the reaper And the treader of grapes him who sows seed; When the mountains will drip sweet wine And all the hills will melt. 14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, And they will rebuild the desolated cities and live in them; They will also plant vineyards and drink their wine And make gardens and eat their fruit. 15 “I will also plant them on their land, And they will not again be uprooted from their land Which I have given them,” Says Yahweh your God.
This is an incredible description of agricultural abundance and the abounding prosperity that comes with that. The harvest is so great that the reapers are still finishing their job of taking in the grain as the ploughmen are approaching in preparing the land to plant for the next crop. The next phrase is a parallelism of thought common to Hebrew writers. The harvest of grapes is so great that those treading them are still at work when it is time to be in the fields sewing seed. In that climate there is normally a month or more between grape harvests in late Summer and planting winter grains in October or November when the rains come. The idea of mountains dripping with sweet wine and the hills melting is not that something dissolves the hills from a solid state to a liquid state. It is a parallel to Joel 3:18 mentioned earlier of areas that are normally marginal in their fertility having an abundance of fruit for juicing, and the fertility of the hills being so great that the cattle and goats grazing on them produce a continuous flow of milk.
*These future blessings to Israel are part of the Mosaic covenant detailed in Leviticus 26 which they will fulfill when in the new covenant God writes His law in their hearts so that they are obedient. Verses 3-5 specifically deal with these agricultural blessings, 3 “If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments so as to carry them out, 4 then I shall give you rains in their season, so that the land will yield its produce and the trees of the field will bear their fruit. 5 ‘Indeed, your threshing will last for you until grape gathering, and grape gathering will last until sowing time. You will thus eat your food to the full and live securely in your land.” God keeps all of His promises, and in this case that includes the curses on the disobedient in Leviticus 26:14-45 and changing the hearts of the remnant left so that they would be obedient and experience His blessings.
It would be reasonable to assume that with the removal of the effect of the curse on the animals and a renewal of the land that agricultural abundance would also exist for nations around the world. However, we have already seen that will be dependent on that nation’s relationship with God. Joel 3:19-20 points out that Egypt will be desolate and Edom a wilderness because of their violence against Judah. There are also warnings against the nations that do not come to worship God properly.
*Worship of God in the Millennium – Selected Scriptures
I think it is safe to say that worship of God in the millennium will definitely have a Jewish flavor. It will certainly not be like the irreverence common in so many churches today in which the worship service is designed to make the congregation comfortable and cater to their emotional desires. *Zephaniah 3:8–20 describes aspects of this future worship of God by all the earth. God’s worshipers will have purified lips (vs. 9) and will bring offerings from far distances (vs. 10). The proud and haughty will be removed (vs. 11) and it will be the lowly and poor that will be on His holy mountain (vs. 12). The lame and those who had been banished will be brought in.
*Zechariah 14:16–21 gives even more detail. Among the nations that had gone against Jerusalem and been destroyed there will be a remnant that “will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths” (vs. 16). Those “families of the earth” that do “not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahweh of hosts,” and “to celebrate the Feast of Booths” will be stricken with a plague of drought (vs. 17-19). The Feast of Booths begins after harvest and lasts for seven days and is a time of joy for Jews and could include strangers (Deut. 16:13-15). No explanation is given about why Gentiles from distant nations would need to go to Jerusalem to celebrate it, but it will become mandatory with a severe plague for non-compliance.
*Zechariah 14:20-21 continues on to describe how Jerusalem will be marked by its worship of Yahweh. The bells of the horses will be inscribed, “Holy to Yahweh,” and “every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to Yahweh of hosts; and all who sacrifice will come and take of them and boil in them.” It usually surprises people that worship in the Millennial kingdom will include sacrifices, yet several prophecies specifically mention them. Jeremiah 33:18 adds that “the Levitical priests shall not have a man cut off from before Me who is to offer burnt offerings, to offer up grain offerings in smoke, and to perform sacrifices continually.” Both of those are voluntary with the burnt offering being a sacrifice of dedication and the grain offering a sacrifice of fellowship.
*Ezekiel 39:25-48:35 gives a very extensive and detailed prophecy about the future temple and its structure, courtyards, source of water, the land around it, furnishings and operation. *Ezekiel 43:13-17 gives the details about the altar of sacrifice, and verses 18-27 statutes concerning burnt offerings, sin offerings and peace offerings. Other passages within this section of scripture give details about drink offerings, grain offerings and guilt offerings. This is all made more complex by the fact that some of these are specifically associated with atonement (43:20, 26; 45:15, 17, 20).
Jesus is the final and sufficient sacrifice (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12; 10:10-14), so the inclusion of sacrifices in the millennium is confusing. I want to give at least a brief explanation for what these sacrifices might mean. *First, this is a difficulty for every eschatological position. Those who believe the Church replaces Israel make this chapter even more confusing since worship of God within the Church has no animal sacrifices. *Those using allegorical interpretation and rejecting an actual future millennial reign generally spiritualize these chapters and reject an actual future temple and sacrifices. That solves the problem of these sacrifices by making these chapters unintelligible and the precise detail in them meaningless.
*Second, the simplest solution is to claim Ezekiel is talking about a temple built following the exile and not a future temple that has yet to be built. However, in Ezekiel 43:1-12 the glory of God returns to “dwell among the sons of Israel forever” in a reversal of the departure of the glory of God in Ezekiel 10.
*Third, all the following have to be accounted for in a solution. A) In the Levitical law, all the offerings mentioned are voluntary except the sin and guilt offerings. *B) The atonement in Ezekiel 43 is related to purifying the altar. C) The offerings for atonement in Ezekiel 45:15 do not include either a sin or guilt offering. *D) The sin, grain, burnt and peace offerings in Ezekiel 45:17f are all included in making atonement for the house of Israel and all of them are supplied by the prince of Israel. Nothing is said about atonement for Gentiles, and there is no guilt offering.
*Putting all of these factors together and recognizing that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin (Heb. 10:4), and that Jesus’ sacrifice is the only one that does, the conclusion is that these offerings in the millennium do not atone for anyone’s individual sin. *Some offering have a liturgical function of some kind in ritual cleansing with the altar in Ezekiel 43 being an example. Some offering have fellowship functions as well as providing food for the priests (Ezek. 42:13; 44:29). Some offering appear to be a memorial of some kind or a reminder of the cost of sin similar to the Lord’s Supper in the Church in the present time.
*My reason to point this out in this sermon is that the worship of God will be a central aspect of the millennial kingdom with Christ reigning in Jerusalem. Worship of Yahweh will be required of all nations, and that will even include periodic trips to Jerusalem, and it will also include sacrifices, offerings and feasts. Jesus will again drink from the fruit fo the vine with His disciples as promised in Matthew 26:29 at the Last Supper. Since only people who are redeemed and those that are glorified enter the millennium, it will be a joy for them. However, the redeemed are saved, but not sinless, and they will bear sinful children many of whom will remain unredeemed. Since it will not be on their heart to do so, they will have more difficulty in worshiping God, and some will refuse to do so resulting in punishment.
*Conclusions
The future millennial kingdom will be an incredible time of prosperity and peace. The world will be restored to amazing productivity. Satan’s binding and imprisonment in the abyss will make it impossible for him to deceive anyone. There will be a perfect government because it will have perfect ruler, Jesus Christ, and all his officials will be glorified saints. There will be perfect peace because there will be perfect justice and wickedness will not be tolerated. It will be as close to utopia as is possible until all sin and death is no more in the eternal state. You will want to be there! And you can be, for it is promised to all who have placed their faith in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ to save them from their sins.
Sermon Notes – 1/18/2026
Descriptions of the Millennium – Selected Scriptures
Introduction
_________the Pre-Millennial dispensational view consistently follows grammatical-historical interpretation
The Millennium follows the seven year period of tribulation that concludes the prophecy of Daniel _______
The final event of the tribulation period will be the _______________of Jesus Christ as the conquering king
The End of the Tribulation
The Beast Attacks
The beast will be the ____________authority on earth at the time of Armageddon
There will be countless martyrs, but still a ___________of survivors do not take the mark of the beast
This includes those with the seal of God, the ____________remnant, and those that give glory to God
The beast & his armies to gather under the demonic ____________they can war with God & win
Ezekiel 38 – God puts “hooks into your jaws” bringing the nations to attack ____enticed by spoil & plunder
Destruction by the Beast
Zechariah 12-14: ____________is captured & plundered to refine them with 2 parts cut off and 1 part left
Amos 9:8-11 (Rom. 11:26-27) – all the sinners of My people will die, but the remnant left are _______saved
Daniel 9:24, etc., a particular purpose of the Tribulation is the purging of ___________of sinners
Destruction of the Beast & His Armies
Zech. 14:3-15; Ezek. 38 – Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives, a great earthquake changes the ___________
The armies __________by pestilence, rain, hail, fire & brimstone and a plague causing men & animals to rot
The armies become food for the birds, & survivors are gathered & __________in wine press of God’s wrath
The Start of the Millennium – Revelation 20:1-3, Ezekiel 39:4-20; Amos 9:11-12
Earth is _____________by the seal, trumpet & bowl judgments. 7 months burying bones after Armageddon
Amos 9:11-12 – Rebuilding begins. Other prophecies show the _____________is renewed
Armies of heaven returned with Christ; martyrs & glorified saints who are part of _______resurrection come
Satan is bound & imprisoned in the abyss ____________his deceptions, and all the wicked have been killed
_______tribulation saints populate the earth, but they are redeemed, not sinless, and they bear sinful children
The Reign of Messiah – Revelation 20:4-6 & Selected Scriptures
A _________ruler (Jesus), with a perfect government (sinless, glorified saints), with perfect laws and justice
Jeremiah 33:14–16 – prophecies of future ________fulfilled. This includes the new covenant (Jer. 31:33-34)
Zephaniah 3:13-17 – no injustice, falsehood or deceit – Yahweh in their midst bringing _________________
Isaiah 2:2-4 – Yahweh’s rule in Zion extends around the __________establishing universal peace
Peace is maintained by Messiah’s righteous rule with a __________which punishes the wicked (Isa. 11:4-5)
There will be ________in the Millennium, but justice is swift on the wicked including capital punishment
The Curse is Curtailed – Selected Scriptures
Isaiah 11:6-9 – the peace of Messiah’s rule extends to the animal kingdom with the curse ______________
Romans 8:18-25 – _________eagerly awaits this future time when it is set free from its slavery to corruption
Isaiah 65:17-25 gives a similar description and also of _____________in which 100 is considered youth
The “new heavens and a new earth” in Isaiah 65:17 is a _______& not the eternal ones of Revelation 21-22
Earth Restored to Bounty – Selected Scriptures
Joel 3:18–21 – plenty of water in _____supports vineyards & milk animals while wicked nations are desolate
Running brooks shows a climate change in ____. The spring from the temple becomes a river -Ezek. 47:12f
Amos 9:13–15 – Agricultural ______demonstrated by the extended harvests – marginal areas are also fruitful
These future blessings are in keeping with the Mosaic covenant of obedience bringing blessing – _________
Worship of God in the Millennium – Selected Scriptures
Zephaniah 3:8–20 describes aspects of this future worship of God by ____the earth – pure, humble, inclusive
Zechariah 14:16–19 describes the _________celebrating the Feast of Booths & those that do not get drought
Zechariah 14:20-21 describes Jerusalem marked by its worship of Yahweh – even common pots will be ____
Ezekiel 39:25-48:35 is a very _______prophecy about the future temple & worship & everything related to it
Inclusion of details about different offerings is ________since Jesus is the final & sufficient sacrifice (Heb.)
The offerings detailed in Ezekiel 40-46 are a problem for ________eschatological positions
Replacement theology is even more confusing because __________sacrifices are not part of Church worship
Spiritualizing it to reject an actual future temple & sacrifices makes the detailed prophecies _____________
Claiming these prophecies are not about a future kingdom temple _________God’s glory returning (Ezk 43)
The ___________in the prophecy must be accounted for in a solution
These ________be sacrifices that atone for sin, only Jesus’ can do that – (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12; 10:4, 10-14)
Some are liturgical cleansing, some are for fellowship or feeding the priests, some are _______________
____________of God is a central aspect of the Millennial kingdom – a joy for believers, difficult for the rest
Conclusions
The future millennial kingdom will be an _________time of prosperity & peace – You will want to be there!
KIDS KORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God’s Word to your children’s lives. Here is some help. Young Children – draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children – Do one or more of the following: 1) Count how many times are the word millennium is said. 2) Discuss with your parents what the millennium will be like and how to know you will be part of it.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others. The Tribulation ends with Armageddon. What victories does the beast have before he & his armies are destroyed? What happens at the very beginning of the Millennium? What will conditions on earth be like then? What changes take place fairly quickly? Describe what the rule of Messiah will be like? What is the origin of those who are wicked during the Millennium? What happens to them? In what ways will the curse on creation be curtailed? Describe the agricultural bounty in Israel in that time? What about other nations? What will the worship of God be like? What are the possible purposes of the various sacrifices to be made then? How can you be sure you will be part of the Millennium?
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