The Wonders of the Millennium — Oswald J. Smith

The Millennial Reign of Christ

Now, these Wednesday evenings we have been talking on prophecy. Each Wednesday night I've been bringing a special message on prophecy, and tonight we have another message along the same line. I'm speaking tonight on the reign of Christ on earth, or the wonders of the millennium.

And I know of no subject that I love to deal with more than the subject of the millennial reign of Christ. I know that we're getting near that reign. I realize it will not be very long until we'll be in the midst of the millennium.

At least those who are still upon the earth will be in the midst of the millennium. And I'm looking forward to that wonderful reign of Christ upon earth. Whether I'll be in heaven or whether I'll be upon earth doesn't make very much difference.

Those who are going to be upon earth are going to be thrilled beyond words as they live during the days of the millennial reign of Christ. And so the subject tonight is the reign of Christ on earth, or the wonders of the millennium.

Now, there's just one verse in the Revelation that I want to turn to as a basis upon which to speak this evening. In the 11th chapter of the book of Revelation, the 11th chapter and the 15th verse, the last part of the verse, these words, I think, portray better than any other verse in the Bible the millennial reign of Christ.

This is the way it reads. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Let me read that verse again. The last part of the 15th verse of the 11th chapter of Revelation.

The kingdoms of this world, think of it, are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever. Now, there are 13 characteristics of the millennial reign of Christ portrayed in the Bible.

All I'm going to have time to do tonight will be to mention each one of them, read the verse in the Bible about that one characteristic, and say a word or two concerning it. Then we'll have to pass on, because there are 13 of them to deal with.

Satan Bound for a Thousand Years

And first of all, Satan is going to be bound. Now, the only verse I'm going to read at length tonight is the 20th chapter of Revelation, the first three verses. Revelation chapter 20, verses 1 to 3, inclusive.

Listen, if you will, to this very important statement regarding the binding of Satan. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years. What a day that'll be, when Satan at last will have been bound, and bound for a thousand years.

He's not bound now, but he will be bound then. Verse 3, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till a thousand years should be fulfilled.

And after that, he must be loosed a little season. The binding of Satan. The first characteristic of the millennial reign of Christ upon earth is the binding of Satan. And for one thousand years, Satan is going to be bound, and will never again be able to go out and deceive the nations of the world or tempt the people of God.

Justice Under Christ's Reign

So the first characteristic of the millennium will be the binding of Satan. The second characteristic will be justice. For the first time in the history of the world, there is going to be justice. We do not know anything about justice today.

There is injustice everywhere and on every side. But during the millennial reign of Christ, for a thousand years, there's going to be justice throughout the length and breadth of the world. Jeremiah, the twenty-third chapter and the fifth verse, reads like this, A king shall reign and prosper, and shall execute justice on the earth.

That's the best verse I was able to find in the Bible regarding the justice that will characterize the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. A king shall reign and prosper, that king will be the Lord Jesus himself, and shall execute justice on the earth.

And we are never going to have justice in this world until Jesus Christ takes over the reign of government and rules in millennial splendor, power, and glory as he will for a thousand years. Then we're going to know something about justice throughout the length and breadth of the entire world.

A Fruitful Earth

In the third place, we're going to have a fruitful earth. For the first time in the history of the world, since the days of the Garden of Eden, before man was driven out of the garden, the world is going to be fruitful, this earth is going to be fruitful.

Isaiah, the thirty-fifth chapter, the first two verses, the desert shall blossom as the rose. That's one statement that describes in a few words the fruitful earth that we're going to have during the reign of the Lord Jesus.

The desert shall blossom as the rose. What a change that will be when the great deserts of the world will become fruitful and will blossom as the rose. And then Psalm 67, verse 6, then shall the earth yield her increase.

The earth has never yielded its increase yet since the days of the Garden of Eden. There have been weeds, there has been everything possible to make it impossible for the world to yield its increase. But in this day, during the millennial reign of Christ, the earth is going to yield her increase and there will be an abundance of everything throughout the length and breadth of the entire world.

There'll be no shortage of food anywhere in the world. There'll be plenty in India for those who live there to eat. Today, in parts of India, they're facing starvation. In that day, there will be no starvation in India or in any other part of the entire world.

The whole of the world will have an abundance to eat for the earth is going to be fruitful during the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the fourth place, animal instincts are going to be changed. I find this in Isaiah, the 11th chapter, verses 6 and 7.

I'm going to take time to read both these verses because they're of tremendous importance. It's almost unbelievable to think that the instincts of animals, wild animals, will be changed and yet the Bible says so again and again and again.

And here it is stated in no unmistakable terms that the wild animals of the world are going to have their very instincts so changed that the millennial reign of Christ will see nothing of the wild animal life that we see today.

Listen as I read. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb. Now the only time the wolf ever dwells with the lamb today is when the lamb is on the inside of the wolf. Otherwise he doesn't dwell with the lamb.

But in that day, the millennial reign of Christ, the wolf is going to dwell with the lamb. Listen. And the leopard shall lie down with the kid. And I say again, the only time today a leopard and a kid ever lie down together is when the kid is inside the leopard.

Otherwise there's no fellowship. But in that day, the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion together and the little child shall lead them. Think of a little child. I'm afraid of the wild animals of the days of the millennium able to mingle with them and never be hurt, never be harmed in any way, shape, or form.

The calf and the young lion together and the little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed. And the young ones shall lie down together. Listen last of all. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

Now I know it's almost unthinkable to even think of the possibility of the instincts and the appetites of the lion being so changed that it will be willing to eat straw or eat hay like the ox. But that's what God's Word says.

There'll be such a tremendous change. There'll be no wild animals anymore. They'll all be tame and they'll all live together, eat together, sleep together, and they'll be so tame that a little child will be able to walk in their midst absolutely unafraid and be able to lead them and never be harmed in any way, shape, or form.

Perfect Safety Throughout the Earth

Animal instincts are going to be changed during the millennium. And then the Bible makes it perfectly clear that during the millennial reign of Christ, there's going to be perfect safety everywhere on the face of this earth of ours.

There will be no place where there will be danger. There will be safety everywhere. In the great cities of our land, there will be safety. There'll be no crime of any kind. Men and women will be able to go about their work and go about their business absolutely unafraid.

In Ezekiel, the thirty-first chapter, the twenty-fifth verse, we have these words, They shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. Now, you couldn't imagine people sleeping in the woods today or dwelling in safety in the wilderness.

But in that day, they'll dwell safely in the wilderness, they'll sleep in the woods. There'll be perfect safety everywhere throughout the length and breadth of the world. Then I think this next characteristic is amazing.

Long Life in the Millennium

Long life. Once again, we'll experience long life. You remember the days of old when the patriarchs lived. Some of them lived to be five hundred years of age. Some lived to be seven hundred years of age.

Some lived to be nine hundred years of age and over nine hundred years of age. And one lived to be nearly one thousand years of age. Now, life is going to be prolonged once again, as in the days of the patriarchs.

Long life. Isaiah, the sixty-fifth chapter, and the twentieth verse. There shall be no more tents and infants of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days, for the child shall die an hundred years old.

And so when a man lives to be a hundred years of age, and it may not be very long until some of us reach that age, if God spares us, I don't know, but when a man lives to be a hundred years of age, and if he dies at the age of a hundred, people will say, a child has died.

A child has died. And the death of a man a hundred years old will be considered the death of a child, because men will again live as they lived during the days of the patriarchs of years past and gone.

They'll live to be old. The millennium will last for a thousand years, and there will be many who will live during the entire course of the millennial reign of Christ upon earth. Life is going to be prolonged.

The End of War

Then the Bible says there'll be no more war. Now we've been trying to get rid of war for centuries. We've been having peace conferences one after the other. We've had the United Nations, and we have endeavored to eliminate war, and yet, almost in every generation, a war has raged in this world of ours.

They tell us that on an average, about every thirty-five years, at the very longest, there has been a war somewhere in the world. It has averaged at least thirty-five years, the days of peace, and then war has broken out again.

Now, during the millennial reign of Christ, war will have come to an end. There'll be no armies. There'll be no navies. There'll be no battleships. There'll be no armament of any kind. What do we read in Isaiah, the second chapter, the fourth verse?

Listen. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. They'll throw away their swords, they'll throw away their spears, the instruments of war, or they'll beat them into plowshares and pruning hooks.

Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. No nation will ever lift up sword against another nation during the reign of Christ. Neither shall they learn war anymore. And you know, it's a strange thing that the colored people of years gone by during the days of slavery used to sing about the day when they would learn war no more, ain't going to study war anymore.

And they loved to sing about it. They loved to think about it, about the day when war would be eliminated, and when there would never be a war anywhere on the face of the earth. Well, this is not a dream.

This is not a vision. This is something that's going to come to pass. This is something that God's word declares will take place. For a thousand years, there will never be a war of any kind. Not a single battle will be fought anywhere on the face of the earth.

Nations shall not lift up sword against nation. Neither shall they learn war anymore. And during the millennial reign of Christ, we'll have peace, the peace that we have tried to get for centuries. At last, we'll get it during the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ upon this earth.

They'll learn war no more. There'll be no more battles, no more need for warships or battleships of any kind, or instruments of war, or soldiers, or armies. That'll all be a thing of the past. And in that day, people will look back upon these days, and they'll wonder how we ever lived in the midst of war and bloodshed.

A World Evangelized

For they'll be living in days of peace, when no nation will lift up sword against any other nation. And they'll learn war no more. Then in the next place, the eighth place, a world evangelized. We've been trying to evangelize this world of ours for a number of years now.

But there are still more heathen in the world than there are Christians. We have not yet succeeded in evangelizing the world. But there is going to come a day when the entire world will be evangelized.

In Habakkuk, the second chapter of the fourteenth verse, we have this amazing statement. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

In other words, you'll not find a tribe, you'll not find a nation anywhere on the face of the earth where God is unknown. Every tribe will know him. Every nation will know him. Every country will know about God.

The whole world will have been evangelized. We'll never again have to send out missionaries to any country in the world. Missionary work will have come to an end, because God will be known in every part of the world, wherever man is found.

Israel Restored to Its Land

The entire world will have been evangelized during the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world evangelized. Then in the ninth place, Israel will be restored. Let me read this verse in Ezekiel, the thirty-sixth chapter, the twenty-fourth verse.

I will take you from among the heathen. Perhaps we should read it like this. I will take you from among the Gentiles. I will take you from among the heathen or from among the Gentiles and gather you out of all the countries, all the countries.

How did Ezekiel know when he wrote these words that the Jews were going to be scattered throughout the world in all the countries? They hadn't been scattered when Ezekiel wrote these words. Israel was a nation in its own country, in its own land, except for those who were taken to Babylon for a little while.

Then they were restored. But now, according to Ezekiel, they are to be taken out of all countries, gathered out of all nations. And God says, I will take you from among the heathen or the Gentiles and gather you out of all the countries and will bring you into your own land, bring you back to the land of Palestine, your own land.

Now I don't know. I don't know what the Arabs think today. I know there are many of them in Palestine, and I know they claim Palestine as their country because they've lived there so long. But God gave Palestine to Israel.

Palestine was given to the Jews. It was to be their homeland, their national homeland. And God led them out of Egypt, and God guided them through the wilderness, and God brought them into the Promised Land, and God settled them in that land.

And there they lived for centuries. That was their land. That was their country. Palestine belonged to Israel. Palestine belonged to the Jews. That has never changed. There's never been any change of any kind whatever.

Palestine still belongs to the Jews. Palestine still belongs to Israel, even though other nations have gotten in and have taken over some of the territory. Now of course you and I live to see a great part of Palestine occupied by the Jews during the Great War, the War of 48.

You remember the Jews came into Palestine, occupied the country, and then you remember the six-year, the War of Six Years Ago, when the Jews, when Israel possessed all that country in the very center of Palestine, the very heart of Palestine, and all of the city of Jerusalem, and they occupy it today.

And whether they'll be driven out again or not, no man knows. But if they have been driven out for the last time, then they're going to occupy it still, and they'll take more and more of it until at last God will give them the entire country, and they'll have all the land of Palestine.

Now it doesn't matter whether we like them or whether we don't like them. It doesn't make any difference. The question is, what does God say about it? God has promised them the whole of the land of Palestine, their own homeland, and one of these days, they're going to be restored to Palestine.

The Jews will be back there again, even though three million of them live today in Russia, they'll get back to Palestine one of these days. And even though millions of them live in the United States of America, they too will get back to Palestine one of these days, and the day will come when the entire country that was ceded to the Jews will be their country again, their dominion, their homeland.

And they'll occupy it from one end to the other, from center to circumference, according to the Word of God. Now you and I have lived to see part of this prophecy fulfilled right before our eyes. There was a day when there were only 10 ,000 Jews in the whole of Palestine.

All the rest had been driven out, and they were scattered among the nations of the world. And every nation had some of them. I doubt today if you can go to any nation on the face of this earth without finding Jews in that nation.

Now that hasn't been true of any other nation. The Arabs have not been scattered among the nations of the world. The only nation that ever has been scattered among all the nations of the world has been Israel.

The Canadians have not been scattered. The Britishers have not been scattered. The Americans haven't been scattered like this. But the Jews, Israel has been scattered among all the nations of the world.

And in every nation on the face of this earth, you'll find Jews today. And God is going to gather them out of those nations, bring them back to their own homeland, the land of Palestine. We're seeing it come to pass right before our eyes.

I used to preach this before 1948. I used to preach this in the days when Palestine was dominated by other nations. I can remember the day when different nations had portions of Palestine, and when one nation dominated the whole of Palestine.

And we never dreamed in those days that in our day, in our lifetime, those nations would be driven out, the Jews would be returned to their homeland. And yet it happened. And in 1948, it was ceded to the Jews.

Jerusalem as the Center of Worship

They've been there ever since, and they're going to be there in increasing numbers until finally the entire homeland of Palestine will be theirs once more. And then the tenth place, Jerusalem, will become the center of worship.

Not New York, not London, not Toronto, not Chicago, only one city, the city of Jerusalem. That's the only city that will ever become the center of worldwide worship. No other city ever will. No other city ever has been the center of worldwide worship.

But in this day, for a thousand years, one city, the city of Jerusalem, will become the center of worship throughout the length and breadth of the world. Listen, if you will, to Micah, the fourth chapter, and the second verse.

The law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Again and again, it's stated in God's word that Jerusalem is to become the center of religious life throughout the entire world.

And the Jews, having been established in Palestine with Jerusalem as the capital city, as the center, they will look upon their city as the center of worship for the entire world. And that's going to come to pass.

Now that means that Jerusalem can never be destroyed. There's no possibility of destroying Jerusalem. I haven't the slightest fear of the destruction of Jerusalem. I don't care how many wars are fought in Palestine, Jerusalem will never be completely destroyed.

Jesus Christ Enthroned as King

For this city is to become the center of worship during the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then in the eleventh place, Jesus Christ, enthroned as king. In that day, for one thousand years, this world will be ruled and governed by the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

Here's the statement in Zechariah, the fourteenth chapter and the ninth verse. The Lord shall be king over all the earth. And this entire chapter has to do with Jerusalem as the center of worship, with the Lord Jesus Christ reigning there as Lord of lords and as king of kings.

The Saints Reigning with Christ

And then the twelfth place, reigning saints. The saints are going to have a share in the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ in this world for a thousand years. Daniel, the seventh chapter, the eighteenth verse.

The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever. Let me read that verse again. The saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever. Now, the saints do not consist only of the church.

Bear in mind, if you will, that we are not the only saints on the face of the earth. We're not going to be the only saints in this world. There are going to be other saints besides us. The church will be caught away.

The church will be raptured. But there will be other saints in this world. And these other saints will occupy this world of ours for a thousand years. And God's word states that the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever.

Then in Revelation, the twentieth chapter, in the fourth verse, you have this amazing statement. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Speaking of the saints, they lived, in other words, they lived again.

They were resurrected. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. Now, I can't explain it all. I don't know how it's all going to happen. I can't tell you how it's all going to take place. But I do know that it is going to take place.

The saints are going to reign with Christ for a thousand years. They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. And that's going to take place during the millennial reign of Christ here upon this earth.

So we're not through with this world yet. The end of this age may be very near at hand. And it may not be long now until the age ends. Some of us may be living to see the end of this age. That's quite possible.

This age could end in our lifetime. That's very, very certain from the Word of God. It may not end in our lifetime, but it could. And in our own lifetime, we could see the end of the age in which we now live.

But there's going to be another age, the millennial reign of Christ. So this old world is going on and on and on for another thousand years. After this age ends, and the saints of God are going to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ during the millennial kingdom for one thousand years.

Please turn this tape to side two for the remainder of Dr. Smith's message.

Universal Joy and Gladness

And the saints of God are going to reign with the Lord Jesus Christ during the millennial kingdom for one thousand years. And then last of all, universal joy and gladness. Universal joy and gladness. Think of it if you will.

We haven't very much joy in this world today. There's not very much gladness on the face of this earth, at least not among the people of the world. There's so many things happening in the world to make people miserable today.

There's so much danger on every side that there isn't the joy and the gladness that there ought to be everywhere in the world among the peoples who occupy this earth of ours. But there's going to come a day when Jesus Christ rules and reigns, when there will be joy, there will be gladness throughout the entire world because there'll be nothing to make men miserable.

And therefore, there'll be happiness instead of sadness, instead of misery. What does it say in Isaiah the thirty-fifth chapter in the tenth verse? The ransom of the Lord shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy.

The ransom of the Lord, the ransom of the Lord shall come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy. That's in the thirty-fifth chapter of Isaiah. And you should read that entire chapter because the whole chapter tells about the millennial reign of Christ.

The Future Fulfillment of the Thirteen Characteristics

Now, none of this has been fulfilled in our day and generation, and none of it will be fulfilled in our day and generation. None of it ever has been fulfilled in the past. I know there are those who interpret the Bible in a historical way.

There are those who think that all these prophecies have already been fulfilled. They've already taken place. If there is one book in the Bible that I have studied, and studied carefully, and studied for long hours, it is the book of Revelation.

Ever since I was some thirty years of age, I have pored over the book of Revelation. I have read every book I could lay my hands on that has been written about Revelation. I have a library with a great pile of books dealing with the book of Revelation.

I've gone through all those books. I've studied them from beginning to end. I've tried to master and understand something of the book of Revelation. It's a difficult book. It's a hard book to understand.

It's not an easy book to interpret. And yet, as I go through Revelation, I realize that there is a future for the people of God, for the saints in the Most High. There is a future for them the like of which we have never dreamed.

There's been nothing like it in our day and generation. There's been nothing like it in the six thousand years of man's life upon earth. But there's going to come a day when Jesus Christ will take over the reins of government.

And rule in millennial splendor, power, and glory for a thousand years. And in that day, these 13 characteristics that I've enumerated tonight will all become realities. First of all, Satan will be bound.

Thank God for that day when Satan will be bound. He's not bound now. He's not bound tonight. But he's going to be bound for a thousand years. Second, there's going to be justice throughout the length and breadth of the world.

Third, we're going to have a fruitful earth at last. No weeds of any kind. We're going to have a super abundance of everything. Fourth, animal instincts are going to be changed. How? I don't know. It's going to take a miracle.

But it's going to happen. And fifth, there'll be perfect safety throughout the length and breadth of the entire earth. Wherever we may go. And then long life is going to become a reality again. And people are going to live to a great age during the days of the millennial reign of Christ.

And then there'll be no more war. And I think of all the characteristics that perhaps is the most appealing. A world without war. No more war. And then a world evangelized. At last, the world will be evangelized.

It may not take place in our day and generation. But it's going to take place in the new age. The millennial reign of Christ. The whole world at the very beginning of the age will be evangelized. And men will know God as they do not know him today.

And so all of earth will recognize Jesus Christ as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Then I think this statement, Israel will be restored, ought to appeal to the heart of every Christian. And certainly to the Jewish nation.

For Israel will be restored. That promise is unmistakable. Right through the word of God from beginning to end. It is stated that the Jews will return to their own homeland and be restored. And then Jesus Christ will be enthroned as Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

And Jerusalem will become the center of worship. The saints will be reigning for a thousand years in millennial splendor with Jesus Christ. A thousand-year reign. And then there's going to be universal joy and universal gladness throughout the entire world.

There'll be no more misery, no more sorrow, no more disappointment, no more heartache, no more tears, no more grief. Not in that day. That's going to be a glad day. It's going to be a glorious day. It's going to be a wonderful day.

The day when Jesus Christ takes over the reins of government and rules for a thousand years in millennial splendor, power, and glory in this world of ours. So the future is bright. The future is bright with promise.

Oh, so bright with promise. Whenever I feel downhearted, whenever I feel sad, whenever I feel discouraged, I think about the next age. I think about the reign of Christ. I think about the thousand-year millennium.

I think about the day when Jesus Christ takes over the reins of government. I know there's a better day coming. There's a better day coming in the future. This is not Earth's best day. This is a day of sorrow and joy intermingled.

Suffering with Christ and Reigning with Him

That'll be a day of joy without sorrow when Jesus Christ reigns as he will for one thousand years. But the question arises, are you going to share with him? I don't know how. I don't know whether it'll be over the Earth or on the Earth.

I can't tell you. I can't give you the details. But I do know that Jesus says, if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him. I don't know what that means unless it means that if in this his day of opposition, this his day of rejection, if you and I suffer with him now, if we go without the camp bearing his reproach, if instead of identifying ourselves with the masses, those who are against him, if we associate with the minority, those who are for him, if we suffer with him now, we'll reign with him then.

Now what that involves, I can't explain. I don't know. It's not stated. But it does state in unmistakable terms that if God's people who are living in this day when he is being rejected, if now in the day of rejection and humiliation, we are willing to bear his reproach, turn away from the world, suffer with him now, we'll reign with him then.

How, I do not know. But God's word states in unmistakable terms that to suffer is to reign. And that those who suffer will reign. And for a thousand years, somehow, someway, we'll reign with the Lord Jesus Christ over this world.

And we'll see a millennium, a time of peace, a time of tranquility, a time of great victory, a time when sin will be eliminated and righteousness will flourish everywhere throughout the length and breadth of the world for 1 ,000 years.

The reign of Jesus Christ on this earth, the millennium that we read so much about in the Bible, God grant that we may be willing to suffer with him now, that we may reign with him then. Shall we bow together in prayer?