THE MILLENIUM
After Jesus returns to earth at His 2nd Coming, He will rule on earth for 1,000 years. We call this period of Christ's rule on earth the Millennium, which means "1,000 years." Listed below are events that will take place during that time.
  1. Battle of Armageddon occurs at 2nd Coming of Christ. Rev 19:11-21
  2. Antichrist & false prophet thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 19:20
  3. Satan is bound in the abyss for 1,000 years. Rev 20:1-3
  4. Believers who were killed during the Tribulation are resurrected. Rev 20:4
  5. The Old Testament believers are resurrected. Dan 12:1-2
  6. The people who are alive at 2nd coming are judged by Jesus. Matt 25:31-46
  7. The wicked are gathered out of His kingdom. Matt 13:30,41-42,49-50, 25:41
  8. The believers enter His kingdom and begin to repopulate the earth. Matt 3:43, Zech. 14:6, Matt 19:28 (regeneration means 'repopulation')
  9. Jesus will rule the world from Jerusalem (Zion) Rev. 20:4, Isa 2:1-4, Ps. 2:6-9, 48:1-2, Zech 8:3-13, Joel 3:16-17,21, Ezek 48:35, Zech 14
  10. The 12 tribes are restored to Israel. Ezek 40-48, Matt 19:28, Lk 22:30, Acts 1:6
  11. The 12 apostles, in resurrected bodies, rule over the 12 tribes of Israel. Matt 19:28, Luke 22:30
  12. Many people will come from the east and west to eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who will be in their resurrected bodies. Matt 8:11, Luke 13:-28-29
  13. The curse on earth is lifted (no more stickers, weeds) Rom 8:19-21,Zech 14:11
  14. The curse on animals is lifted (no more danger) Isa 11:6-9, 35:9. 65:25
  15. Longevity of life will be extended. Isa 65:20
  16. People on earth, in their natural bodies, won't get sick. Isa 33:24, Jer 30:17
  17. Children will be born during this time. Their parents will be those who survived Armageddon and entered the Kingdom (the Millennium) Zech 8:1-8, 14:6, Isa 65:20, 23, Ezek 47:22, Jer 31:27-40, Rev 20:8-9
  18. People born during this time will sin and need to be saved. Isa 65:20, Zech 14:17-19, Rev 20:8-9
  19. Some will die during this time. Jer 31:29-30, Isa 65:20,22
  20. They will work and live in houses during this time. Isa 65:21-23, Jer 31:5
  21. By the end of the 1,000 years, the world population will have increased from a few at the beginning (Zech 14:16) to great multitudes. Rev 20:7-9
  22. Satan will be loosed from the abyss at the end of the 1,000 years to tempt the people who have been born during this time. Even though they have seen Jesus in Jerusalem (Zech 14:16), they will refuse to follow Him. Zech 14:17-18
  23. They even try, through a final revolt, to overthrow His kingdom. Rev 20:7-9
  24. Satan is thrown into the lake of fire. Rev 20:10
  25. GREAT WHITE THRONE JUDGMENT. The spirits of all the wicked from all time are released from hell (Hades) to be judged. Rev 20:12. They receive their resurrected bodies according to their deeds, Rev 20:13, John 5:29, Acts 24:15, and are cast into the lake of fire (Gehenna) Rev 20:15, Mt 10:28, 18:8-9
  26. God creates New Heaven & New Earth. Isa 65:17,66:22, 2 Pet 3:13, Rev 21:1

Who Will Populate the Millennium?

The Millennium is the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth after He returns at the second coming (Rev. 20:1-10). During this time, Jesus will set up His Kingdom in Jerusalem and people will continue to live on earth until the earth is destroyed at the end of the millennium (2 Pet. 3:10-13, Rev. 20:11). Many people wrongly believe that the earth is destroyed when Jesus returns. The second coming is not the end of the world, but the end of the age--the end of this time period as we know it (Matt. 24:3).

Some people believe the Rapture and the Second Coming are the one and same event. But if that is true, we've got a big problem. The problem is…who will populate the Millennium? Consider the following:

 

  1. How do multitudes of people get into the Millennium?
  2. Only a few will enter into the millennial kingdom (Matt. 24:22)

    "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up year to year to worship the King." (Zech. 14:16). This verse indicates that most of the earth's population will be destroyed before Jesus returns.

    By the end of the millennium, there will be multitudes on earth.

    Rev. 20:8 tell us "the number of them will be like the sand of the sea."

    If only a few people enter the millennium and there are multitudes by the end, how did all those people get there?

  3. How do lost people get in the Millennium?
  4. Only saved people enter the millennium.

    At the Second Coming, only the sheep (saved people) enter into the kingdom, while the goats (lost people) are cast into hell. See Matt. 25:31-46.

    By the end of the millennium, there will be many lost people.

    At the end of the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth, Satan is loosed from the abyss and deceives the nations on the earth, who try to overthrow the throne of Jesus. These are obviously lost people. Zechariah 14:16-19 tell us that during the millennium people will be required to go to Jerusalem once a year to worship the King (Jesus). For those who refuse to go, punishment will come upon them.

    Why would a saved person refuse to worship Jesus? Obviously, saved people will look forward to worshiping Jesus. But these are lost people. How did they get in the millennium?

    The answer is simple. These are people born during the millennium!

  5. How can people be born after the Second Coming?
  6. Resurrected people can't beget children.

    Jesus said, "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven." People with resurrected bodies won't be able to marry or have children. At the Rapture, every Christian will receive a resurrected body, therefore we can't be involved in repopulating the earth. So, the Rapture can't occur at the same time as the second coming because no one would be available in natural bodies to repopulate the earth.

    Children will be born during the millennium.

    Only people in their natural, unresurrected bodies are able to have children. Because the earth's population will be drastically reduced because most people will be killed (or raptured) before Jesus returns, the earth will need to be repopulated. Jesus referred to the millennial kingdom on earth as the "regeneration" (see Matt. 19:28) which means "repopulation."

    Many children will be born on earth during this 1,000 year of Christ (Zech. 8:1-5, Isa. 65:20-23, Ezek. 47:22, Rev. 20:7-9). Zechariah 14:16 tells us that those who refuse to worship Jesus in Jerusalem come from "the families of the earth," indicating these are the children and grandchildren of those who entered the millennium.

  7. Who are the parents of these children?

The parents are those people saved after the Rapture who are alive at the Second Coming!

As a matter of fact, this is why the Rapture and the second Coming of Christ cannot be the same event. If the Rapture happens at the same time as the Second Coming, there would be no people to repopulate the earth because all saved people would have resurrected bodies. We also know only saved people enter the millennium, so these believers must be those people saved after the Rapture who are alive at the Second Coming. God kept them alive through the Tribulation Period so they would be able to repopulate the earth during the millennium.

Therefore, the Rapture serves 2 purposes: 1) For the church to receive our resurrection bodies and home in heaven 2) To provide a group of people to populate the earth after the Second Coming.

 

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