THE DAMAGE OF THE SECOND DEATH -
Reflections on the millennium
Chapter 3
DISCIPLINE IN THE KINGDOM (1)
WEEK 3 - MONDAY
Bible Reading: Ps 72:2; 85:10-13; 96:13; 97:2; Is 11:5; 26:9; 33:5; 62:1; Jer 33:15; Dan 7:27; Rev 19:6-8; 20:4-6
Read and pray: "Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority; but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years." (Rev 20:6)
THE KINGDOM IS THE TIME OF FUTURE PUNISHMENT
Exactly when will future punishment occur? It is clear that there will be punishment in the future after the Lord returns; but at what point after the Lord’s return will this occur? Let us consider three ages in the Bible. The present age may be called the age of grace. It may also be called the age of the gospel or the age of the church.
The coming age may be called the age of the kingdom or the age of the millennium, for that age will last only a thousand years (Rev 20:6). After that age, there is still another age, which is an eternal age. It is the age of the new heaven and the new earth. The Bible presents these three ages to us. The age of the church is the age of grace, because God’s grace and love are manifested in it. In this age God saves the unrighteous and brings man to receive the grace of the Lord Jesus. Everything in this age comes from grace, but the coming age will be the age of righteousness.
The eternal age will also be an age of grace. Today the age is an age of grace, and the age of the new heaven and the new earth will also be an age of grace. However, the kingdom is all righteousness. If you are not clear about these ages, your reading of the Bible, your theology, and your biblical understanding will all be wrong.
Both the age of the church and the age of the new heaven and new earth are ages of grace. But the age of the millennium is a parenthetical age, specially prepared by God, to reward the faithful and punish the sinful. That period will be a special period. Both the New and the Old Testament tell us that, in this period, God deals with man in righteousness (Ps 72:2; 85:10-13; 96:13; 97:2; Is 11:5; 26:9; 33:5; 62:1; Jer 33:15; Dan 7:27).
We can cite at least two hundred verses from the Old and New Testament concerning righteous judgment in the kingdom. What is the difference between the kingdom and the new heaven and new earth? The Bible makes a clear distinction between the two.
Let us consider Revelation 19:6-8: "Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying: Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready. It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints."
Here we read that fine linen was given to the bride. Although it was given, it is righteousness. The fine linen is righteousness in the acts of those who believe. In the original language, the righteousness mentioned here refers to righteousness in actions. The word righteousness has the sense of deeds. Therefore, it refers to our own righteous acts.
Now let us read Revelation 20:4-6: "Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and 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 completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years."
These verses tell us who will be the kings that reign with Christ for a thousand years. The kingdom is not for everyone. The kingdom is only for the martyrs. It is only for those who reject Satan and the Antichrist. Only these can reign for a thousand years. Therefore, only the martyrs can reign; only those who reject Satan and the Antichrist will be kings.
This proves to us that the millennial kingdom is not given as a free gift, but is obtained through good works before God. Although we see in other passages other kinds of people reigning, in Revelation we see that there must be specific righteousness before there can be participation in the marriage of the Lamb. Only those who are martyrs can be kings. Without having specific righteousness and without being martyred, not one can have part in the reign. Such is the millennium.
🌿 Enjoy more:
Hymn - Worship to the Father - "His righteousness"
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