1,000 Years on the New Earth: What the Bible Really Says

This is the fifth sermon in our series on the subject of heaven. Now, normally, I try not to preach more than four sermons per series because I know that most people get bored with the topic after about four weeks, and then they're ready for me to move on and to teach on a new and different topic. But every once in a while, I start teaching on a subject that requires more than four sermons, and this is one of those series. After this morning's sermon, I actually have one more sermon, and then we're going to be finished with this series on heaven.

Now, in my experience as a pastor, I've found that most people have two misconceptions about heaven. The first misconception has to do with where people go when they die. You see, most people believe that when they die, they go to the place where they're going to stay for all eternity. In other words, they believe that when they die, they're going to go to their final destination. Folks, that's just not true. It's not true for believers, and it's not true for unbelievers. You see, when an unbeliever dies, they go to hell. But hell is not their final destination. Most people think it is, but it's not. Hell is a temporary holding place for unbelievers until the Great White Throne Judgment, at which time their bodies are going to be resurrected and reunited with their souls, and they're going to stand before God to be judged for everything that they've done while they were here on this earth. Because there are different degrees of punishment, according to the book of Luke chapter 12, verses 47 through 48. Most people don't realize that. Trust me, Hitler, Stalin, they're going to be punished more harshly than those, maybe, who haven't done those types of things. And then, and only then, are they going to be thrown into the lake of fire. I don't know why, but most Christians think that hell and the lake of fire are synonymous, the same place. They are not. Hell is a temporary holding place until unbelievers stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment to be judged, and then they're thrown into the lake of fire, which is the second death.

Now, when we die, and I'm talking about believers, our soul goes to heaven. But that is not our final destination. It's heaven, but it is a temporary and intermediate heaven. You see, there are several things that happen before we actually get to our final destination. In fact, look at the timeline on the back wall. From the cross to the end of the tribulation, you have the prison heaven. In other words, that's where we go as believers when we die. Or if we're still living at the time of the rapture, that's where we're going to go when we're raptured. But we're only going to stay there for a certain period of time because when it's time for Jesus to return to the earth to live, to rule, and reign, we're going to come with him to live on this earth and to rule and to reign with him. Which takes us to the next segment on the timeline. Notice it from the end of the tribulation to the Great White Throne Judgment, you have the Millennium. Now, during that time, Jesus is going to, as I said, live, rule, and reign on this earth, and we're going to rule and reign with him. So during that period of time, we are no longer in heaven, but we're on the earth. This earth, this earth does not pass away until after the Great White Throne Judgment. And during the Great White Throne Judgment, the heavens and the earth pass away, and God creates a new heaven and a new earth. But when we come back with Jesus, we're coming back here to a Lake Tenkiller, if you live out of Chicken Creek, probably Chicken Creek. But I want you to understand, this is where we're coming back to, this earth.

Now, after the Great White Throne Judgment, you have the future heaven. It's an actual city that comes down from God out of heaven to sit on the new earth that God has created, and that's where we're going to live for all eternity. So you have the present heaven, and you have the future heaven, and in between the two, you have the Millennium.

The second misconception that people have has to do with the nature of heaven. You see, most people believe that heaven is ethereal. Everyone remembers what ethereal means, right? It means lacking material substance. In other words, everything is spiritual and nothing is physical. So when people die and go to heaven, they're like ghosts, they're disembodied spirits, and all day long they hang out on floating clouds and they're playing a harp, and even the harp isn't physical, it's ethereal. But people, that's wrong. The truth is, we will have physical bodies in heaven. Now, we might not have a physical body initially. We'll have a spiritual body, but even that spiritual body will have a form. People will be able to recognize you, you'll be able to recognize them. You'll have to wear clothes. The book of Revelation tells us of the martyred saints are given white robes. Why? Because they need to be clothed. All five senses will be working. You'll be able to see, you'll be able to hear, you'll be able to smell, you'll be able to taste, you'll be able to feel. So basically, the spiritual body is much like your physical body, but it's not physical. But when the rapture occurs, our physical body will be resurrected and reunited with our soul. Or, if we happen to be alive when the rapture occurs, our physical body will be transformed. Our mortal body will take on immortality, but it will be a physical body. And when I say physical body, I mean flesh and bones. I told you last week to bend your arm, reach down there and feel that heel, elbow. You will have flesh and bones.

Now, last week we talked about the rapture and the marriage supper of the Lamb. And if you look at the timeline, you'll notice that the rapture occurs before the tribulation begins, whereas the marriage supper of the Lamb occurs at the end of the tribulation, right before the Millennium begins. Which brings us to what I want to talk about this morning, which is the Millennium.

So, what is the Millennium? We'll turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 20, verses 2 through 7, and let's find out. Notice what it says: "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were fulfilled. And after that, Satan must be loosed for a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them." Thrones plural, and judgment was given to them plural. "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 they reigned with Christ." There's those thrones. "They reigned with Christ for how long? A thousand years. But the rest of the dead, the unbelievers, lived not again until the thousand years were finished." But even they are going to be resurrected. "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 for a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison."

Now, hopefully, you notice that six times in this passage, scripture, we're told that the Millennial Kingdom will continue on this earth for a thousand years. In fact, that's why it's called the Millennial Kingdom. It lasts for a thousand years. You see, the word millennium is actually made up of two Latin words: *milia*, which means 1000, and *annum*, which means years. Now, when you combine these two words, you get *mille annum*, or millennium, which means 1,000 years. So that's why scholars refer to this period of time as the millennium. It's going to last for a thousand years. That is not allegorical, that is not symbolic. It will last for a thousand years. Set your watch, set your clocks, it's going to last for that amount of time.

Now, what's interesting is that there are more prophecies about the millennium than any other topic in the Bible. Did you know that there are more prophecies about the millennium than any other topic in the Bible? So we have a lot of information about this period of time. So much information that it would literally take months to adequately cover it. If you go to seminary, you go to a Bible college, and you get into eschatology, they will tell you that you would probably need to take two semesters of classes to be able to cover everything the Bible has to say about the millennium. But we don't have time to do that because you don't have that type of attention span. Right after about four weeks, you're ready for me to move on to a new and different topic. And we're going to actually do six weeks in this series. This is the fifth. So this morning, all we're going to do is really hit the high points, the highlights of this period of time.

So, what do you think it's going to be like during the Millennium? What do you think it's going to be like during this thousand-year period when Christ reigns upon the earth? Well, Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 10, gives us a clue. So, if you don't mind, go ahead and turn to Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 10. And as you're turning there, let me say this: for the majority of the Bible, in fact, I would say 99.9% of the Bible, you do not need to have a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew to understand what you're reading. It's true, you don't have to have a knowledge of Greek or Hebrew to be able to read the Bible and understand 99.9% of it. But 0.1%, you need a knowledge of Greek and Hebrew. It's true, and this is one of those passages of scripture that requires that. So we're going to have to dig a little bit deeper. And if you take notes, you'll be able to understand that Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 10, is one of the most important verses in the entire Bible.

Now, having said that, let's read this verse: "That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which were which are on earth, even in him." Now, I want you to underline the word "dispensation." Dispensation is translated from the Greek word *oikonomia*, which literally means "house rules." You see, *oikonomia* is a compound word that simply means that it's made up of one, more than one word. In this case, it's made up of two words: the word *oikos*, which means house, and the word *nomos*, or rules. Now, when you combine these two words, it literally means "house rules." Or, in other words, the way that a man deals with those in his household. Does that make sense? So, technically, a dispensation refers to a period of time in which God deals with the human race in a distinct way. In fact, let me say that again, and if you're taking notes, I would write this down, and then when I got home, I would pull out my Bible, and in the back of your Bible, there's usually a white page. Find that white page and write this down so that you understand what a dispensation is. So, let me say it again: a dispensation refers to a period of time in which God deals with the human race in a distinct way. You see, God has purposely changed the rules from time to time based on certain factors. Now, this is unfair, and it doesn't mean that God is inconsistent. It simply means that as circumstances change, God's rules change. In fact, as parents, we do the very same thing with our kids. You see, it's perfectly normal to change the rules as our kids grow up and they go through different stages of life. So, in a sense, we have different dispensations with our children, different house rules. In other words, we change the rules and we parent differently according to our kids' age, mental ability, maturity level, and knowledge. Yeah, let me say that again. You need to understand this. We change the rules and we parent differently according to our kids' age, mental ability, maturity level, and knowledge. As an example, you would never allow your toddler to fly next to the street, would you? Or cross the street by themselves? No. You would wear them out if they got close to that street. But if you're still holding their hand across the street when they're a teenager, you got problems. Because the rules for a teenager should be totally different than the rules for a toddler. And people, it's the same way with God and man. So, think of a dispensation as the way that God deals with men during certain periods of time.

Now, as I said, throughout history, God has purposely changed the rules from time to time based on certain factors, and each time that God changes the rules, man entered into a new and different dispensation. So, let me give you the five previous dispensations, and really, that's not true. Let me give you the four previous dispensations and the one dispensation we're living in right now. From Adam to the fall, you had the dispensation of innocence. Adam and Eve were naked and they were not ashamed. In fact, they did not know what sin was. That was an age of innocence. So we refer to that dispensation, that period of time before Adam and Eve sinned, as the dispensation of innocence. But once Adam and Eve sinned, we went into a different dispensation.

So, from the fall to Noah, you had the dispensation of conscience. You see, man is made in the image of God. It doesn't mean that God has a head, he has a torso, he has two arms, he has two hands, he has five fingers on each hand, he has two legs, he has two feet, he has five toes on each foot. Now, that's not what that means. God is spirit. Talking about God the Father, when it says that we are made in the image of God, it means that we are sovereign, rational creatures. Sovereign means that we have a free will, we can make our own decisions. Rational means that we have the ability to reason. So we know the difference between right and wrong. Some of you have little brats that are three and four years old, they know the difference between right and wrong. Every once in a while, have a parent say, "Well, I don't know, they're not old enough yet." I said, "Do you have a puppy dog?" "Yes." "When did you start training him?" "Does he still poop in the house?" "Oh, no." "Are you telling me your dog is smarter than your child?" No. But I want you to understand, we are rational, sovereign beings. That means we have the ability to reason. So the way that God dealt with men was according to their conscience. That is known as the dispensation of conscience. Man knew to do what was right and didn't do it. In fact, they lived all the way, or they lived so many years that by the time of Noah, Noah had had knowledge of what Adam actually taught. He knew how God walked with him. But it became such a sin-filled world that God caused the flood. And once the flood occurred, then a new dispensation began.

From Noah to Moses, you had the dispensation of promise. God made promises to Noah and his children. God made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And based on those promises, that's how God dealt with mankind. Do they have faith in what God promised or not? And then Moses, at the very end of that, comes into the picture. He leads the children of Israel out of Egypt, and then, guess what happens? God forms them into a nation and he gives them laws. And so they went into a new dispensation.

So, from Moses to Christ, you had the dispensation of law. God gave the law. Men were required to keep the law. But the law pointed to who? Jesus Christ. The law was a schoolteacher. The whole purpose of the law was to teach us that we did not have the ability to keep the law on our own, and we needed a redeemer. In fact, you need to understand something. All the way back to Adam and Eve, after the fall, everyone knew they needed a redeemer. What is the oldest book in the Bible? Does anyone know? Book of Job. Job is the oldest book in the Bible, written before the book of Genesis. We don't know who wrote it. We think that Moses did write it, but it is recorded, and it is supposedly the oldest book in the Bible. I want you to read something out of the book of Job because most people don't understand that Job is all about grace. Job had this mentality of works, and God had to change his mentality to let him know, "You need a redeemer." And so, even though he tried to be perfect, all of these bad things happened to him. He got to a place where he realized, "You know what? I am not the righteous man that I thought I was. I need a redeemer." And the turning point is found in the book of Job, chapter 19, verses 25 through 27. It's not going to come on the screens. If you have your Bible, turn there, and let me read this to you. This is a wonderful passage of scripture. Notice what it says: "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and he shall stand upon the earth at last." That's not a good translation. No, Hebrew, it means he will stand on the earth in the final dispensation, in the last of the time. He's going to come back and rule and reign on this earth. But notice what else he says: "And after my skin is destroyed, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." I am overwhelmed at the thought. In other words, Job believed that there was going to be a resurrection. He believed that one day, even though he died and the worms began to eat his body, that he would be resurrected, his body would be reunited with the soul, and he would stand before God and get to see him with his physical eyes. First book of the Bible ever written. So, all of these dispensations, even though God dealt with men in a specific way, each time they went to a new dispensation, they're getting closer and closer to God's ultimate plan, which is this Redeemer coming. And then Jesus Christ did come, and we're in this dispensation now.

From Christ to the Millennium, you have the dispensation of grace. We're saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. Now, again, it doesn't mean that in any of the other dispensations, man was saved by works. Not at all. It's just that this is how God dealt with man, but it was all working towards the Redeemer. And they all had to have this faith and belief that a Redeemer is coming. And when the Redeemer came, it was Jesus Christ. We started this new dispensation, and the way that God deals with man is through grace. That's wonderful.

People, now listen to me, because this is probably the most important thing I'm going to say in this whole sermon. There is one more dispensation to come on this earth. Let me say that again. There is one more dispensation to come. Which brings us back to Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 10. Notice what it says: "But in the dispensation of the fullness of times." What in the world is the dispensation of the fullness of times? Well, the word "fullness" is translated from the Greek word *pleroma*, and it means "complete" in the sense of "coming to an end." So this is talking about the end of time on this earth, or in other words, the final dispensation on this earth. So the dispensation of the fullness of times refers to the final dispensation, or what we would call the final time period on this earth. At that time, God is going to "gather together in one all things in Christ." That's what Ephesians chapter 1, verse number 10, is saying. But most of you, it's too confusing because, "What in the world does that mean, that God is going to gather together in one all things in Christ?" Well, let's tear this verse apart, and this is where you need a knowledge of Greek. First, I want you to underline the phrase "together in one." That phrase comes from one Greek word, *anakephalaiosasthai*. It's a big word. Now, *anakephalaiosasthai* is a compound word that means that it's made up of more than one word. In this case, it's made up of two words: it's made up of the word *kephalaioun*, which in this context means "to bring everyone and everything under the submission of one person and to gather around him." In fact, the root of this word is *kephale*, and it means "head" in the sense of "Lord" or "master." Now, who is the head, the Lord, the master of all? Jesus Christ. So what this is saying is that at the last dispensation, everyone and everything is going to be brought under submission to Jesus Christ, and they're going to be gathered around him. In other words, to make this simple, Jesus is going to be the focal point of this dispensation, and we're going to have a relate, intimate relationship with him. We're going to have fellowship with him, and everyone and everything is going to be in submission to him in this final dispensation. However, don't forget that *anakephalaiosasthai* is a compound word that means there's another word that was joined with this word, and it's the prefix. It's the prefix *ana*, which means "again." And that's very important. Now, the word "again" implies that it was like this once before. You see, if I say, "I'm going to town again," it implies that I've gone to town at least once before. If I say, "Hit him again," what do I mean? I mean that you've already hit him at least one time before. This. So do it again. That's what *ana* means. It means "again." So the prefix *ana* implies that there was a time once before this when everyone and everything on the earth was under the submission of Jesus Christ and gathered around him, where every person had an intimate relationship with him, and they had personal fellowship with him, and everyone and everything was in complete, total submission to him. And when was that time? It was before the fall. You see, Jesus is part of the Godhead. So before the fall, Adam and Eve had an intimate relationship with God. They walked with God, they talked with God, they had fellowship with God, and they were in total and complete submission to God. So do you see what Paul is saying in the book of Colossians chapter 1, verse number 10? He's saying that if the final dispensation, this dispensation that we call the Millennium, everything is going to return to the way it was before the fall. Everyone and everything is going to be brought back into submission to Jesus and gathered around him.

So, during the Millennium, everything's going to revert back to the way it was before the fall. So, if you ask me, Pastor Alan, what is the Millennium like? Here's what I would tell you: the best way to describe what the Millennium is going to be like is to say that it's going to go back to the way it was before the fall. It's going to be like it was before Adam and Eve sinned, with two exceptions. What are those two exceptions, Pastor Alan? First of all, Satan's going to be bound for a thousand years. If you remember in the Garden of Eden, Satan used the snake, that it was Satan behind it, to incite or to excite Adam and Eve to sin, to do what God commanded them not to. But during this time, Satan is going to be bound for a thousand years. The other exception is, there's going to be mortals that still have the Adamic nature. Now, we know that before the fall, Adam and Eve were in that, caught, they were in that dispensation of innocence. They did not have the Adamic nature. But once they sinned, they passed that Adamic nature on. Now, here's what most people don't realize. You have to read the Bible to catch this. Some of you need to read the Bible. Sorry, that's funny to me. But anyways, there are going to be people who miss the rapture. Some of you might miss the rapture. But when the rapture occurs, you're gonna know that there is a Lord, and his name is Jesus. So you're gonna have to go through the tribulation, and during that time, you're not gonna take the mark of the beast. You're gonna convert to G, because you've missed the rapture. You got to live through the tribulation, and you might not be martyred during the tribulation. You might actually live all the way through the tribulation, which means that you're going to go into the Millennium as a mortal. Now, I'll explain what that means in just a minute. But those are the two exceptions. Besides that, everything is going to go back to the way it was before the fall.

But let's get more specific now. Let's look at some examples of what it's going to be like during this thousand-year period known as the Millennium. First of all, the curse that was placed upon this earth is going to be removed. So the original curse that was placed on the earth in Genesis chapter 3, verses 17 through 19, is going to be removed, so that there will be peace, prosperity, and abundant productivity. Now, a good example of this is the animal kingdom. Every animal will revert back to the way they were created to be before the fall, before sin occurred, which means that they won't be carnivores. Every animal on this planet will become, will go back, revert back to being herbivores. In other words, they're going to only eat plants, which is what they were created to do in the first place. Look at Genesis chapter 1, verse number 30. Notice what it says: God is speaking to Adam, and he tells him this: "I have given every green plant his food for all wild animals, not just sheep, not just cows, not just those type of animals that eat grass. No, no, no. Every wild animal was designed before the fall to eat green plants, foods." Nice. "Says for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground, everything that has life." And that is what's happened. So, in the beginning, all wild animals were herbivores. Animals will also lose their ferociousness and venom. Turn to the Book of Isaiah, chapter 11, verses 6 through 9. Notice what it says: "And in that day" – what day? This final dispensation, during this period of time where Jesus reigns for a thousand years – "And in that day the wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. I don't think so. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear, the cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. Wow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put his hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord." And the indication is, even the animals will know that the Lord is the master, and they will revert back to the way they were before the fall.

Secondly, there will be no sickness or disease. Look at Isaiah chapter 33, verse 24. Says, "The people of Israel are no longer say, 'We are sick and helpless,' for the Lord will forgive their sins." And if you read that in context, it's talking about this period of time, notice the Millennium. Now, that doesn't mean that there won't be any death. But if there is a death, it's a result of sinful behavior, and it will be seen as just punishment. Now, remember, even though there is no satanic influence during this time, the mortals who made it through the tribulation, who weren't raptured, who didn't take the mark of the beast, those mortals living on the earth will have a free will. So there will be those who are unrighteous, and they will be punished. Most of us don't realize what it's saying that when it says that Jesus will judge with the rod of iron. What does he mean? It means that those who are unrighteous will be punished. Notice what it says in Isaiah chapter 65, verse number 20. This is a chapter that's all about the Millennium. "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. Oh, no child morbidity. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at one hundred." Can you believe that? At one hundred, you'll be a preteen. That young whippersnapper doesn't have enough wisdom. He lived as long as I had for nine hundred years, he'd know. Yeah. "To go further, only the cursed will die that young. Only the cursed." In other words, those who actually commit sinful behavior. I'll expand on this in just a minute, so I'm not going to go into it because I think you need to hear a little bit more about that.

Thirdly, every deformity will be healed at the inception of the Millennium. Look at Isaiah chapter 29, verse number 18. Notice what it says: "And in that day" – talking about the Millennium, when Jesus comes back to this earth and begins to rule and reign – "in that day the deaf will hear the words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and the darkness." Now, look at Isaiah chapter 34, verses 5 through 6. This chapter again is about the Millennium. I love this chapter. Notice what it says: "Say to those with fearful hearts, 'Be strong and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.'" You see, at the last part of the tribulation, that is known as the Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble, the Antichrist will turn his wrath upon the Jews, and they're going to actually go into the wilderness to a place called Petra. It's actually Petra, and because Jordan has not entered into this alliance with the Antichrist, they're going to be safe in Jordan. But here's what's interesting. The Antichrist is finally going to break that treaty, going to go after them, and that's when Jesus Christ returns. And this is what it's talking about. "Says, 'Be strong and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.' And when he comes" – this is talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ – "he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy." If you have diabetes and you've lost a limb, you will instantaneously grow back that limb and be able to walk and to run and do whatever all of those things that are wrong with your body. When Jesus comes back the second time, it's going to be fixed because the Lord is here with us, tabernacling with us. And goes further: "Springs will gush forth in the wilderness and streams will water the wasteland. Everything will be like it was in the Garden of Eden when Jesus Christ comes back."

Fourthly, there will be no oppression. No oppression. In fact, most people say there's going to be freedom from oppression. In other words, there's not gonna be any social, political, or religious oppression during the Millennium. Look at Isaiah chapter 14, verses 3 through 7. "On the day the Lord gives you relief from suffering and torment and cruel bondage, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon." Babylon is symbolic here. What it means is all those who come in to oppress. Babylon, at one time, at the time this is written, they became the dominant world power. Everyone was subjected unto them. But we will say this taunt to those in Russia, to those in China, to those in North Korea, to those in Iran. Here's the taunt: "'How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended! The Lord has broken the rod of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, which in anger struck down people, peoples with unceasing blows, and in fury subdued nations with relentless aggression. All the lands are resting at peace; they break into singing.'" You see, we created the League of Nations thinking after World War I that we could stop all the wars. That was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. All it did was start the Second World War too. We thought after World War II, that's going to be it. There's actually been more war since World War II than any time on this earth. Reason we don't realize that is because we've pretty much been safe here. All wars have been fought in other places. But I want you to understand something. When Jesus Christ comes, because everyone is taking the mark, they're going to be put to death. Jesus comes here, he's going to rule with the rod of iron. I want you to realize there's not going to be any more war. There's not gonna be any more oppression. We're gonna have freedom from it.

Fifthly, parents will produce children. Not you. If you go in the rapture, sorry to say this. Let me just say this: your mortality takes on immortality. But more importantly, you receive a body like Jesus Christ's resurrected body. Yes, you will know who you were married to, but you will no longer need that type of relationship. Even though you're very, very close, you'll know who your children are, you'll know who your parents are, you'll know all of those things. But the reason that God created a woman for Adam is because he realized it was not good for him to be alone. But who we are are transformed, and we have the body that Jesus Christ has. I want you to understand something. We are spiritually married to him, and everything we need is provided through him. But the mortal people who make it through this earth, or make it through the tribulation, I'm sorry, make it through the tribulation, they're gonna have children. There will be those who survive the tribulation that were not raptured, that did not take the mark, that were not martyred, and they are going to have children who will have children who will have children. So the earth's population will soar. Because, as I said, there won't be any sickness or disease, and death will be rare. But listen to me. Those born during the Millennium will be born with an Adamic nature and a free will. We will no longer have that Adamic nature. Paul wrote about this Adamic nature in the book of Romans, and he said there's a war that's happening within us. What we want to do, we don't do. And the things we don't want to do, we do. Because there's this law that work within us. It's called temptation and trials. But you see, when we're transformed through the rapture, we become like, so we have the mind of Christ. As a result of that, that temptation is no longer there. It's hard to imagine, but it won't be there. But these mortals who make it through the tribulation, I want you to understand something. They still have the Adamic nature, and they still have a free will. And they're going to give birth to children who will have the Adamic nature and a free will. So salvation will be required during the Millennium for mortals. Look at Isaiah chapter 65, verse 20. "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at 100. Only the cursed." Now, this is talking about the Millennium. Who's the cursed? Those, even though there's no satanic influence, that temptation only comes from them, and they do not want to live the way God says. They're the cursed. "Will die that young." Jeremiah chapter 31, verse 29 says, "The people will no longer quote this proverb: 'The parents have eaten sour grapes, but their children's mouths pucker at the taste.'" Does anyone know what that means? That means that the children will not pay the consequences of their parents' actions. All people will die for their own sins. Those who eat the sour grapes will be the ones whose mouths will pucker. Everyone, in other words, will be responsible for their own soul during the Millennium. You know, it's kind of sad right now today, in our politically correct society, privilege is a bad word. All you people who have privilege, people that shouldn't be that way. This is part of the economy of God. Let me explain what this means. Because Lisa and I did what we were supposed to and followed the Lord and lived by God's principles, our children are blessed. We brought them up in the ways of the Lord. They're gonna get married, they're going to have children, they're going to raise their children the ways of the Lord. So my blessing passes on to my children. But I want you to understand something. If you're not living for the Lord, the curses that you bring upon yourself usually fall upon your children because you don't raise them in an environment that they ought to be. So they actually reap the consequences of your actions. But in the end, the Millennium, it won't be that way. And the reason it won't be that way is because Jesus will be on this earth, and we will be living and ruling and with him. Everyone will be able to see what a wonderful world this is, and the way God intended it to be. And as a result of that, the consequences of the parents' actions will not fall upon the children. That's good teaching. So those born during the Millennium must accept and acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, just like we have to do right now. Because the parents' faith will have no bearing on their child's relationship with God. It's that way now. But I want you to understand something. If we don't live the way we're supposed to, the consequences of our actions are released upon our children. You want to know why so many children are in poverty today? It's because of the sins of their parents. Amen. Pastor Alan, that's good teaching.

Number six, will all speak the same language? Turn to the book of Zephaniah, chapter 1, verse number 9. "For at that time" – what time? The time of the Millennium – "I will change the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the name of the Lord and serve him with one accord." Now, remember, in this final dispensation, everything is going to go back to the way it was before the fall. Now, you need to understand something. At that time, everyone spoke the same language. In fact, they, everyone spoke the same language all the way up into the Tower of Babel. At that point, God looked down and what they were doing, and what they were doing was very sinful, and God said, "The people speak one language and they're one accord. If I allow them to do this, then nothing will be impossible for them." And so what God did is he went down there and he created all these different languages that caused division, and everyone went everywhere else. But you see, when Jesus Christ comes back, that word, *anakephalaiosasthai*, that long word, means that everything and everyone's going to be gathered back and and brought under submission to Jesus Christ and gathered around him. And as a result of that, we're all going to be in one accord for the Lord. And so therefore, we're all going to speak the same language. Most scholars believe that it's Hebrew. Does anyone know why most scholars believe it's Hebrew? It's because in Paul's conversion experience, if you remember, when God spoke to him, what did he speak to him in? The Hebrew tongue. That's referred to as a pure language. And as a result of that, the majority of this, I shouldn't put myself, I'm not a scholar, but most scholars believe that we're going to speak Hebrew.

And last, but not least, there's going to be global economic prosperity. No poverty whatsoever. Contrary to what most people think, the Millennium is not gonna be a time of laziness and idleness. Yes, there's going to be freedom of choice. But because Jesus is here, because we're ruling and reigning with him, and I believe this, I believe that every one of us are gonna go back to the place where that we were born and raised. And let me tell you why I believe that. Can I get off for just a second? Do you guys mind? Well, I can do it anyway. I have the microphone. If you study the Davidic covenant, Jesus Christ is actually the eternal one. He's from the seed of David, that will rule forever on David's throne. But David has a place of honor. David will be the regent over the land of Israel. And those promises that were made in the Abrahamic covenant, that they would possess the land from the Euphrates River all the way to the river of Egypt, which is the Nile, that's never been fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled during the Millennium. And he told each one of the disciples that they will sit on the thrones judging the nations or the tribes, which means that every one of the Twelve Apostles will be over one of the twelve tribes. But David will be the vizier, or he'll be the regent, but he'll be underneath Jesus Christ because everything is placed under submission to Jesus and gathered around him. Anyways, there's, this is not going to be a time of laziness. This is not going to be a time of idleness. There's going to be a perfect economic system in which the needs of men are abundantly provided for through labor under the guidance of the king. So there's going to be a fully developed industrialized society providing for the needs of the king's subjects, and agriculture along with manufacturing is going to provide employment for all the mortals. You're going to finally, if you're born again, maybe be in a white-collar position because you're going to rule and reign. But the mortals are gonna work, just like we work. Look at Isaiah chapter 65, verse number 20. Write this down. Wonderful scripture about the Millennium. "No longer will babies die when only a few days old. No longer will adults die before they have lived a full life. No longer will people be considered old at 100. Only the cursed will die that young." In those days, the Millennium, people will live in the houses they build. We're going to have carpenters, we're going to have electricians, we're going to have plumbers. They're going to build their houses. They're not going to be clay huts. They're going to eat the fruit of their own vineyards. Unlike the past, invaders will not take their houses and confiscate their vineyards. There's not going to be any wars or oppression, for my people will live as long as trees." You think that's a long time? You don't understand what he's saying. The most predominant tree in the Land of Israel is the olive tree. If you go to the Garden of Gethsemane, they'll tell you that those trees were there when Jesus Christ was praying in the garden. Ascending? Not really. They're only about 1700 years old. What? 17? That's right. There's actually a tree in Greece that's 2,500 years old, an olive tree. This is the type of tree he was talking about. There will be nothing to live 2,000 years. Of course, by that time, if you live the way you're supposed to, accept Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior, if you're immortal, and mortals don't have to worry about this. The mortals are going to go into the, into the final dispensation on the new earth. And if you remember, there's going to be a tree of life. We won't need it because our mortality is put on immortality. Who is this for? We're gonna find out next week. It's for the people, the kings. There's also going to be all these different trees, and their leaves are for healing. Who is that for? It's for the people who go into the final dispensation in the new earth, not the dispensation here on this earth. Let's keep going. "And my chosen ones will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains." You know what's wrong with this earth? When we're young, and we have the energy, and we have the health, and we could do all the things that we want to do, we don't have the time or the money. As we get older, and we finally get the time and the money to do all the things that we wanted to do, we no longer have the health or the energy to be able to do that. You know what he's saying? In the Millennium, they will have time to enjoy their hard-won gains. But they have to win those gains. Capitalism will exist in the Millennium. If you want to vote for Bernie, I want you to understand something. You're voting against something that's of God. I don't mean to be snarky, I'm just telling you what the Bible says. Capitalism did not come from me, and it came from God. Goes all the way back to the Ten Commandments when you're, when God came down and said that it's right for a man to own property because you're not supposed to covet your neighbor's property, you're not supposed to steal. That presupposes that people actually owned items. That's good teaching, Pastor Alan. Let's keep going. "They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune, for they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children too will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers." You have a need, you start to pray for God, and it's there. This is the Millennium. You hurt yourself, you pray to God, you're healed. "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, the lion will eat hay like a cow, but the snake will eat dust. In those days, no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain." I, the Lord, have spoken. Look at Ezekiel chapter 48, verse 18. "Outside the city, there will be a farming area that stretches three and a third miles to the east and three and a third miles to the west along the borders of the sacred area. This farmland will produce food for the people working in the city." Blue collar, white collar, you'll have those who work in the city and those who work in farming, same as we do now, except it's going to be a time of economic prosperity without any poverty.

Now, that gives you a pretty good idea of what the Millennium is going to be like. Now, let's get to the end of the Millennium, and then we're going to end with this. Turn to Revelation chapter 20, verse 3. "And he cast him into the bottomless pit." Who is him? Satan. "And shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years should be fulfilled. And after that" – in other words, after the thousand years – "he must be loosed a little season." Now, I want you to underline that "must." In the Greek, that's *dei*, and it means "it is necessary." So what this is saying is that it's necessary that after this thousand-year period of time where Jesus is ruling on the earth, it is necessary for Satan to be let loose. Now, why do you think it's necessary for Satan to be let loose at the end of the Millennium? What's the purpose of that? Well, the purpose is to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that sin is evil and powerful, and that eternal punishment is a necessity. You see, even after a thousand years of Jesus ruling on this earth without any satanic influence, as soon as Satan is let loose, he's able to deceive mankind, and he's able to incite them to rebel against God, and they will literally surround Jerusalem, thinking that they can take the Lord down. And then, guess what? Fire comes down from heaven, and they're destroyed. This proves that sin is powerful, and that eternal punishment is a necessity. In other words, Satan and his followers cannot be given a second chance, for they will never submit to God. Therefore, Satan and his followers would be condemned to eternal punishment. The truth is, if you will not submit to God now, with what you know, and allow sin to be condemned in the flesh through Jesus Christ, you will never submit. That's why Satan and his followers are eternally damned, and God is justified in doing so. This will be a lesson for everyone to understand and know. When you see a perfect world where there's no oppression, when you see a perfect world where there's no deformities, when you see a perfect world where there is no poverty, when you see a perfect world where justice always reigns, and yet you still have people who want to rebel against God, what does that tell you? It tells you that sin is powerful, and eternal punishment is necessary. That's good teaching, Pastor Alan.

The second purpose of the Millennium is to fulfill the promises in the covenants that God made: the Abrahamic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant made to the children of Israel. Those promises have never been fulfilled. They will be fulfilled in the Millennium. That's the purpose of this thousand-year rule.