Eschatology
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2. Is the Millennial reign a symbolic reign or a literal reign? |
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The Millennial Reign is a literal reign. From the passages in the book
of Revelation which refer to this period of a thousand years we learn that it
is a period of time which is still to come upon the earth. When will the
millennial reign begin? It will begin when Jesus comes back from heaven. |
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Let us look closely at these passages. |
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● “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of
the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a
thousand years, 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” (Revelation 20:1-3). |
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Therefore at the coming of Christ, an angel of God will seize the
devil and bind him for a thousand years to keep him from deceiving the
nations until the thousand years are ended. |
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● “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.
But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were
finished. This is the first resurrection. 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” (Revelation 20:4-6). |
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Therefore, according to these words, those who will have part in the
first resurrection, which is the resurrection of the just that will take
place when Jesus comes and will concern the dead in Christ, will reign with
Christ for a thousand years. These persons are blessed because the second
death will have no power over them. The fact that the Scripture states that
the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended
means that there will be a real period of a thousand years between the first
and the second resurrection. |
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● “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison, 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. 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.
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” (Revelation 20:7-10). |
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As we said before, when the thousand years are ended the devil will be
released from his prison, and what will he do? He will deceive the nations
which will be gathered together to battle against the saints, but they will
be punished by God and the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire and
brimstone where he will be tormented forever and ever. |