11. THE MILLENNIAL
KINGDOM (Part 2)
4. According to Revelation 6:9-11 and
20:4, Christians martyred for their faith, because of their witness to Jesus
and for the Word of God, will be among those who will reign with Christ during
the Millennial Kingdom. Tribulation martyrs will also be executed for
refusing the mark of the beast. Tribulation believers, along with the redeemed
from both the Old Testament and New Testament eras, will reign with Christ (1Corinthians
6:2; 2Timothy 2:12) during the 1,000 year kingdom.
5. Revelation
20:6 mentions the “first resurrection,” that is, the people who populate the
Millennial Kingdom. According to 1 Corinthians 15:23 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,
Christ was first, as the firstfruits of the resurrection harvest (1 Corinthians
15: 20–23a). Because of His resurrection, “those who are Christ’s” will be raised
and enter the eternal heavenly state in 3 stages at Christ’s coming (cf. Matthew
24:36, 42, 44, 50; 25:13): 1) those who have come to saving faith from
Pentecost to the Rapture will be joined by living saints at the Rapture to meet
the Lord in the air and ascend to heaven (1Thessalonians 4:16, 17); 2) those
who come to faith during the Tribulation, with the OT saints as well, will be
raised up to reign with Him during the Millennium (Revelation 20:4; cf. Daniel
12:2; cf. Isaiah 26:19, 20); and 3) those who die during the Millennial Kingdom
may well be instantly transformed at death into their eternal bodies and
spirits.
6. According to
Revelation 20:7-10, at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, “Satan will be
released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in
the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.” Just as his
demons will entice the world’s armies into the Battle of Armageddon, Satan will
draw them into a suicidal assault against Christ and His people (Revelation16:13-14).
They
will encompass and surround the camp of the saints and the beloved city,
Jerusalem, and fire will come down from God out of heaven and devour them.
7. According to Revelation 20:10,
Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone. Continuous, unrelieved torment will be the
final state of Satan, fallen angels, and unredeemed men.
8. While Christ’s
rule on earth is still a future event, if you are a Christian, He lives and
rules in your heart right now. We can grow more in Christ by keep focused on
Him, being in His Word on a daily basis, walking in obedience to Him, and
sharing the Gospel with others.
All
Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible, © 1979,
1980, 1982, 1990, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
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