Heaven on Earth

A mother wrote a letter to an advice columnist in the newspaper questioning the goodness of God. Her twenty-two-year-old daughter had been killed by a drunk driver. The mother wrote that she had gotten on her knees and pleaded with God to bring her daughter back to life. “You can do anything,” she had prayed. “You can perform miracles. . . . Please God, let me trade places with her—please let me lie in that coffin, and let her out to live her life.” But God did not answer her request. Meanwhile, the drunk driver had spent less than six months behind bars.

The mother closed her letter by saying, “If there is a God, and if I ever get to meet Him face to face, you can bet your life I will have plenty of whys for him to answer. I want to know why my little girl died and that drunk was allowed to go on living. . . . I don’t fear the Lord. And I don’t fear hell, either. I know what hell is like. I’ve already been there since the day my precious daughter was killed.”¹

Though we might wince at this mother’s defiant attitude toward God, we can empathize with her questions. If there is a God, why does He allow murderers to walk free, children to be abused, and millions of people to go to bed hungry every night? Why doesn’t He create a world where peace and perfect righteousness reign?

We know from Genesis 1–2 that such a world did exist—until sin caused that paradise to be lost to Satan’s control. But it hasn’t been lost forever. One day, Jesus Christ will return to earth and establish a world order characterized by peace, justice, and righteousness.

I’m talking about the event we call the millennium, Jesus Christ’s thousand-year reign on earth. Outside the rapture, no subject in Bible prophecy causes more debate than the millennium. Your interpretation of this event affects not only your understanding of the future but also your perception of God’s promises to Israel and to you.

The Millennium in Perspective

At the end of the seven-year period of judgment known as the tribulation, the Antichrist and his enemies will go to war. In the midst of the fighting, Jesus Christ will return from heaven with His followers and crush His enemies, putting an end to the Antichrist and to the tribulation. John described this event in Revelation 19:11–21.

In the aftermath of the second coming, John repeatedly mentioned a thousand-year period during which Christ would reign. For example, referring to believers who had died during the tribulation, he said, “They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” (20:4).

Nevertheless, many Christians debate whether and when there will be a literal millennial kingdom. You may be familiar with the terms premillennial, postmillennial, and amillennial. Let me briefly explain what these terms mean so you can understand what the Bible does and does not say about the millennium.

The Premillennial Position

The prefix pre– means before. Premillennialists (such as myself) believe Jesus’ second coming will take place before His thousand-year reign on earth. They believe He will establish a literal kingdom to fulfill God’s promises to believing Israel. Premillennialists see a distinction between the church—those saved from Pentecost until the rapture—and the believing descendants of Abraham. In Genesis 12, God promised to give Abraham land, descendants, and a blessing. During the millennium, premillennialists say, the Israelites will finally dwell in the land God promised to Abraham in Genesis 12, and one of his descendants, the Messiah, will sit on the throne of David.

The Postmillennial Position

The prefix post– means after. Postmillennialists believe Jesus will return to earth after the thousand-year period John described in Revelation 20. They say that with hard work, Christians will evangelize the entire world and turn it into a utopia that is prepared for Christ’s arrival. In the wake of World Wars I and II, this view of the millennium was largely abandoned.

Although classical postmillennialism is basically dead, there is a variation of it called Christian reconstructionism that is very popular today. The idea is that if we elect Christian legislators and enact God’s laws, we can enjoy the kingdom rule of Christ in the world today.

Now, I believe Christians need to be involved in the political process. We need to actively engage with our culture in order to influence our communities and our country for Christ. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Salt is a preservative. It doesn’t prevent the decay of meat, but it slows down the decay to give meat a longer shelf life. In the same way, Christians are called to slow down the decay of our culture. I believe that to the extent that our nation reverences God and respects His Word, we can postpone God’s judgment on our country, giving us more time to preach the gospel to as many people as possible. But I’m under no illusions that we are going to create a perfect society here on earth before Christ returns.

The Amillennial Position

The prefix a– means no or without. Amillennialists do not believe in a literal earthly kingdom. They say the second coming will usher in the new heaven and earth, and the reign of Christ described in Revelation 20 refers to His rule in the hearts of believers.

Unlike premillennialists, amillennialists say that when the Jewish people rejected Christ, God transferred His blessings and promises to the church, so the promised land is no longer a piece of real estate in the Middle East but our heavenly home.

Here’s the problem with this view of God’s promises to Israel: His covenant with Abraham was unconditional.

In Genesis 15, God performed a ritual that was used in those times to ratify a covenant between two kings. Both kings would participate, signifying that the agreement depended on the faithfulness of both parties.

But God put Abraham to sleep and completed the ritual by Himself, signifying that this covenant depended solely on His faithfulness.

In Psalm 89:30–36, God reiterated that His promises to Abraham were unconditional:

If his sons forsake My law

And do not walk in My judgments,

If they violate My statutes

And do not keep My commandments,

Then I will punish their transgression with the rod

And their iniquity with stripes.

But I will not break off My lovingkindness from him,

Nor deal falsely in My faithfulness.

My covenant I will not violate,

Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips.

Once I have sworn by My holiness;

I will not lie to David.

His descendants shall endure forever

And his throne as the sun before Me.

Even if the Israelites disobey God, He will not “deal falsely” or violate His covenant with them. God will fulfill His promises to Abraham’s believing descendants—and we can trust that He will fulfill His promises to us as well.

Jesus’ Coming Kingdom

Because of God’s covenant with Abraham, I believe Jesus will establish a literal, earthly kingdom.

This kingdom was prophesied in the Old Testament, anticipated in the New Testament, and fulfilled in John’s vision in Revelation.

Prophecies of the Kingdom in the Old Testament

The Old Testament prophets painted a reassuring picture of the Messiah’s earthly kingdom. For example, Isaiah 2:4 says, “He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples. . . .

Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.” And in Zechariah 2:10, 12, God said, “I am coming and I will dwell in your midst. . . . The Lord will possess Judah as His portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”

Some people say these prophecies were fulfilled in 538 BC when the Jewish people returned to their land after exile in Babylon. But when the Jewish exiles resettled in Israel, they didn’t occupy all of the land God had promised, and they certainly didn’t dwell there in safety and peace—nor have they in the centuries since.

Amillennialists argue that Old Testament prophecies about the millennium will be fulfilled in heaven, not in an earthly kingdom. But notice what God said in Isaiah 65:19–20: “I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people. . . . No

longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his days; for the youth will die at the age of one hundred and the one who does not reach the age of one hundred will be thought accursed.” This prophecy can’t be describing heaven because there’s no death at all in heaven (Revelation 21:4). No, this passage describes the future kingdom of Christ.

During the millennium, the earth will undergo a renovation, and the curse of sin will be partially removed. Isaiah 11:6 says, “The wolf will dwell with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat.” The Messiah’s reign will be characterized by peace.

Anticipation of the Kingdom in the New Testament

When Jesus came to earth the first time, He offered to establish His kingdom. He preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). Had the Jews acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah, I believe He would have established His rule then and there.

Now, if the Jews had not rejected Jesus, then there would have been no crucifixion. And if there had been no crucifixion, then there would be no salvation. Obviously, God knew His people would reject their Messiah. As Paul explained in Romans, God used Israel’s rejection of Jesus to bring about the salvation of the world. But the fact that Jesus’ offer was rejected does not mean His earthly kingdom was forfeited; it was simply postponed.

The apostles clearly believed in a literal kingdom. When Jesus was about to ascend into heaven, they asked, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). If they were mistaken about the nature of Jesus’ kingdom, He would have said, “Guys, you got it all wrong. All these years, I was talking about a spiritual kingdom, not a physical one.” But instead of correcting their thinking, Jesus simply said, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (v. 7). It was not for the disciples—or for you and me—to know the exact date of Christ’s return, but one day He will come back to earth to establish His rule.

Fulfillment of the Kingdom in Revelation

John gave us a glimpse of the millennium in the book of Revelation. When Christ finally establishes His rule, the angels declare, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (11:15).

John offered a few more details in Revelation 20. He wrote that an angel “laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed” (vv. 2–3). In addition, Jesus will resurrect and reward the believers who died during the tribulation (vv. 4–6).

God’s Promises to You

You and I can look forward to the literal, earthly reign of Jesus Christ, when God will completely fulfill His promises to Israel. At the second coming, we will return to earth with our Savior and enter His millennial kingdom. Because Satan is bound during the millennium, the world will be free from his influence. Instead, “the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Our King will rule with perfect wisdom, justice, and righteousness, and His subjects will enjoy security and peace.

As you navigate times of doubt and darkness today, remember the future God has promised to those who believe in Him. Just as He will be faithful to Israel, you can be confident that He will keep His promises to you.

1. “Dear Abby,” Dallas Morning News, January 15, 1991, 6c.