1235. Israel’s Millennial Kingdom – Part 3

The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth

With national Israel’s position and role established (as seen in my previous article), we can now look at the other inhabitants of the Millennial Kingdom. Everyone who enters it will be saved. They will have trusted in Jesus. So, who are they?

The first group consists of Old Testament saints and Tribulation (seventieth-week) saints who died before Jesus’ return. They will be resurrected in glorified bodies at the time of Christ’s Second Coming (Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). This event is referred to as the “first resurrection” (Rev. 20:4-5).

The second group consists of those who were saved during the Tribulation and survived it. They will enter Jesus’ kingdom in their earthly bodies.

The third group consists of New Testament believers (Church saints) who will have been raptured and will accompany Jesus from heaven to earth, also in glorified bodies (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 19:14). As this kingdom begins, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb will have taken place and the Church will have become the Bride of Christ. The worldwide body of believers will now be “married” to Jesus as He rules over the earth as the Conquering King. As the king’s wife, believers will be like the queen, ruling along with the king.

Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him (James 2:5)

All things are yours… all things belong to you. And you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21).

We are joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).

Now perhaps these and other verses about ruling and reigning with Christ make more sense. Jesus (Yeshua) is ruling over the entire world, including national Israel, and so are believers. I believe this shows the stark difference between the heavenly Church and earthly Israel. While Israel will be elevated to the number one position among nations, Christ and His bride (formerly the Church) will be ruling over every person in every nation, including Israel.

With the major groups identified, there are still a few details to cover. We know that this kingdom will consist of both Jews (Gen. 12:6-7; 13:14-18; 15:7, 18-21; 17:7-8, 19-21; 26:1-3; 28:10-13; 35:9-12) and Gentiles (Joel 3:1-2; Mt. 25:31-46). Those Gentiles who survive the Tribulation will enter the kingdom in their earthly bodies. They will marry, have children, and increase the population of the earth during the 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom. Although they will live very long lives (Isaiah 65:20, 22), they will eventually die. At the end of the millennium, they will be resurrected, receiving glorified bodies fit for the future New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). This is the only group that will grow in numbers. It is, therefore, from the descendants of this group that Satan will recruit soldiers for his final army.

While the different resurrections and glorifications can get very confusing, the thing to remember is that God made a way for believers of all time to enter into the promised kingdom and enjoy its blessings. Despite the reign of Jesus and the ideal conditions, the sinful nature of man will eventually emerge again, most likely increasing with successive generations.

When Satan is released from the prison where he has been held for the entire 1,000-year period, he will be able to deceive enough of earth’s people to form an enormous army that will come against the “camp of the saints and the beloved city.” God will quickly and decisively put an end to it. He will send fire from heaven, devouring His enemies. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, joining the beast and the false prophet who had been there since the War of Armageddon 1,000 years earlier (Rev. 19:20; Rev. 20:10).

After Satan is bound forever in eternal agony, the unbelieving dead are raised to stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment. Regardless of whether their bodies had been cremated, dismembered, or had completely decomposed, all their parts will somehow be reassembled, allowing them to stand before Jesus at the final judgment of all time. Here, the degrees of their punishment will be determined as their deeds are reviewed. All will realize that their punishment is deserved and that they had refused every offer of salvation. With their names not found in the Book of Life, they will be thrown into the lake of fire, along with death and Hades.