Many in Christendom divide over Revelation 20:1-10. What do these verses mean? Some would spiritualize the text and say that it refers to Christ in heaven now and with the saints who have died is reigning over the earth from heaven. Others believe it teaches that Christ is now on earth indwelling believers and reigning through them or reigning through His Church that He said He would build and the Pope or some other religious leader is His vicar. For all of them the thousand years only means a long period of time, since two thousand years have already passed. Also, if Satan has been bound now for two thousand years, who is responsible for all the dirty work that has been going on?

Those who prefer to take the Bible literally as written whenever possible believe that these verses refer to a literal, personal, one thousand year reign of Christ here on earth with His resurrected saints after the Great Tribulation.

Some people, however, knowing that Christ will reign for eternity as king, see no need for this little thousand year piece of kingdom before the eternal reign. Why not just go right into the eternal kingdom? We will all reign forever, so why this preview reign? If there is to be a thousand year reign of Jesus here on this earth, it has to have a purpose. Doesn’t First Timothy 3:16 say that all Scripture is profitable? Therefore if there is to be a millennium it has to meet a need.

IN SCRIPTURE WE DO FIND THAT THERE IS A NEED FOR THE MILLENNIUM, A THOUSAND YEAR REIGN OF CHRIST HERE ON THIS EARTH FOLLOWING THE GREAT TRIBULATION.

1. Because Gen 15:18 tells us “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: "To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates“ (where Abraham was originally from). The kingdoms of David and Solomon never reached as far as the Euphrates so this promise of God needs to be fulfilled before this earth is destroyed.

2. Because Rev 19:20 tells us that the beast and the false prophet were both cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone, but Satan’s destruction was delayed until after the thousand years (Rev 20:10) when the devil would be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever.” The thousand year delay in the punishment of Satan coincides with the Millennium.

3. Because the earth was cleaned up of all the bloody corpses after the battle of Armageddon instead of just destroying the earth and creating a new one. There was still an important use for this present earth that needed to be fulfilled. (Rev 19:21)

4. Because unregenerate men need a vivid experience of the real nature of their problem.
Humanism says, “we are good people trying to make the world a better place to live.
The Beast (Antichrist) and false prophet offer an ideal life – peace and prosperity. People say that is what they want, so they put Antichrist in charge over the whole world. He claims he will do away with poverty, injustice, war, etc. and they will have a perfect world. But he is a liar just like his father, Satan (John 8:44). Men fall easy prey to Satan’s lying promises of correcting injustices, and bringing peace and prosperity because they still believe they are basically good and their desire is to have a world with perfect peace, prosperity and justice. Even the grievous sufferings of the Great Tribulation were not sufficient to help man believe God’s evaluation of the unregenerate heart of man. God says: “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked.” (Jeremiah 17:9)

At this point Christ returns in His second coming with His saints and establishes His thousand year reign of perfect justice, peace, and prosperity. Satan is bound with chains, imprisoned in a pit, and all his cohorts are thrown into the everlasting lake of fire. Nobody can say now, “The devil made me do it.” Men now have the kind of world they said they wanted and would produce for us if we would only put them into power. But now we have the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in power and He has never made a promise He has not fulfilled. We will have one thousand years of perfect justice, peace, and prosperity. Certainly everybody will be thrilled with such a beautiful life and environment as this.

When at the close of the thousand year period Satan is released he realizes he has to go back to his original sales pitch that he used in the Garden of Eden. In the Garden Adam and Eve had perfect justice, peace, and prosperity, but God was still the One who made the rules as to what was good for them or not good for them. Satan tells them that if they would eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil they would be like God and be able to make their own decisions as to what is good or bad and they would be in charge.

So also now, after the millennium, Satan’s sales pitch is “You have been under God’s thumb all these years but you are old enough to make your own decisions and do what you want to do when you want to do it. Not only that, but I will put you in charge of this whole world. You know what this world needs and you will have the power to do the job. You will be the boss. (Have you noticed some of the TV ads that tell you that they have ten different toppings or meats and so when you walk in the door you are in charge? People love to hear those words “You are in charge.”) Man’s history begins in a perfect garden that he rejected and ends in perfect kingdom he also rejects, thus PROVING HE DOESN’T REALLY WANT PERFECTION, BUT JUST WANTS TO BE IN CHARGE AND MAKE HIS OWN RULES.

Political promises of fixing the injustices of our day and gaining world peace and prosperity are merely a means toward getting into power. Once in power the entire promises boil down to one single goal—whatever it takes to keep me in power.

The Millennium is necessary because it disproves the lie that man is basically good and desires to make the world a just, peaceful, and prosperous place. On the contrary, man will gladly sacrifice justice, peace, and prosperity if he can gain and retain power.

The millennium proves that man will give up anything and everything to be the one in charge. He will reject a perfect world if he can’t be in charge. Legalism, ritualism, humanism all prove that man will do anything or give up anything if he can just be the boss. That is why many do not want to hear the gospel. There is no salvation apart from letting Jesus be LORD. I have to believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that JESUS IS LORD AND I AM NOT LORD (Rom 10:9-10). Actually the final test to the question, “Am I really saved? “is to face the question, “WHO IS IN CHARGE OF MY LIFE?”

As a teenager, when I faced my girlfriend with her need to repent and turn her life over to Jesus Christ, her reply was, “If I turn my life over to God he will ruin it.” Of course, the lie she believed was, “As long as I am in charge everything will go great.” God warns us, however that “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof [are] the ways of death. (Proverbs 16:25 KJV)

Salvation is a change of ownership. When we see a sign on a restaurant window, “Under new management” we rightly assume we can expect some changes. When we make Jesus the new management there are definite changes. When I was about fifteen years old and did not know Christ as my Savior and Lord I sang in an Easter cantata. I was asked to sing the solo part where, in the garden, Jesus said to the Father, “Not my will but Thine be done.” In the actual performance, before the entire audience, I lustily sang, “Not Thy will but mine be done.” I immediately became aware of my error and was greatly embarrassed, but the audience was kind and if they noticed my mistake chose to say nothing. But four years later when in the navy I heard for the first time that Jesus died for my sins and desired to come into my life and bring it under new management, I immediately remembered the occasion when God made me sing exactly what I was living by running my own life.

The Millennium (perfect kingdom) is necessary to prove that natural man’s desire and goal is not to build a better world (every day in every way we are getting better and better), The Millennium proves that the real goal of man is to be the one in charge. Unregenerate man will throw away a perfect world if he cannot be in charge.

The will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect, but men reject it because what they actually want is to just be in charge. My heart is a throne and I am born sitting on that throne. But God tells me that I have to get off and let Jesus occupy that place and then I will have peace and joy, but most people prefer to stay in charge. Some people say they want to accept Jesus and still stay in charge, but it doesn’t work that way. He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all.

THE MILLENNIUM IS NECESSARY TO MAKE MAN FACE FOR ONE FINAL TIME THE ISSUE OF WHO IS THE BOSS. HOWEVER A MULTITUDE WILL AGAIN REJECT A PERFECT ENVIRONMENT AND REVEAL THE TRUE REASON, MAN IS ONLY HAPPY IF HE IS IN CHARGE.