The only way to make sense of the Millennium is to reject what preachers have said for years. They say the saints will 1) rule and 2) reign with 3) Christ 4) for a thousand years 5) on the earth. But, is that true? Is that found anywhere in the Bible? Is the Millennium all about the Saints? No. It's not.
The nice thing about bible apps is the ability to do word searches. When I say the bible doesn't say we will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years on the earth... I mean... I've looked and I can't find those words in any verse anywhere.
Do a word search on these words:
rule reign christ thousand earth
I can't find those words in any verse anywhere. They do not exist in one single verse.
Try a smaller combination of words and see what you get.
These combination of words do not exist in the Bible:
Rule/Thousand
Rule/Reign/Thousand
Rule/Reign/Thousand/Years
Rule/Christ
Rule/Earth - exists but no mention of a thousand years
These combinations of words do exist:
Reign/Earth
Revelation 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth... (for a thousand years?)
Reign/Christ/Thousand
Revelation 20:4 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. (On earth or in heaven? Note: the thrones are in heaven.)
Reign/Thousand
Revelation 20:6 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... (On earth or in heaven? Note: the thrones are in heaven.)
Kings & Priests (but No rule, reign, thousand years or earth)
Revelation 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever...
Reign/Rule
Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment. (Believers are saints... not princes. No thousand years or earth)
You have to combine two verses to come up with the theology that says we will rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years on the earth. Here's an example:
Combine Revelation 5:10 with Revelation 20:6 and add a couple of words and you get:
Hesitations 25:16 and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall (rule and) reign with Christ for a thousand years on the earth.
Bingo! New Theology that does not exist in the Bible is that simple & easy to create.
Consider these things:
... our lively hope is... 1 Peter 1:4 an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Most people raptured at the resurrection will have died and lived in heaven without a body for 1,000... 2,000... 3,000... 4,000... 5,000 even 6,000 years.
What is it like to live that long in heaven without a body? I do not know. I do believe there will be no pooping or peeing, no tampons, no waste treatment facilities, no sickness, no sex, no one will be married or given in marriage... among other things.
And... oh... we are all supposed to leave our incorruptible and undefiled inheritance and return to earth for a thousand years to rule and reign where sin and death still abounds?
Yeah... right. I don't think so.
And notice... they have been kept unto salvation through faith... not kept by repenting of their sins, not kept by turning from their sins, not kept by turning their life around, not kept by living a good life, etc.
Most people who are raptured at the resurrection have never seen a car... or airplane... or computer... or TV... or cell phone. Only a few people raptured at the resurrection will have not seen heaven before. The ONLY people left AFTER the Rapture the next day will be reprobates and unbelievers, except for the 2 witnesses and the 144,000 that have been sealed. Everybody left behind will have SEEN Jesus That is something that has not happened in 2,000 years. Will they still believe? Some will come to believe. Most will not.
Revelation 20:3 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.
Sin and Death will still abound on earth during the thousand years after Armageddon.
One good reason we do not return to earth during the millennium is Death. Death can not kill people in heaven. The 144,000 are sealed to protect them from Death. The saints will not be sealed so they will NOT return to earth until Death is cast into the Lake of Fire and the new heaven and the new earth is created. Otherwise, they would experience the results of sin and would be at risk of Death.
I for one will be staying in heaven and letting all those who want to go back and live among sin and Death do so for a thousand years. I plan on enjoying my inheritance forever.
The Millennium is not about the saints. The Millennium is like everything else... it is all about Jesus. Jesus is giving everybody who survives Armageddon the opportunity to live and die, reproduce, get saved and get others saved as well. It will kinda be like Noah after the flood. God killed everybody but Noah and his family. Over half of the world's population will be destroyed by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and when the 6th angel sounds his trumpet. Whoever is left gets to enter the Millennium and start all over again. Things are going to go just a bad as they did during the first 6 thousand years. And yet Jesus will give those who survive another opportunity be saved... including those who are born during the Millennium.
PS. The Judgment Seat of Christ is for the saints. The Judgment Seat of Christ will take place during the Millennium. This is another reason why we will not be ruling and reigning on the earth during the Millennium. It is going to take several hundred YEARS for millions of saints to receive their rewards.
The Great White Throne judgement will take place after the Millennium, after Gog and Magog. This is where all of the unsaved, the reprobates, the non-believers get judged and then get cast into the Lake of Fire along with the devil, Death and Hell.
Why do preachers say we will rule and reign with Jesus for a thousand years on earth?
Two reasons: 1) happy church members 2) pay tithes. If you tell church members the Millennium is all about 'us' then it makes them happy and they're more likely to continue attending and giving tithes to the church. A happy member is a tithing member.
Update:
John 18:36 ... my kingdom is not of this world.
I thought ah hah! Then find this...
Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
At the end of Daniel's 70th week the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of Christ... and we shall reign for... a thousand years?
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