The Rapture And A Thousand Years Of Peace

The King James Version (KJV) is mostly used in these lessons. Click here to access the KJV online.

The Bible does not teach that the millennium will be a thousand years of peace and prosperity here upon earth. This is Satan's deception.

There are five current unbibilical teachings about the millennium:

A. That Christ will not come the second time until the end of the millennium. This is post-millennialism. Those who believe this put Christ's coming at least one thousand years in the future. Satan is pleased thus to remove the thought and event far, far away.

B. That the millennium will be preceded by a secret coming of Christ. Although Jesus [Yahushua] did everything, that words could do, to tell us that His coming would be open and public before saints and sinners (see Revelation 1:7; Acts 1:9-11).

C. That the millennium is to be preceded by a seven-year reign of Antichrist. A great host of people today, with all the glorious light of prophecy shining upon world history, do not see the real Antichrist and are looking for one to appear after Christ has come. This false theory came as a part of the Counter-Reformation, and was introduced to offset the mighty work of such men as Luther, Calvin, Knox, Wesley, and all the other great Reformers.

D. The misconception that the gospel will still be preached during the millennium, after the second coming of Christ.

E. That Christ has already come; and the dead will be raised from time to time during the millennium and given a second chance to accept the gospel while the devil is chained up.

If we believe any of the above five deceptions, we are more likely to procrastinate and lose our salvation because of the belief that Christ will not be here for at least one thousand years; so you can get ready after the secret coming of Christ.

Let's study what the Bible teaches about the Millennium.

The Beginning Of The Millennium

1. When Christ comes the second time, what will happen to the cities of earth?

"And the cities of the nations fell." Revelation 16:19.

"I beheld, and, lo , the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end." Jeremiah 4:26, 27.

Answer: The whole earth will become desolate from the devastating earthquake and hailstorm.

2. To what condition will the earth be reduced?

"Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a mo­ment. I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light." Jeremiah 4:20, 23.

Answer: Total destruction and the earth will be depopulated.

3. What five events mark the beginning of the Millennium?

A. Second coming of Christ.

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16.

Jesus' advent is preceded by the seven last plagues - most fearful scourges to strike mankind in the long history of our race. The war of Armageddon is the sixth of these plagues.

B. Righteous dead resurrected (the first resurrection).

"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.” Revelation 20:6.

"The dead in Christ shall rise first,” 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

This is the "resurrection of life" to which Jesus referred (John 5:29). Only the "blessed and holy" come forth to life eternal in this first resurrection.

C. Wicked living slain.

"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8. (See 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Jeremiah 25:31-33.)

The angry nations at war with one another receive of the wrath of God as Christ, the "King of kings and Lord of lords," comes to "destroy them which destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:18). As Sovereign Lord of the world, Christ uses His arsenal of weapons, which are much more potent than any thermonuclear devices and atomic bombs that are likely to be used in the war of Armageddon.

"The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 Peter 3:10. The spirits of devils inspire the Armageddon conflict. Satan rejoices in war and in the death of God's creatures. All nations from east, west, south, and north plunge into the terrible slaughter. Then God arises to punish the transgressors of His law of love.

"The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from his Holy habitation. . .For the Lord hath a controversy with the nations. . . Evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth." Jeremiah 25:30-32. "The kings of the earth and of the whole world" (Revelation 16:14) are destroyed as Christ, the great warrior of heaven, rides forth to put down the forces of rebellion (Revelation 19:11-16). All the wicked die and the earth is depopulated.

D. All the righteous taken to heaven.

"The dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. (See John 14:1-3).

The resurrected saints and the living righteous are taken out of this world to heaven. Please remember that the hour is coming when mercy's voice will be hushed (Revelation 22:11). Then the seven last plagues will be poured out upon an unrepentant world. Armageddon, coming during the sixth plague, follows after man's probation has closed. Those who wait for the time of that battle to get ready for heaven will be disappointed; it will be too late then.

E. Satan is bound.

"And He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 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.” Revelation 20:2-3.

Jesus said that He would return and take His people to the mansions He went to prepare. That settles it for you, doesn't it? He will take all the righteous to heaven. The wicked living will perish. The wicked dead who are already in their graves will remain there. Satan will be left alone in the ruined earth, his work of deception ended for 1,000 years. Satan is sentenced to a one-thousand-year term of imprisonment in this world-the very pit of destruction. He is truly bound, "that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled."

4. After the righteous are taken to heaven by Christ at His coming, how many persons will be left living on the earth?

"I beheld, and, lo there was no man." Jeremiah 4:25.

Answer: The living wicked will be slain by the very presence of Christ at the second coming. When an angel appeared at Jesus' tomb, the entire group of Roman guards fell as dead men (Matthew 28:2, 4). When the brightness of all the angels, our loving Father Yahweh, and His Son combine, the wicked will die as if hit by lightning. Bear in mind that the wicked already dead when Jesus returns, will still remain in their graves until the end of the 1,000 years. " For our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:29.

5. What has happened to the wicked?

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:8.

"And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground." Jeremiah 25: 33.

Answer: The wicked will be utterly overwhelmed by the awful splendor of His coming and will all fall dead to the ground (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8). Unnumbered millions of dead of all nations will be scattered over the earth. There will be no one to lament them or bury them. Wherever they fall, they must remain until the second resurrection.

6. What will happen to Satan at Christ's coming?

"And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." Revelation 20:1, 2.

NOTE: "Here is to be the home of Satan with his evil angels for a thousand years. Limited to the earth, he will not have access to other worlds to tempt and annoy those who have never fallen. It is in this sense that he is bound: there are none remaining, upon whom he can exercise his power. He is wholly cut off from the work of deception and ruin which for so many centuries has been his sole delight. . . For six thousand years, Satan's work of rebellion has 'made the earth to tremble.' He had 'made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof.' And he 'opened not the house of his prisoners.' For six thousand years his prison house has received God's people, and he would have held them captive forever; but Christ had broken his bonds and set the prisoners free.

"Even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan, and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize the effect of the curse which sin has brought. 'The kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, everyone in his own house [the grave]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch. . . . Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people.' Isaiah 14:18-20." The Great Controversy, page 659, 660.

7. After Satan is bound, where will he be cast?

"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." Revelation 20:3.

Answer: The bottomless pit here referred to is the earth after it has been broken down, made waste and void, and when the sun no longer shines upon it, as described above. It will become a desolate dungeon, and in this abyss Satan and his angels will be confined for one thousand years. He can "de­ceive the nations no more," because the righteous are in heaven examining the records, and the wicked are dead upon the earth. Thus, he is bound and he cannot even leave the earth to go to other worlds in the universe to try to annoy and deceive them into sin.

NOTE: “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. During this time his sufferings are intense. Since his fall his life of unceasing activity has banished reflection; but he is now deprived of his power and left to contemplate the part which he has acted since first he rebelled against the government of heaven, and to look forward with trembling and terror to the dreadful future when he must suffer for all the evil that he has done and be punished for the sins that he has caused to be committed.” The Great Controversy, page 660.

8. What are the four pieces of evidence that mark the 1,000-year period?

A. The earth is desolate-a bottomless pit.

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end." Jeremiah 4:23.

The desolation of the earth is brought on by a series of tragic events: (1) the awful plagues, including the general carnage and devastation of Armageddon, huge hailstones and davstating earthquake (Revelation 16:18-21; 6:14-17); (2) the awesome advent of Christ in glory, at which time the wicked are destroyed by fire and the earth is broken up by a great earthquake (Revelation 16:17-21).

B. The wicked are all dead (Jeremiah 4:25; Isaiah 11:4).

C. Satan and his angels are "bound" on a desolate earth (Revelation 20:1-3).

D. The righteous are engaged in a work of judgment in heaven (Revelation 20:4-6).

"I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgement 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" Revelation 20:4. (See 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.)

NOTE: The Bible teaches that the saved will have a part in the judgment. But why have a judgment after all cases have been decided? When Christ comes, He brings His reward with Him and takes His people to heaven. But the wicked are to be raised from the dead at the end of the 1,000 years, to receive the punishment of the second death. Just how will God deal with these cases? Who will burn in the lake of fire for a short time? Who for a longer time?

Suppose you had a very dear christian friend on earth whom you thought would be in heaven, but in heaven he was not to be found. Well, during the millennium you will find out just how God has dealt with his case and the cases of all others. God takes a thousand years for this work. He will run no risk of having one single doubt in any mind about His work for fallen man. When the wicked finally have sentence pronounced upon them, it will be clear to all that they deserve the punishment.

During this period God allows the saved to sit, as it were, beside Him and learn how hard He tried to save every person. I think we shall understand Him better and love Him more after we have learned from the Saviour, Himself, His story of salvation. Don't you? When it is all over we shall say, "True and righteous are Thy judgments." Revelation 16:7. There will be no soil in our hearts for the growth of seeds of doubt. "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Revelation 21:4.

During the 1,000 years, every soul who has ever lived on earth will be in one of two places: (1) on the earth, dead and lost, or (2) in heaven, taking part in the judgment. The Lord invites you to be in heaven. Please accept His invitation.

Events At The Close Of The Millennium

9. What is to happen at the end of the one thousand years?

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Revelation 20: 5. This is "the resurrection of damnation" spoken of by Christ, as recorded in John 5:29. Only the righteous are raised in the first resurrection. See Revelation 20:6. Since the righteous dead were raised one thousand years earlier, the expression, "the rest of the dead," must refer to the wicked.

Answer: The wicked will be raised to life.

1. The wicked dead are raised.

2. The Holy City descends to earth with the saints.

3. Satan mobilizes the vast multitude of the wicked against the Holy City and the saints.

4. God destroys sin, sinners, death, and hell in that last, final destruction. This is the second death.

5. God creates a new earth with all the marks and tracings of sin erased, and He will dwell with His people forever.

NOTE: “At the close of the thousand years the second resurrection will take place. Then the wicked will be raised from the dead and appear before God for the execution of 'the judgment written.' Thus the revelator, after describing the resurrection of the righteous, says: 'The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.' Revelation 20:5. And Isaiah declares, concerning the wicked: 'They shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.' Isaiah 24:22.” The Great Controversy