The Restoration of All Things
The Millennial Kingdom
In the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve enjoyed fellowship with God, but the government of God was not established on the earth. In the Millennial Kingdom under the dominion of Jesus, the earth will mature in righteousness. This next age is called The Millennial Kingdom because of the time period specified in the Bible. Millennial comes from the Latin word mille which means thousand. The phrase “thousand years” is used six times in Revelation chapter 20. I encourage you to read the whole chapter.
“Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.” Revelation 20:4-5
In the Millennial Kingdom Jesus’ primary mandate is to prepare the earth for the coming of the Father. It surprises many that this will take 1000 years. Somehow, it is assumed that Jesus comes back and instantly everything is changed. But that would not be according to God’s expressed will and pleasure. It has always been God’s desire to partner with His family in the development and expansion of His Kingdom. He has not changed, this thousand year plan will involve natural humans along with the glorified saints and angels. There is much that will transpire in these years. When the work is complete and the final judgement has been carried out. Then the ends comes.
“Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.” —1 Corinthians 15:24-28
Did you notice that this passage of scripture reveals that the last enemy that will be destroyed is death itself. If we read all of Revelation Chapter 20, we would read that death is not destroyed until after the 1000 years are completed. This is because there are natural people who are not resurrected or glorified that come into the Millennial Kingdom. There will be a natural earthly human process that continues during this thousand year reign of Jesus upon the earth. The length of life will be restored to what it was in Noah’s time. Those who live to be only 100 will be thought to have lived a short life. It will be common for people to live over 500 years. In the Millennium it will still be possible for people to sin and to die.
Isaiah 65:20-22
“No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.” They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
We have read in the Bible that the natural human processes will not be suspended, however they are significantly enhanced by the supernatural dimension of the Spirit. The Millennial Kingdom will bring about a return to the Eden like conditions of Genesis. Animosity between animals and humans will be removed.
Isaiah 11:6-9 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper's den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.
The Natural and Supernatural Come Together
We see aspects of the natural and the supernatural dimensions operating together when Jesus appeared with His resurrected body to teach the apostles for forty days. Read John chapters 20-21 and Acts 1.
“He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3
Luke’s account of what the disciples saw and experienced at the Resurrection of Jesus gives us insight as to what we can expect.
“See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them.” Luke 24:39-43
This is the resurrected Jesus on the earth with his disciples. After his death and burial Jesus has been resurrected and glorified. His body is physical and can be touched. “Behold My hands and My feet,” He said, “Examine them, look at them, touch Me.” Jesus can eat natural food. He ate a piece of fish which the disciples had caught and cooked. If we keep reading in this chapter Jesus enters into the room even though it is pointed out that the physical doors are shut.
Our resurrected body will be as physical as it is now, but with all the supernatural properties. We will no longer experience death in any form; this means no sickness, no disease, no deformities or limitations. Our bodies will no longer be mortal, which means “death doomed.” The Bible puts it this way:
1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
You will not just be bones like a skeleton, nor will you be vaporous like a ghost. You will have beautiful, glorious, supernatural flesh. You will enjoy a supernatural body. It will be able to enjoy the fullness of heaven and earth!
When we talk about the “glorification of the saints” we are referring to our resurrected bodies. We do not get an omniscience chip. We will only know as much as we knew the day before we were resurrected. We will learn everything line-by-line just like we do now. We will meet new friends. we will introduce old friends to new friends. We will have tasks to do, but we will have supernatural abilities. We will serve and bless one another, but in an entirely supernatural environment forever and forever. Our lives will be so remarkable.
Three Groups of People
When Jesus appears in the sky to gather his own, there will be three groups of people alive on the earth.
The Redeemed: These are the faithful believers. They have confessed faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior before he appears in the sky to receive them. They include the saints that have died “in the Lord” which will come with him in a heavenly procession across the sky. Their bodies will be resurrected. It is at this time they receive their glorified bodies. The rest of the saints that are alive and remain on the earth will be changed at the time of Jesus return. Together we will all join him in the magnificent display of a triumphant parade. The Bible states it like this:
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet 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. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
The Reprobate: These are those who took the mark of the Beast. They will be killed in battle, others will be judged and executed. The reprobate are those who are permanently determined in their heart to never to repent. They do not want to repent. They do not want Jesus’ leadership. Their conscience is defiled and they have taken the mark of the Antichrist. They oppose everything that represents God and His righteous rule. These have covenanted to worship the Antichrist and to obey his leadership. They will not be redeemed they can not be recovered. Through their choices they have joined themselves with the demonic spiritual entities in such a way that they are no longer purely human. They are reprobate.
Revelation 14:9-11
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.”
The Resisters: These are the unsaved survivors of the Tribulation who refused to worship the Antichrist. These resisters stand against evil governments, even without faith in God. For example in World War II the French Resistance fought the Nazis, it wasn’t that they were necessarily followers of Jesus. They just didn’t want to follow Hitler. In the same way scripture indicates that there will be natural people on earth during the Millennial Kingdom. They are referred to these as “those who are left.” These can be saved. They will live and populate the millennial earth.
Consider these scriptures as examples.
Joel 2:32
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.
Zechariah 14:16
Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.
The Restoration of the Earth
The Millennial Kingdom is described throughout the whole Old Testament. The prophets saw it and spoke of it, but without identifying the specific time frame. It produces unparalleled blessing for the whole earth. It is during this time that Jesus establishes righteousness and restores the agriculture, atmosphere, the infrastructure of cities, transportation systems and so much more.
Ezekiel 36:35
And they will say, “This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.”
This is the time that creation waits for with eager longing. This is the beginning of the restoration of all things. The earth to the conditions that were seen in the Garden of Eden. It will begin in Jerusalem and will spread throughout the whole earth.
Isaiah 51:3
The Lord will comfort Zion. He will comfort all her waste places; He will make her wilderness like Eden. And her desert like the garden of the Lord; Joy and gladness will be found in it, Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.
Romans 8:20-21
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
Jesus’ Throne of Glory and The New Jerusalem
Jeremiah 3:17
“At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem.”
Jesus is going to establish His throne of glory on the Millennial earth in Jerusalem. His throne is also in the New Jerusalem. It’s really one vast reality with two expressions. The New Jerusalem will descend to a place just above the Millennial Jerusalem. It will be very near the earth, and in very close proximity, but not actually resting on the earth creating a vast “governmental complex” referred to as Jesus’ throne of glory. Jesus the King takes His place on the Throne of David in Jerusalem. It is from Jerusalem He will judge the nations (Matthew 25:31-46). It is interesting to note that there are still distinct nations in this Millennial Kingdom.
Revelation 21:2
“I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” (Referenced in Revelation 3:12)
Ezekiel 37:27-28
“My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore.”
Revelation 21:24-26
“And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day, there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it.”
There is much more in the Bible we can know concerning the reign of Jesus from Jerusalem and His Millennial Kingdom an all of it is in preparation for the coming of The Father. At that time it will culminate in the “New Creation” of the Heavens and the Earth.
A New Heaven and a New Earth
Isaiah 65:17-18
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create. For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, and her people a joy.”
Did you realize that the prophet Isaiah saw this promise? It is still a promise to come. We will read what the Apostle John also saw, and recorded in the Book of Revelation.
Revelation 21:1-3
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.
This Holy City that John saw, is the city the saints throughout history have been focused on. This city doesn’t stay in the heavenly realm, but it comes out of the realm of heaven, down to the earth. The New Jerusalem rests upon the new earth forever.
Let’s unwrap these verses a little.
What Does "Passed Away" Mean?
Some theologians debate whether this present earth will be regenerated and made new, or will it be annihilated. Will it be completely destroyed and done away with? I believe that this present earth will be regenerated. I believe this because when read that the heavens and earth “passed away,” it’s the same word found in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away G3928 parerchomai ; behold, all things have become new."
“…for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away G3928 parerchomai…
The earth is “born again”
What passed away when you were "born again"? It wasn't your physical body. You did not cease to exist, but you were made new. You weren’t annihilated; but that which brought death to your spirit passed away and you were completely regenerated. You did not become something unknown, unrecognized by those who knew you. You are still a human spirit, but you underwent a new and direct creation of God. God recreated you in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit. You have a new identity in the spirit yet you are still you. In the same way the heavens and the earth will be new.
When it says “a new heaven” it’s talking about a new atmosphere, a new cosmos, a new galaxy; a new solar system and all they contain. John is speaking about a re-creation of magnificent proportions.
G3773 ouranos The universe, the aerial heavens, the sidereal or starry heavens. The region above the starry heavens
…and the sea was no more.
The Bible often speaks symbolically of “the sea” as the source or place of “chaos.” This was because to the ancient world the sea was uninhabitable. It was unpredictable and unconquered. The sea was also powerful, for these reasons the sea became a metaphor for that which brought destruction and death. This sea was a place of monsters and men feared it. This is why even in Genesis 1:2 it is a deep place of darkness that God has to set limits on. When the Bible says, “the sea was no more” it is another way of saying, things are now perfect and divine order is restored. Chaos and the source of rebellion and evil have been purged.
God And His Family
Revelation 21:3-5
Behold, 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. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”