The Millennium
A study on the two resurrections and the 1000 years
In our recent study, What Happens When We Die? Pt. 1, we learnt these five things from the Bible: 1. The dead cannot come back in this lifetime; 2. The dead know nothing, which means they have no consciousness - death is a type of sleep; 3. The body united with the spirit produces a living soul, so when they are separated at death, this living soul dies; 4. The dead will be woken up or resurrected at the end of the world; 5. There are two separate resurrections for two different classes of people – the just and unjust.
This study will be focusing on point 4 and 5 listed above. Our aim in this study is to allow the Bible to answer questions such as: How do we know the dead will be resurrected at the end of the world? Who wakes them up? When do these two separate resurrections take place? What does the Bible say about the 1000 years, or the millennium as some call it?
The format of this study will be different from the last to allow it to be as clear as possible.
1. What are some of the Bible verses which inform us that there will be two separate resurrections, one for the righteous/just and the other for the unrighteous/unjust?
Daniel 12:2
2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
John 5:28, 29
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 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.
Acts 24:15
15 And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.
2. What did Jesus promise His disciples, including the righteous who will come to believe in Him?
John 14:1-3
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Jesus promised that He was going somewhere to ‘prepare a place’.
He also promised that He would ‘come again’ and ‘receive’ those who believe in Him to be where He is.
‘Receive’ means to take to, to take with one’s self, to join to one’s self. (Strong’s Concordance)
When Jesus comes again to take His people to be with Him, He’ll take them to be in the same place as He is.
He promised this before His death and resurrection.
3. What place did Jesus go to after His death and resurrection?
Where is Jesus now and what is He doing?
Acts 1:11
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Romans 8:34
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Hebrews 7:25
25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Hebrews 12:2
2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
1st Peter 3:21, 22
21 …by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Hebrews 4:14
14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
According to these verses, where did Jesus go after His death and resurrection?
Jesus went to heaven, and He is sat at the right hand of God the Father.
What is Jesus doing at the right hand of God the Father?
Jesus is interceding for us as our great high priest.
‘Intercession’ means the act of mediating; something which an individual does for two parties at variance, with a view to reconcile them; one who pleads in behalf of another. (Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
So we now know that the place which Jesus promised He was going to in John 14:1-3 was heaven. And Jesus interceding for us as our high priest in heaven is somehow connected with his promise to ‘prepare a place’ for us. He also promised that He would ‘come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.’
This tells us that when Jesus comes again, at His 2nd coming, He will receive or take His people to be with Him in heaven - the place which He had went to after His death and resurrection.
4. Is this supported anywhere else in the Bible?
When does the first resurrection take place, and what class of people will it be for (the righteous or unrighteous)?
Matthew 24:30, 31
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 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.
At the 2nd Coming of Jesus, He will be seen coming in the clouds of heaven.
At this time Jesus Christ will ‘gather together his elect’ from the earth.
‘Elect’ means chosen (Strong’s Concordance).
So, at the 2nd Coming of Jesus, He is coming to take His chosen people – those who have believed in the Gospel and been faithful.
1st Thessalonians 4:16-17
16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
These verses are very interesting because they give information on the first resurrection and those of God’s people who will be alive at the time of the 2nd Coming of Jesus.
Verse 16 tells us that Jesus will come down from heaven. Three things are specifically said about the manner in which Jesus comes: 1. With a shout; 2. With the voice of the archangel; 3. With the trump (trumpet) of God.
The result is that the dead in Christ rise first. The resurrection of the righteous will take place first at the 2nd Coming. This is the first resurrection.
These are God’s people who have died before Jesus’ 2nd Coming.
The fact that it says ‘first’ implies that there is another rising of the dead to take place at some point.
Verse 17 tells us that God’s people who are still alive will join those that have just been resurrected and rise from the earth together to ‘meet the Lord in the air’.
At this time, God’s people will receive everlasting life – ‘and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ The righteous will then be taken to heaven.
Verse 18 lets us know that this future event is a source of comfort for those who have the hope of being in this first resurrection.
From these wonderful verses, we see that it is Jesus Christ who has the power to wake the dead from their sleep and break the chains of death. The righteous will be resurrected first at His 2nd Coming.
5. What will happen to the unrighteous who are alive at Jesus’ 2nd Coming?
2nd Thessalonians 1:7-9
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
2 Thessalonians 2:8
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
The unrighteous or wicked will be destroyed at Jesus’ 2nd Coming.
So, if the righteous are taken when Jesus comes, and the wicked are destroyed, this means that there will be no human left alive on earth at this time.
6. At what point does the 2nd Coming of Jesus take place?
2nd Peter 3:3-4, 9-12
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
The 2nd Coming of Jesus takes place at the end of the world.
There are many scoffers and mockers in the world today who ridicule the idea of Jesus coming again, but these verses tell us that that day will definitely come.
The Lord God is not unreliable, but the reason He has allowed time to continue is to give each and every one of us an opportunity to repent so that we will not perish when He comes the 2nd time. We should not take God’s kindness and mercy for weakness and unfaithfulness.
7. When does the 1000 years (millennium) begin?
Revelation 20:6
6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
The 1000 years, or the millennium begins at the first resurrection of the righteous. This happens at Jesus’ 2nd Coming, at the end of the world.
As we have seen earlier in the study, the righteous will be taken to heaven when Jesus comes again. This verse tells us that the righteous will reign with Jesus for 1000 years. So we can conclude that the righteous will be taken to heaven for 1000 years. We will see what happens at the end of the 1000 years a bit later.
We are also told in this verse that the ‘second death’ will have no power over the righteous. We will also see what this means later in the study.
8. What will the righteous be doing in heaven for the 1000 years?
2 Timothy 2:12
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Revelation 3:21
21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
1st Corinthians 6:2, 3
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
Revelation 20:4
4 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 which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
The righteous will be reigning with Christ for 1000 years. Revelation 20:6 also says this.
The saints or righteous will be judging the world and angels.
9. What will happen to the Devil/Satan when Jesus comes, and during the 1000 years?
Revelation 20:1-3
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
Satan will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. This will be done at the beginning of the 1000 years, at the end of the world when Jesus comes the 2nd time.
What does the binding and bottomless pit mean?
To bind means to restrain (someone) by tying their hands and feet. (Oxford Dictionary)
This gives the image that Satan will be imprisoned by this angel.
What does the angel use to bind Satan?
The angel had a ‘great chain in his hand’. But is this chain a literal chain? Could a literal chain be used on a spiritual being? No, it could not be.
So, what is meant by this chain? Another verse in the Bible helps us to understand.
2nd Peter 2:4
4 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;
(See also Jude 6)
This verse tells us that ‘chains’ are used on ‘the angels that sinned’ – Satan is an angel that sinned.
The word ‘hell’ here means to incarcerate in eternal torment. (Strong’s Concordance)
‘Incarcerate’ means to imprison or confine. (Oxford Dictionary)
How is the chain that is used to imprison the angels that sinned described in this verse?
It is described as ‘chains of darkness’. The chains are not literal but symbolic of the circumstance in which the sinful angels are in.
What is the circumstance or condition in which Satan finds himself imprisoned in or confined during the 1000 years?
Revelation 20:3 says that the angel casts him into the ‘bottomless pit’.
Why is this ‘bottomless pit’ condition a prison sentence for Satan?
Revelation 20:3 explains to us what this binding and bottomless pit means for Satan at this time.
It says that during this time, Satan will not be able to ‘deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled’. The earth will be desolate at this time (2nd Peter 3).
The reason Satan will not be able to deceive the nations anymore is that there will be no human beings alive on earth during the 1000 years; the righteous would have been taken by Jesus at His 2nd Coming, the unrighteous who were alive at the 2nd Coming were destroyed, and the unrighteous who were already dead before the 2nd Coming have not been resurrected yet.
Since the days of Genesis chapter 3, Satan has been deceiving this world. His sole purpose has been to make the human race lose out on salvation and eternal life with their creator (see Revelation 12:9).
Satan will have 1000 years to consider the pain and suffering he has caused billions of people to experience.
However, the Bible tells us that this inability to deceive the nations comes to an end when the 1000 years are finished - ‘till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.’
10. What happens when the 1000 years are finished?
Revelation 20:5
5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished…
The ‘rest of the dead’ refers to the dead that have not been resurrected yet, which refers to the unrighteous.
The resurrection of the unrighteous happens at the end of the 1000 years.
This means at this time there will be humans alive on earth, which means there will be people for Satan to deceive.
Revelation 20:7-9
7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
At the end of the 1000 years, Satan will be let out of his prison which means that there will now be people for him to deceive once again.
Satan will manage to deceive the unrighteous who have been resurrected so that they will gather themselves to war against the saints/righteous. The unrighteous will fully be under the control of Satan, their leader.
The Bible illustrates how many unrighteous people will be gathered together by Satan at this time. It says ‘the number of whom is as the sand of the sea’. This will literally be every unrighteous person who has ever lived.
Verse 9 tells us that fire will come down and devour them.
11. What will happen to Satan and the unrighteous?
Revelation 20:10, 12, 14, 15
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
Revelation 21:8
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Satan will finally receive his just punishment for his sins. He will be cast into the lake of fire.
The unrighteous will be judged out of books which have a recording of their lives. Everyone will clearly see the choices they made which led them to the position they are in.
The ‘lake of fire’ is the ‘second death’. There will be no more resurrections after this. It is the means that God uses to utterly put evil out of existence forever.
Those that are not found in the ‘book of life’ will experience this ‘second death’ – this will be the unrighteous. As we saw earlier in Revelation 20:6, it says ‘Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power…’; the righteous will not experience the second death – they will be given eternal life.
12. What will God do to the earth after this?
Where will the righteous live after the 1000 years and the destruction of Satan and the unrighteous?
Revelation 21:1-5, 7
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
Matthew 5:5
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Psalms 37:9
9 For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.
God will make a new heaven and a new earth, and the righteous will live on earth.
Thank you for taking the time to read this study! We hope you got something from it.
by LetterBox Bible
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