A Thousand Years Of Peace

After Christ assumes the throne here on earth, destroying the wicked, Satan will be imprisoned and unable to influence people for a thousand years, according to Revelation 20:1-3.  “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.”

With Satan out of the way, there will be a completely new system of government headed by Jesus Christ.  Revelation 2:26-27 tells us, “And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.”  God’s law will be strictly enforced. 

To see that God’s standards are enforced, God will place those who have believed in him obeyed him in positions of power, as described in Revelation 20:4-6.  “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.”

For a thousand years, there will be no war, as described in Isaiah 2:4.  “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”  There will be none of the problems we deal with, as Isaiah 65:20-25 tells us. “There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.

And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.  They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.  They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.  And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.  The 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.”  

For a thousand years, the problems we live with will not be problems because Christ will have complete control.  At the end of the time, Satan will be released for a while so t6hat people can choose whether they prefer God’s plan or the struggles they have lived with throughout history, as Revelation 20:7-8 describes.  “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.”

Many people will choose to follow Satan rather than God, and will revolt against that perfect government, according to Revelation 20:9-10.  “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.”  Unbelievable as it seems, many people prefer to live with their problems, and take the consequences of their choice, just like a smoker or drug addict who refuses to quit despite the risks.  It is a serious reminder that humanly, we will not be able to resolve the world’s problems.