Doctrines
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D304 - Jesus will rule peacefully but with a rod of iron for a thousand years
Following the return of Jesus, he will rule the world peacefully for a thousand years. There will be no demonic activities during this period of rest. And Jesus ‘will rule all the nations with a rod of iron’ (Rev 12:5). In other words, a firm-hand rule, not what we see now within a democracy.
And it will be for a thousand years (Rev 20:2).
It will be the rule of the benevolent King of Kings – a combination of truth and grace (John 1:14). It will not be a democracy.
The closest imperfect example that we have currently may probably surprised you …. We believe that the President of China, Xi Jinping, represents an approximation although Jesus’ rule will be a godly one as against the godless rule of President Xi.
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D305 - All Israel will be saved
Rom 11:25-26 reads,
‘I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, …..’
When is ‘the fullness of the Gentiles’?
It is also termed as the ‘time of the Gentiles’. Jesus referred to it in Luke 21:24 when he said,
‘Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.’
The Old Testament could help us understand this. In Dan 2:31-45, we see successive kingdoms dominating until Christ’s return. This represents the dominance of Gentile rule.
That will end when Christ returns and rules.
Rom 11:25-26 seems to indicate that a day will come when Gentile rule will come to an end. And Jesus will return to reign again. Will that represent the fullness of the Gentiles? Here is the promise found in Romans ….
‘In this way, all Israel will be saved.’
It does seem that the millennium rule will see the entire nation of Israel be saved.
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D306 - Only beheaded believers will reign with Jesus during the millennium
Who are those who rule and reign with Christ during the millennium of peace and rod-of-iron rule by the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords on this earth?
Rev 20:4 in one single verse provides the criteria as follows:
- These are those who have been ‘beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God’,
- They have not worshiped the beast or its image, and
- They have not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands.
These saints obviously lived during the Great Tribulation and had to pay the ultimate price of being beheaded for their faith in Jesus Christ.
Rev 20:6 describes these millennium saints as being special –
‘Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.’
They are guaranteed a place in heaven forever.
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D307 - Satan will be released after a thousand years to challenge Jesus
Rev 20:7 simply states,
‘When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison.’
Rev 20:8-9 says that Satan will go out and deceive many people to join him in a colossal battle with Jesus at Jerusalem and will eventually be completely and eternally defeated.
Why bother to imprison Satan for a thousand years and then release him after that only to see him being completely defeated? Why not just throw him into the lake of fire in the first instance?
Will we ever know?
Will a clay pot argue with its maker? (Isa 45:9)
We can question the director of a movie about the ending but it is the director that decides on how the movie should proceed.
We will never completely understand.
Satan will be released at the end of the millennium to challenge Jesus.
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D308 - Millennials will continue to have free choices
Rev 20:8 says,
‘(Satan) will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.’
If these millennials can be deceived and can end up joining Satan in the great battle, then it is reasonable for us to assume that they still have a free choice to decide.
God never created us to be robots without a freedom to choose.
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D309 - Satan will gather a large troop of millennials to challenge Jesus
Rev 20:8-9 reads –
‘And (Satan) will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them,’
Just two verses to describe how Satan will mount an epic challenge on Jesus in Jerusalem with a large group of millennials when he is released from his incarceration.
Where is Gog and Magog? We will not like to speculate.
It will, however, be a battle to end all battles.
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D310 - Satan will be defeated and sentenced to hell forever
Rev 20:9b-10 reads –
‘But fire came down from heaven and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, into which the beast and the false prophet had already been thrown. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’
This is literally the epic end – the battle between good and evil and when finally good triumphs over evil for good. Satan will be banished forever into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet had been sent a millennium before this period.
There is no more escape.
This is also the time when the seventh angel can proclaimed aloud,
‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever’ (Rev 11:15)
The End ….