The significance of the Sabbath Millennium is to declare and demonstrate the unlimited power, wisdom, authority and glory of God to all creation. After many millennia of mankind’s failed attempts of running their own affairs, we finally have a Righteous Ruler who delivers what we all hoped for. Mankind’s utopian ideal was to create a society with the right circumstances for all to flourish. Many men have promised to bring this utopian peace, opportunity, freedom and justice to all. They have devised many strategies and philosophies for the ultimate and successful system. However, not one proved to be sustainable in its application.
Today it is commonplace for politicians to promise outcomes that are wishful thinking at best, but manipulating and fraudulent in reality. In the west, many people are disillusioned with politicians, and rather choose to abstain or opt out by voting for the greens or independents. Most have lost hope that anyone has the capacity to govern justly and wisely.
As history has shown us through the ages, mankind has failed to come up with even one example of a philosophy or even one benevolent leader that has delivered on their promises. Not one has succeeded to provide the right circumstances for all to flourish.
But….
Finally, at the end of the sixth millennium, after the apocalyptic catastrophes, all creation breathes a huge sigh of relief. Mankind finally finds its place of inner peace, joy, rest and prosperity during the rule of Christ. He literally reigns as the King of all Kings during the last millennium.
In Ephesians 1 Paul declares the mystery of God’s plan, His design for humankind.
“….having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, for an administration of the fullness of times, to head up all things in Christ, both the things in Heaven, and the things on earth, even in Him.”Eph 1:9
The millennium will demonstrate and validate God’s wisdom. He has offered mankind His wisdom to live a fruitful and Godly life through the scriptures and His prophets. Even though His wisdom has been declared through the ages, this wisdom has mostly been ignored or scoffed at by philosophers and proud men, who were convinced they knew better.
The millennium will also validate the faith of his people, who have taken God’s given word as of greater value than the words, knowledge and promises of men.
The millennium will further demonstrate God’s Ability, Design, Creativity and Knowledge which is far above anything conceived by man. God is perfection. Not one flaw, ever. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians we get a hint about the plans God has for us in the ages to come. It is possible that God will show us what has been going on behind the scenes in our present lives. How he has healed, drawn us and taught us. We will see the full extent of His mercy and kindness. We may imagine that He will show us openly those many things which are currently hidden from us.
{2:5} Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) {2:6} And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: {2:7} That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.{2:8} For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {2:9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph 2:5-9)
We will also marvel at God’s omniscience and omnipotence. Consider a small example of God omniscience, demonstrating His his foreknowledge. In the book of Revelation God demonstrates perfect knowledge of the future. A small component in this intricately interlinked end-time drama is the number seven. The number seven is mentioned repeatedly. During the millennial reign of Christ, we will be able to honor God for his perfect foreknowledge of every one of these occurrences. There will have been mentioned seven churches, seven spirits, seven candlesticks, seven stars, seven lamps, seven seals, seven horns, seven eyes, seven trumpets, seven thunders, seven heads, seven crowns, seven angels, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, seven kings , seven years of judgement, seven letters and seven songs in heaven. There should be no doubt that seven is God’s number, the number of completeness.
Elsewhere in the scriptures the number seven is also a prominent number. God created his perfect creation in seven days. There were seven feasts for the Jews to observe. Every seventh year God commanded a Sabbath year for the land, a year of rest. Joshua marched round Jericho 7 days, with seven priests with seven ram’s horns leading the army, and on the seventh day marched seven times around the city before it fell. A perfect start to the conquest of Canaan. Jacob had to work seven years for his brides. Naaman had to wash seven times in the Jordan to be healed. Christ’s ministry included many miracles, most prominently on the seventh day and the first lines of his first sermon contained seven beatitudes. He commanded us to forgive seventy times seven times.
But six is man’s number, the number of incompleteness. The number six is short of perfect. On our own we are incomplete and imperfect. We realize we fall short and we long for the perfect completeness of God. We have had a six millennia history (according to the biblical chronology) of man’s attempts at creating a utopian dream, a heaven on earth. All attempts have all fallen woefully short.
Hence it makes perfect sense that God’s perfect reign will occur during his perfect Millennium, the seventh Millennium. In this seventh millennium we will see all biblical prophesies perfectly fulfilled, and Christ receiving the honour and praise due to Him.
Could it be that simple, that God’s timescale for mankind on earth reflects the seven days of creation? Very likely. Note that the seventh millennium, or the Sabbath millennium, is no new concept.
It was taught by the early church fathers, such as Barnabas, a disciple of John the Apostle. (refer to ‘answers in Revelation.org’ article “The Millennial week according to the earliest Christians”). Barnabas says it like this: “ ..therefore, my children, in six days, that is six thousand years, all things will be finished. ‘and He rested on the seventh day’. This means: when His Son, coming again, shall destroy the time of the wicked man and judge the ungodly, and change the sun, the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day.”
There is a beauty in the simplicity of this ‘mystery of God’. Although history is complex, His plan for His creation turns out to be surprisingly simple. A plan covering seven Millennia, with the final Millennium being the millennium of rest and restoration. God’s history with man is organized and structured.
Similarly the route to the salvation of any man is complex and varies greatly from person to person, but the mystery of His salvation plan is simple: ”All who call on the name of the Lord will be saved”. Jesus said: “Truly, truly I say unto you, he that believes on me has everlasting life ” and earlier:”Truly, truly, I say unto you, He that hears my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”