Global War - The times of the end Part 5 - The Millennium

In part 4 we outlined the overthrow of the Russian confederacy by Christ and the saints. In part 5, we set out what happens afterwards.  The return of Christ to the earth - the essence of the Christian hope Christ's return to earth as the deliverer of Israel is the culmination of what we might call the Christian hope. He returns to the earth as a conquering King to set up God's kingdom on earth.  

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.  

So prophesied Isaiah in 61 v 1-2 of Christ. 

Jesus knew of this prophecy and quoted from it to the Jews of his day. However, in his first advent, he finished at "acceptable year of the Lord". It was not for him then to execute the day of vengeance of God but it will be at his second coming.  Jesus comes back to earth as a conquering King and commands the nations to submit to his rule. His kingdom will be the culmination of the Kingdom foretold in Daniel 2 v 44.   

And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.   

A kingdom needs inhabitants and so the nations will have a choice. Either submit to Christ or be destroyed. The wise amongst them will choose the former option.   

The saints

The resurrection Jesus' return to this earth will also see the culmination of the promises made to the faithful of all ages. All those who have been considered responsible to God's teaching will be brought to judgement seat and judged either righteous or unrighteous in God's sight.   The righteous will inherit the blessings of the Kingdom and will be freed from mortality. Their nature will be elevated and they will be granted eternal life and places as rulers in God's Kingdom. Paul talks about the change of the nature of the accepted saints in 1 Corinthians 15 v 51-57.  

Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  

In his letter to the Romans (6 v 22,23), Paul lays it out just as clearly.   

But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.  

We've spoken before about the fact that most Christianity today looks for a reward at death rather than a reward at Christ's return. Yet, the Bible clearly shows the time and dispensation of reward for faithfulness will be at the time of his return rather than at the time of your death.   Blessings on earth The Kingdom age will be associated with great peace and blessing for the inhabitants of the earth that remain. 

Let's turn to Isaiah 2 v 1-4  

The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.  

The duration of this golden age is set out in Revelation 20 v 4 as a "thousand years". A thousand year reign of peace on earth with Christ and the saints dispensing righteous judgement. The world today really needs divine overseeing. Man has showed himself incapable of ruling his fellow and the only remedy for this situation is for God and Christ to step back in visibly and assert their authority and control over the nations.   

Then comes the end The thousand year reign of Christ on the earth is the second last phase of God's outworking of his plan. Once the thousand years is fulfilled, Christ will hand back the Kingdom to God who will come down and dwell with man. 

See 1 Corinthians 15 v 24-28.  

Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.  

And in Revelation 21 v 3-4  

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.  

It is to this glorious hope that we look. We can see past the present turmoil and turbulence of the world to a time of peace and of the culmination of God's plan with this earth. We look for Christ's return in the signs of the times and we know that when the things contained in this series on the times of the end start to work themselves out, that the final phases of man's cruel dominion over the world will have started. 

Even so, come Lord Jesus!