Millennium Kingdom and Fourth Temple

UPDATED 30 November 2020

The Tribulation period begins when the Antichrist makes a seven-year covenant “with many” concerning Israel and the city of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27). The events of the tribulation are described in Revelation chapters 6 through 19. The third Temple is built at the start of the Tribulation.

When Jesus returns at the end of the tribulation, a Fourth Temple will be established (Isaiah 2) and Jesus will rule. The Temple described in Revelation 20:1-6 and by Ezekiel in chapters 40 - 48 follows the tribulation period, after the Second Coming of Jesus, and will be rebuilt during the millennium period.

The Third Temple does not bring Israel peace from the nations, instead through a false covenant and a false Messiah, the Temple was rebuilt only to be defiled by the Antichrist. The nation needed to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. This is exactly what happens in the tribulation; the nation calls out to Jesus in desperation exactly as Jesus foretold. 9 "It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn. 11 "In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning at Hadad Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo (Zechariah 12:9-14).

After the seven years of tribulation, the nation cries out to Jesus to return as He promised in Matthew, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets .....38 "See! Your house is left to you desolate; "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' (Matthew 23:37-39).

Jesus returns with the armies of Heaven as described in the gospels and in the books of Zechariah and Matthew:

3 Then the Lord will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle. 4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. (Zechariah 14:3-5)

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

10 "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," says the Lord.11 "Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. 12 "And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem (Zechariah 2:10-12)

16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zechariah 14:16)

The Millennium Kingdom and the Temple

As noted above, Jesus promised to come and “dwell in your midst” and so now we’ve come to the kingdom in which Jesus the King will reign for a thousand years and establish the Fourth Temple.

In his vision of the temple, Ezekiel is taken to Israel where he sees a mountain and a city. He is met by “a man whose appearance was like bronze; he was standing in the gateway with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand” (Ezekiel 40:3). The man tells Ezekiel to pay careful attention to everything he sees and hears and to relate all the details to God’s people (verse 4). The measuring of the layout of the temple complex fills the next three chapters of Ezekiel.

The vision is to be literally fulfilled in the future after the tribulation period, for nothing like what is described in Ezekiel 40–48 has taken place up to this point. The dimensions of Ezekiel’s temple are far larger than the temple in Jesus’ day, and that temple was a grand structure.

Isaiah 11 paints the graphic picture of the reign of Christ on earth, a scene which cannot be confused with the present age, the intermediate state, or the eternal state if interpreted in any normal literal sense. As presented it describes the millennial earth. The righteous government of Christ is depicted in Isaiah 11:14: “But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” The description which follows describes animals such as wolves, lambs, leopards, kids, calves, young lions, all of which are creatures of earth and not of heaven, and further pictures them in a time of tranquillity such as only can apply to the millennial earth. The sweeping statement of Isaiah 11:9 confirms this judgment: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the waters cover the sea.” In the verses following, various countries of the earth are mentioned as having some part in the dealings of God at that time and therefore confirm that the earth is in view, not heaven. For similar passages see Isaiah 42:4; Jeremiah 23:3-6; Daniel 2:35-45; Zechariah 14:1-9.

Jesus Christ the supreme King of the millennial kingdom. In Psalm 2:6, in spite of the opposition of the kings of the earth, God declares His purpose: “Yet I have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” This purpose will be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom in the reign of Jesus Christ as the Son of David. As Lewis Sperry Chafer has succinctly stated: “Every Old Testament prophecy on the kingdom anticipates His kingly office: (a) Christ will yet sit on the throne as David’s heir (2 Sam 7:16; Ps 89:20-37; Isa 11:1-16; Jer 33:19-21). (b) He came as a King (Luke 1:32-33). (c) He was rejected as a King (Mark 15:12-13; Luke 19:14; cf. Gen 37:8; Exod 2:14). (d) He died as a King (Matt 27:37). (e) When He comes again, it is as a King (Rev 19:16; cf. Luke 1:32-33)” (L.S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, VII, 233). The Doctrine of the Millennium—Part I: The Righteous Government of the Millennium - Dr John F. Walwoord

Clarification on the Eastern (Golden) Gate and Psalm 24

As these passages states, the triumphant entry of Jesus also fulfilled an additional prophecies, one made over 500 years earlier by the prophet Zechariah and even earlier by David in Psalm 24 (see David Guzik commentary on Psalm 24):

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” Zechariah 9:9 (KJV)

“Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle… The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.” (Psalm 24:7-10)

Jesus came through the Eastern gate many times when He was here on earth. It’s the gate leading to the Mount of Olives, and it was His custom to spend the night on that mountain and then go to the Temple in the mornings (John 8:1-2). In particular, He is documented as having entered the gate on Palm Sunday, the week before His crucifixion. This is only one of the numerous Old Testament Messianic prophecies fulfilled in the life of Jesus, the Messiah. So, the above prophecies have been fulfilled.

“On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. And Jesus, when he had found a young ass, sat thereon; as it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.” John 12:12-16 (KJV)

The Eastern Gate was destroyed during the Roman Empire’s conquest of Jerusalem, and the subsequent destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70, thus fulfilling Christ’s prophecy that there will “not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” Matthew 24:2 (KJV). Prior to this, the Eastern Gate had never been sealed.

Sometime in the sixth or seventh century, the Byzantines rebuilt the Eastern Gate. After it was rebuilt, the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman I sealed the Eastern Gate in 1541 Legends abound as to why Suleiman closed the Gate. The most believable one is that while the walls were being rebuilt, a rumour swept Jerusalem that the Messiah was coming. Suleiman called together some Jewish rabbis and asked them to tell him about the Messiah. They described the Messiah as a great military leader who would be sent by God from the east. He would enter the Eastern Gate and liberate the city from foreign control.

Suleiman then decided to put an end to Jewish hopes by ordering the Eastern Gate sealed. He also put a Muslim cemetery in front of the Gate, believing that no Jewish holy man would defile himself by walking through a Muslim cemetery.

The Gate has remained sealed since that time. The Muslim cemetery still blocks the entrance. The old walled city has eight gates, and the Eastern Gate, and it alone, is sealed — just as prophesied in Ezekiel 44.

It’s been over 465 years since Suleiman sealed the Eastern Gate, and despite numerous well-documented attempts to open it, the gate has remained sealed just as the Lord proclaimed to Ezekiel over 2,600 years ago.

The Eastern Gate is one of eight gates built into the walls which surround the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The Eastern Gate provides the only entrance from the East, and it faces the Mount of Olives.

This gate is not the ‘golden gate’ located in the old city of Jerusalem today, neither is it connected to the Third Temple for it is destroyed when Jesus returns. Additionally, the Millennium Temple measured in Ezekiel 40 - 48, is significantly larger than the first two temples, and the Jerusalem of the millennium will have twelve gates, not eight. So, the idea that Jesus will return via this gate is not scriptural because the topography and geography of Jerusalem will be altered dramatically as Zechariah tells us that the Lord’s ‘feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley’ (Zechariah 14:4, see also Isaiah 40:3-4).

This interpretation is popular and leads to much dramatic speculation about how and when the Eastern Gate will be unsealed. However, there are some textual problems with that interpretation.

First, there is a difficulty in connecting Ezekiel’s “gate facing east” with the Eastern Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. Ezekiel specifically says the gate he saw is “the outer gate of the sanctuary” (Ezekiel 44:1); that is, it’s a gate of the temple court, not a gate of the city.

Second, the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem is not the same one that Jesus rode through in His triumphal entry. The modern Eastern Gate was not constructed until centuries after the time of Christ. The original gate that Nehemiah built (and possibly dating to the time of Solomon) is underground, below the current gate, as documented by archaeologist James Fleming in 1969. It was through the lower gate (now underground) that Jesus would have entered Jerusalem in AD 30.

Third, the temple that Ezekiel sees in chapters 40–47 is not the same temple that Jesus was in, and the Jerusalem he describes is quite different from the Old City of Jerusalem that we know of today. The millennial temple (the third temple) measured in Ezekiel is significantly larger than the first two temples, and the Jerusalem of the millennium will have twelve gates, not eight (Ezekiel 48:30–35). What is the significance of the Eastern Gate of Jerusalem? - GotQuestions.org

This is pure speculation on my part, but I would not be surprised if this is a big deception for the Antichrist to stage-manage; as many religious Jews and rabbis believe that the gate being shut is a divine providence. Rabbinic Judaism also has some bizarre “Messianic” (non-biblical) prophecies and passages of the Torah / Bible scriptures that has been misinterpreted by the rabbis, for example they are waiting for Elijah to “usher in the Messianic age” and "announce the arrival of the Messiah from Mount Carmel in the Land of Israel.”

During the Six Day War, Jewish military leaders had engaged in a heated debate the day before the attack on the Lion’s Gate because someone had suggested blowing open the Eastern Gate to attack the Jordanians. According to the reports, there was an Orthodox Jew present during these discussions, and he told the military commanders that they could not blow open the Eastern Gate because it had to remain shut until the Messiah returns.

The Prince in Ezekiel 44

The designation “prince” is used at least 14 times (in chapters 44-47). He is not the Lord Jesus Christ, but someone distinct from Him. (Note: “he shall sit in it to eat bread before the Lord”); he has sins for which he offers sacrifice (45:22), and fathers sons (46:16-18).

He cannot enter by the East gate which the Lord used, but he is allowed to come in and go out by the gate’s vestibule, and eat bread by the gateway. He cannot perform priestly duties (45:19), as Messiah will and he must worship the Lord (46:2).

Most likely “the prince” is not the king, but rather one who administrates the kingdom, representing the King who individually lead the 12 tribes.

Therefore, this ruler is likely David, whose future ruler over Israel was mentioned several times in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 34:23-24 and 37:25) and elsewhere (Isaiah 55:3-4, Jeremiah 30:8-9, Hosea 3:5). In Ezekiel 37:25 it was specifically written that David would be prince over Israel.

23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them—My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. (Ezekiel 34)

24 David My servant shall be king over them, and they shall all have one shepherd; they shall also walk in My judgments and observe My statutes, and do them. 25 Then they shall dwell in the land that I have given to Jacob My servant, where your fathers dwelt; and they shall dwell there, they, their children, and their children’s children, forever; and My servant David shall be their prince forever. 26 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them, and it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; I will establish them and multiply them, and I will set My sanctuary in their midst forevermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them; indeed I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 28 The nations also will know that I, the Lord, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore. (Ezekiel 37)

Sacrifices, Services and the Nations

The Passover was a foreshadowing of the coming sacrifice while communion is a reminder; it will be the same in the Millennium.

Some people say that Ezekiel's vision shows the eternal state. The ‘eternal state’ means the new heaven and the new earth, but this vision cannot be of the eternal state. In the new earth, there is no temple (Revelation 21:22).

The Lord Jesus Christ made the one complete and perfect sacrifice for sin. He died once for all time because of our sin. There is now no need for other sacrifices. There is now no need for the human priests. But in this prophecy, there are sacrifices for sin and there are human priests.

The temple, the sacrifices and the priests are for the Israelites. During the millennium, people from other nations will worship with them in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:16). Ezekiel’s vision shows perfect practice in Israelite worship. In the Old Testament, the sacrifices refer forward to the Messiah. In the millennium, the sacrifices refer back to the death of the Messiah. The sacrifices never could take away sins. In the millennium, the sacrifices will not take away sins. The sacrifices will remind people about the one sacrifice of Jesus the Messiah. That was the only sacrifice that dealt with sin.

In a similar way, Christians break bread and drink wine. The bread and the wine represent (are signs of) the body and blood of Christ (who is the Messiah). This act is referring back to the death of Christ. So, the animals in the sacrifices represent the work of the Messiah. That work is complete. He died for us all and he rose again from death.

The only real problem in connection with a future literal temple is not the question as to whether such a temple could be built in the millennium, but the fact that this would indicate also a literal interpretation of the temple ritual and sacrifices. This introduces some real problems (For a full discussion see John L. Mitchell “The Question of Millennial Sacrifices,” Bibliotheca Sacra, July 1953, pp. 248-67; October 1953, pp. 342-61). Allusions are made to these sacrifices in the details of the construction of the temple (Ezek 40:39-42) with further details on the sacrifices themselves (Ezek 43:18—46:24). Ezekiel is not alone in his testimony to millennial sacrifices as Isaiah refers to it (Isa 56:7) and implies the institution of a sacrificial system and observance of the Sabbath (Isa 66:20-23). Jeremiah refers to the same thing (Jer 33:18). Zechariah has similar references (Zech 14:16-21). The details such as are offered for these sacrifices make it clear that it is a distinct system from the Mosaic, but that it involves animal sacrifices as well as other forms of worship similar to that provided in the Mosaic law. The suggestion that there would be literal sacrifices in the millennium is a focal point of opposition from amillenarians and is not necessarily embraced by all premillenarians.

A. C. Gaebelein writes in support of this view: “But what is the meaning and the purpose of these animal sacrifices? The answer is quite simple. While the sacrifices Israel brought once had a prospective meaning, the sacrifices brought in the millennial temple have a retrospective meaning. When during this age God’s people worship in the appointed way at His table, with the bread and wine as the memorial of His love, it is a retrospect. We look back to the Cross. We show forth His death. It is ‘till He comes.’ Then this memorial feast ends forever.

The Doctrine of the Millennium—Part II: Spiritual Life in the Millennium - John F. Walwoord

In the Millennium, billions will be born and they will visibly see the evidence of God; yet in the end we will find many did not believe because they did not have faith. According to scripture, two groups of people will be alive during the millennium; resurrected and non-resurrected people.

The people who survive the tribulation and enter the millennium cross into it without resurrected bodies, these are survivors of the Tribulation who refused to worship the Antichrist. This group of resistors will comprise of Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, they will be able to get married and have children; they will also be able to repopulate the earth. This point is clear in both the Old and New Testaments. We know there will be nations in the Millennium that will populate the nations. People born during the 1000-years will repopulate the earth after God renews it from the destruction of the tribulation. According to Jesus, most people on the earth will die during the tribulation. However, many of them will be saved during the Millennial period.

The Kingdom will continue to expand during the Millennium years, as Isaiah indicates: "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:7). Jesus asked his disciples to pray that His kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven and it is in this season that the prayer will be fully answered. It seems that the nations will progressively come under the Lordship of Jesus as his government spreads until it is literally worldwide.

Concerning the restored nation of Israel during the Messiah's millennial reign, God says: "Behold . . . I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth. And I will cause the captives of Judah and the captives of Israel to return, and will rebuild those places as at the first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities . . . Then [Jerusalem] shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honour before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I provide for it" (Jeremiah 33:6-9).

As the people of Israel learn to follow God's Word, their example will inspire other nations to seek the same way of life and to want to reap the same blessings. "Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:22-23).

Nations will see that keeping God's law works. They will come to Jerusalem to learn how they can apply it in their own lands. "Many nations shall come and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.' For out of Zion the Torah shall go forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Micah 4:2). Eventually "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9).

As Jesus reigns and rules with the Iron of rod” (Psalm 2:9), the people of the world would begin to obey God and getting their spiritual priorities straight, they will begin to experience unprecedented physical prosperity.

"Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it . . . They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; they shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them" (Amos 9:13-14).

He will summon them to Jerusalem to attend God's Feast of Tabernacles. "And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah 14:16).

Isaiah compares this time to a perpetual feast with the best of everything. "On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear" (Isaiah 25:6).

Notice this inspiring description of blessings yet to come: "They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord and their descendants as well. Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox . . . They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord" (Isaiah 65:21-25).

Long life spans will return as sickness and disease again become rare occurrences (Isaiah 65:20). “Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each one with his staff in his hand because of great age. The streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets” (Zech. 8:4-5). This will be true throughout the world because the Lord will settle all disputes between the nations. They will not take up arms against each other, nor will they even train for war anymore (Isaiah 2:4). Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree and no one will make them afraid (Micah 4:4).

It is as though, the kingdom that Jesus establishes, in the earth, is Genesis all over again - that the people, nature and creation mirrors the Garden of Eden without Satan just as he is bound during the Millennium period. We will, like Adam and Eve, be working in the kingdom. But unlike them, the ground and everything else will be blessed. Bible tells us that those who respond to God during this age will be rulers in the coming Kingdom of God (Revelation 1:6; 2:26). "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" (Daniel 7:27). While not every saint could literally reign as a king, everyone will have an assignment with authority and a sphere of responsibility.

Additionally, Isaiah 65:21-22, indicates that the people will be building houses and planting vineyards. Verse 22 says that God's elect will "long enjoy the work of their hands." After the end of the kingdom, a new creation of heaven will await us and we will again reign with Jesus in eternity, and like in Genesis, before Adam and Eve, there will be no moon, stars, or sun.

The divine purpose of God for the Gentiles comes to its natural conclusion at the end of the times of the Gentiles which is marked by the second coming of Jesus Christ. The millennial reign of Christ primarily concerns the nation Israel and their restoration to their ancient land. Most of the prophecies dealing with the millennial kingdom describe Israel’s day of glory and prominence with Christ as their king and David resurrected from the dead as the prince.

There are, however, numerous prophecies that indicate that the Gentiles also will participate in the millennial reign of Christ and will inherit many of the blessings which characterize this period. As the reign of Christ is from sea to sea it necessarily goes far beyond the borders of the Promised Land, outlined so long ago to Abraham as extending from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates (Genesis 15:18). Outside the Promised Land, but often adjacent to it are the millennial counterparts of the ancient peoples who in one way or another were related to Israel’s long history. Chapter XV The Nations In The Millennium And The Eternal State - Dr John F. Walwoord

The Elevation of Jerusalem

The Psalms known as “Songs of Ascents” (Ps. 120–134) were sung by the people of Israel as they walked the road up to Jerusalem to attend the three annual pilgrim festivals. Psalm 121 begins, “I will lift up my eyes to the hills. From whence comes my help?” (v. 1). The answer follows, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (v. 2).

Frequently in the Psalms as in the Prophets, references are made to God’s future theocratic kingdom. Psalm 2:6 predicts that Christ will be “installed [as] My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” While Psalm 22 prophesies the crucifixion of Christ, Psalm 24 predicts His reign on earth.

Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory (24:7-10).

Many understand Psalms 45 and 46 to refer to the reign of Christ. Psalm 48 speaks of the future glory of Zion.

One of the clearest passages is Psalm 72. Although given in the form of a prayer, it will surely be fulfilled, as is evident for instance, in verses 7-8. “In his days may the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace till the moon is no more. May he also rule from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” The universal submission of the kings of the world in the future theocratic kingdom is described in verses 10-11, “Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents, the kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts. And let all kings bow down before him, all nations serve him.” The psalm closes with the prayer, “And blessed be His glorious name forever; and may the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen, and Amen” (v. 19). It should be noted that this prophecy relates to “earth,” not heaven. recent form of amillennialism, which says the prophecies are fulfilled in a nonliteral way for the believer in heaven (in the intermediate state) prior to the creation of the new heavens and the new earth; (3) a combination of the other two forms, that interprets some kingdom passages as being fulfilled in the present age, some fulfilled in their intermediate state during the present period, and others yet to be fulfilled in the eternal state in the new heavens and the new earth.

Interpreting Prophecy Today—Part 2: The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament - Dr John F. Walwoord

During the Millennium there will be significant changes in the geography of the earth

Important changes will also occur on the face of the earth at the beginning of the millennium such as the division of the Mount of Olives (Zech 14:3-8). Jerusalem is seemingly elevated to a high plateau (Zech 14:10) and the rest of the land will be depressed. This could well be as Zion is to be exalted and built up (see Isaiah 2:2; 40:9; Micah 4:1; Psalm 102:16). Indeed, the whole area around Jerusalem is going to become a plain (Zechariah 14:10). These changes in topography are related also to the division of the land pictured in Ezekiel 48:1-27; 45:4-19 .

Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD’s house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to it. (Isaiah 2:2)

Thus saith the Lord; I am returned unto Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain. (Zechariah 8:3)

There is coming a day when “Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth; and the mountain [or, kingdom] of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain.” The "mountain of the house of the LORD" refers to Mt Zion, the location of the Temple (modern day "Temple Mount"). "Mountain" in Scripture is also symbolic of kingdoms and thus the phrase "chief of the mountains" does not mean that Mt Zion will be the tallest mountain in the world but that the kingdom of Israel will be the "chief" of all the world's kingdoms. The Hebrew word "chief" (ro'sh) describes that which is the head, which is the crucial part of the body and so here describes Israel as the nation of highest rank and greatest importance or influence in all the among the nations.

16 And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. 18 If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 In that day “HOLINESS TO THE LORD” shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the Lord’s house shall be like the bowls before the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the Lord of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 14)

Micah 4:1-4, describes the Peace and Security through Obedience in the millennium, almost the exact same words are found (Isaiah 2:2-4). Micah adds a verse (4:4) about how individuals, as well as nations, will be able to live in prosperity and without fear.

“Now it shall come to pass in the latter days

That the mountain of the Lord’s house

Shall be established on the top of the mountains,

And shall be exalted above the hills;

And peoples shall flow to it.

2 Many nations shall come and say,

“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

To the house of the God of Jacob;

He will teach us His ways,

And we shall walk in His paths.”

For out of Zion the law shall go forth,

And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

3 He shall judge between many peoples,

And rebuke strong nations afar off;

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 anymore.

4 But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,

And no one shall make them afraid;

For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.”

Psalm 2 is a magnificent prophetic panorama of Messiah’s redemptive ministry and His return as King of Kings but it also a warning “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:7-12)

After being locked up for 1000 years, Satan will be released for a little season, but in that little season he shall deceive many, and seduce them as to prevail upon them to join with him in his apostacy. Some people say that there is no way that after spending a thousand years with Jesus ruling here on earth that anyone would dare to come against God. The truth is that this will actually happen because this is what is taught in Revelation. 20. Both Zechariah 14:16-19 and Matthew 24:22 tell us that there will be natural people who will populate the Millennium. Many of these will be unregenerate people and when Satan is loosed after a thousand year, he will successfully deceive as many as the sand of the sea. In addition, not only could it be possible for them to come against God even after being in His presence but it has already happened. Remember Adam walked with God and talked with God and Adam rebelled and sinned. Through his rebellion, sin entered into the world (Romans 5:19).

But he and his confederacy will be defeated again, cast into the lake of fire forever, and after the judgement of the dead, anyone “whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:7-10).

Then the end will come, when He (Jesus) hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all His enemies under His feet (Psalm 110). The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet” (Psalm 8:6).

The hope of the renewal and restitution of all things had been long cherished. Earlier prophets had sanctioned the hope: Isaiah had told of “new heavens and new earth” for the “first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea”; for now there was an end to the world, and all the troubles that the people of God had met with in it, as well as the material earth, heaven, and sea, will pass away.

There is remarkable little revelation given concerning the characteristics of the new heaven and the new earth. All we know about the new heaven is that there will be no sun or moon, and probably no stars (Rev. 21:23-24). The new earth will be illuminated by the presence of the glory of God. Little is known about the new earth, but it apparently is round because there are directions of north, south, east, and west mentioned (Rev. 21:13). There will also be no sea or oceans. The physical qualities that enter into the eternal state differ greatly from what we now experience.

Major attention is focused upon the new Jerusalem which apparently will adorn the new earth. The new Jerusalem will be as beautiful and fresh as a bride, and it will come down from God out of heaven. In contrast to the earth, which is destroyed, the new Jerusalem was apparently in existence in space during the millennial kingdom. Though Scriptures are not clear on this point, some believe that the new Jerusalem during the Millennium will actually be the home of all the resurrected saints as a satellite city, and they will be able to commute to the earth to carry on their earthly functions and then return home to their place in the new Jerusalem. In any case, the Scriptures are clear that the new Jerusalem will be located on earth in the eternal state and be the home of all who are saved. What Will Heaven Be Like? - Dr John F. Walwoord

Click here for the timeline of events that will play out in the end times.

6 Then he said to me, “These words are faithful and true.” And the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must shortly take place. 7 “Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”….. 12 “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.” 14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. (Revelation 22)

Amen.