Chapter Ten

The Consummation Of The Redeemer’s Return

or

The Millennial Reign

It should now be evident to every unprejudiced reader that there are two distinct stages in the Second Coming of Christ:—His coming to the air, and His coming to the earth; His coming for the saints, and His coming with the saints. The first great purpose before Him in connection with His return is to receive His people unto Himself. Just as of old God translated Enoch to Heaven before He sent the Deluge upon the ungodly, so will the Church be removed from this earth before the vials of His wrath are poured out upon it. The second great purpose before the Lord Jesus will be to return to the earth itself, there to set up His Kingdom and reign in righteousness, and it is the nature, the scope, the blessedness, and the duration of this Kingdom-reign which is now to engage our attention.

In popular parlance the era of the Messiah’s reign is referred to as the “Millennium” which is a compound word signifying a thousand years. From the remotest antiquity men have longed for and talked of a Golden Age, of an age in which righteousness and peace should prevail, and oppression and war should cease. Poets have sung of it, politicians have dreamed about it, and inspired prophets have described it. This era of blessedness is variously denominated in the Scriptures. It is termed “the Regeneration” (Matt. 19:28); the “Last Day” (John 6:40); the “Times of Refreshing” (Acts 3:19); the “Times of Restitution” (Acts 3:21); the “Kingdom” (1 Cor. 15:24); the “day of Christ” (Phil. 1:6); the “Dispensation of the Fullness of Times” (Eph. 1:10).

There are more Scriptures which treat of the Millennium or Kingdom-age than perhaps any other one subject in the Bible. The difficulty is to classify them all. For purpose of simplification we shall now consider the Millennium under seven heads, namely, the Millennium in relation to Satan, to Christ, to the Church, to Israel, to the World, to Creation, and to Sin.