The Millenial Reign: God's final exam for fallen man

The Millenial Reign: God's final exam for fallen man.

Sunday, August 24, 2008

The divine division and provision of the different dispensations.

These divine divisions of dispensations are periods of time in human history expressed in terms of divine revelation for that period.

Dispensations are the means that God uses by which believers, living at a specific time in history, can adjust to God’s will, God’s plan, and God’s purpose for their lives.

1. Two Theocentric dispensations = Old Testament periods of time emphasizing and glorifying God the Father’s purpose in the divine provision relating to the angelic conflict.

The age of the Gentiles in the Old Testament, from Adam to the Exodus generation, 1441 B.C. The age of the Jew or Israel, from 1441 B.C. to the First Advent of Christ, 4-5 B.C.

2. Two Christocentric dispensations = the Lord Jesus Christ is the center of the dispensation.

The Hypostatic Union, 4-5 B.C. to His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, 30 A.D.
The Church-age, 30 A.D., to the Rapture, which has not yet occurred.

3. Two Eschatological dispensations.

The Tribulation, from Rapture to the Second Advent of Christ.
The Millennium, from the Second Advent, to the last Judgment.
The event which ends the Tribulation period and ushers in the Millennium is the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

1. At this time all Old Testament saints are raised from the dead. They all receive their resurrection bodies,
REV 20:4-6.

2. Satan is bound for 1,000 years, REV 20:1-3.
3. Demons are removed from the earth, COL 2:14-15.
4. The baptism of fire takes place, 2TH 1:7-9.

The baptism of fire is the judgment that comes at the 2nd Advent, when unbelievers are cast off the earth and believers go into the Millennium,
MAT 24:36-42.

5. The regathering of Israel takes place and there is a period of 75 days after the Second Advent until the Millennium begins.
Millennialism = there will be a period of 1,000 years when TLJC will rule this earth as king.

The Abrahamic covenant, the Palestinian covenant, Davidic covenant, and the New covenant are all fulfilled by the Millennial reign. The Millennial age will also be God’s final test toward fallen humanity under the most ideal circumstances and perfect environment.

All outward sources of temptation must be removed so that man will demonstrate what he is apart from satanic influence = man is totally corrupt regardless of environment.

Because of the presence of TLJC: the curse is abolished, death is overcome, the evils pertaining to fallen man and fallen nature are removed, and great blessings are obtained.

During the Millennium all nations come before TLJC and worship Him as God, PSA 86:9;
ZEC 14:16-19.

PSA 86:9 All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; And they shall glorify Thy name.

1. There will be world peace. National and individual peace will be the fruit of the Messiah’s reign, ISA 2:4; 11:6-9; 60:18; 61:7.
2. It will be a fantastic time of inner happiness and joy, ISA 9:3-4; JER 30:18-19; ZEP 3:14-17.
3. The kingdom will be characterized by glory, ISA 24:3; ISA 4:2; 60:1-9.

4. It will be a kingdom manifested by holiness, ISA 1:26-27; JER 31:23; EZE 36:24-31.
5. The King will personally minister to every need so that there will be the fullness of “comfort,”
ISA 12:1-2; JER 31:23-25; ZEC 9:11-12.
6. There will be the administration of perfect justice, ISA 9:7; JER 23:5; 31:29-30.
7. There will be the most fantastic teaching ministry of God the H.S., ISA 11:1-2; 41:19-20;
HAB 2:14.

8. There will be direct instruction from TLJC as the King of kings,
ISA 29:17-24; 3:14-15; MIC 4:2.
9. The original curse placed upon creation in GEN 2:17-19 will be removed.
10. Sickness will be removed. The ministry of the King as the healer will be seen throughout the Millennium so that sickness and even death will be removed, the exception being “death” in dealing with criminal sin or capital punishment, ISA 33:24; JER 30:17; EZE 34:16.

11. All of the deformed are healed as well, if they were deformed at the time of the Second Advent they will experience a total healing, ISA 29:17-19; JER 31:8;
MIC 4:6-7.

12. There will also be a supernatural work of preservation in the Millennial age through the King, ISA 41:8-14;EZE 34:27; Joel 3:16-17.
13. There will be no social, political, or religious oppression, ISA 14:3-6; 42:6-7; ZEC 9:11-12.

14. There will not be the tragedies of mental illness or of infant deaths, ISA 65:20.
15. The earth’s population will soar and there will be sex. Children will be born to the believers who began the Millennium and will have a sin nature and therefore need salvation, JER 30:20; 31:29;
EZE 47:22; ZEC 10:8.

16. There will exist a perfect economic system in which the needs of men are abundantly provided for, ISA 62:9-9; 65:21-23; JER 31:5.
17. There will be an increase of solar and lunar light. The increased light probably is a major cause of the increased productivity of the earth, ISA 4:5; 30:26; 60:19-20;
ZEC 2:5.

18. There will be a unified language. The language barriers will be removed so that there can be free social intercourse, ZEP 3:9.

a. Mankind cannot be satisfied without a personal relationship with TLJC.
b. Believers can use Bible doctrine and remain faithful even in prosperity.

Environment is not the solution to man’s problems.

The Edenic dispensation under the age or dispensation of the Gentiles and how they failed.
The antediluvian age under the dispensation of the Gentiles and how mankind failed, i.e., operation flood.
The postdiluvian age under the dispensation of the Gentiles - mankind once again failed in the Tower of Babel incident.
The dispensation of Israel and how the Jews totally failed no matter what the Lord did.
The first Christocentric dispensation - TLJC came unto His own but His own did not receive Him.
The Church-age began, and even in that dispensation most believers rejected the Lordship of TLJC.
The Tribulation begins with God using crisis evangelism to warn people, but they still reject TLJC.

Without a relationship with TLJC mankind is an implacable, frustrated, miserable, ungrateful, hard-hearted lot!

1. One is prehistoric perfect environment which occurred and existed prior to Satan’s fall and the angelic revolution, Eze 28.
2. Then when man was created to duplicate the same conditions, perfect environment was provided on the earth, Gen 2-3.
3. In the last 1000 years of human history, there will be perfect environment, and yet even though perfect conditions exist, at the end of the Millennium, there is a final revolution, Rev 20.

Rational creatures including angelic and humans, are no better off in perfect environment than in any other environment.

Bible doctrine in the soul is what gives a person happiness.

The Gog and Magog revolution, where millions and millions of human beings revolt against the Lord on the broad plain of the earth.

The implacability and dissatisfaction of the human race is phenomenal at this time, and so Satan alleges to improve perfect environment! Jesus Christ on the one hand or Satan on the other hand.

The end of history, like the beginning of history, will demonstrate man’s need for relationship with God through faith in Christ.

Adam and Ishshah both decided they weren’t satisfied with all the things the Lord gave them.

Implacability refers to the condition of being impossible to please or satisfy.
2CO 12:15 I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less?

Man still seeks the glory that he lost and feels belongs to him, but he can never find it by himself.

What a tragic figure fallen man is, with a mass of contradictions!

JOB 1:21 The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
2TI 4:10 for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica;

“Father forgive them, they know not what they do”

Why is God completely satisfied with the work of Christ on the cross when it comes to the human race...And yet WE are so often NOT satisfied with people, especially not satisfied with ourselves? Why are some so dissatisfied and others so satisfied?

The Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ!!

JOB 19:25 As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
ROM 7:24-25 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God [the Grace of God has been revealed] through Jesus Christ our Lord!

PHI 1:21 For me, living is Christ, likewise dying is profit.
The Lord is the One who keeps on shepherding Me; I shall want for nothing!
Respect God and keep His word

JOH 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”