Beginning of the 1,000 years
Some major events at the coming of Christ
by
Keith Hunt
There are dozens of verses and passages in the Bible that
proclaim the literal Kingdom of God on earth. The book of
Revelation, chapter 20, uses the phrase "one thousand years"
in reference to the Messiah and the saints ruling on this earth.
We shall in this study look at some of the passages that
concern the coming of God's Kingdom and the time setting
of the beginning of that 1,000 year reign.
First, we see the Kingdom age is promised in Isaiah chapter
2, verses one to five (basically repeated in Micah chapter 4). In
the last days of man's reign on earth the Kingdom of God will
be established on the top of all other nations. All nations will
flow to it, people will finally say that they do want to learn
God's way of life and live by His laws and commandment and
walk in His way.
It is the time when the law of the Lord shall go forth from
Zion and Jerusalem. He, the Lord will judge the people of earth,
and rebuke when rebuke is needed. People will turn their swords
into farming implements. Nations will no longer war against each
other, neither will they have academies where war is taught and
learned.
When will this all take place, or begin to take place? It
will be at the sound of the SEVENTH trumpet, according to
Revelation 11:15-19. This seventh trumpet will sound, and a great
cry will go from the beings in heaven that it is NOW the time for
God to take His great power and to reign, and it is the time for
the DEAD to be judged and rewards given to the saints.
As we study the book of Revelation we will discover that
there are ONLY SEVEN trumpets to sound, and it is when the
SEVENTH trumpet sounds that God comes to destroy and punish
them that are destroying the earth (and Revelation is about much
of man's destruction to man and the earth) and to reward the saints,
and for God to reign.
This trumpet sound is mentioned by the apostle Paul in two
very important passages concerning the Kingdom of God on earth.
One of those passages in the famous "resurrection chapter" of 1
Corinthians 15. Paul explains many wonderful truths about the
immortal resurrection of the saints and with what body they will
have in that mighty resurrection. A change must come for as he
states in verse 50, flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of
God, neither does corruption inherit incorruption. He admits in
verse 51, that not all saints or children of God will be asleep
in death, some will be living in their flesh and blood body. Yet
in a twinkling of an eye, AT THE LAST TRUMP (the same trump
as the seventh one in the book of Revelation), at the sound of the
last trumpet, the dead shall be RAISED incorruptible and those still
alive in the flesh, shall be CHANGED.
This is unquestionably talking about the RESURRECTION of
the saints, the FIRST resurrection as Revelation 20 informs us. It is
the time when the Job knew he would be raised from the dead and
CHANGED (Job 14:10-15), when the REDEEMER would COME
in the latter days and STAND on the earth (Job 19:25).
Paul talks about the same time in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4,
verses 13-18.
He wants us not to be ignorant of those who have died in
Christ (verse 13). If we believe Jesus died and rose again, then
those who die in Christ, will come with Him, when He returns to
this earth to once more stand upon it (as Job said he would). How
will they come with Him? They will come with Him, not because
they are up in heaven and come with Him to earth from heaven,
but, or "FOR" the connecting word, Paul goes on to tell us how
they will come with Jesus to earth.
Those that are alive in the flesh will not precede to meet
Jesus before those which are asleep in the graves. FOR, the
connecting word again, verse 16, the Lord shall descend from
heaven with ...a TRUMPET sound, and the dead in christ shall
rise first, and those saints alive in the flesh (shall be changed as
we have seen in 1 Corinthians 15), both groups of saints, will
caught up into the CLOUDS, into the AIR, to meet with the Lord
(nothing here about going back to heaven, nothing here about
going any higher than the clouds). Then as Paul says, we shall
ever be with the Lord.
What Paul does not answer here, is WHERE shall we go
AFTER me meet the Lord in the clouds of the air of this earth?
The answer is in another part of the Bible. Ah, yes, that is
why we are to read the Bible from COVER to COVER. God often
does not give us the answer to a certain truth or topic in just one
place. Certainly the truths of what takes place at the coming of
the Lord Messiah, is not all in one place or one passage of
Scripture.
The answer as to where we go after we have met the Lord in
the clouds is given to us in the book of Zechariah, chapter 14.
The chapter opens and we are in "the day of the Lord" and
specifically when all nations are gathered to fight at
Jerusalem, and the Lord (Hebrew is YHVH in verse 3,5,7,9) will
go forth and fight against them. This is the same as Revelation
chapter 16, and 19. Notice verse 4. It is IN THAT DAY, just
spoken about in verse 1-3, that the Lord's FEET will STAND on the
Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem. Notice verse 5 and the
last words, "...and the Lord my God (yes Jesus the Messiah is
Lord and God, but so is His Father, two beings but both are part
of the Godhead. See other in-depth studies on this Website about
God) shall come and all the saints (or holy ones) with thee."
The CONTEXT of the chapter and verses that follow, prove
this is the very day of Jesus' return to earth, and in that day
His feet stand on the mount of Olives. The saints are with Him!
Yes, because they have been resurrected or changed to glory as we
have already seen. From the meeting with Christ in the clouds of
the air, we saints will continue to descend with Him, to the
mount of Olives, to fight against the nations that have come up
to Jerusalem to fight, which ties in with Revelation 16 and 19.
NOT ALL UNBELIEVERS WILL BE DESTROYED
Not all people from all nations will come up to Jerusalem to
fight against Jesus and the saints on His day of return. But the
main armies of the Beast power and the main armies of the men
of the east, on the east side of the river Euphrates (see Rev.16:12-
16) will comprise the overall ten kings or kingdoms to unite with
the man beast and fight the Lamb (Jesus) on His coming
(see Rev.17:12-14).
The prophet Isaiah was given the same vision of this
specific day of the Lord, when the Lord will come with fire and
a sword to fight (Isa.66:15-24). Notice verse 19. There will be
some nations of people who despite seeing the signs of heaven,
and the glory of the coming Messiah, will NOT know what is going
on. They will not know the Lord. They will not understand God's
word, nor will they have been shown the fame and the glory of the
Lord. God will send missionaries to these people and they shall
be taught the word and ways of the Lord. Again read carefully the
words of Isaiah 2:1-4. People will learn and will want to come up
to Jerusalem for they will have heard that God is dwelling there.
They will want to know the laws and commandments of God.
There are many passages on how the blindness of the
spiritual veil covering the minds of people, will be lifted, from
the day forward that Jesus' feet touch the mount of Olives.
JUDAH WILL FIGHT AT JERUSALEM
Everywhere in the prophets of old where you read about the
House of Judah and the House of Israel at the coming of the
Messiah, you will find BOTH Houses, both the people of Judah
and Israel, are in CAPTIVITY to their enemies, out of which
Jesus saves them, delivers them. Some of the Jews will still be
in Judea and Jerusalem as captives from the time of the last 42
months of this age, to the time of Christ's glorious coming.
We find this truth in chapters 12 and 13 of Zechariah.
Jerusalem is a cup of trembling to all nations, and all
nations are gathered together against it (verses 2 and 3). God
will again open His eyes upon Judah, and those Jews inhabiting
Jerusalem will be strong again through the Lord (verses 4,5). God
will save the Jews left there, he will now defend them from their
enemies, and they shall become strong, as the Lord seeks to
destroy the nations that come against Jerusalem (verses 8,9).
Grace, salvation will be poured upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem
as they look upon Him whom they pierced, and they shall weep
as they now will admit Jesus the Christ was and is indeed the
Messiah (verse 10). There will be mourning and weeping of
repentance and joy mingled as one (verses 11-14).
Chapter 13 continues with "in that day" - it is national
repentance and a time when so-called "prophets" (religious
leaders) admit they should have been farmers and not teachers of
God's word (verses 1-5).
The time has come for God to do battle against the nations
at Jerusalem as foretold in Revelation 16. It is the battle of
Armageddon and the battle of Jerusalem. It is time to deliver
Israel and Judah out of their enemies hands. It is time to cast
the beast man with the false prophet man into the fire burning
with brimstone (Revelation 19:19-21).
ISRAEL AND JUDAH UNITE AND RETURN TO PALESTINE
The house of Israel and the House of Judah have been
scattered into the nations of their enemies (Ezekiel 34:1-8). It
is for their sins that they have been punished with destruction
and captivity, and in a large part that punishment for sins came
upon them because the "shepherds" (leaders - especially religious
leaders) did not feed them on the truth of the word of the Lord.
God will now upon his coming to earth DELIVER Israel and
Judah from the nations they have been scattered into (verses
11-16). It is the time of the RESURRECTION for David is raised
up to be again their king under the Messiah. It is the time when
Israel shall NEVER again be a prey to the heathen. They will
dwell in full safety, which has never happened in all history
(verses 22-28).
Ezekiel 36. What a wonderful chapter. Deliverance for Israel
(all 13 tribes) from their enemies. It is a time of RESTITUTION
of Israel and all good physical things. It is a time when a NEW
heart is given them, a heart of flesh and not stone, a heart
filled with God's Spirit.
Then comes the little understood chapter 37 of Ezekiel.
The valley of dry bones. It is a physical resurrection of physical
Israelites that have died, especially in the last 42 months of
the age of man, during the Great Tribulation and the Day of the
Lord.
This is clearly a physical resurrection of Israelites, the
words are plain to understand.
This section ties directly in with Isaiah chapter 24 through
chapter 27. The Feast of Tabernacles is now a reality
(chap.25:6). Blindness of the heart is removed, and death and
tears are wiped away (verses 7,8). Now it truly can be said "Lo,
this is our God, and we have waited for Him, and He will save
us,: this is the Lord and we have waited for Him, we will be glad
and rejoice in his salvation" (verse 9).
Notice the song to be sung in the land of Judah in that day
- chapter 26. Isaiah tells them, Israel and Judah, that when HE
arises in the resurrection, their dead men will also rise (verse
19). Here is Ezekiel 37, a physical resurrection for Israelites,
the time when the stick of Israel and the stick of Judah will be
united as ONE stick. It is the coming of the Lord to raise the
saints to immortality and to raise many physical Israelites back
to physical life, at the last trumpet, when the angels shall go
forth and gather the ELECT from the four winds, to CHANGE
the living saints from flesh and blood to immortal spirit, to lead
them to the clouds of the air of this world, so they can be
united with their Savior, and come with Him to fight the nations
gathered at Jerusalem, and to set foot on the mount of Olives
that same day.
It is the time to raise many physical Israelites to physical
life, and to gather ALL living Israelites from the nations of the
world where they have been scattered, as punishment for their
sins, and to lead them back to Palestine, where they will be
given a heart of flesh and God's Spirit, and everlasting peace
and safety, as well as the spiritual salvation of the Lord God,
who will now dwell in their midst.
THE WONDERFUL ISAIAH ELEVEN AND TWELVE
This has only been a short brief look at the many prophecies
of the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus the Messiah on
earth.
Isaiah chapter 11 and 12 add some more in a relative
nut-shell passage of inspiring truths of promises, concerning
that age to come at the glorious coming of the Messiah.
Most agree that verse one of chapter 11, is talking about
the Branch of Jesse as Jesus the Christ, and how He will judge
the world in righteousness. When He does this it is the time of
miracles among the physical animals of the world, when the lion
shall eat straw like the ox. In that day the Lord shall set His
hand to recover the remnant of the people of Israel from certain
nations. The outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah shall
be gathered as one people from the four corners of the earth.
There will be another great Exodus as like it was when the tribes
of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt under the leadership
of Moses.
It is a time of singing, praising the Lord. It is the time
when HE will DWELL, literally in the midst of them.
What a mighty and WONDERFUL day that will be!!
..................
Written 2004
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