The Millennium is one of the most mysterious and least understood Biblical prophecies, about which very little has been written.
Yet this period is quite long, and certain important and fascinating events must take place during it. Let us also try to picture them logically.
The Second Coming of Christ, the First Resurrection and transformation of the righteous, the ascension of all the saved to Heaven, and the solemn procession of this multitude to God’s Heavenly dwelling place, where God’s throne, the Heavenly Sanctuary, and the Heavenly Jerusalem are located.
God’s people will be presented as God’s children before the entire Universe and before the face of the Most High. At a solemn ceremony of dedication, every saved person will be given a crown of glory and it will be placed upon his or her head. On every crown, like shining stars, will appear the names of those who were saved from the power of sin through the mediating participation of the one who possesses this reward. This will eternally remind us of the labor of soul that was undertaken for our salvation. How grateful we shall be to those who set aside all their affairs and interests in order to help us find Eternal happiness and salvation in Jesus. Their labor will forever be commemorated upon their crowns, awakening in us unceasing gratitude for their self-denial and labor for our good.
And perhaps there will also be someone’s name upon my crown, which will bring me Eternal joy. Then the words of Daniel 12:3 will be fulfilled: “And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.”
Among the saved will be all those righteous people who believed in the coming Messiah before His birth into the world, without knowing how He would redeem them. When they see our Savior and worship Him, their eyes will behold the wounds in Jesus’ hands and feet. They will ask where those scars came from. We read in Zechariah 13:6: “And one shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in Thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of My friends.” The astonishment of many will know no bounds. They will greatly desire to learn the details of this event. As they recall the rites of their sacrifices, they will understand that all those symbols became reality in the Lord of Glory. And those of us who know about this in greater detail will have a wonderful opportunity to tell what happened at Calvary and what a high price was paid for our salvation. Then, perhaps, we will all be shown scenes from the life and death of Christ so that we may understand everything correctly. I believe that universal reverence and a realization of the greatness of this Sacrifice will take possession of us, and we will bow in deep reverence before the One Who gave His life so that we might live.
The Cross and its revelations will become an Eternal theme for study and for continual discoveries of the beauty of God’s character. In the light of the Sacrifice of Calvary and the true greatness of the Lord’s glory, we will continually discover new details and dimensions of God’s love, which we will be learning throughout Eternity.
God the Father will reveal Himself to us in all His beauty, greatness, and glory. We will behold His Face without fear of dying. We will understand the mysterious words, “God is love,” when our eyes meet and we recognize the One Whom, not having seen, we loved and in Whom we believed.
But the ceremonies of dedication and praise will one day come to an end, and the words of Matthew 25:34 will be proclaimed to us: “Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Then shouts of praise and thanksgiving will fill Heaven with beautiful singing.
After this, the Lord will show us the Tree of Life and declare that from then on we may eat its fruit and come each month to this solemn gathering. Isaiah 66:23.
Afterward, the Heavenly angels will lead us all to our Eternal Heavenly homes, where each of us will receive the right of permanent possession. With what interest we will explore our homes and dwellings, while cries of praise never cease. Then we will go to meet our neighbors and rejoice at how wisely the Lord has placed us all. We will be given the plan and schedule of future Heavenly events and will also be granted free time.
We will also notice that among the saved there will be many children who have no parents. We will be invited to care for them until they grow up, and we will do so. The Lord has also prepared a Heavenly home for each of these children, into which they will move when they are grown.
Each of us has certain knowledge about the plan of Salvation, God’s love, and the revelations that the Lord abundantly poured out upon His people in the last days. We will be invited to share this knowledge with everyone who did not have so much light and did not understand many Biblical prophecies concerning the last days. We will gladly accept this invitation and recommend that everyone who wishes attend lessons on the history of Christianity. Every generation will have the opportunity to share the light and knowledge it possessed. And we, the people of the last days, will tell about our relationship with Jesus, about our time, and about what was revealed to us. All our lessons will be recorded, and those who were unable to attend them in person will be able to watch the recordings.
Moses, Noah, David, Solomon, Abraham, and other well-known friends will sit at our feet and learn the love and happiness that were revealed to us in these last days, listening to the revelations and instructions that were hidden in their time. The Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance all the details and features of our faith and life and will give us deeper revelations during this instruction. And all the heroes of faith will tell us about their experiences firsthand.
As we become acquainted, we will know one another more deeply and enter more fully into the beauty of the plan of Salvation. Yet we will still have many questions about why one person or another is not with us. At some point, the beginning of the judgment of those who were not saved will be announced. The records of every person’s life will be placed before us in their entirety. Other books will be opened, and we will learn and see every secret thing done and thought by those who are not with us. I believe that in these books it will be possible to examine every deed in detail, as though in a film, to read every thought, and to hear the intentions of the heart. We will be shown every opportunity these people had for Salvation, how the Lord forgave their sins and tenderly drew them to Himself, and how many opportunities for a better life were given to them. We will also see those who became a stumbling block to our relatives and friends, leading them onto the path of destruction. Every vile vice and crime will be revealed, and we will have to pronounce a just sentence upon all who practiced evil.
We will be given authority to judge fallen angels and wicked people and to pronounce sentences upon them according to their crimes.
The case of every person will be examined and closed. God will take note of every verdict reached so that, at the appointed time, He may carry out the sentence. The case of every person will be examined and closed. No one will ever be able to change this Eternal judgment.
The thousand years will come to an end, and the final phase of the judgment and of the history of sin will begin.
Questions for Reflection
Please read Revelation 20:1–6; 1 Corinthians 2:9–10; 6:2–3; 13:12; John 17:3; Philippians 4:1; 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 2 Timothy 4:7–8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 4:17–18; 5:4; Revelation 2:10; 20:12; 22:1–4 in the light of this chapter. What did you understand from this chapter? What else do you know about the Millennium? Will there be different laws of happiness in Heaven? Do you think that all the saved will know the science of love, happiness, and friendship that we are studying? Will all the saved suddenly become wise and all-knowing in Heaven, or will they still have much to learn? Will God entrust judgment to those who do not perfectly understand the science of love and happiness? Would you like to become a teacher of Noah, Moses, Solomon, or other Biblical figures? Which Biblical heroes would you like to befriend? Do you think Adam and Eve will consider you their relatives? Will they turn us away if we all come together to visit them during a holiday? Are you interested in dreaming about Eternity? Do you consider yourself an Eternal resident of the Heavenly Jerusalem? Does the prospect of always living in the visible presence of God bring you joy? Do you have plans for Eternity? Does this book prepare you for life among holy beings?