The Millennium
The Stone Kingdom
Dr. John Hoole - August 25, 2013
Last week, we began investigating what the Bible says about the future 1000-year reign of Christ. This period is also known as the Millennium, a word that means, “1000 years.” In the Book of Revelation, it is the 20th chapter that gives us what John says concerning the coming reign of Christ.
In our last lesson, I showed a chart reflecting the different views of the Reign of Christ. Both A-millennialist and Post-millennialists do not take the 1,000 in a literal manner, but simply take it as referring to a long time of any length. Premillennialists, however, take it literal in the length of Christ’s reign on earth. As we learned last week, this is a literal coming of Christ to earth, and a reign lasting a literal 1000 years. He will reign from the literal and earthly city of Jerusalem. In addition to what I mentioned last week as to the reasons for taking it in a literal fashion, I want to add a few comments.
A basic rule of hermeneutics states that numbers should be accepted at face value, that is, as conveying a mathematical quantity, unless the context includes substantial evidence to warrant otherwise.
This rule holds true throughout the Bible, including the book of Revelation. If you and I survey the numbers given in Revelation, I believe it will support taking them literally. For instance, Revelation, chapter 1 mentions seven churches and seven angels. I don’t think there is any doubt it refers to 7 literal churches in Asia Minor and 7 messengers. When it speaks of the 12 tribes and12 apostles, in Revelation 21:12, 14 these are actual historical numbers.
Here are some other numbers in the text of the book of Revelation that are taken literally.
• Ten lamps (2:10),
• Five months (9:5),
• One-third of mankind (9:15),
• Two witnesses (11:2),
• 42 months (11:2),
• 1,260 days (11:3),
• 12 stars (11:2),
• 10 horns (13:1),
• 1,600 furlongs (14:20),
• 5 fallen kings (17:9-10),
Each of these should be taken at their normal mathematical value. This is especially true with numbers referring to time. There are about 25 references to the measurement of time in the book of Revelation. Only two of these might be understood figuratively. The day of His wrath” (6:17) is probably longer than 24 hours, and “the hour of His judgment” (14:7) probably extends beyond 60 minutes. However, nothing in the phrase “one thousand years” suggests a symbolic interpretation.
Let’s examine again the sequence of events leading up to the Millennium as mentioned in Revelation 20. We find these events in the previous chapter in Revelation, chapter 19. I showed this chart a couple of weeks ago on our final lesson on the Second Coming of Christ. The chronology of the events of Revelation 19 & 20, which surround the 2nd coming are:
• The wedding of the Bride (the Church) and the Bridegroom (Christ). (Rev. 19:7-9)
• Christ and the armies descend from heaven (Rev. 19:11-16).
• An angel summons the birds to observe the battle (Rev. 19:17-18).
• The armies on earth make war against Christ (verse 19)
• The Antichrist and False Prophet are captured and sent to the Lake of Fire (Verse 20)
• Their armies are destroyed and the birds gorge themselves (Verse 21)
Having come to the end of Revelation 19, the narrative continues in chapter 20. Chapter 20 opens with an angel coming down from Heaven. In its hands, this angel has a key and a great chain.
• Satan is capture and bound with chains and sent to the Bottomless Pit (Rev. 20:1-3). The angel seals the abyss, keeping Satan from deceiving the nations for 1,000 years.
• John then sees the souls of the saints who died during the tribulation and sees their bodies being resurrected. (Rev. 20:4)
During our lesson last week on the Introduction to the Millennium we looked closely at a couple passages in the Book of Daniel. I want to visit these passages again today.
In Daniel 2, we looked at the dream that Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed. In Daniel 7, we look at a vision God gave to Daniel.
WHO CAN TELL ME THE SUBSTANTIVE PARTS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR’S DREAM IN DANIEL 2?
In Daniel’s 2, Nebuchadnezzar’s dream involved a colossal image. This image had a head of gold,…..
• and chest and arms of silver,
• a belly and thigh of brass,
• legs made of iron,
• and toes of part iron and part clay.
Daniel gives Nebuchadnezzar the interpretation of the dream, composed of four different metals. It is a dream about successive world kingdoms, beginning with Babylon which was represented by the head of gold.
Now let me take you to Daniel 2:31-34 (NIV) once again, and listen to what Daniel tells the king.
31 "You looked, O king, and there before you stood a large statue - an enormous, dazzling statue, awesome in appearance.
32 The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze,
33 its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay.
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
In verses 36 to 43, you can read Daniel interpretation of the dream.
Before leaving this passage, notice verses 34. During our lesson on the Antichrist, we did not mention much about this stone that strikes the image at its feet. Now is the appropriate time to discuss this verse and its interpretation and add verse 35 as we read it again.
Daniel 2:34-35 NIV
34 While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them.
35 Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
WHAT IS THIS ROCK THAT SMITES THE FEET OF THE IMAGE AND GROWS TO FILL THE ENTIRE EARTH?
In a moment we will look at verses 44 & 45, in which Daniels gives the interpretation of what this stone represents. A moment ago, I mentioned that Daniel’s interpretation shows that the parts of Nebuchadnezzar’s colossal image represent successive world kingdoms, starting with Babylon.
If we are to be consistent, this boulder that destroys and replaces all earthly kingdoms must also be a kingdom. And, indeed, it is.
Now, let’s look at Daniel’s interpretation about this stone.
Daniel 2:44-45 NIV
44 "In the time of those kings, [the kings represented by the 10 toes] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands - a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.
First, notice that the kingdom represented by the stone takes over the entire earth as it grows into a huge mountain. That tells us that this final kingdom will be worldwide.
The imagery here of a mountain is in keeping with Micah 4:1-2 (NIV).
1 In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and peoples will stream to it.
2 Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
This is echoed in Isaiah 2:2-3, which is word-for-word the same as Micah 4:1-2.
Now, let’s review the vision God gives to Daniel that is recorded in chapter 7. Unlike the colossal image dreamed by Nebuchadnezzar, this vision depicts the same sequence of successive earthly kingdom and depicts each as a different beast.
Daniel 7:24-27 NIV
24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
From our studies, we know this ruler that speaks against the Most High is the Antichrist. He will reign for the last 3½ years of the Tribulation leading to the Battle of Armageddon.
26 "`But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever.
27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'
Once again, like we saw in Daniel 2, the kingdoms of this earth will be replaced by a righteous kingdom. In Daniel 7, three times we are told that the kingdom will be given to the saints of the Most High -- in verses 18, 22 & here in verse 27.
All of what we see here in the book of Daniel is in keeping with what we have already studied in Revelation 19 about the Second Coming of Christ.
In Daniel 2, the prophet says the dream of Nebuchadnezzar is certain, and its interpretation is sure (Daniel 2:45). There is coming a day when the stone cut without human hands will smite the statue at its feet, and it will occur at the time when the ten-nation confederation is established. This stone will cause all the kingdoms of the statue to come crumbling down. It will destroy all human efforts to establish a world-wide kingdom. We need to ask ourselves some questions – Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How.
WHO – Who is the stone that we read about in Daniel 2?
Let’s let the Scriptures tell us. Psalm 118:22 tells us the stone, which the builders rejected, has become the chief cornerstone. This is repeated by Christ Himself as recorded in Matthew 21:42. Jesus went on to say, two verses later, that on whomever this stone falls it will ground him to powder (Matthew 21:44). Who is this stone? It is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Daniel tells us this stone was cut out without hands (Daniel 2:34). That is, it was supernatural in origin. Neither human hands nor human means brought it into existence. This stone is the hope of all human history.
WHAT – What is this event that takes place in Daniel 2?
The event where the stone hits the statue is the second coming of our Lord. When Jesus comes the second time, He will do so with power and great glory (Matthew 24:30). Handel’s masterpiece, Messiah, had is correct when borrowing from Revelation 11:15, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.”
When our Lord comes in power and great glory, He will not be riding a lowly donkey, but upon a white stallion. He will not be coming as a suffering servant, but He will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords. As the stone not fashioned by human hands, He will strike the nations. And He will rule them with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:11-21).
Again, this falling stone upon the statue of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, is without a doubt, the second coming of Christ. Our Lord is coming back to rule over the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords.
WHERE – Where does the stone strike the statue?
The stone did not strike the head. Rather, the last form of human government will be in existence when the stone crushes all human governmental efforts down through history. We seem to be living in these very prophetic days. When struck in the feel, the entire structure comes tumbling down (Daniel 2:35). When Jesus returns, all human governments of the world will come to an end. Nothing but dust will remain, and it will be blown away by the wind.
WHEN – When will this all take place.
It will take place when the remnant of the last world power emerges into a multi-nation confederacy. This may well be happening as we sit here today. Many other rulers – Napoleon, Hitler, Nikita Krushchev of Russia all had designs upon ruling the entire world. But each in their time crumbled. Why? Because God said over 2,500 years ago that the last human empire would be the iron legs and feet of the Roman Empire.
We also see in the prophecies of this event that no kingdom has the ability to strike back once defeated. All human governments have struck out. Indeed, all human governments are temporary. Only the Stone is brought into existence supernaturally.
HOW – How will the statue fall?
The stone strikes the statue with destructive force. It shatters. It breaks, It crushes! This is not a meek and mild and lowly Jesus on the back of a donkey. This is King Jesus coming to reign and rule with power and great glory. He had spoken about this event Himself.
Matthew 24:30 NKJV
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
The arrival of this stone is nothing short of the judgment of God upon this world system.
WHY – Why does God do what He does at this time?
First of all, God always has a purpose for anything He does. He is not conducting a myriad of exercises, hoping that one will work. There are dozens of prophecies, from both the Old and New Testament, detailing the removing of the old human patterns, and replacing them with the NEW. Christ is coming to show what mankind could have enjoyed, had he obeyed God. Following the best of human government that Satan could establish, the rule of Christ exhibits the sharpest of contrasts to the OLD.
God has yet to fulfill many prophecies, which could not happen under the old human rule. The new will indeed cover the entire world.
God is going to cleanse and purge this planet before He sets up His Kingdom. It is the “Stone Kingdom” that will usher in eternity.
Before continuing, let me take you back to the inscription from Isaiah 2:4 found at the United Nations. I showed you this inscription last week. It is a great statement, but it isn’t the entire verse. It is only the last half of the verse in Isaiah 2. And what was left out is indeed the most important.
Let me begin with verse 2 so you see the context.
Isaiah 2:2-3 NIV
2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
This is a passage speaking of the “last days,” specifically about the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Let’s continue and read verse 4.
Isaiah 2:4 KJV
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 pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
It should be plainly obvious that the conditions given in these verses will happen only when the Prince of Peace arrives to reign over the entire globe.