In the Millennium

Due to their continual sins, Israel have never really been the head of the nations; the prophecy awaits fulfilment, both literally and spiritually, in the millennium. Deuteronomy 28:30 warns, "you shall build an house, and you shall not dwell therein; you shall plant a vineyard, and shall not gather the grapes thereof”. This is picked up in Isa. 6520-22, “They shall build houses and inhabit them…they shall not (any longer) plant and another eat”. This permits us to look at the curses for disobedience and imagine their opposites being realised in the millennium: “They shall plant vineyards, and dress them, but shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worm shall eat them”. Deut. 28:39 will certainly be reversed in the millennium, each man will sit under his own vine and fig tree. As Noah made wine after the flood (a type of the millennium), so will the abuse of wine be proof enough that there will be a possibility of misusing alcohol in the millennium age by the mortals. Our role as teachers may include educating the mortals in its use. It will be our thrilling joy to explain to ready minds the wonder of the cross and our Lord’s perfect life.

Faith is of utmost importance to God. What we can see with our eyes is not faith. The mortal population will be able to see Jesus, but God will not want them to ‘believe’ in him just as some provider of food, having the popularity of any other successful leader. He will require them to have faith in the spiritual aspect of Christ, centred around his work on the cross.

Revelation 20:13 describes the second judgement (of the mortal population) at the end of the millennium, and it will be judgement according to their works. In many ways, faith will then have been turned to sight. Works are a proof that a man really does have the faith which he professes, as James highlights. (In passing, note that Rev. 20:13 speaks of the sea giving up the dead which were in it. Presumably some people will drown during the millennium. The shock of death, the trauma of tragedy, will still be experienced in the millennium). Even in this life, there is nothing more gratifying and soul-warming than to see one’s own convert grow in the truth after baptism, developing a real love for the word and knowledge of God. We each will experience this on a far more glorious scale in the millennium.

Bro. Ramazan Ozaydin (Turkey)


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