THESIS: To show that believers should not only look for the Rapture but pray for the Millennium.
INTRO:
A. Scripturally, life on earth is only thousands, not millions or billions of years old. Scientists frequently change their minds...God never changes His!
QUOTE: Dr. Robert Gentry: Popular Science, 11/69 "Many top scientists believe that the decay rates (used for dating the earth) have been misjudged by orders of magnitude which would suggest that man has been around for only a few thousand years instead of the 3.6 million announced by some."
B. When Christ returns to set up His Kingdom of Heaven on earth, we (Church-age saints) will touch down with the King on Olivet and become Kingdom cops, Savior-servants and Paradise-police in a world of Adams and Eves! God has given us abundant evidence to this period in both the O.T. and N.T. ✨It all begins when the King returns and "THE EIGHTH MILLENNIUM" commences...
I. THE KING: Rev. 1:5-7
A. His Coming:
ILLUS: On May 6, 1942 Gen. D. MacArthur was forced into retreat by the Japanese from the Philippines and promised ⭐"I shall return." He meant he would come again with military might to eradicate all resistance and retake the islands. ⭐2 years later he did return with the power of our armed forces with world wide publicity. ⭐2000 years ago Jesus Christ promised "I will return" (John 14: Acts 1:10-11) to rescue His saints from Satan's Kingdom and with His power and with His saints would set up His Kingdom ..."THE EIGHTH MILLENNIUM"...which will also receive world-wide publicity. "Every eye shall see Him..." v.7
B. His Coronation:
1. He is coming as the 2nd Adam to rule over an earthly Eden with the curse lifted (the dominion the 1st Adam lost, the 2nd Adam will regain). 2. When He is crowned King all other Kings and rulers will be subject to Him. ("the prince of the Kings of the earth..." v.5) Rev. 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
3. His Kingdom will be characterized by righteousness.
Heb. 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
II. THE SUBJECTS:
A. Church-Age Saints:
1. Those who partake of the "first resurrection". (cf. Rev.20:6 above) 2. We will have resurrected, glorified bodies like His.
I John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
ILLUS: We will be spirit-beings wearing glorified bodies. NOW we are subject to the limitations and demands of our natural bodies (we must feed them, put them to bed, etc.). THEN our new bodies will obey the desires of our spirit. Our circumcised souls will be free from our fleshly bodies. We will leave the flesh (as we know it) and the old nature behind!
Col. 2:11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the cir-cumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
3. We will all be perfect, but not equal...in rank, station or position. All believers will be made perfect but will vary in maturity and thus in assignment.
Rev. 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
B. Gentile Nations:
1. Those who were martyred in the Tribulation and resurrected. 2. Those who survived the Tribulation (saved on the basis of faith...before the Millennium). 3. Those born after the Mill. begins...with old natures.
C. The Nation of Israel:
1. Those who died in faith and are resurrected at the end of the Tribulation 2. Those who escaped the Antichrist and enter the Mill. 3. Those who AS A NATION are saved at His coming.
Rom. 11:25-27 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away uungodliness from Jacob 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
NOTE: Since salvation is always by faith and not by sight, apparently Israel does not merely believe based on His revelation when they SEE HIM, but when in their hearts they trust Him.
4. Those born in the Mill. With old natures.
ILLUS: It appears as if men on earth will not die during this 1000 years since the curse is lifted. The earth will yield only nutritious foods. Satan will be bound. The water canopy will again shield the planet from harmful rays. Hate, jealousy and sin will not be tolerated. Those of us in glorified bodies may become Kingdom cops and Paradise police to enforce His righteous rule.
III. THE KINGDOM:
Rom. 8:21-23 21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.And not only they, but ourselves also, which have thefirst fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan withinourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
A. Eden Worldwide: Is.11:6-9
1. God will restore paradise to earth, with perfect climate, fellowship with the animals and harmony in His creation.
ILLUS: Adam was the orig. "Dr. Doolittle" and was able to "talk with the animals" The predatory instinct and carnivorous nature will disappear. The "bug eat bug" program will end. (Even my wife will like cats!)
2. Weapons and armament will be abolished "neither shall they learn war any more..."
a. They will still have sin natures, but with Satan chained things will be more manageable. b. Besides, with the Savior ruling with a "rod of iron" and His Kingdom cops monitoring all activity things will not be permitted to get too far out of hand.
B. Adams Everywhere:
1. One purpose of the Mill. is to provide Christ an inheritance to share with His children. 2. Another is to keep His Word to Abraham. 3. Still another is to restore the original balance on planet earth and to His universe. 4. Also to prove the accuracy of God's claim about all men that they are like father Adam.
a. Men are sinners by nature and bent on "doing their own thing" instead of doing God's will. b. Men are tested again and again fail, like Adam, even in a perfect environment.
NOTE: No one will be able to say "If I were in Adam's shoes, I would have done differently." For many will follow Satan in a final rebellion to overthrow Christ's righteous rule.
CONCL: The Rapture is only one event the believer should be looking forward to. God has a perfect and complete pro-gram for the redeemed. Even the Millennium is not all He has for us. We should not only be looking for the Rapture but praying for the Kingdom. "Thy Kingdom come, on earth, as it is in heaven."