Jim's Eschatological Info

Immediately after Jesus opens the second seal on the seven-sealed scroll a second cherubim shows John a vision of a fiery red horse. “When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, ‘Come and see’. And another horse, fiery red, went out, and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” (Revelation 6:3-4). As I’ve already stated, these horsemen are four spirits that God is going to use in the final seven years of this age to create turmoil and devastation on the earth in order to test mankind. This second rider is given a “great sword” to take peace from the earth. He does this by pitting people against one another to the point where they are warring and murdering; warring on the national level, and murderous on a personal level. He is given a “great” sword to accomplish his task. As used here in Greek, the word great is megas, or an extremely powerful weapon. Evidently, he will be very successful at turning mankind against each other. Jesus Himself spoke of this time when He said, “because lawlessness will abound, the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). “Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death and you will be hated for My names sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Mark 13:12-13).

The color red is defined as the color of flame or fire and the Greek word used, purrhos, is only used one other time in the New Testament describing the “red” dragon of Revelation 12. It’s associated with bloodshed, terror, and death. This second horseman will be influencing the minds of world leaders as well as the general population across the globe to promote discord of all types rather than peaceful pursuits surely assisting the red dragon (Satan). Just as Jesus taught, the thief (Satan) comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

You may be thinking, aren’t we seeing these things taking place in our world right now with wars of all kinds, social and political divisions, mass murders, etc. taking place with great frequency? Yes, but to be blunt, we ain’t seen nothing yet! When this horseman is released, “men’s hearts will be failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth.” (Luke 21:26)

Saints, we must be prepared for coming times of great turmoil. In all these things we are overcomers. Cloth yourselves with Christ and His armor, and you’ll have no problem “enduring to the end”.

My next post will concern the third horseman, the one riding a black horse.

Maranatha, Jim

When Jesus pops the 1st of seven seals securing the scroll that only He is qualified to open, John is shown a vision by one of the four throne cherubim of a rider on a white horse. “And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” (Revelation 6:2). Analyzing this verse will help us identify this rider.

Let’s start with the color of the horse. As mentioned in a previous post, horses are militarily advantageous in war. The color white is biblically a reference to purity and holiness. The only other references to white horses in Revelation are to Jesus Himself riding a white horse when He comes at the end of the tribulation destroying His enemies at Armageddon and the army of heaven that follow Him also riding white horses. “And the armies of heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.” (Revelation 19:14). This is why many, if not most, commentators associate this 1st white horse in John’s vision to Jesus. But is that conclusion logical and consistent with scripture? This 1st white horse is released at the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week, while Jesus comes on His white horse at the end of the tribulation seven years later. The primary weapon of this 1st rider is a “bow”, conventional weaponry. Jesus destroys with the “sword ” from His mouth-His Word. He is not in need or lacking a crown, as He already has one as King of the universe. He also does not need to “conquer”, take possession of earthly territory, He will simply destroy his enemies when he comes. Not only that, but if Jesus is this rider, that would be totally inconsistent with the character of these four horsemen whose collective mission is to stir up trouble for mankind on the earth. So, if it’s not Jesus, who is it?

As I’ve stated previously, the four horsemen are all “spirits” that proceed from the throne of God. If not Jesus, the only other logical choice is one of the army from heaven, as no other riders on white horses are mentioned. What then is the purpose of this spirit sent from God? Spirits are sent into the earth by God for many purposes. They interact with mankind consistent with God’s plan for His creation. God’s plan for the final seven years before His Son comes to set up His kingdom includes a period of time when an evil ruler rises to dominate mankind. He uses military dominance and intrigue to establish his reign. With his allies, he destroys the world’s political, economic, and religious system (Mystery Babylon) and replaces it with his own. He, the antichrist, is a man, not a spirit, but is influenced by spirits controlling him. I believe this rider on a white horse is sent to plant ideas in the head of this man, so that God’s plan will be carried out just as prophesied. I believe that this fits very well with the description of this rider. The color white aptly describes his messiah image, after all, he is the “anti” Christ. The books of Ezekiel, Daniel, and Revelation certainly describe him as a conqueror wielding a “bow”. Ezekiel describes God’s defeat of Gog (antichrist) thusly; “Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand.” (Ezekiel 39: 3). Of particular note, is the fact that he is given a crown as a king. “Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done.” (Daniel 11:36). God allows him a crown and permits this evil reign for a short time to test all peoples on the earth.

For these reasons, I believe the first of the four horsemen, the rider on the white horse, is sent to guide and assist the nefarious planning of the antichrist and, perhaps, even possess him, so that God’s ultimate plan will be carried out. Make no mistake, God is on the throne directing events as we approach the end of this millennium and begin the new. This 1st rider on a white horse is but one of the tools God will be using in these last days.

My next post will focus on the second rider, the rider on the fiery red horse.

Maranatha, Jim

In a previous post about the seven-sealed scroll opened by Jesus to authorize the events and judgments that will take place during Daniel’s seventieth week, I stated that it begins with the release of the four “horsemen”. It’s my opinion that all four of these horsemen are released immediately upon the full unfurling of this scroll. Jesus then authorizes them to go out in all four directions into the earth to accomplish their tasks. John is shown these horses sequentially in vision form as Jesus pops the seven seals. Horses in scripture are generally depicted as instruments of war, militarily advantageous to their riders. The horses ridden by these four are no exception. Their goals are to conquer, foster war, promote economic hardship, and to kill mankind. Morbid goals indeed, but God is going to exercise His judgment as He sees fit.

The number four is used often by God in prophecy. In this instance, the four horsemen are introduced separately by four cherubim to John as the first four seals on the scroll are opened. These four “living creatures”(cherubim) that surround and support the throne of God are, perhaps, other than the Godhead, the most powerful beings in the universe. According to Ezekiel Chapter 1, these living creatures have four faces, four wings, and move above four “wheels”. The communication to John describing the horsemen come from the thunderous voices of these cherubim. Elsewhere, the prophet Zechariah also depicts four horsemen dispatched by God in chapter 1 of his book. Here, they are described as sent to “walk to and fro throughout the earth” keeping a watch on mankind. Later, in chapter 6 of Zechariah, we see described four chariots pulled by horses also going “to and fro throughout the earth”. These charioteers are said to be “four spirits of heaven, who go out from their station before the Lord of all the earth.” (Zechariah 6:5). The prophet Daniel also describes something similar: “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds (spirits) of heaven were stirring up the great sea” (Daniel 7:2). In Revelation we read this: “I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds (spirits) of the earth.” (Revelation 7:1). In my opinion, all of these foursomes described in Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation, are all the same or, at least closely related. They are all spirits (they’re active in the spirit realm) sent from God’s throne to accomplish His purposes on the earth, from simple observation to the stirring up of wide-spread war. The four horsemen unleashed by Jesus when He opens the seven-sealed scroll are sent out to begin the process of God’s judgment of evil on this earth. It’s a seven-year process, ending with Jesus’s return.

Of note is the fact that these horses are of different colors, both in the old and new testaments, indicative of their different functions. In my opinion, it won’t be long until we start seeing the handiwork of these horsemen as they stride to and fro across our earth stirring up trouble amongst men. In my next post, I’ll focus on the mission of the first horseman, the one riding a white horse.

Maranatha, Jim

God the Father, sitting on his throne, was holding something in His right hand. It was a scroll the creator of the universe had personally authored. The apostle John attests to this in a vision. “And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals.” (Revelation 5:1). John then weeps much because no one was deemed worthy enough to open the scroll. But one of the “elders” around the throne informed John that the “Lion of the tribe of Judah” (Jesus) was worthy to open the scroll because of His sacrifice on the cross. (Revelation 4:5,9). “Then He (Jesus) came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” (Revelation 4:7)

In the days when Revelation was written, official scrolls containing privileged information were sealed with a wax seal embossed with a royal impression denoting authority. Unauthorized removal resulted in severe punishment. This scroll was sealed with seven such seals, an indication of the importance and perfection of what was written therein. These seals were placed there by God Himself. Only one person in all the universe other than the Father could unseal this document. The Son. In Revelation chapter six, we see Jesus opening the scroll.

The timing of the unfurling of this scroll is critical. It marks a change in God’s focus toward mankind. Judgment is beginning. It represents the commencement of the prophesied 70th week of Daniel, the “time of Jacobs’ trouble”, a seven-year period often called the tribulation. It’s the final stage of human government on this earth prior to the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom. It is marked by the pinnacle and end of Mystery Babylon’s rule and the God-permitted rise of the antichrist to his position of power. The beginning of this seven-year period coincides with the “confirmation of the covenant” mentioned in Daniel 9:27. It ends with the battle of Armageddon, the resurrection of those belonging to Christ, and Jesus’s physical return to reign on the earth.

All this is authorized by Jesus to commence when He opens the scroll. All the turmoil caused by evil mankind, the dominance of the antichrist, and the judgments from God, beginning with the release of the four horsemen and ending with the horrific bowl judgments are set in motion. I’ll address these “four horsemen” in a subsequent post. As Jesus pops each one of these seals, John sees a vision of a particular event occurring during this week. Keep in mind that these events are not happening immediately as each seal is broken, John’s visions are what is happening. He sees a sequence of events beginning with the release of the first of the four horsemen and ending with God’s full wrath poured out on the ungodly. These events cannot begin to happen until the scroll is fully opened and unfurled and Jesus’s approval of the actions and judgments contained therein is given.

At present, we are nearing the end of the sixth millennium since creation. The events and judgments described in this seven-sealed scroll take place over the last seven years of this millennium. Then comes the seventh millennium, the kingdom reign of Christ. This means we’re close. We’re fast approaching the time when Jesus takes the scroll from His Father’s hand. Are you ready?

Maranatha, Jim

Six angels (messengers) appear sequentially in Revelation chapter 14, verses 6-20. These angels, seen by John in vision form, present a brief summary of major events that take place during the last 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s 70th week termed by Jesus as the “great tribulation”. The two witnesses have been killed, and the beast from the abyss possesses the man known as the antichrist who begins his reign over much of the world. The messages of these six angels to mankind are listed as follows:

1st angel. “And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven (the sky), having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth-to every nation, tribe , tongue, and people-saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and the earth, the sea, and springs of water.’ “ (Rev. 14:6-7). Everyone on this earth will have heard the gospel!

2nd angel “And another angel followed , saying, Babylon the great is fallen, that great city, because she has made all nations drink the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” (Rev. 14:8). Mystery Babylon’s reign and fall at the hand of the antichrist and his 10-nation confederacy is described in Revelation 16:17-18:24

3rd angel “Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, ‘If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.’ ” (Rev.14:9-10). Don’t take the mark of the beast!

4th angel “And another angel came out of the (heavenly) temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud (Jesus), ‘Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ ” (Rev 14:15). This is the first resurrection, or the “rapture”.

5th angel “Then another angel came out of the temple, which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle” (Rev.14:17) He’s ready to harvest the “grapes of wrath”, evil mankind.

6th angel “And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, ‘Thrust in your sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.’ So, the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and threw in into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” (Rev 14:18-19). God will totally judge evil on this earth.

These six messengers of the last days briefly show the detailed involvement of God’s angels with mankind. God will be using angels in a timely fashion both to inform mankind and help carry out His plan for His creation. For now, the voices of these messengers should present to you clear warnings of what is to shortly take place. Make sure you’re ready!

Maranatha, Jim

Jesus is not a thief. But, He said “Behold, I am coming as a thief.”(Revelation 16:15). What did He mean by that? First, know that Jesus described Satan and his minions as thieves who threaten His flock with destruction. “The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10). Jesus is freely giving eternal life to His flock, not stealing it. What Jesus is referencing when saying He is coming as a thief is the soon arriving “Day of the Lord“. The Apostle Paul said, “For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.” (1Thessalonians 5:2). Peter says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” (2Peter 3:10). Jesus’s second coming is inextricably linked this “Day of the Lord” when He will judge evil on this earth and gather His own to Himself. That’s when He is coming as a thief.

Jesus clearly explained all this to His disciples in the form of a parable about a thief breaking into a home. He said, “Know this, that if the master of that house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not let his house be broken into.” (Matthew 24:43). The essence of the parable was to teach His disciples that they were to watch the signs and determine what watch of the night the thief was coming so that they would be ready and protect their households all the while preparing them for the coming of the Son of Man. Jesus told the apostle John the consequences if they did not watch. “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore, if you do not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.”(Revelation 3:3). Clearly, Jesus is saying here that by watching the hour of His coming can (and must) be determined. Paul indicated the same in his first letter to the Thessalonians, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this day (of the Lord) should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.”(1Thessalonians 5:4-5).

This world as we know it will be sadly and tragically unprepared for Jesus’s return. For them it will be a shock scripture likens to a “thief in the night”. But for the saints, the second coming will be the long expected but watchfully discerned culmination of this age.

Jesus is not coming as a thief for his bride but as a bridegroom.

His bride will be watching, prepared, and ready.

For this world, however, the thief metaphor is appropriate. He is coming as a thief in the night.

Stay alert.

Maranatha, Jim

The prophet Zechariah records a mysterious vision of a woman in a basket in chapter five verses 5-11 in his Old Testament book.

5 Then the angel who talked with me came out and said to me, “Lift your eyes now, and see what this is that goes forth.”

6 So I asked, “What is it?” And he said, “It is a basket that is going forth.”

He also said, “This is their resemblance throughout the earth: 7 Here is a lead disc lifted up, and this is a woman sitting inside the basket”; 8 then he said, “This is Wickedness!” And he thrust her down into the basket, and threw the lead cover over its mouth. 9 Then I raised my eyes and looked, and there were two women, coming with the wind in their wings; for they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between earth and heaven.

10 So I said to the angel who talked with me, “Where are they carrying the basket?”

11 And he said to me, “To build a house for it in the land of Shinar; when it is ready, the basket will be set there on its base.”

Note that the basket’s going forth was to the land of Shinar, which is the region of Babylon. As Zechariah was a post-exilic prophet, and the vision depicts a time future to his writing, it cannot be referring to the Babylonian exile of Daniel’s day. Subsequent history tells us of the Babylonian kingdom’s eventual demise and collapse into oblivion where it remains today just as prophesied. The only significant biblical mention of the name Babylon in a future capacity is found in the book of Revelation, where it is called “Mystery Babylon” (MB), an evil woman, city, prostitute, mother of abominations, and ruler of kings of the earth. The parallels of Zechariah’s woman to Revelation’s woman are many.  First, they are both women. Second, they are both connected to Babylon, her title in Revelation, and location in Zechariah. In verse 6, the words “going forth” means to “break out broadly”. Third, verse 6 also states that this woman is confined to a basket, who at some point will be released, and recognized “throughout the earth”.  MB is described as sitting on many waters where there are peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues. Verse 7 describes the basket, a measuring container for grain, an “ephah”. It is sealed with a heavy lead (metallic gray stone) circular cover which is a Hebrew word for a broad circle of land. It is depicted as too heavy for the woman to escape from until it is lifted at the proper time for her release. Fourth, in verse 8, Zechariah is shown the woman who represents “wickedness”, and she is confined to the basket. MB is described as a filthy harlot who has become a “dwelling place for demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird”. Next, the heavy lid is put back in place to contain her until the time is right for her release.  As Zechariah is writing this from Jerusalem (Zechariah 6:10), the basket is then carried away from there to her resting place, the wilderness plain of Shinar which, in Zechariah’s time, would represent the dominant seat of world power. As Jerusalem (now apostate and partially in the Diaspora) is the most likely candidate for MB the city, this represents a fifth parallel. The two women angelic beings carrying the basket away from Jerusalem had “wind in their wings,” to aid their flight. Wind, here is Hebrew “Ruach” or spirit, indicating God is orchestrating this flight to His location where the basket’s content will be released in His timing.

The burning questions that remain are when will her release take place, and what will that look like? If my supposition is correct that the woman in the basket is Mystery Babylon, the answers can be found in Revelation,  chapters 17-19. There, we see that she will exercise control over the world’s governing authorities, economic systems, and even religion.  Her wickedness will be pervasive and addicting to a secular world. She will meet her ultimate demise at the hand of the ten nation confederacy of the antichrist. But when and how does she come to have such power? My personal opinion is that the cover was removed and she was released in 70 AD, the beginning of the second Jewish exile from their homeland in Israel. In this diaspora, due to rejection of her Messiah, she, along with much gentile assistance began her rise to dominance in bureaucratic control of national governments, and their economic systems. I also believe she is, at present, controlling much of the world’s governance and economic decision making, though behind the scenes. And, she is growing stronger day by day.

For a much more detailed analysis of Mystery Babylon, click on the permanent link below.  A Biblical Tale.doc – Google Docs. I believe God, through Zechariah, was giving us a warning 2500 years ago of what to expect in these last days. His people had just endured a long captivity under a harsh Babylonian rule. His vision foretells a time where the whole world will be under captivity to a modern Babylon. Fortunately, for us, God’s angelic messenger elaborated to the apostle John just what we should be watching for and exhorted us to come out of her (MB).

    Be warned. 

  Be ready.

Maranatha, Jim

The “Great Tribulation” (final 3 1/2 years of Daniel’s 70th week) will be a time of unprecedented turmoil for citizens of the earth. Jesus said it will be worse than anything the world has ever seen up till that time nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21). How are Christians to cope with this coming disaster? The Bible has several direct scriptures indicating that safe havens will be in the offing. Following are a few of them.

“For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle, He shall hide me.” (Psalm 27:5)

“Come my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; hide yourself, as it were, for a little season, until the indignation is past. For the Lord comes out of His place to punish the earth….” (Isaiah 26:20-21)

“Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’….standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”(Matthew 24:15-16)

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I will also keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Revelation 3:10)

“Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who had given birth to the male Child. But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.” (Revelation 12:13-14)

“Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.” (Revelation 12:6)

There seems to be little doubt that divine protection will be made available for God’s people, whether it’s in His secret pavilion, chambers of your own home, the mountains, or a prepared wilderness place. Details of when, how, and exactly where we are to go are not clear at present for obvious reasons. We need to be watching and listening for direction from the messengers God will provide. I believe these messengers will be primarily the “two witnesses” presented in Revelation chapter 11. For details, see my article on these two listed in Permanent Links below. The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11 – Google Docs

I should also note that there will be some Christians who will choose not to seek the safety provided by God and directly confront the antichrist and his government. Many of them will end up as martyrs for their bold faith.

“And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”(Revelation 12:17). “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11)

Fellow Christians-be advised. The great tribulation is coming-soon. But knowing that is not a reason to fear. God has not given us a spirit of fear but love and a sound mind. We need only fear Him who is sending His Son to wrap up all the details of this last millennium before establishing His kingdom.

Maranatha, Jim

The prophetic Old Testament book of Daniel has the unique privilege of being the only book in all of scripture that Jesus directs us to read. While He quotes passages from many other books in the Old Testament, Jesus encourages His hearers to go and read Daniel for themselves in order to verify His teaching about the “abomination of desolation” as recorded both in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.

“So, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Mark 13:14).

“Therefore, when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” (Matthew 24: 15-16)

In both gospels quoted above, the parenthetical clauses about the “reader” are not referring to who may be reading the gospels, but the reader of Daniel. These words should all be shown as red in your bibles, the words of Jesus. It would be improbable that both Mark and Matthew would add a parenthetical reference to the readers of their own gospel narrative at the exact same juncture.

Given the significance of this directive by Jesus, it behooves us as students of eschatological scripture to explore the book of Daniel in detail so that we are aware of these end-time prophecies as they develop. In our home bible studies, The Los Amigos Bible Study – YouTube , we worked our way through the entire book of Daniel. These videos, hopefully, may help you comprehend the eschatological importance of Daniel’s book. As a specific example, I might refer you to the study of Daniel chapter 8. The Book of Daniel Chapter 8 – YouTube

Good Studying, Maranatha, Jim

The coming 1000-year reign of Jesus on the earth is just around the corner. Some bible scholars and certain theological systems spiritualize or render the 1000 years as figurative and not literal. The verses in Revelation describing this time period are quite direct and require a literal hermeneutic IMO. An objective hermeneutic requires a literal rendering when there is nothing in the text indicating that it should be read as metaphor, symbolic, figurative, or otherwise. (See the article “Hermeneutics” linked below on the eschatontrails.com main website). Here are the references from the book of Revelation:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished…..Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, who had not worshipped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison…..” (Revelation 20:1-6)

This millennium is the time when our king Jesus assumes His throne in Jerusalem, Israel, the capitol of the earth. This is the reign that He instructed His disciples to go out and preach to the masses. This is the blessed time period written about by the Old Testament prophets when Messiah comes to rule. This is the time when the Government of this entire world will be masterminded by Christ. We, as redeemed Christians, will be part of His government, ruling and reigning with Him in our new glorified immortal bodies. During this time, we will participate in a perfect government run from a perfect kingship.

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be on His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His Kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever, the zeal of the Lord will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

When I look around us at the sad state of affairs our human run governments of this world have gotten us into, I think you’ll agree with me in longing and praying for this “kingdom to come and be on the earth as it is in heaven”. Much prophecy has yet to be fulfilled before the kingdom arrives, but, rest assured, it will all happen in a compressed and rather short time period. I’m sure you know from other articles on this website that I believe we are already in the beginning of birth pangs Jesus taught about which will lead up to Daniel’s seventieth week; a period of seven years followed by Jesus’ return.

We have a glorious future indeed!

Maranatha, Jim