There is coming a most wonderful millennium spoken of in the prophetic Scriptures that will commence with the return of Jesus. Nevertheless, Satan has “blinded the minds of men”, and deceived them especially upon this point, for if the truth is understood regarding it, it will spoil his seductive appearing upon the earth, when he sets himself up as Christ, in a counterfeit second coming. The two conflicting views are that the millennium shall be in heaven while the earth lies desolate for a thousand years, or else it shall be on earth where Christ will reign for a thousand years among the nations.
Regarding the Millennium, it speaks of Satan’s thousand-year prison sentence to “the bottomless pit”. Know desires to keep this truth hidden from view, because in it unveils the nature of the two kingdoms, that of Satan, and that of Christ; and reveals that Satan will so clothe his kingdom to the Christian world that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived.
Truly, Satan has cunningly devised a counterfeit message of the millennium that he might deceive you into worshipping him. Therefore this study is of no small importance. Be ready for truth, be ready to have your views proved and challenged since the Bible is specific and plain regarding this matter about the soon-coming millennial reign.
1. What event begins this 1,000-year period?
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God… and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4).
Answer: A resurrection begins the 1,000-year period.
2. What is this resurrection called? Who will be raised in it?
“This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5, 6).
Answer: It is called “the first resurrection.” The saved—“blessed and holy” from all ages—will be raised in it.
3. The Bible says there are two resurrections. When is the second resurrection, and who will be raised in it?
“The rest of the dead [those who were not saved] did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” (Revelation 20:5).
“All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28, 29).
Answer: The first resurrection of the righteous, which commences the millennium, is called “the resurrection of life”, but the second resurrection, which takes place at the close of the 1,000 period, is called the resurrection of condemnation. Those who are not saved will be raised in this resurrection.
4. What other decisive events shall take place when the millennium begin?
“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7).
“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
“And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:30, 31).
“There was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. … And great hail from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent” (Revelation 16:18, 21).
(See also Jeremiah 4:23–26; Isaiah 24:1, 3, 19, 20; Isaiah 2:21.)
Note: Scholars’ estimates of the weight of a talent vary from 58 to 100 pounds!
Answer: Other decisive events that take place as the 1,000 years begin are: the most devastating earthquake and hailstorm in history strike the earth; Jesus returns in the clouds with the “sound of a trumpet” for His people; and all the saints are caught up, being gathered by the angels of God into the air to meet Jesus.
5. What happens to the unsaved—living and dead—at Jesus’ second coming?
“With the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked” (Isaiah 11:4).
“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God” (2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8).
“Let the wicked perish at the presence of God” (Psalm 68:2).
“The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5)
Answer: The living unsaved will be slain by the very presence of Christ at the second coming by “the brightness of His coming”.
When an angel appeared at Jesus’ tomb, the entire group of Roman guards fell down as dead men (Matthew 28:2, 4). How then will it be when the brightness of the glory of all of the angels of heaven, and the Son of God Himself in the glory of His Father, shall come? God said to Moses, “No man can see My face and live…”; at the presence of the glory of God, the unsaved will perish as though struck by lightning. The wicked already dead when Jesus returns shall remain in their graves until the end of the 1,000 years.
6. Many believe the unsaved will have an opportunity to repent during the 1,000 years. What does the Bible say about this?
“The slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground” (Jeremiah 25:33).
“I beheld, and indeed there was no man” (Jeremiah 4:25).
Answer: It will be impossible for any person to repent during the 1,000 years because there will not be a person alive on the earth. The righteous will all be in heaven. All the wicked will be laying dead upon the earth. Revelation 22:11, 12 makes it clear that the case of every person is closed before Jesus returns. Those who wait to accept Christ until the 1,000 years begin will have waited too long.
7. How will Satan seek to counterfeit the second coming of Jesus before He returns?
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
(Matthew 24:23-27).
Satan will seek to impersonate Christ and deceive many, and will even have prophets by which to deceive them who perform miracles and wonders. False prophets have with them a false prophetic message, and will lead to a false second coming, saying “He is here, He is here!” And with a false second coming is a false millennial message. Instead of no man on the earth, all nations will be in wonder of this counterfeit Christ and believe that an earthly millennium has begun. Anyone who opposes such a reign shall be violently threatened and oppressed by legislative decrees. Don’t be deceived, Christ will come like lightning in the clouds of heaven to gather His saints, that where He is, we may be also.
8. So what happens to Satan during the 1,000 years. What is the bottomless pit?
“I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit…
He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit … till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:1–3).
“How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?… I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.” (Jeremiah 4:21, 22).
“And the world shall be turned into that old silence… like as in the former judgments: so that no man shall remain.” (2 Ezra 7:30).
Answer: The word for “bottomless pit” in the original Greek is “abussos,” or abyss. That same word is used in Genesis 1:2 in the Greek version of the Old Testament in connection with the creation of the earth, but there it is translated “deep.” “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” The words “deep,” “bottomless pit,” and “abyss” here refer to the same thing—the earth in its totally dark, disorganized form before God made order of it. Jeremiah, in describing this earth during the 1,000 years, used virtually the same terms as these in Genesis 1:2: “without form, and void,” “no light,” “no man,” and “black” (Jeremiah 4:23, 25, 28). And the prophecies of Ezra say the world will be turned into “that old silence”, how it was before God created anything. So the silent, desolate, and dark earth where “no man” remains alive will be called the bottomless pit, or abyss, during the 1,000 years, just as it was in the beginning before the creation of the heavens and the earth. Also, Isaiah 24:22 speaks of Satan and his angels during the 1,000 years as “gathered in the pit” and “shut up in the prison.”
9. What is the chain that binds Satan? Why is he bound?
“An angel … having … a great chain in his hand … laid hold of … Satan, and bound him for a thousand years … and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:1–3).
“…and deliver them up to be led unto imprisonment in chains.” (Assumption of Moses 7:16)
Answer: The chain is symbolic of imprisonment. Satan cannot be tied down with a literal chain, but is bound because he remains on the dark, desolate, and silent earth where there is none to deceive. Peter calls these chains, the “chains of darkness”; this is Satan’s captivity. It is said of Satan that he “made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof;” and would “not open the house of his prisoners.” Now, he is forcibly stuck on a prison planet which his ways have destroyed.
The unsaved are all dead and the saved are all in heaven. The Lord bound the devil to the earth, not having power to deceive any. Forcing the devil to remain on the earth in “that old silence”, alone with his fellow demons for a thousand years with none to deceive, will be for him the most oppressive chain ever forged.
- A devastating earthquake and hailstorm (Revelation 16:18–21)
- The second coming of Jesus for His saints (Matthew 24:30, 31)
- The saved dead raised to life (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
- The saved given immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51–55)
- The saved given bodies like Jesus (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:20, 21)
- All the righteous caught up into the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17)
- The living wicked slain by the breath of the Lord’s mouth (Isaiah 11:4)
- The unsaved dead remain in their graves until the end of the 1,000 years (Revelation 20:5)
- Jesus takes the righteous to heaven (John 13:33, 36; 14:2, 3)
- Satan bound (Revelation 20:1–3)
10. Revelation 20:4 says there will be a judgment in heaven during the 1,000 years. What for? Who will participate?
“I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. … And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (Revelation 20:4).
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? … Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:2, 3).
“Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.” (Isaiah 32:1)
Answer: The saved from all generations will participate in the judgment during the 1,000 years. The cases of all who are lost, including the devil and his angels, will be reviewed. This judgment will clear up any questions the saved might have about those who were lost.
In the end, all will see that people are shut out of heaven only if they did not really want to live like Jesus or to be with Him.
- The earth in a battered condition from huge hailstones and a devastating earthquake (Revelation 16:18–21)
- The earth in total blackout and desolate, a “bottomless pit” (Jeremiah 4:23, 28)
- Satan bound and forced to stay on the earth (Revelation 20:1–3)
- The righteous in heaven participate in the judgment (Revelation 20:4)
- The wicked are all dead (Jeremiah 4:25; Isaiah 11:4)During the 1,000 years, every soul who has ever lived on earth will be in one of two places: (1) on the earth, dead and lost, or (2) in heaven, taking part in the judgment. The Lord has a wonderful invitation to be with Him a thousand years in heaven.
11. At the close of the 1,000 years, the holy city, New Jerusalem, will come down from heaven to this earth. Who will come with it? Where will it settle?
“I … saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. … And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men’ ” (Revelation 21:2, 3).
“Behold, the day of the Lord is coming. … And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two. … Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You. … All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:1, 4, 5, 10).
Answer: The New Jerusalem will settle where the mount of Olives now stands. The mountain will be flattened to make a great plain, upon which the city will come to rest. All of the righteous people of all ages (Zechariah 14:5), the angels of heaven (Matthew 25:31), God the Father (Revelation 21:2, 3), and His only-begotten Son (Matthew 25:31) will return to the earth with the holy city for Jesus’ special third coming. The second coming will be for His saints, while the third will be with His saints.
Jesus’ Three Advents:
Jesus first coming: He was born as a man on the earth, that He might save man from their sins, becoming the sacrifice and guilt offering for the world to save them.
Jesus second coming: He will return as a great Judge after all have accepted or rejected His blood which saves from sin; He will gather the righteous to Himself, but the wicked shall be judged.
Jesus third coming: The holy city and all of the righteous shall descend to the earth with the Lord.
12. What will happen to the wicked dead at this time? How will this affect Satan?
“The rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. …
When the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations” (Revelation 20:5, 7, 8).
Answer: At the close of the 1,000 years (when Jesus comes the third time), the wicked will be raised to life at the resurrection of condemnation. Satan, loosed from his bonds, will then have an earth full of people (all the nations of the world) to deceive.
13. What will Satan do then?
“Satan will … go out to deceive the nations … of the earth … to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city” (Revelation 20:7–9).
Answer: Satan, true to his unrepentant ways, will immediately begin lying to the people upon the earth—the wicked from all ages. He may claim that the city is really his, and that he has raised them to life, and that he was unjustly deposed from the heavenly kingdom, that God is power hungry and ruthless. He will convince them that, if they unify, God does not have a chance. With the entire world against one city, victory will likely appear certain to them. The nations will then unite and marshal their armies to surround the New Jerusalem.
14. What is especially reserved for Satan and his armies at the end of the millennium?
“For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (2 Peter 2:4).
“And He was wroth with them, and bound them to be oppressed a thousand years, even till the time of the consummation of their sins.” (Enoch 17:16).
Satan was in chains “reserved unto judgment” for “a thousand years, even till the time of the consummation of their sins.” Sin is to be destroyed, and eradicated forever from the universe. It cannot be expected that evil should exist immortally forever. The whole purpose of Jesus coming was to destroy sin and death, and now, at the end of the millennium, the final judgment shall take place.
15. What will interrupt Satan’s plan to capture or destroy the city?
“Fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into … the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” (Revelation 20:9, 10; 21:8).
“ ‘The wicked … shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 4:3).
Answer: Fire will suddenly come down from heaven (not up from hell, as many believe) upon the wicked and all will be turned into ashes, including the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). This fire that destroys sin and sinners is called the second death. There is no resurrection from this death. It is final. Notice that the devil will not be tending the fire, as is commonly believed. He will be in it, and it will put him out of existence.
16. When the wicked are burned up and the fire goes out, what glorious, thrilling event will take place next?
“Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65:17).
“Look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).
“He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new’ ” (Revelation 21:5).
“The tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).
Answer: God will create new heavens and a new earth, and the New Jerusalem will be the capital city of the earth made new. Sin and its ugliness will be gone forever. God’s people will at long last receive the kingdom promised to them. “They shall obtain joy and
gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10). It’s simply too fabulous to describe and too glorious to miss! God has a place prepared there for you (John 14:1–3). Plan to live in it. Jesus is waiting for your consent.
- Third coming of Jesus with His saints (Zechariah 14:5).
- Holy city settles on the Mount of Olives, which becomes a great plain (Zechariah 14:4, 10).
- The Father, His angels, and all of the righteous come with Jesus (Revelation 21:1–3; Matthew 25:31; Zechariah 14:5).
- The wicked dead are raised; Satan is loosed (Revelation 20:5, 7).
- Satan deceives the entire world (Revelation 20:8).
- The wicked surround the holy city (Revelation 20:9).
- The wicked are destroyed by fire (Revelation 20:9).
- New heavens and earth created (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).
- God’s people enjoy eternity with God on the new earth (Revelation 21:2–4).
- A devastating earthquake and hailstorm (Revelation 16:18–21).
- The second coming of Jesus for His saints (Matthew 24:30, 31).
- The saved dead raised to life (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
- The saved given immortality (1 Corinthians 15:51–55).
- The saved given bodies like Jesus (1 John 3:2; Philippians 3:20, 21).
- All the righteous caught up into the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
- The living wicked slain by the breath of the Lord’s mouth (Isaiah 11:4).
- The unsaved dead remain in their graves until the end of the 1,000 years (Revelation 20:5).
- New heavens and earth created (Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1).
- Satan bound (Revelation 20:1–3).
- God’s people enjoy eternity with God on the new earth (Revelation 21:2–4).
- Third coming of Jesus with His saints (Zechariah 14:5).
- Holy city settles on the Mount of Olives, which becomes a great plain (Zechariah 14:4, 10).
- The Father, His angels, and all of the righteous come with Jesus (Revelation 21:1–3; Matthew 25:31; Zechariah 14:5).
- The wicked dead are raised; Satan is loosed (Revelation 20:5, 7).
- Satan deceives the entire world (Revelation 20:8).
- The wicked surround the holy city (Revelation 20:9).
- The wicked are destroyed by fire (Revelation 20:9).
- God’s people enjoy eternity with Jesus.
17. Can we know how soon all these momentous events will take place?
“When you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:33).
“When these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).
“He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness, because the Lord will make a short work upon the earth” (Romans 9:28).
“When they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).
Answer: Jesus said when the signs of His coming are being fulfilled rapidly, as they are today, we should rejoice and know that the end of this world of sin is near—even at the doors. And the apostle Paul said we can know the end is near when there is a great movement for peace in the world. Finally, the Bible says God will cut the work short (Romans 9:28). So without a doubt, we are living on borrowed time. The Lord will arrive suddenly and unexpectedly—at an hour known to no one, but to God the Father only (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:7). Our only safety is to be ready now.
18. Jesus, who loves you very much, has prepared a place for you in His fantastic eternal kingdom. Are you making plans to live in that glorious home custom-built for you by Jesus Himself?
Your Answer:
