THE MILLENNIUM
has come and gone!!
THE YEAR IN WHICH THE WORLD COMMEMORATES THE BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH - WHEN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST CAME TO EARTH 2000 YEARS AGO.
Christ's First Coming
The Prophesies
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Is.7.14
But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. Micah 5.2
The Fulfilment
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2.11/12
Crucifixion of Christ
The Prophesies
Daniel 9. 24-27 describes how the Jewish Messiah must be put to death before the destruction of the second Temple which, in fact occurred in AD70 after the crucifixion of Jesus, thereby fulfilling this prophesy.
Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53.4/5
The Fulfilment
And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Luke 23.33
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures. 1 Cor 15:3.
The Resurrection and Ascension
The Prophesies
Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Psalm 16.10
The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day. Luke 9:22
The Fulfilment
Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Matthew 28.5/6
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me. (Paul writing in 1 Cor. 15.5-8).
And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. Acts 1.9
What comes Next?
a microcosm of future history....
The Rapture
The next event on the Christian calendar is the "Rapture". This major happening is foretold in the Bible by the Lord Jesus and others.
Christ said that He was coming back to bring His followers back to be with Him. He will come to the air and those who truly believe and love Him will be taken up to live with Him.
The Prophesies
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17
We shall not all fall asleep, but we shall all be changed, in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 1Cor.15.51/52.
Jesus said "I will come again, and receive you unto myself". John 14.3
>>>>>> .......and then follows
The Great Tribulation & the Antichrist
The satanic Antichrist will rise to world prominence, gather a huge following and deceive Israel into signing a false 7 year peace treaty which he will eventually break. The Great Tribulation will take place. Daniel the prophet spoke of seven years of desolation. The first three and one-half years may appear to be calm and prosperous to a degree, global government will evolve and increasing ecumenism will lead into a one world church system, any observer of world events can see these harbingers already falling into place. However, the last half will be terrifying. The Great Tribulation will burst upon the world - the most intense, excruciating period of suffering ever known. (Rev. 13:1-6, 11-18, Dan. 9.27).
Earthquakes, storms, famines and epidemics are the common experience of man, wars have caused the death of millions throughout history, but the Bible speaks of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7:14). Jesus taught about this coming period as the greatest tribulation the world has ever known (Matt. 24:8, 21/22).
Jesus said "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved" Matt 24.21/22.
Second Coming of Christ
Acts 1:11 ..this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
Isn't it interesting.................
...that God told us in Ezekiel Chap 36 how He would restore Israel back to a nation in the last days, and how this restoration has taken place since 1948?
...that God said in Zechariah Chap 2 that the Jews would once more possess Jerusalem in the last days, and how this was fulfilled in 1967 when Israel recaptured Jerusalem against incredible odds?
...also that God would make the people of Israel flee from the north where they had been held captive and return to Zion just before His return. Hundreds of thousands of Jews have returned out of Russia to Israel in this very day in which we live?
...that God said in Zechariah Chap 12 verse 3 that in the last days He would make Jerusalem a very 'heavy stone' for all peoples, and how we are witnessing a potential global conflict being centred over the Palestinians' claim against Israel that east Jerusalem is their capital?
...that God prophesied 483 years before Christ's entry into Jerusalem in Daniel Chap 9 the very day Christ would do so?
... that you may be living at the time when the Son of God will return to the earth? In Luke Chapter 12 verse 56 Jesus addressed the people who could read the signs on the earth and in the sky forecasting the next day's weather. However, He then rebuked them for ignoring the signs God had given which spoke clearly of His coming as Messiah. So, let us not ignore the pointers of His second coming!
The Real Millennium
Following the battle of Armageddon in which Antichrist, the coming world dictator will be overthrown, Christ will triumph over the massed military might of earth who will have aligned themselves against Israel. He will demonstrate that He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:11-21). then will follow the Millennium reign of the "Prince of Peace".
When the Old Testament prophets prophesied that the Messiah would come into the world, some passages said that (a) He would suffer (Psalms 22 and 69; Isaiah 53), others told of (b) His glory and peace (Psalms 2 and 72). Rabbis wondered how both could be true (1 Peter 1:10, 11). The explanation is that Christ came at His first advent as 'the suffering servant' but will come again in glory as 'the conquering King'. If Christ does not come again to reign in His Millennium Kingdom, then these remaining prophesies will not have been fulfilled and His claim to be the Messiah of the Jews and the Christ of the Church is spurious!
Old Testament prophecy tells of this Golden Age in the future, when the Messiah will reign as King over the earth. In Revelation 20:4 He is seen reigning for a thousand years.
All this will be followed by the Second Resurrection. We have observed that the dead in Christ rise from among the dead at the Rapture before the Millennium Kingdom is set up, but those who have rejected Christ will stand before God, complete with body, soul and spirit, at the Great White Throne, where the record books will be opened and these people judged. The Lord will sit on the throne as Judge (John 5:22). The Bible teaches that there is no salvation for those who have rejected Christ. (Revelation 20:11-15).