Nuggets from An Urgent Call to a Serious Faith—The Millennium Is Not the Eternal Kingdom

Peace cannot be achieved personally until the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, reigns in our hearts. And peace on this earth will not be seen until the King of kings comes to reign. But startlingly enough, even His presence will not turn men from their determination to rule their own kingdom. Not even a kingdom ruled by Christ on this earth is our hope, but heaven itself; and in the new heavens and new earth God’s will is finally done “on earth as it is in heaven” because heaven and earth have become one.

While the millennium is commonly referred to as the Kingdom of God for which Jesus taught His disciples to pray (“Thy kingdom come…”), that cannot be true for several obvious reasons. Foremost of all, the millennium ends after 1000 years. But the Word of God distinctly tells us that God’s kingdom “is an everlasting kingdom” (Psalm:145:13Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.
See All...). Even Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar knew that “his [God’s] kingdom is an everlasting kingdom…” (Daniel:4:3How great are his signs! and how mighty are his wonders! his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation.
See All...).

Daniel reiterates that fact (7:14), as does Isaiah in his prophecy of the Messiah who will rule restored Israel: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father…” (9:6). The next verse, often overlooked, is conclusive, “and in the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” No end!

Yet the millennium ends, and with earth’s final war. At that time Jesus himself has been reigning on David’s throne for 1000 years during which Satan has been confined to “the bottomless pit” so that he could “deceive the nations no more” (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.
See All...). Christ has established peace on earth and has enforced it with a rod of iron (Psalm 2). The lion lies down with the lamb and eats straw like an ox (Isaiah:65:25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.
See All...). Yet as soon as Satan is released, mankind “the number of whom is as the sand of the sea” follow him in battle against Christ in Jerusalem (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.
See All...). That war alone disqualifies the millennium from being God’s kingdom of endless peace.

There are other disqualifications. Jesus told Nicodemus that no one can even see, much less enter into, the Kingdom of God without being born again of the Holy Spirit (John:3:1-16 [1] There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: [2] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. [3] Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. [4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? [5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. [6] That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. [7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. [8] The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. [9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? [10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? [11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. [12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? [13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. [14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: [15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. [16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
See All...). Yet multitudes living in the millennial kingdom will not have been born again, providing another reason why it is not the Kingdom of God. Paul declared, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians:15:50Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
See All...). But there will be millions of “flesh-and-blood” people living in the millennium—a further reason why it is not the Kingdom of God.

Then what is the millennium? Quite clearly, it is God’s final proof of the incorrigible evil of the human heart. Even Christ, having turned into a paradise rivaling the Garden of Eden, ruling with a rod of iron and the redeemed in glorified bodies reigning with Him cannot change the human heart or make men willingly obey Him. There is no way to reform the present human race. It must be put to death in Christ and created anew through faith in Him. The kingdom begins in individual hearts when Christ the King is received to reign within.