1. The Second Coming of Jesus

John 14:1-3 – “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

🔹 Key Point: Jesus promises His return to take His followers to the place He has prepared for them in heaven.

Acts 1:9-11 – “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’”

🔹 Key Point: Jesus will return visibly and in glory, just as He ascended.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

🔹 Key Point: At Jesus’ return, the righteous dead will be resurrected, and together with the living righteous, they will be taken to meet the Lord.

2. The First Resurrection and the Fate of the Wicked

John 5:28-29 – “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

Jesus speaks of two resurrections: one for the righteous (at His coming) and one for the wicked (after the millennium).

2 Thessalonians 1:8 – “In flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

🔹 Key Point: The wicked will be destroyed at the coming of Christ.

Revelation 19:11-21 – This passage describes Christ returning as a victorious king, defeating the wicked and casting the beast and false prophet into the lake of fire.

3. Satan Bound and the Desolation of Earth

Revelation 20:1-2 – “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.”

🔹 Key Point: Satan is symbolically bound for 1,000 years, unable to deceive anyone since the wicked are dead.

2 Peter 2:4 – “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.”

🔹 Key Point: Satan and his demons will be bound in a state of confinement.

Jeremiah 4:23-27 – *”I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth. I beheld, and indeed there

🔹 Key Point: was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger.”*

🔹 Key Point: The earth will be desolate, with no human inhabitants, following the destruction of the wicked.

Jeremiah 25:33 – “And at that day the slain of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.”

🔹 Key Point: The wicked will remain unburied on the earth during the millennium.

4. The Saints Reign in Heaven

Revelation 20:4 – “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

🔹 Key Point: The righteous will be with Christ, participating in a special work of judgment.

1 Corinthians 6:2 – “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?”

🔹 Key Point: The saints will examine the records of the wicked during the millennium.

Revelation 20:5 – “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.”

🔹 Key Point: The second resurrection, for the wicked, will take place after the 1,000 years.

5. The Final Judgment and the New Earth

Revelation 20:7 – “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison.”

🔹 Key Point: With the resurrection of the wicked, Satan will again have people to deceive.

Revelation 20:9 – “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.”

🔹 Key Point: Satan and the wicked will be destroyed in the final judgment.

Revelation 21:1-3 – “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’”

🔹 Key Point: God will create a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells, and He will live with His redeemed people forever.

Conclusion

The millennium is a time of judgment, restoration, and final justice. It begins with the Second Coming, during which the righteous are taken to heaven and the wicked are destroyed. During the thousand years, the saints participate in judgment. At the end of the millennium, the wicked are resurrected, attempt a final rebellion, and are ultimately destroyed. Finally, God creates a new heaven and a new earth, where His people will live with Him for eternity.

Discussion questions

1. What does the Bible teach about the two resurrections (John 5:28-29, Revelation 20:5)? How do these resurrections reveal God’s justice and mercy?

2. Why does God allow the saints to participate in the judgment during the millennium (1 Corinthians 6:2, Revelation 20:4)? How does this process help us understand God’s fairness?

3. Jeremiah 4:23-27 describes the earth as desolate and empty during the millennium. What does this tell us about the fate of the wicked and the condition of the earth during this period?

4. Revelation 20:7-9 describes Satan’s final rebellion after the thousand years. Why does God allow this final event to take place before the final judgment?

5. Revelation 21:1-3 describes the new heaven and new earth. How does this promise give us hope, and how should it impact the way we live today?