Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7
The Millennium and Beyond

Have you ever tried to imagine what it would have been like to have been one of the disciples, and to have been able to spend time with, talk to, and interact with Jesus? I have and I think it must have been fantastic! Some day that will be a reality for all God’s children, we will be able to dwell with the Lord. That is the greatest aspect of the greatly anticipated Millennium kingdom—God dwelling with man. Right after the battle of Armageddon, Jesus will set up His Millennial Kingdom. Several events will take place during this time of transition. At this point, we will examine the order in which the events after the battle of Armageddon occur and concern ourselves with a more exact timing in the next chapter.

Let’s start this discussion with what happens after Armageddon. Immediately after the battle of Armageddon, the Lord will come from Bozrah to Jerusalem. Zechariah 14 speaks of this battle and then shows the Lord returning to Jerusalem:

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. All the land shall be turned as a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up…And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited. And this shall be the plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth…And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of tabernacles. (Zech 14:1-16)

This lengthy passage brings out several important facts. First we see the nations gathering against Israel, and from our discussion in the last chapter, we saw that Israel has been hidden and protected by God in Bozrah (Petra). Then, as the armies descend upon her, Jesus comes to the rescue of Israel and destroys the gathered armies. After the battle, He stands on the Mount of Olives, which splits and a great valley is formed. At this time, living waters will flow out of Jerusalem and the Lord will be anointed king over all the earth and all the land be turned into a plain and lifted up. The living waters are mentioned in Ezekiel and are seen to be coming from the throne of God and will bring blessings to the whole earth:

Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward…Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed….And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. (Ez 47:1-12)

In the passage above, the prophet Ezekiel sees a vision of this great river of life. It has as its source the house of the Lord and goes “out toward the east country, and goes down into the desert, and goes into the sea.” This indicates that the river of life will flow into the Dead Sea and restore and purify its waters and then flow to all the earth. Zechariah tells us that the river will divide into two parts. One part of the river will flow toward the Dead Sea and the other to the Mediterranean. “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.” (Zech14:8) It also was noted by Ezekiel that there were trees for food and medicine that grow along side this river.

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine. (Eze. 47:12)

The river will also bring life and healing with it. Remember that after the bowl judgments, all living things in the ocean were destroyed. This river will restore life wherever it flows, and will bring an abundance of fish.

So when Jesus returns to Jerusalem after the battle of Armageddon, the river of life will start flowing from the throne of God. This implies that the throne is there and further implies that the temple has been restored, because the temple is the place of God’s throne.

Ezekiel shows us these exact things in his description of the millennial temple:...