Today’s message of August 7, 2016 from Pastor Gus Brown:
Have you ever considered the Millennium? Why will the Lord Jesus Christ rule over the earth for 1,000 years? Why would He spend that time with humanity?
If we give thought to this, we should ask the question about the purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ.
Some people won’t really care, especially if Jesus Christ is not at the forefront of their thinking. God calls us to seek Him, and it is best to do so through His Word.
The Bible and God’s Word continues to reveal itself to those who sincerely seek Him.
Jesus ruling for a thousand years follows what is written in Revelation 19:
Revelation 19:11-12
Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and He judges and makes war in righteousness. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on His head. He had a name written that no one knows except Himself.
Jesus Christ is faithful and true. He is faithful to the truth. He is true to His Word. He will fulfill everything that He proclaims.
He will go to war in this truth and rightly judge others. All of His actions are in righteousness. He goes to war against those who are rebellious in order to proclaim His righteousness.
Revelation 19:13
He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is the Word of God.
During the Millennium, Jesus will be the teacher for His very name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13; John 1:1).
Revelation 19:14-16
The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from His mouth, so that He might strike the nations with it. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.
Revelation 19:17-21
Then I saw an angel standing on[a] the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying high overhead, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of commanders, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of everyone, both free and slave, small and great.”
Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army. But the beast was taken prisoner, and along with him the false prophet, who had performed the signs in his presence. He deceived those who accepted the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image with these signs. Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur. The rest were killed with the sword that came from the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire (v. 20).
So is there anything that God needs to prove at this point?
What happens to the children of these fathers that were slain? There are a lot of commentaries that conclude that the people who enter the Millennium are believers, but we need to consider that those who remain may not have public idols, but there still may be idol worship in the hearts of some people. Anything that is more important than Jesus Christ is just an idol.
It is the choice of a person as to whether or not they are going to follow Jesus.
Satan is dealt with between the war of Armageddon and the millennium. Satan is restrained and bound (Revelation 20:1-3). God gave the authority for an angel to bind Satan for 1,000 years.
When God speaks, His Word is the final word.
Even with all of this, man has this thing called blame. If we are late for work, it will sometimes come with an excuse. “I got distracted. I lost track of time.” In the millennium, there will be no “blame game.”
The millennium will:
- Change the spiritual atmosphere.
- Perfect a spiritual and moral environment (spiritual leadership)
- Deal with evil behavior rapidly (no rebellion)
- See Jesus reign (it will be His time of influence)
God will not allow any influence of evil or sin during that time, and it will be to remove the blame that people may have against God (“You allowed us to be deceived.”)
Romans 7:11-12
For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ.
1 Timothy 2:14
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.
1 Corinthians 15:22, 45-49
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.
The first man was from the earth
and made of dust;
the second man is from heaven.
Like the man made of dust,
so are those who are made of dust;
like the heavenly man,
so are those who are heavenly.
And just as we have borne
the image of the man made of dust,
we will also bear
the image of the heavenly man.
Genesis 3:12-13
Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”
The difference between the Millennium and the Garden of Eden will be the presence of Jesus Christ and the absence of reasons to blame.
1 Peter 5:8
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.
You can’t rightfully blame God for what happens to you if you choose not to trust in Him and follow Him.
Akron Alliance Fellowship 