Exposing the Millennium Reign Doctrine – Part 1
This study is intended to expose some of the many falsehoods of a doctrine many of us previously learned that has Jesus Christ returning outwardly to physical earth and ruling and reigning with His Elect for a symbolic 1,000-year period. This doctrine, as we once learned is a lie that takes our focus away from where it should be. An invention of the carnal mind, this teaching relates back to the lie that the Elect receives greater rewards from the Lord including ruling the outward world. If we are chosen to be saved in this age, we will be given to see through the twisting of the Scriptures by those who perform great signs and wonders.
Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Within secular Christianity, there are many versions of this one thousand [1,000] year doctrine, called “the Millennium” that have generally been classified into three main groups those being: premillennialists, post millennialists or amillennialists. The pre and post refer to whether the group believes this outward literal event occurs before or after an outward “great tribulation”. Of course, even this great tribulation is an inward event, signifying the coming of Christ a second time to men for salvation.
Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
Mat 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Amillennialists believe there is not an outward reign on the earth. Amillennialists are closest to the truth by rightly claiming this event is spiritual in nature and not an outward physical event. The words of Scripture are all Spirit, profiting not the flesh [Joh 6:63] and the truth of any matter is only found following sound principles to those the Lord has given the ability.
1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The way of truth is foolishness to those God has blinded and who have not been given the gift of God to spiritual discern the truth.
Our old way of life [thinking and our deeds] is being destroyed in our great tribulation which is the same as our inward day of the Lord. From the perspective of the timing or sequencing, the premillennialists have it right as the time period of the 1,000 years precedes what is the day of the Lord and our being raised with Christ to eternal life.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished [AFTERWARDS]. This is the first resurrection.
A little carnal leaven leavens the whole lump and results in all kinds of false doctrines and theories about the end times. Only those blessed few in this age are given to see that none of the end times sequences [eschatology] in the Book of Revelation and in Scripture is outward. It is 100% speaking of what is going on in the kingdom of God within and it is always shortly to come to pass.
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Rev 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.
Christ will rule and reign with His people, which is all men in the appointed time. Yet that rulership is never said to be outward but always in His Kingdom. And where is that kingdom?
Luk 17:20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Our Lord who changes not [Heb 13:8] has no plan in ruling the carnal world outwardly through His people. He is in the process of destroying that world one man at a time as He chooses them for salvation.
Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
Before we go further, let’s read the key verses and the only place in the Bible where this doctrine is being interpreted from. Here are the verses
Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, [our day of the Lord] and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The outward reign doctrine originates from false prophets the Lord created and turns over to the idols of their heart [Eze 14:9]. An idol of pride has us all puffed up and believing as God’s chosen people we are given better promises and greater rewards than other men. Such thoughts are a hidden lust of the flesh that has snared many before we mercifully have been dragged out of that error.
The only purpose given for the outward millennium reign in our former teaching forums was so the Lord could destroy all physical flesh of men so no more babies could be born and so death could be destroyed. Here is an excerpt repeated all over those teachings that speak to the purpose of this outward Millennium.
“It is only “through death”, the death of our old man, that our new man can be born. So it is for all men of all time, and so it is with death itself. Until death itself is destroyed, there will be no victory over death. But as long as little Adams are being born, death cannot be destroyed, and that is the real reason for putting “the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” in prison for a thousand years, just to release him again for “a little season” afterward.”
The error here is very subtle yet huge. While death is the last enemy [1Co 15:26] to be destroyed, this outward thinking about death misses the mark entirely. The death the Lord is reigning until He destroys it is the carnal mind which is naturally an enemy of God.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
It is no big deal, requiring no process, nor a 1,000-year reign for the Lord to speak physical flesh out of existence. We have many events, stories, and parables that show us that the Lord considers physical death to just be sleep [See the story of Lazarus Joh 11:11-14]. The end of death is the end of the carnal mind. That is the Second Death that only happens in the Lake of Fire, which many deny as having any application to God’s Elect.
Unwinding these errors and removing the leaven, will help put our focus back where it needs to be which is our overcoming and the rest of the dead within us coming alive to Christ.
Rom 6:7 For he that is dead [dead to death and the carnal mind, which is the Second Death] is freed from sin.
Rom 6:8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
The resurrection to damnation is very much needed and must precede the coming of the Lord for salvation.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die [be found dead in sin, see ourselves as chief of sinners], but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time [in our day of the Lord in the Lake of Fire] without sin unto salvation.
These events in Revelation 20 are signified words describing the transition from our abiding in the resurrection of damnation knowing the truth but without overcoming unto the day of the Lord when fire will be poured out and a new heaven and earth within us is being made. It is answered prayer.
Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Are there Multiple Witnesses to the Outward Rule on the Earth?
No Scripture is to be of its own private interpretation (2Pe 1:20) and that is how Revelation 20 must also be interpreted. It is only in two or three witnesses that every truth and matter of doctrine shall be established.
2Co 13:1 This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.
The Millennium Reign doctrine was taught without any confirming witnesses and is now shown to be another facet of the bigger lie that the Elect are given special awards and prizes from the Lord. The Lord never mentions an outward rule on the earth to His disciples in all His walk with them in the Gospels. Also, none of the Apostles (Paul, Peter, John, and James) make any mention of this supposed gigantic event in any of their writings. This alone should be a huge red flag that this doctrine is an invention of men. Revelation 20 by itself is not the Truth unless it harmonizes with the sum.
Psa 119:160 The sum of thy word is truth; And every one of thy righteous ordinances endureth for ever.
Christ is Lord of the heavens and the earth and He is going to reign in both places. But those places are within you and that is where the Lord is working right now to establish dominion within those being saved.
Act 7:49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool …
Isa 1:2 Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
A close inspection of the signified words of Rev 20 shows that nowhere does it say our reign with Christ is taking place on the outward physical earth. All those words in Revelation are signified words meaning what they mean not what they literally say [Rev 1:1, Joh 6:63]. It is only by transcribing them by the letter that such a doctrine can be twisted into existence.
2Co 3:6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Let’s remind ourselves what the rulership of Christ is always speaking about when we see it in the Bible. Rulership is over our own bodies and emotions, in the kingdom of God that is within us (Luk 17:21).
Rom 6:13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth [have dominion over sin, be dead to death]
Isa 14:2 And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the LORD for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors [the Gentiles, our carnal mind, our flesh]
Nowhere are we promised ruling over other men in any way shape or form. In fact, we have the exact opposite witness, a witness that tells us those in Christ will be doing no such thing in ruling and lording over any man. The list of Scriptures witnessing to this has been used a lot recently, yet repetition is needed to keep out that false spirit of ruling men.
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
1Pe 5:2 Feed the flock of God [all men in their harvests] which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, [carnal gain, exaltation among men] but of a ready mind;
1Pe 5:3 Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples [ministers] to the flock.
It is the spirit of Satan who will lie to us and drive us to be made chief among the people and be given the promise to rule over men and the entire world. It is a key temptation that only the true Christ in us can resist and overcome.
Luk 4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luk 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
Luk 4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
Luk 4:8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Those seeking to rule others in Jerusalem have made a covenant with the devil who has been given the power of death by the Lord [Heb 2:14]. Thankfully all men’s covenant with their carnal mind [death] will be disannulled. But in the meantime, it will first deceive all of us until the Lord brings mercy.
Isa 28:14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isa 28:15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Some may point to the story of Joseph and his brothers to say the Elect will rule over men. Yet an important truth is omitted to arrive at such a conclusion.
Gen 37:5 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.
Gen 37:6 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed:
Gen 37:7 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.
Notice it was the sheaves [of grain] not the brothers that bowed down to Joseph’s sheave of grain. This story in no way speaks of the Elect ruling over men, it shows the Word of God, which is the grain we gather ruling over the carnal words that the world, our eleven brothers walking after the flesh gather. The obeisance was to the grain; which is symbolism for the Word of God we as the Elect in this age are gathering into the barn. Joseph’s brothers like our carnal brothers [the rest of mankind and the world within us] will misunderstand and hate us for standing on truth and falsely accuse us of claiming dominion over them.
Gen 37:8 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.
The carnal mind, every man’s flesh does not want to bow to Christ who is the Word. We don’t want to be reigned over.
Luk 19:14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us.
The bowing down of men is always to be to the Word [Christ’s Commands] and never to the messenger who brings that word [Rev 19:10, Rev 22:8]
Joseph had a second dream about the sun, moon, and stars bowing down. That dream like the first was about our carnal thoughts or beliefs … the sun, moon, and stars in our heavens, bowing down to the Truth. When our day of the Lord starts and our conversion begins, the lights that guide us will all bow before the brightness of the Truth.
Act 2:19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke:
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
The rulership of Christ is always about truth and doctrine ruling over the lies and carnal reasoning and the not the physical rulership of any man over another. Our old man [Jacob] will hate Christ in us and the world will also hate us for standing on truth and rejecting their way of thinking. That is the real message in the story of Joseph’s dreams. It was never about any outward rulership on a physical earth. To be spiritually nourished, they all had to bow and come to Joseph [Christ] for the bread of life that sustains us.
Gen 41:55 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for [spiritual] bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph [a type for Christ]; what he saith to you, do.
Those yet carnal parts within us, the rest of the dead within us will in due time bow down to the new man who is the one the Lord loves [He hates Esau]. Our sins and carnality will be exposed in our day of the Lord and those parts of us will bow to the Word of God that is the New Man, Christ in us. Our carnal thoughts are messengers of Satan that masquerade as angels of light [spiritual Jews] which will bow down to the new man.
Rev 3:9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
Only the Lord who is the Word shall be ruling over every man. Gideon, a type for the Elect and a judge of Israel, the very role those in the second harvest are first to serve the Lord in spreading the fire to all of mankind.
Jdg 8:22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.
Jdg 8:23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you
Did Christ in the gospels teach of an outward rule and reigning over men before the end comes by His church? No He did not. His coming to every man is within, it is in the kingdom of God.
Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all [inward] nations; and then shall the end come [inwardly in the hearts/minds of every man in their time]
If we need any motivation to strive to obey the gospel [be faithful], we find some in the parable of the Talents. We are all three of these men [as we mature] given talents who first squander them in sloth and then by the grace of God begin to work in the kingdom within us and multiply those talents as we gain dominion over our sins. This is the rulership the Lord is working in His Elect in this age and in all men in due time.
Mat 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou 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.
When we are given His talents, His truths, we are learning to put them to use so we can receive even more and hasten the rulership and dominion over our inward earth.
Mat 25:29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
Ruling over “many things” are the things that defile and the creeping things in our earth that are contrary to faith. Our bodies are the temple of God, His very House in which He dwells, and it is in that house where the new man is being established as the ruler. His inward revealing, the second coming without sin is when every man is judged and eventually given to rule and reign over the promised land.
Mat 24:45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
Mat 24:46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
Mat 24:47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
It is Christ in us who becomes the ruler of His House and Temple which is the Israel of God in which He dwells.
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee [within you] shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Christ in us and also in the fellowship with the saints is the “treader of the winepress” and the one serving up the wine [the cup of wrath to flesh] that is converting the inward nations when every man’s day of the Lord begins.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
The ruling and reigning of Christ coincides with the ruling and reigning of chastening, scourging grace within us. Here is Paul speaking of these 1,000 symbolic years (one day) another way.
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rom 15:12 And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles [reign over the rest of the dead, the Gentiles within us]; in him shall the Gentiles trust.
In conclusion, the outward Millennium Reign of Christ on the physical earth is an invention of the carnal mind. It’s origins and defense all come back to the carnal lie of Satan who promises us glory in ruling and reigning the entire world in Christ’s name. Those taken by the serpent’s subtlety have invented an entire outward age, going way beyond what is written and going outside of the three-day process by which the Lord rebuilds His temple in every man. The truth, which is the sum of the Word, stands in strong in opposition to this false doctrine we were once taught.
In Part 2, we will look more into the ruling and reigning with Christ and how it is depicted elsewhere in the Scriptures. The focus will be on what this reign is versus this study that focused on what it is not. Seeing the same event in plainer language than Revelation 20 will help cement the Lord’s plan for the age and get our focus back where it needs to be.
1Co 4:6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
Part 2 of this multi-part study series can be found by CLICKING HERE
