THE MILLENNIUM | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 30, 1900

THE MILLENNIUM.

We have seen that at the coming of the Lord all the righteous dead are raised, and all the righteous living are translated; and all, “together,” are caught away from the earth to meet the Lord: that all the wicked are slain upon the earth by “the brightness of his coming” and the terrors of that great day. We have seen that thus the earth is made desolate; and in this “land not inhabited,” Satan,—Azazel,—the antitype of the scapegoat, is cast out for the thousand years. This is the Millennium on the earth.

But what of the righteous? What is their Millennium? Where are they during this thousand years? As already stated, at the coming of the Lord and the resurrection of the righteous, which is the beginning of the thousand years, all the righteous are caught away from the earth, even as saith the scripture: “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.

Now, what next becomes of these? In his resurrection from the dead, Christ was “the first fruits of them that slept.” 1 Cor. 15:20. In connection with his resurrection also “many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Matt. 27:50-53. This “multitude of captives” Jesus led when he ascended up on high. Eph. 4:8, margin. In this resurrection of the saints he “spoiled” the “principalities and powers” that were at enmity with God. And when he led these saints, “up on high,” this was his triumph over these principalities and powers. Col. 2:15. This resurrection of Christ and the saints was the antitype of the wave offering of “the first fruits” of the harvest, which, annually, on the sixteenth day of the first month, was waved before the Lord. Lev. 23:10-12. That wave sheaf of the first fruits offered to the Lord was a sample of the whole harvest. Accordingly, Christ and these saints rising from the dead, “the first fruits of them that slept,” as the antitype of that wave sheaf of the first fruits in the Levitical law, were a sample of the whole harvest of saints that should be gathered from all the earth, in all ages. As with these, so with all the others. And as these ascended up on high with Christ when he ascended, so will all the other saints from this world ascend up on high with Christ when he ascends again.

Those who ascended to heaven with Jesus in triumph, after his resurrection, were seen by John in heaven. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests.” Rev. 5:9, 10. Accordingly of all that shall be redeemed when Jesus comes the second time, and who ascend with him at the beginning of the thousand years, it is written: “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 worshiped 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.” Rev. 20:4-6.

To this also witnesses the word in Daniel: “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Dan. 7:21, 22.

“Judgment was given unto them.” What judgment is this? Bear in mind that the wicked are, at this time, in the thousand years, all dead. They have not been judged; their judgment is yet to come; for they “lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” It is true that, by their being wicked, and having been found wicked at the coming of the Lord, this settles it that they can not be saved; but that does not settle all the questions of the judgment as to them. Every man is to receive according to the things done in his body, “whether . . . good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. Every man is to be judged according to his works. Rev. 20:12, 13. And since God is not an arbitrary governor or judge, but governs only with the consent of the governed, the judgment that shall come upon each of the wicked must be such, and so well understood, that all, even the wicked themselves, will acknowledge the perfect justice of it. Therefore the Lord, the righteous Judge, takes into his counsels concerning the final judgment all these who have been redeemed from the earth, who have been men among these other men who can not be saved, who know all the circumstances among which these men lived, sinned, and rejected salvation. The Lord Jesus himself came to this world and became a man, and lived thus among men, in order that he might be a righteous judge of those who must be lost, as well as a faithful high priest of all who shall be saved.

And so it is written that not only the judgment is given to the saints, but: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” 1 Cor. 6:2, 3.

This is true, because the angels that sinned, as well as wicked men, are reserved unto judgment. 2 Peter 2:4, 9; Jude 6-8. And this judgment is given to the saints at the coming of the Lord; for it is written, “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” 1 Cor. 4:5.

Thus, in the case of the righteous, the Millennium is in heaven. By the righteous the Millennium is spent in the presence of God, in company with Christ, in association with all the gladsome, heavenly host. They are priests of God and of Christ, and reign with him a thousand years.

Thank the Lord. Who will not enjoy this blessed Millennium? All its blessings, its glory, and its joy are for all. And in the Third Angel’s Message the preparatory, gathering call of this grand Millennium is now sounding to every nation and kindred and tongue and people. Listen to the call. Accept the invitation. Get ready, get ready, get ready.