What Scripture Says About the Messianic Era or Millennium

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The Millennium or Messianic Era lasts for a 1000 years. (Rev 20:2–7)

The regathering back into the land of Israel (the Promised Land) of Israelites who have been scattered throughout the earth in fulfillment of YHVH’s promises to Abraham is to occur. (Jer 32:36–38; Isa 14:1–2; Isa 60: 4, 9)

Ancient Israel entering the Promised Land is a type of believers entering into the Millennium. (Heb 3–4)

During the Millennium the following is to occur:

Elohim will live with his people. (Ezek 37:26–28)

David will rule as King over Israel. (Ezek 37:24–25)

YHVH’s annual feasts will be kept by all people. (Ezek 46:3–6; cf Col 2,16–17)

YHVH’s government will be established on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. Torah will go forth from Mount Zion and the nations will go up to Mount Zion to worship YHVH in the house (temple) of YHVH. (Mic 4:1–2)

A highway of YHVH, or a highway of holiness will lead to Zion. (Isa 35:8–10)

Whether literal or spiritual, living waters will flow from Jerusalem and Yeshua’s throne. In Ezekiel’s vision, water was flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east. (Ezek 47:1; also Zech 14:8)

On the banks of this river, there were very many trees on each side. (Ezek. 47:6–9)

People will live to a very old age. (Isa 65:20)

Crowds of people will flock to Jerusalem. (Zech 2:1–4; Isa 49:14)

The temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt. (Zech 6:15; 14:20–21; Hag 2:6–9)

The Messiah will be king over the whole world. (Zech 6:9–13; Isa 11:1–5; Rev 20:6; 5:9–10)

The nations that do not want to serve and obey YHVH will be destroyed. (Isa 60:12; Zech 14:16–19; Isa 9:5–7)

The Millennium is the fulfillment of many glorious prophetic promises YHVH has made concerning his people of Israel (including Christians). Many Christians see the Millennium as the place where the righteous Israelites (i.e. Jews) will reign with Messiah, while the Christians will be reigning spiritually in heaven. In other words, the Jews have a physical inheritance or kingdom on this earth, while the Christians have a spiritual inheritance and kingdom in heaven. For those who believe this way, the Millennium is a symbolic metaphor for heaven.

For those who believe that the Millennium is merely a symbolic metaphor, the 70 or so scriptures in the Tanakh dealing with the Messianic Age are assigned to the “church.” To interpret Scripture in this manner is a form of spiritualization of the peshat or plain meaning of these prophecies and a form of replacement theology where the church as replaced the Jewish people. Much of this confusion stems from not knowing who Israel is as opposed to the Jews (descended primarily from the tribe of Judah, which is only one of the twelve tribes of Israel).

In my understanding of the Millennium, we take literally the words of Yeshua when he said that the meek would inherit the earth (Matt 5:5), not heaven. For us, this means that YHVH’s people, the saints, made up of both the Jews and those of the nations who combine in Yeshua to become the one new man and nation of Israel (Eph 2:11–19) and part of the olive tree of Israel (Rom 11:17ff), and are the seed of Abraham (Rom 4:16; 9:8–11; Gal 3:7,  8,  14,  28–29). These people will rule with Yeshua as kings and priests in his kingdom on earth for a thousand years during his millennial kingdom on earth (Rev 1:6; 5:10).

 

9 thoughts on “What Scripture Says About the Messianic Era or Millennium

  1. You are combining the scriptures Paul wrote and were addressed to the Ecclesia with those written by others to the nation of Israel. God is calling His Ecclesia now. The call to Israel was put on hold after the events of Acts 28. God will reinstitute that plan after His wrath.

    • Your view is that of Greco-Roman church, which is anti-semitic theologically. It is incorrect. This is a standard dispensational view of Scripture and is a form of replacement theology which we categorically reject as being unbiblical.

      In the NT, the apostolic writers make no distinction between Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) when it comes to the body of Yeshua. There ONLY is one church, one body of Yeshua, there is neither Greek/Gentile or Jew, but the one new man in Messiah. There is one bride of Yeshua, one group called the ecclesia, one group called the saints, the elect, the church of the first born and so on. Not two groups as the church erroneously teachers. I have taught about this subject over and over again in my writings and teachings. I suggest that you look at my video on the subject at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0eJ26WXNO0 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdNqlkLw6HY and http://www.hoshanarabbah.org/pdfs/israel101.pdf.

    • Shalom Charlene

      please check out the word ecclesia as it refers to the assembly of believers of ALL ages. The LXX translation of the Hebrew scriptures or what Christians know as the ‘old testament’ in English was translated into Greek & the Hebrew word for assembly of the believers Qahal ie believers in the Elohim (God) of Israel has been translated as ecclesia. Same group as far as Elohim (God) is concerned = faithful ones. Believers are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel according to Paul whether Jew of Greek etc.

      People had Faith like Abraham before ‘Christians’ came along. God had LAWS before they were written down. In the garden both Adam & Eve broke THE spoken Instructions of Elohim. please NOTE Elohim, not man. Noah new about clean & unclean animals way before Mt Sinai.

      The famous faithful ones are listed in the NT as examples of love & obedience in contrast to selfishness & disobedience. This struggle against sin IS the struggle to be obedient to God’s desire above our flesh. The struggle to Love God back for salvation on God’s terms.

      NT Sin is defined in 1 John 3:4 it is the same as OT Sin.

      2John1:6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment you have had from the beginning. You should walk in it.

      Then read Matthew 5:17-25. Christians, (me included) have inherited a lot of hogwash(filth) that is not actually what our Saviour did or taught.

      Do hope you are blessed to see this truth. Christ told his apostles if they listen to me they will listen to you. Hope you listen to Christ.

      When we believe and have faith in Christ’s atoning slaughter for our PERSONAL sin against Elohim’s Kingdom defined by His Constitution (God’s Law) we then have opportunity to grow into maturity as a grafted in citizen. Either to become a wise virgin or NOT to continue to be grafted in by continuing without the instruction being applied to find ourselves broken off. The parable of the virgins atteasts to this. No-one wants to find that the door is not opened to us as unwise virgins.

      How devastatingly sad that those who claim to know Y’shua(Jesus) in the parable are plainly told by Christ He never knew them.

      My God is THE real Elohim & HIS reality counts way more than my contrivances about what is eternal or what any man makes up.

      The refinement of our flesh is through obedience to the Living Oracles that bring blessing when followed & curses when ignored &/OR followed without the Spirit of God. (humility patience longsuffering etc = love through the circumcised heart to love Elohim’s commandments.)

      Christ was not a Judaiser He is our example of living the Law of God (synonymous to the Law of Moses) in the POWER of the Spirit. The Law IS Spirt when applied by the Spirit because it came from Elohim’s mouth to man with a purpose to correct & bring us back into His intended image for His creation.

      Not any particular denominations image.

      There is no difference between Greek & Jew who believe on Christ. Christ who is the Word of God made flesh = All the OT & NT with the comprehension of the forgiveness of sin through Christ’s atonement instead of animal blood now. The feasts become memorials as there is no Temple presently to do any of the Levitical priesthood Law particularly for sin as predicted in the Prophets. The slaughter for sin changed & a New Priesthood ( Melchizekian) exists in the heavenlies.

      Remember Paul submitted himself to God’s Law & paid for fellowship offerings for the end of vows at the Temple for 3 men. Paul also grieved that he was still persecuted for preaching circumcision & yet he seemed to be against circumcision..

      Most denominations don’t understand at all the complexity of what was going on but gladly lead others into a myriad of convoluted explanations & partial answers and other fabrications to cover the holes in their incomplete understanding. They don’t know the Way & confidently insist to show others how to follow…. unwise virgins.

      Paul was obedient to the Law BUT in the way of Christ the Spirit when he was converted on the way to Damascus & THAT is the whole difference.

      Paul threw out as dung, man’s distorted teachings of pride, arrogance & hyper control and clinged to obedience by the way of the Spirit who teaches truth gently & doesn’t accuse to destruction as Satan but convicts us as an encouraging guide to bring life to us & greater esteem to Elohim through our grateful praise & thanksgiving as we progressively are formed into Christ’s image of sinless servanthood and become true sons & daughters; not unwise virgins.

      Christ fulfilled as in preached & showed us the perfect example & not the distorted man controlled example of the Law of Moses. Christ freed us from the Law of SIN which leads to the death penalty & broke down the barriers between Jew & Gentile that separated them. Christ did NOT supercede Gods Law by destroying it but on every occasion upheld it.

      We were only separated by the false man-made ordinances called dogmah in Greek. Peter in Acts 10 :28 clearly demonstrates overcoming the Law of the Jews so he could bring the Good News to gentiles by the Spirit empowering to recognise God’s True Law & discarding the false one from men he had adhered to all his life. These gentiles in Cornellius’ home were with a heart ready for the heart circumcision of the New Covenant. Acts 10 even shows us that Peter knew the clean food Laws of Elohim were to be honoured.

      Ironic the first sin that led to the fall of man was breaking what was permitted to eat according to Elohim & that arrogance of the flesh is still encouraged by Satanic doctrine in many believers through false teaching coming from the twisting of scripture which we are warned of specifically in 2 Peter 3:15-17.

      The Law of God is spiritual & living & flesh cannot submit to it without the indwelling of God’s Spirit. When the New Covenant is written on your heart obedience to these Spiritual Laws it is an activity of love & devotion NOT burden. Christ’s burden is light. Man’s twisting of the Law made it heavy by adding and taking away from God’s Law which was & is perfect.

      It has always been MAN alone that was not perfect and a seeker of fleshly things.

      Do hope you show the diligence to investigate your reasons for believing what you do. This movement is by no means fully perfected and there are dissensions as to how to express our walk but there is greater truth to the basic of what Love toward Elohim consists of. We are doers of the Word of God & not discarders of it to make up our own worship ways based in Paganism which has blinded many.

      Blessings and may the Truth set you Free to serve even better than you have up to this day.
      FJ

      • Man, I think you are on top of it. I agree with pretty much everything you said, but it seems like you were implying that the food laws are still intact. I might just be misuderstanding what you were implying about the carnal parts of the Law so forgive me if I am, but let me say that everything Moses did was a carnal illustration of what is to come. (The book of Hebrews confirms this) The Law of Moses in it’s entirety is spiritual (has a spiritual background), but it was carnalized through the mediator, and temporarily disowned by God through it’s dispensation through elect angels. (Similar to how God temporarily disowns His own “hand” of power to an angel named Satan in the book of Job, only to claim it back at a later time) There is a Law of carnal works and a Law of faith (biblical faith is defined as belief coupled with works of true righteousness). If the Law of Moses was ADDED Because of transgressions then that statement in itself implies that there was already an eternal Law in place in order to cause a need for a carnal extension in the first place. Paul confirms this fact by stating that where there is no Law there is no transgression. We are to work out our salvation, but Paul states that it is in fact God who works out this salvation in us through our obedient submission to His written will. Carnal illustrations of the Law do not apply to God’s own character for God is Spirit, so they are not not referred to as inherently God’s own claimed commands (He has temporarily disowned them). For instance, God in His own ‘natural’, divine form does not actually have a penis (I don’t mean to be vulgar but it is the truth) so he has no reason to be circumcised in and of Himself, which is why physical Circumcision is not a command of His character. Paul makes a difference between moral commands and ceremonial commands with 1 Corinthians 7:19. Yet God is Love and Love does no one any harm or evil…so God’s Own characteristic-defining commandments are the moral ones (such as the decalogue and the Royal Law of Christ). God wrote the ten commandments with His own Finger, yet Moses wrote the Torah. The Law of God was set inside of the Ark (set apart; sanctified) while the book of the Law (that would eventually be nailed to the cross) was set outside of the Ark. You can nail a letter to a cross but you cannot nail two large, thick tablets of stone to a cross. What’s more is the Ark of God’s UNIVERSAL covenant (Abrahamic covenant that was then renewed into the “Old Covenant” because of transgressions and then renewed into the “New Covenant” through Christ’s action of fulfillment) is revealed to be still currently in Heaven as we speak (in the book of Revelation) . So even though we find the fourth commandment in the Mosaic Law, we also find it in the Decalogue (which God separated). So if God separates the weekly literal Sabbath from Mosaic figurative Sabbaths, then we should as well. Yet it is still recommended for us to keep these figurative sabbaths, but yet it is not moral transgression if we don’t…yet Sabbatical desecration of the weekly Sabbath IS sin, and the wages of sin will always be death…always has and always will be…both eternal and mortal death. The Sabbath is a moral Law because it teaches us how to refrain from sinning for a whole day….it teaches us to be holy and blameless, and to flee from idolatry (as I am sure you already know). The letter was fulfilled in Christ’s flesh, so we are no longer under the full law, we are however obligated to keep God’s Own Charater, for this is how we come to know Him (by knowing His character). Yet when the resurrection takes place, the remaining part of Christ’s body will resurrect (the ecclesia), and so therefore the Law of Moses will be reinstituted (reclaimed) as God’s Own Law. In order to truly imitate Christ 100%, we will then have to keep this Mosaic Law over the next thousand years, yet the fulfillment of a carnal Law is a peice a cake in a glorified body…not to mention the milliena-long absence of the tempter. In the meantime, we must uphold the spiritual background of the Mosaic Law…which is fulfilled by keeping God’s own spiritual Law, which consists of twelve divine commands. By doing this we fulfill the righteous requirements of the Mosaic Law by presenting better, spiritual versions of what the carnal covenant required in the first place. Physical circumcision is replaced with the circumcision of Christ (repentance in accordance to God’s moral Law so as to put off the lawless flesh); food, clothing, hair, and drink laws are replaced with true spiritual holiness in order to separate God’s chosen spiritual ones from the rest of the world (the food laws separated Israel from the rest of the world in a carnal manner); ceremonial Laws like feasts and high Sabbaths are replaced by Son-related ceremonial commands such as true baptism, communion, and foot-washing; sacrificial laws were replaced with Christ as the Lamb of God; the levitical priesthood was replaced by the High priest of Melchizedek and we are therefore a holy priesthood being that we make up the body of the High Priest; the tabernacle was replaced by our bodies being bought as the true Temple of God; capital punishment was replaced with mercy, etc.—you may have known all of this already, but I could not tell if you were still inferring that the fulfilled carnal portion of the Law is still intact or not. Transgressing the carnal law is not sin, one of the main points of Paul is that physical Circumcision is meaningless in the true spiritual covenant and food is food. If uncircumcision was sin then many would be unrepentant sin and therefore could not be saved from their sins…so basically to say that physical circumcision is required in this NC is to say that circumcision is needed for salvation from sin, which denies the Word…which is a denial of Christ, who IS the Word. God even commanded Peter not to lie and call any food that God has purified as unclean…this symbolizes how God has the ability to make all things new, how He can graft the unclean Gentiles in, and how everything God originally created was indeed already good. Jesus even said it is not what goes into the body that defiles a person. The Law of Moses was merely a guardian to hold children of carnal promise until the Seed could come and unveil the true Covenant of God.

        Keep on watching out vigilently for the yeast of the blind religous leaders of today (modern Pharisees) as you are already doing, brother. I think people are finally realizing that the protestant church is almost just as blind as the Catholic church!

      • The Bible equates the “Law of Moses” with the Hebrew word Torah, which is usually translated as “law” in our English Bibles, and is a word that means “instructions, precepts, teachings [of Elohim].” As such, they are a reflection of Elohim’s very character and nature. Yeshua summarized  YHVH’s Torah-laws when he stated that they show man how to love Elohim with his all and his neighbor as himself.

        Are there any parts of Elohim’s precepts or instructions in righteousness that man has the right to nullify, do away with, or subdivided such that any parts of it are no longer applicable to man? If so, then who is man that he can instruct the Almighty Creator on which parts of his laws are for us today and which parts or not? Is this not extreme hubris and pride—a huge sin in itself—in fact the worst and most abominable sin of all (Prov 6:16-17)?

        On the contrary, the Bible from Genesis to Revelation unquestionably presents the Torah as an indivisible whole, which stands and falls together. This includes the dietary laws, which are an aspect of being holy or set apart (from this world), even as Elohim is set apart or holy (Lev 11). James says that if you break one law, you’re guilty of breaking them all. John in his first epistle says that sin is the violation of the law. Yeshua in his Sermon on the Mount states that he didn’t come to destroys the law—not even one yud or tag of it. Paul in his epistle to the Romans says that the law is holy, just and good and grace in no way nullifies the law. None of these men of Elohim made distinctions between carnal or moral, physical or spiritual or ceremonial subdivisions of said Torah-law. This is an invention of the early church fathers because of their anti-semitic theological bias. Go read them. I can provide you with actual quotes and references—and not a few!

        If the physical, letter aspects of the law, such as diet are no longer applicable, then some of Yeshua’s Sermon the Mount teachings are irrelevant and meaningless. In fact, Yeshua totally contradicts this notion. Who am I to believe? The teachings of Yeshua or the doctrines and traditions of man that make of none effect the word of Elohim? To wit, Yeshua in his sermon affirms that man is not only not to murder, but not to hate as wells; not to commit adultery as well as not to lust and so on. Here he affirms both the letter and the spirit of the law. The same can be said of the dietary laws. Both letter and spirit are applicable to man today. Since the dietary laws are about holiness and separation from the world, this means that we’re not to eat the world’s physical food as well as its spiritual food. By practicing the dietary laws, we  learn what true holiness is—both letter and spirit. To become holy, we must stay separate from the world both in practice and in heart and mind, even as Elohim is separate or holy, which is the main point of Lev 11. Oh, and did I mention that Elohim calls eating unclean meats an abomination? That means he detests it just like homosexuality, which he also calls an abomination. If the physical dietary laws are done away with, then likewise, it’s no longer a sin to have physical homo sex (the letter of the law) as long as you don’t lust while doing it (the spirit of the law)! Elohim forbid! May it never be so!

        Some try to use 1 Cor 7:19 to prove that the Torah has been subdivided into moral and carnal laws. In reality, this verse  is not a statement proving that the indivisible Torah can be subdivided into moral and ceremonial laws. If you read everything that Paul says about circumcision, his main point is that circumcision is not a precondition for salvation. Period. He still practiced circumcision, and he wasn’t for or against it per se. The Pharisees were twisting and abusing the biblical truth of circumcision and making it into something the Torah never intends—a path to salvation and a way to keep Jews and Gentiles separate. This is the issue Paul is addressing. Because men pervert the laws of Elohim (as the Pharisees had done with the law of circumcision), does that mean we toss out the proverbial baby with the bath water? Of course not. Satan has perverted nearly every truth of Elohim. If we toss everything out because of Satan, we’ll have nothing left.

        It’s time that Christians took off their colored glasses by which they read the Scriptures and stop viewing it through the lens of man-invented dogmas. Why is it that humans want to carve up the word of Elohim and toss out the parts they don’t like?  (The answer is  found in Jer 17:9 and Rom 8:7.)

        Isn’t believing that certain parts of Elohim’s instructions in righteousness are no longer applicable to us today is ultimately succumbing to the lie of the serpent at the tree of knowledge who told the first humans that Elohim didn’t really mean what he said, and that man can have it his own way by creating his own pick-and-choose religion? There Satan told man that he could pick out the parts of Elohim’s word that he wants to follow, and then invent philosophies that justify his tossing out the parts he doesn’t like. Most Christians have bought into this lie of the serpent.

        As a result of following the deceiver’s lies, too many people have what I call the Swiss Cheese Version of the Bible—one that’s full of holes (holes for all the pages they’ve ripped out of Elohim’s word that “are no longer applicable to them). They no longer have a Holy Bible, but instead a Holey Bible!

        Finally, Yeshua states in Matt 5:17–19,

        Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
        Please notice the last sentence. Torah obedience will determine one’s level of rewards in the world to come. Those who are saying that certain aspects of Elohim’s law were abrogated and are no longer applicable are consigning themselves to a lower position, a lower reward status in Elohim’s everlasting kingdom—so says Yeshua. Ultimately, it’s up to each individual whether they want to be the least or the greatest in his kingdom. I’m going for the highest reward, which means I’ll continue to follow the biblical dietary laws both letter and spirit. Amein!

  2. I think the last view of the Millennium is correct also!

    Remember when Jesus (Yeshua) taught his disciples to pray, the prayer included…”thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”

    I think this makes it clear that the coming kingdom will be on EARTH, not HEAVEN!

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