Revelation 20

Then I saw thrones, and the people sitting on them had been given the authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony about Jesus, for proclaiming the word of God. And I saw the souls of those who had not worshiped the beast or his statue, nor accepted his mark on their forehead or their hands. They came to life again, and they reigned with Christ for a thousand years. – Revelation 20:4 NLT

No, the Millennium is not the name of a space ship from a Star Wars movie. It is the literal 1,000 year reign of Christ that will take place here on the earth the end of the 7 years of tribulation. For 1,000 years Christ will reign in Jerusalem and it will be a time of great peace and prosperity. Satan will have been defeated and confined for the entire 1,000 time period. Righteousness will flourish unhindered. It will be a time of unprecedented peace (Isaiah 2:4). Everything on earth will flourish (Isaiah 35:1-2) because Christ will be on the throne.

And the LORD will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one LORD––his name alone will be worshiped. – Zechariah 14:9 NLT

He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal––it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. – Daniel 7:14 NLT

Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the Temple of the God of Israel. There he will teach us his ways, so that we may obey him." For in those days the LORD’s teaching and his word will go out from Jerusalem. – Isaiah 2:3

Can you imagine what this will be like? Can you even begin to consider what a world without Satan and his influence would be like to live in? Jesus Christ, ruling from a literal throne in the city of David. It's the scene the disciples had in mind when Jesus showed up the first time. It's the scenario they had hoped He would bring about, but instead He died a cruel death on a Roman cross. God had a different plan with different timing. His Son would reign, but first He had to suffer and die. He would one day rule, but first He had to redeem sinful man by shedding His own blood as a payment. The day is coming when He will rule from Jerusalem. For 1,000 years He will reign in righteousness and the world will enjoy peace and prosperity like never before. He will bring what every politician has promised, but failed to deliver. Men will finally enjoy the kind of world they have always wanted. But even this will come to an end. At the close of the 1,000 year time period, Satan will be released (Revelation 20:7) from his imprisonment. But even this is completely under God's control. It seems that in spite of the peace and prosperity that men will have enjoyed throughout the 1,000 years, many will turn to Satan and follow him when he is released. They will turn against God and join forces with Satan in an attempt to overthrow Christ and His kingdom.

There is no clearer picture of man's depravity than this. In spite of having experienced the perfectly righteous rule of Christ and the benefits it affords, these men will rebel once again. They will be easily captivated by the lies of the enemy and be convinced that life under the rule of Satan will be better than life under the rule of Christ. But they will fail. God will prevail. He will completely destroy them and cast Satan into hell for eternity. Satan will have his last moment in the spotlight, but he will not succeed.

The amazing thing about this passage is that it reminds me that there is one place where Christ should reign supreme right now. And that is in my life. He should be on the throne of my life, ruling and reigning completely. He has defeated the enemy in my life. He has freed me from slavery to sin in my life. My life should be a microcosm of what that 1,000 year reign will be like. Satan is no longer in control of my life. I have been set free. I have the Holy Spirit living within me. I am a new creature. I belong to Christ. Yet, I still find it so easy to fall prey to the lies of Satan and rebel against my Savior. In spite of the fact that His rule in my life brings me prosperity and peace, I can so quickly rebel against Him. I can forget His blessings and turn back to the one who has been out to destroy me all my life. Yet I have the opportunity to live a life that illustrates what it means to have Christ reign in power and authority. I can demonstrate what having Christ on the throne of my life looks like. He can and does bring peace and prosperity now. When He rules, I enjoy blessing and abundance. When He reigns, I have joy and a freedom from sin's influence. Paul put it best when he said, "I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20 NLT).

Father, Your Son is to rule and reign right now – in the lives of those He has redeemed. Yet we so often allow ourselves to be deceived by the enemy and listen to his lies once again. We turn away from Christ and reject His rule in our lives. There is a day coming when He will reign for 1,000 years, unhindered, uninterrupted and unchallenged by Satan. But I have the ability to experience that same kind of peace and prosperity right now. May I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God and allowing Him to rule on the throne of my life – unhindered by the influence of sin and Satan. Amen