In a previous lesson, we looked at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to the earth. Please review this lesson if you are unsure about Jesus and his life.
Jesus is the Son of God. He was born about 2000 years ago. Wicked men killed him, and then God made him alive again – Jesus is immortal – he will never die.
When Jesus was born, the angel told his mother that he would be king of the world. That time will begin when Jesus returns to the earth from heaven.
The Bible does not tell us the date when Jesus will return. Many people have tried to work out the date by looking at verses in the Bible. However, whenever he does come, we need to be ready. God gives each of us one life to serve Him. When that life is over, there is no more time to get ready.
The Bible does tell us what Jesus will do when he returns.
- He will make his followers alive again. This is called the Resurrection. Daniel 12:2.
All the people who have followed Jesus or his Father, will be made alive again. - He will bring together all his followers wherever they are in the world. Matt 24:30-31.
This will be an amazing event. Many people will seem to disappear. The Bible does not tell us how, but it will make everyone left behind very afraid. - He will then judge all his followers.
Jesus will look at what they have done in their lives, and see if they did their best to follow him. The Bible does not tell us where this will take place, or how long it will take. There will be many millions of people to be judged, and it may take several years. It will be in a remote place where no-one outside will see. Those who are judged worthy will be made IMMORTAL. They will never die. They will be like Jesus is now. Those who have not followed Jesus will be destroyed, but the Bible does not make it clear when they will be destroyed. - Jesus (with his immortal followers) will take over the city of Jerusalem (also called Zion).
He will be the King of Israel, as the Bible promised. The first task will be to teach the Jewish people about Jesus Christ and what he has done. Remember that the Jewish people are descended from Abraham. God made great promises to Abraham about his children being a great nation. This will be the promise come true. Abraham will be alive to see it!
Isaiah 24:23 - Jesus will then take over the nations of the world.
The Bible is not clear how this will be done, or how long it will take. Some nations may choose to fight Jesus and his followers. If they do, God will punish them.
Acts 17:31 - Jesus becomes King of the World
Over time, Jesus will rule over the world as the King. There will be lots of work to do, because people everywhere will have to learn about God, His Son Jesus, and what he has done. The immortal followers of Jesus will be the teachers. However, they will not be like teachers we know today. They will always say the right thing. They will never be too tired to help. They will never be too tired to answer a question. The Bible tells us that this entire period will last for 1000 years. This period is known as “The Millennium”.
Isaiah 2:1-4 Psalm 72:2-8
The Millennium will be a wonderful time. There will be people who live and die. However, they will be happy because they can live in peace, without any fear. Jesus
Christ and his immortal followers will rule the world. Can you think what a world at peace would be like?
- no more war, guns or other weapons.
- no more crime – no more corruption. Isaiah 60:18
- plenty of food for everyone. Psalm 72:16
- homes for everyone to live in.
- better health because the people will eat properly. If they need medicines they will be available to everyone. Isaiah 65:20
- jobs for everyone, with plenty of leisure time to learn about Jesus and the Bible. The work will be worthwhile – it will help others. Isaiah 65:21-23
- less pollution in big cities, because there will be less industry, and more people growing food in the country.
- justice and fairness for all. Isaiah 11:3-4
- It will be a brand new world. Isaiah 11:6-9
After the Millennium?
What will happen when the 1000 years are over? The Bible tells us that the people will rebel against Jesus the great King. There will be a final judgement of all the evil in the world, and it will finally be destroyed for good. Jesus will raise the people who have died during the Millennium, judge them, and make them immortal as well.
There will be no mortal people left on earth at that time. Only the perfect followers of Jesus will be there. 1 Cor 15:24-28
At this time, Jesus will hand back control of the earth to God. We are told that from then, God will be “all in all”. This is a hard thing to understand, but whatever it does mean, the followers of Jesus will become part of the God of the Universe. How they will live we do not know. They can never die, and they can never do the wrong thing. But this time will last for all time. For always and always. For ever and ever. It is something that we cannot understand, because we always think about things coming to an end. But when God is “all in all”, the time will never end. There will be no more time! No need for watches and clocks!
All of this is truly amazing isn’t it? The Bible does not give us all the details. But there is enough there to make us excited. We can become children of God, the God of the Universe.
The coming of Jesus Christ will be the greatest event in human history.
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 3:1