Seeing Beyond this Age
Seeing Beyond this Age
Understanding of the Millennial Age has greatly stirred my heart. In the Millennial Age we rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years (Revelation 20). It is exciting to think about what we’ll be doing during those 1000 years. Seeing beyond this age has increased my passion to serve the Lord with wholeheartedly faithfulness.
Having studied Eschatology for a long time and looking at it from many different theological positions, I have concluded I am a Near-end tribulation pre-millennialist. And a futurist. In the scriptures I see that the resurrection of the dead, those who are alive and remain, and the return of Jesus happen at the same time – at the last trumpet sound (1 Corinthians 15). This last trumpet (“last” in the Greek means: last of the last) corresponds to the last of the 7 trumpets in Revelation 11:15:Then the seventh angel sounded [their trumpet]: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”
Consider that after this last trumpet sounds that the kingdoms of the world are changed. They are turned over to Jesus Christ. This is the end of the dominion of Satan on the earth and the end of worldly governments: the end of the world as we know it. Praise to our God!
We know Jesus will sit on His throne, the throne of David, in New Jerusalem (Jeremiah 3). The City will have a wall around it (Revelation 21). Kings will bring their wealth into her (Isaiah 60) as they worship their King. These are some dynamics of the Millennial Age and we get to enjoy them with the Lord Jesus, as we rule and reign with Him. But where does the Bible talk more about this age and our ruling with Him? What will we be doing?
A couple days ago I came across exciting things I hadn’t seen before in the Bible. Jesus in Revelation 2 had just evaluated the Thyatira church. They had a lot that was good and then there was Jezebel. Jesus sternly warned them to repent of allowing her to continue to influence the church. Then He said:
“Now to you I say, and to the rest in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine [of Jezebel], who have not known the depths of Satan, as they say, I will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come. 26 “And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations — 27 ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’ — as I also have received from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’
Scriptures 26-27 are a quote from Psalm 2:8-9:
7 “I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
Though we don’t fully grasp what we will be doing during this 1000 year reign, we do know that …he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations …as I also have received from My Father. Ruling the nations with an iron rod and dashing them to pieces. Wow! That sounds like we will be doing a lot during the millennium. We will be ruling nations and bringing them into submission to the King on the Throne.
It is likely that the parable of the minus in Like 19 is insight to the millennium too.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when He spoke this parable. Interestingly, straight away after the parable the Bible again states that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem. Why? I gather the Holy Spirit wants us to understand that the meaning is about Jesus establishing His Throne and rule in New Jerusalem, which is during the millennial age. It beings: Now as they [the disciples] heard these things, He [Jesus] spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. So this is in the context of straightening out the disciples as to the timing for the establishment of the Kingdom on Earth in Jerusalem. The parable’s context is: “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.” In the parable servants were given money to put to use. Some did; one didn’t. The faithful servants were given cities to rule over when the nobleman returned from his journey. Possibly, probably, this is the speaking directly of the millennium.
Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem when He spoke this parable. Interestingly, straight away after the parable the Bible again states that Jesus was headed to Jerusalem. Why? I gather the Holy Spirit wants us to understand that the meaning is about Jesus establishing His Throne and rule in New Jerusalem, which is during the millennial age. It beings: Now as they [the disciples] heard these things, He [Jesus] spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. So this is in the context of straightening out the disciples as to the timing for the establishment of the Kingdom on Earth in Jerusalem. The parable’s context is: “A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return.” In the parable servants were given money to put to use. Some did; one didn’t. The faithful servants were given cities to rule over when the nobleman returned from his journey. Possibly, probably, this is the speaking directly of the millennium.
One may wonder, “Why care about the next age?” In my opinion, understanding the next age adds fuel to our fire for the Lord. It gives us greater purpose to see beyond this age. Consider that Abraham left everything because he saw a City with foundations whose builder and make is God (Hebrews 11:10). This City is the New Jerusalem the Book of Revelation talks about — a city with foundations! Revelation 21 has great detail of New Jerusalem’s foundations. Each one is a precious stone. How magnificent!I ask that the Lord open our eyes so we too see the City with foundations whose builder and maker is God. And that we too will leave everything to find His City.
Live for eternity.
“Father, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
Live for eternity.
“Father, give us eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
