What will we be doing in the Millennium?
By Jim Allen
Do you ever wonder about the Millennium and what you will be doing during the 1,000-year reign of Christ? I do. In fact, most do from time-to-time. But, along with wondering come the questions: What will we look like? What will we think? What power will we be given to serve the King of Kings?
Even though the Apostle Paul wrote we are new creations in Christ, we struggle to know what that means (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are yet unglorified, undone, imperfect, and hidden away in Christ until the day God reveals us as His glorified children (Colossians 3:1-4). Though the Bible says we’ll take on the form of Christ, it also hints at some possible assignments.
Maybe the best way to begin this topic is by simply saying we’ve been invited on an incredible journey, a holy quest from the present to the future. For the believer, the journey has already begun (2 Peter 1:23). It will be a long journey, one with no end. It will exceed our best imagination and our most earnest hope.
For this journey the believer will be glorified, changed from mortality into immortality. Glorification is not a fabrication of the mind or a made-up fairy tale. Glorification of the believer is God’s idea (Romans 8:18). At some point God will transform our lowly earthen forms into the likeness of Jesus’ glorious form.
The Bible says we’ll be like Jesus (Luke 24:36-39). Does this mean we will have his power to appear and disappear at will? Does this mean there will be no door too thick to pass through and no wall too high to go over? Does this mean there will be no distance too far and no place too remote? Will our glorified bodies exist and perform beyond all physical limitations known in the natural?
Much of what we know about our present life is fixed in place, littered in daily routine, and punctuated with endless trials. In our present form we cannot be about the Father’s business every minute of the day. But, at the last trump, Paul says everything changes (1 Corinthians 15:52-53). From that moment on the believer’s life becomes undivided devotion and allegiance to the Son. The divine business of the King of kings will become our business and His purpose our eternal resolve.
What will we do? During the Millennium, Revelation 5:10 says we will be kings and priests to our God, reigning on earth to do the will of the Son and Father. We will have the mind of Christ, the heart of God, and the discernment of the Holy Spirit. We will think, speak, and do all for God’s glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
We will possess power to ensure the rule of Christ is carried out according to His divine decree. The rule of godless men will end. We will be emissaries, holy representatives of the divine order and faithful servants of the Kind of kings. To every faithful believer in this life Jesus will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:23).
Glorified believers will be the go-betweens, motivated by love, selflessly serving God and people. Though we do not know exactly what kind of services we will provide, you can imagine the list will be long and include everything from teaching the Word of God and answering questions to helping establish and direct people in a number of incalculable undertakings.
One of our first tasks will more than likely take place after Jesus steps onto the Mount of Olives after the Tribulation, causing the mountain to split in two (Zechariah 14:3-4). We will be there to witness the event (Jude 14). The split will mark the fulfillment of this prophecy and the beginning of a new era for humanity. The world will witness an army of glorified beings (saints and angels) descending with the King of kings (Revelation 19:11-21).
At this time, the enduring and battered world population will be in survival mode, its political leaders confused, its armies destroyed, and its religious elite left without messages of hope. One of our first tasks on earth might involve helping survivors (those displaced from families, homes, and jobs during the Tribulation) resettle and begin anew.
The number of issues stemming from the failed New World Order (once ruled by the Antichrist) will be immeasurable and demand our involvement at every level. The knees of all surviving humanity will bow before the Lord Jesus in recognition of His authority, power, and deity. Those who raged against the Lord of Glory and fought His most holy purposes will intuitively know that for them it will not end well (Revelation 20:15).
Beyond the cleanup, we’ll help set up the Kingdom of God on earth, a holy rule that will usher in unimaginable peace and prosperity based on the two greatest commandments: Love God and love people (Matthew 22:37-39).
Lord Jesus will be the undisputed Ruler, having dealt severely with the ruler of this world (John 12:31). He will not allow evil to run rampant as today. The reign of Christ will be righteous, glorious and bountiful, gentle, kind and caring; it will be joyful and peaceful and everlasting. Harmony will rule the day. In the Millennium, the woes of this present hour will one day become a fading memory of a bygone era.
In closing, this article is all about an incredible journey that has already begun for every believer. It’s about the coming sunrise to light a new beginning. It’s about today and the opportunity to prepare for tomorrow. It’s about getting ready to take on future duties that will be many and varied, immediate, engaging and long lasting.
More importantly, the future will take care of itself when we focus on living in the moment, learning to abide in Christ (John 15:4-6), and willing to serve in whatever capacity given (Matthew 6:34; John 15:7; 2 Corinthians 4:5). Though questions remain unanswered about the Millennium, the wonder of tomorrow and what we will do there is less important than the “process” that prepares us for tomorrow.
Within this process is a measure of peace and rest knowing the future is in His hands, and that we’ve received a personal invitation to go on an incredible journey (Jeremiah 29:11).
Shalom!
Note 1: We will be perfectly conformed to the image of our Lord Jesus and be like Him in that our humanity will be free from sin and its consequences. Our blessed hope should spur us on to holiness, the Spirit enabling us. “Everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies himself as He is pure” (1 John 3:3). http://www.gotquestions.org/glorification.html
Note 2: We are not to confuse this priestly role (given to the saints) with the Priestly role of Christ. There is a difference. Click on Source link if you wish to read about the difference.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-High-Priest.html