Revelation 20,21

The Millennium

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Reigning with Jesus…. What is this all about?

 

In order to understand the answer to this question, you need to know and understand three important doctrines:

 

1.   You need to know and understand soul sleep. When a person dies, he does not go to Heaven or Hell. Actually, a dead person “sleeps.” There is no awareness, intelligence or thought after a person dies. Other than a selected few who had been taken to Heaven, there are no deceased souls rejoicing in Heaven or writhing in Hell. 

 

The spirit (the pnumas, the breath of life) returns to God and the body returns to dust.

 

This is true for all saints and all sinners alike!

 

When the breath of life and the body are separated, there is no soul. At the resurrection, the spirit (pneumas) and the body are reunited and the soul occurs.

 

Soul sleep is an important doctrine for this reason:

 

2.   You need to understand the pre-Advent judgment.

 

The judgment of the dead began in 1844 and the judgment of the living occurs during the Great tribulation.

 

Eternal life or eternal death is determined for each person by Jesus Christ Himself. He alone is the judge of mankind.

 

John 5:22   “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.”

 

2 Corinthians 5:10   For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.”

 

Understanding the pre-Advent judgment is important because God’s use of the judgment of mankind to accomplish numerous objectives.

 

So, if you already understand the doctrines of soul sleep and the pre-Advent judgment, you are two-thirds of the way there!

 

Finally, in order to understand why the saints will reign with Christ,

 

3.   We need to understand God’s vengeance.

 

God’s vengeance is a wonderful doctrine. In the simplest of terms, this doctrine teaches that God will ultimately see that mercy and justice is done.

 

In other words, at the end of the 1,000 years, God will see to it that mercy is extended to all who deserve mercy and justice will be served to those that need it.

 

I want to talk about the justice side of this doctrine for a moment…

 

Romans 12:19   Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge: I will repay, says the Lord.

 

The doctrine of God’s vengeance teaches that God requires restitution for every wrong deed. In other words, God requires every person to make restitution to those we have done wrong.

 

Restitution is the evidence that repentance produces.

 

If we refuse to make restitution for every wrong deed, then we are not repentant.

 

Since unrepentant sinners will not occupy Heaven, God will see to it that full restitution is extracted from the wicked at the end of the 1,000 years.

 

Consider this example:

 

If a man rapes and kills 20 women and is caught, what is the greatest punishment mankind can bestow on mankind? God says, to show His hatred for such horror, we should put that man to death.

 

But wait! This doesn’t provide restitution. The doctrine of restitution says this man has to be put to death 20 times!

 

He needs to suffer as each of his 20 victims suffered. He needs to feel the pain and loathing of 20 women and only God can extract this kind of restitution!

 

Listen carefully to the words of Jesus:

 

Matthew 10:28   Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both souls and body in hell.”

 

The point here is that when God sends fire down out of Heaven to burn up the wicked, this murderer and rapist will suffer and writhe in the flames of hell until restitution is fully accomplished.

 

Then, and only then, will the golden rule be fulfilled: “As you did unto others, the same was done unto you.”

 

2 Thessalonians 1:6   God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you…”

 

Listen to the words of Jesus:

 

Matthew 18:23   “therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted settle accounts with his servants.

 

Matthew 18:24   As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.

 

Matthew 18:25   Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

 

Matthew 18:26   “The servant fell to his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’

 

Matthew 18:27   The servant ‘s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

 

Matthew 18:28   “But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

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