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Brief Overview: The millennium is the thousand-year reign of Christ with His saints in heaven between the first and second resurrections. During this time the wicked dead will be judged; the earth will be utterly desolate, without living human inhabitants, but occupied by Satan and his angels. At its close Christ with His saints and the Holy City will descend from heaven to earth. The unrighteous dead will then be resurrected, and with Satan and his angels will surround the city; but fire from God will consume them and cleanse the earth. The universe will thus be freed of sin and sinners forever. (Rev. 20; 1 Cor. 6:2,3; Jer. 4:23-26; Rev. 21:1-5; Mal. 4:1; Eze. 28:18, 19.)

Why it is important to know the truth about the millennium: There are many erroneous teachings about the millennium, including the idea some will be given a second chance after the second coming. This is a false security leading many to disregard the exhortation of Paul, “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.”Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2 NLT

Why it is important to understand the millennium in light of the cross: Only when we get to heaven will we see and realize what Jesus left to come and die for us.

Further Study on the Millennium

What happens to the earth when Jesus comes?

Look! The Lord is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. He devastates the surface of the earth and scatters the people. Isaiah 24:1 NLT

What happens to all of the wicked?

In that day those the Lord has slaughtered will fill the earth from one end to the other. No one will mourn for them or gather up their bodies to bury them. They will be scattered on the ground like manure. Jeremiah 25:33 NLT

What happens to the righteousness?

We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NLT

Note: When Jesus comes the wicked are all slain, the righteous are all taken to heaven, and the earth is left in a desolate state (“without form and void” Jer. 4:23; as a “bottomless pit” Rev. 20:1).

How long is Satan bound to the earth?

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while. Revelation 20:1-3 NLT

Note: Satan is chained up by circumstances. All the wicked are dead. The righteous are in heaven, and he has no one to tempt or torment. Before his expulsion from heaven he thought he would make a better ruler than God. See Isaiah 14:14. Satan now gets to roam the world for a thousand years and consider the fruits of his empire.

What will the righteous be doing during the thousand years?

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus and for proclaiming the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They all came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 20:4 NLT

Whom shall they be judging?

Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 NLT

Jesus spoke of two resurrections.

Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. John 5:28-29 NLT

Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. John 5:28-29 KJV

When are the wicked dead raised?

This is the first resurrection. (The rest of the dead did not come back to life until the thousand years had ended.) Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years.Revelation 20:5-6 NLT

What does Satan do when they are raised?

When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. Revelation 20:7-8 NLT

What descends down from God?

And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. Revelation 21:2 NLT

What does Satan attempt and what happens?

And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them. Revelation 20:9 NLT

What is this fire called?

Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. Revelation 20:14 NLT

What will God create from the ashes?

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13 NLT

What will the new earth be like?

In those days people will live in the houses they build and eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. For my people will live as long as trees, and my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Isaiah 65:21-25 NLT

What promise of God does John see in vision?

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:1-5 NLT

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/the-millennium-in-light-of-the-cross-2/

During the Middle Ages there was a strong tendency to portray God as a severe, punitive Judge. Today the tendency is to describe Him as a loving, permissive Father who never punishes His children. Yet, love without justice will turn into chaos and lawlessness, and justice without love will become oppression and subjugation. God’s judging process is a perfect blend of justice and mercy, both of which derive from His unconditional love.

The executive judgment is God’s final and irreversible punitive intervention in human history. Limited punitive judgments occurred, for example, in the casting out of Satan and his rebellious angels from heaven (Revelation 12:7-12), the driving out of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-24), the Great Flood (Genesis chapters 6-8), the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1-38, Jude 7), the death of the firstborn in Egypt (Exodus chapters 11-12), and the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

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So it is no surprise that there will be an executive judgment of the wicked also at the end of human history.

Read 2 Peter 2:4-6 and 2 Peter 3:10-13. How do these texts help us understand the nature of the final executive judgment? How do they imply the idea of the completion of judgment as opposed to its going on forever, which would be a perversion of justice and not an expression of it?

“God’s goodness and long forbearance, His patience and mercy exercised to His subjects, will not hinder Him from punishing the sinner who refused to be obedient to His requirements. It is not for a man — a criminal against God’s holy law, pardoned only through the great sacrifice He made in giving His Son to die for the guilty because His law was changeless — to dictate to God.” — Ellen G. White, Manuscript Releases, vol. 12, p. 208.

All that God could have done to save humanity from being eternally lost He did, even at a great cost to Himself. Those who are lost ultimately made choices that led them to this unfortunate end. The idea that God’s judgment on the lost, even the annihilation of the lost (as opposed to eternal torment), goes against the character of a loving God is simply wrong. It’s God’s love, and God’s love alone, that demands justice, as well.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/wednesday-executive-judgment/

The Bible tells us that at the Second Coming 1. both the living saints and the resurrected saints will “meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17); 2. all the saints will be taken to heaven to abide in the heavenly “dwelling places” that He Himself has prepared for them (John 14:1-3, NRSV); and 3. only at the end of the millennium will the New Jerusalem come down to this earth and become the everlasting home of the saints (Revelation 21:1-3, Revelation 21:9-11). So, during the millennium, while this earth remains desolated, the saints will reign with Christ in heaven (Jeremiah 4:23, Revelation 20:4).

Read 1 Corinthians 6:2-3,  and Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 20:11-13. Why should the saints participate in the millennial judgment?

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The whole judgment process is intended 1. to vindicate God’s character against the accusations of Satan that God is unfair in the way He treats His creatures; 2. to confirm the impartiality of the rewards of the righteous; 3. to demonstrate the justice of the punishments of the wicked; and 4. to dissipate all doubts that could lead toward another rebellion in the universe. In the pre-advent investigative judgment of the righteous, only the heavenly hosts are involved (Daniel 7:9-10). But during the millennial judgment of the wicked and the fallen angels, the saints themselves will also participate (1 Corinthians 6:3, Jude 6, Revelation 20:4-6).

The pre-advent investigative judgment began in 1844 when “thrones were put in place. … The court was seated, and the books were opened” (Daniel 7:9-10, , NKJV). The millennial judgment, however, will start after the saints are taken to heaven and sit on thrones, and the judgment is committed to them. Then, once more, the heavenly books are opened, and the dead are “judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books” (Revelation 20:4, Revelation 20:12, NKJV). This process provides an opportunity for the saints to evaluate the heavenly records and to see God’s fair treatment in all cases. He not only rewards all human beings according to what they deserve based on their own decisions, but also explains to them why He does so.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/tuesday-millennial-judgment/

The concept of judgment before the return of Christ, or what we call a “pre-Advent” judgment, is found in many places in Scripture.

Read Daniel 7:9-14; Matthew 22:1-14; Revelation 11:1, Revelation 11:18-19; and Revelation 14:6-7. How do these passages shed light on the notion of a pre-advent investigative judgment in the heavenly courtroom? What is the significance of such a judgment?

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The concept of a pre-advent investigative judgment of God’s people is grounded on three basic biblical teachings.

One is the notion that all the dead — righteous or unrighteous — remain unconscious in their graves until the final resurrections (John 5:25-29).

The second is the existence of a universal judgment of all human beings (2 Corinthians 5:10, Revelation 20:11-13).

The third is the fact that the first resurrection will be the blessed reward for the righteous, and the second resurrection will be eternal death for the wicked (John 5:28-29; Revelation 20:4-6, Revelation 20:12-15).

What this means is that if all human beings will be judged, they should be judged prior to their respective resurrections, because at those resurrections they will receive their final rewards.

The book of Daniel helps us to understand both the time and the nature of that pre-advent judgment. At the end of the 2,300 symbolic days — in 1844 — the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed (Daniel 8:14, compare with Hebrews 9:23) and the pre-advent investigative judgment would begin (Daniel 7:9-14), two different ways of expressing the same event. And the judgment is “in favor of the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:22, NKJV). That is, it’s good news for God’s people.

In Matthew 22:1-14, Jesus spoke of an investigation of the wedding guests before the wedding feast actually started.

And in the book of Revelation, the pre-advent investigative judgment is referred to by the task of measuring “those who worship” in the temple of God (Revelation 11:1, NKJV) and in the announcement that “the hour of His judgment has come” (Revelation 14:6-7 NKJV; compare with Revelation 14:14-16).

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/monday-pre-advent-judgment/

For many, the idea of judgment means condemnation. And though that’s part of the process, we mustn’t forget that the idea of judgment has a positive side, in that judgment also involves the vindication of the righteous. Actually, the book of Daniel refers to an end-time judgment “in favor of the saints of the Most High” (Daniel 7:22, NKJV). God’s judgment includes both — a principle found in this Old Testament text: “Then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness” (1 Kings 8:32, NKJV).

Read Matthew 25:31-46 and John 5:21-29. How did Christ point to the concepts of both condemnation and vindication in the final judgment?

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Some claim that the expressions “is not judged” (John 3:18, NASB) and “will not be judged” (John 5:24, NIV) mean that those who are in Christ are not judged at all. But these expressions imply that believers are not condemned in the judgment. Hence the texts should be understood as saying “is not condemned” (John 3:18, NIV) and “shall not come into condemnation” (John 5:24).

In short, our destiny is determined in our present life. Those in Christ have their vindication at the judgment already assured, and those who are not in Christ remain under condemnation. Describing the judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), Christ mentioned the presence not only of the goats (wicked) but also of the sheep (righteous). And the apostle Paul stated explicitly, “For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:10, NRSV).

While reflecting on the judgment, we should keep in mind that we are saved by grace (Isaiah 55:1, Ephesians 2:8-10), justified by faith (Genesis 15:6, Romans 5:1), and judged by works (Eccles. 12:14, Matthew 25:31-46, Revelation 20:11-13). The basis of the judgment process is God’s moral law as summarized in the Ten Commandments (Eccles. 12:13, Revelation 20:11-13; James 1:25; James 2:8-17). Our works are the external evidences of the genuineness of our saving experience and, consequently, the elements to be appraised during judgment.

Remember: there is no arbitrary decree from God electing some to be saved and others to be lost. Each one is morally responsible for his or her own destiny.

In the end, the judgment is not the time when God decides to accept or reject us, but the time when God finalizes our choice whether or not we have accepted Him — a choice made manifest by our works.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/sunday-final-judgment/