What are the events leading up to the "1000 years", the Millennium, the Messianic Age, when Christ reigns over the earth from His throne in Jerusalem?

This section will address this question and provide a temporal context by which one can better understand the doctrine of the Millennium. The diagram at the end of this page summarizes much of the following discussion in the form of a Timeline to help you quickly see the relationship of the complex array of end time events immediately preceding the Millennium.

For the purposes of this discussion, the last 7 years (click diagram) of Daniel's Seventy Weeks (see note Daniel 9:27) will be the main time period to which all the other events preceding the Millennium will be referenced. Daniel's Seventieth Week is often called "the Tribulation" by evangelical commentaries but is actually never specifically given that designation in Scripture, although the last 3.5 years of this 7 year period is specifically designated by Jesus as the Great Tribulation (Mt 24:21).

Although we will not discuss the rapture, note that many evangelicals believe that the body of Christ composed of all genuine believers will be "raptured" before Daniel's Seventieth Week, the Pre-Tribulation Rapture (see notes 1Thessalonians 4:13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; John 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:51-52; Revelation 3:10 - note) and thus will not be present on earth during this time seven year period.
 

According to Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel's Seventieth Week is inaugurated by a peace treaty between the Anti-christ and Israel ("he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week" - see notes Daniel 9:27). The Antichrist (little horn, man of sin, man of lawlessness, son of destruction, the beast - see complete list of his aliases) is characterized by boastful words and ascends to power out of a 10 nation/kingdom loose confederacy ("another will arise after them", Da 7:24) which most literal interpreters take to be a form of the "revived Roman Empire", possibly related to modern day Europe and/or the European Union (speculation). In Antichrist's rise to power, 3 of the 10 kingdoms are rooted up and destroyed ("he will be different from the previous ones and will subdue three kings." Da 7:24), leaving 8 "kingdoms" (the original 7 plus that of the antichrist's kingdom).

From Revelation 11:1; 11:2 (notes) we know that the Jewish Temple is rebuilt either before or during the first three and one half years of Daniel's Seventieth Week (the exact timing of the Temple rebuilding is not clear in Scripture but it is interesting that Jewish members of the Temple Mount Faithful Movement are actively preparing for such an event) thus allowing the Jews to reinstitute Temple sacrifices. At the time of this writing (May, 2007), such an event would appear to be an impossibility and could even initiate a "Jihad". Why? Because the Dome of the Rock, one of the Islam's holiest shrines, now occupies a major portion of the Temple Mount, where the future Jewish Temple will be rebuilt (although some believe the actual site of the previous Jewish Temple is in the northern section of Temple Mount, so that theoretically one would not have to destroy the Dome of the Rock to rebuild the Jewish Temple but this is speculation). Because of the "firm covenant" (see note Daniel 9:27) between Israel and the antichrist, the Jews will be living at peace in the land of Israel during the first half of Daniel's Seventieth Week for the first time over 2000 years! And they will owe their allegiance to the Antichrist who brokered this long sought Middle East peace accord.

During the 3.5 years of the Tribulation or Daniel's Seventieth Week, God grants "authority to two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days (42 months, 3.5 years, time, times, half a time) clothed in sackcloth" (see notes Revelation 11:3; 11:4; 11:5; 11:6; 11:7) until the antichrist, "the beast" kills them (see note Revelation 11:7). At this midpoint (of the 7 years) a critically important set of events transpire (see notes Revelation 11:13; 11:14; 11:15) John recording the worldwide "breaking news" documenting the literal resurrection of the 2 witnesses in Jerusalem...

And after the three and a half days the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were beholding them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up here." And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them. And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city (Jerusalem) fell; and 7000 people were killed in the earthquake (these details will undoubtedly be reported widely reported by the news media so that the whole world recognizes the time of the "Great Tribulation" is at hand - see below), and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven. (see notes Revelation 11:11;  11:12; 11:13)

Israel's peace will prove to be a false peace, as the subsequent events that occur at the middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week begin to transpire. John records that at this midpoint of the seven years Satan will be "thrown down to the earth" (see notes Revelation 12:7; 12:8; 12:9; 12:10; 12:11; 12:13) and will give "his authority to the beast (the antichrist)" (see note Revelation 13:4), thus "energizing" him. Empowered by Satan, the antichrist breaks his covenant with Israel, causing her sacrifices to cease (see note Daniel 9:27) and

exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2Th 2:4).

THE GREAT TRIBULATION

Jesus emphasizes the critical importance of recognizing these midpoint events declaring that...

Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (the antichrist displaying himself as being God) which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the holy of holies in the rebuilt Jewish Temple) (let the reader understand)...for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall. And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. (Mt 24:15, 21-22)

The midpoint events inaugurate the Great Tribulation, the horrific last half of Daniel's Seventieth Week, a time period so important in God's prophetic timetable that it is described in multiple passages under various synonyms as outlined in the following table...
 

The false prophet actively promotes the antichrist during the last half of Daniel's Seventieth Week, deceiving

those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the Beast (the antichrist), telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life (a "counterfeit" resurrection). And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. And (See the False Prophet who) causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead, and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six (666). (see notes Revelation 13:14; 15; 16; 17; 18) 

During this last 3.5 years (Click for synonymous time phrases), Jerusalem is "tread under foot...for forty-two months" (see note Revelation 11:2) by the Gentile nations, fulfilling Jesus' prophecy of "the times of the Gentiles" (Lu 21:24) during which "Jerusalem (would) be trampled under foot by the Gentiles", this trampling having begun with Babylon's defeat of Judah in 586BC.

Although this last 3.5 years will be a Great Tribulation for Israel, this horrific time will also be a time of one of the greatest harvests of souls the world has ever seen as the result of the powerful testimony of the "two witnesses" in the first 3.5 years (see notes Revelation 11:3; 11:4; 11:5; 11:6; 11:7), possibly the ministry of 144,000 Jews (see note Revelation 7:4 many feel they will be witnesses, although Scripture is not clear) and finally as a result of the worldwide proclamation of the gospel (which appears to be right at the midpoint of the last 7 years), John recording that...

And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice,

Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters. (see notes Revelation 14:6; 14:7)

And so during the last 3.5 year reign of terror, John records the wonderful vision of...

a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white" those martyred for their faith in the Messiah, having "come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. (see notes Revelation 7:9; 7:10; 7:11; 7:12; 7:13; 7:14)

Paul addressing the fate of Israel during this last 3.5 years records that...

and thus all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, "THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB." "AND THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS." (see notes Romans 11:26; 11:27)

This all Israel is all of those who have become believers in Messiah during the Great Tribulation, Zechariah explaining that..

it will come about in all the land," declares the LORD, "that two parts in it will be cut off and perish; but the third will be left in it. (the so-called faithful remnant) And I will bring the third part (corresponds to 'all Israel in Romans 11:26 {note}) through the fire (the time of Jacob's distress), refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is my God.' (this is the oneness of covenant - see study on New Covenant in the Old Testament) (Zechariah 13:8-9)

As the "Great Tribulation" draws to a close, we see a rapid fire series of events occurring on a global scale.

The Antichrist enters Palestine and defeats Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Da 11:40a-43). At this same time the armies from the East and the North move toward Palestine (Da 11:44; see note Revelation 16:12), which prompts the Antichrist to "go forth with great wrath to destroy and annihilate many." (Da 11:44). 

John records that during the last part of the Great Tribulation,

Demons inspire "the kings of the whole world, to gather...together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty" and they "gathered them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon" (notice "Armageddon" {click here} is not the battle per se as is often taught but is the gather prior to the battle) (see notes Revelation 16:14; 16:16)

Jerusalem is ravaged, Zechariah recording this horrible time declaring...

Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished, and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of My mountains (Zechariah 14:1-5a)

Zechariah assures that in Jerusalem's darkest hour the Second Coming of Messiah will bring about a liberation of the city, accompanied by incredible changes in the topography, some of which allow the Jews to escape.

As the united armies of the antichrist and the kings of the world come together for one final attempt to defeat God and His people, Messiah returns, an epic event recorded in several passages of Scripture. Joel writes that...

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness. And the LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble, but the LORD is a refuge for His people and a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then (when He returns, when He defeats all those arrayed against Him and against Israel) you will know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be holy, And strangers will pass through it no more. (Joel 3:14-17)

Matthew corroborates this great day recording Jesus' prophecy that...

just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky (the interpretation is clear, the Son is the "sign"!), and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.  (Mt 24:27-31)

John records that...

I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (see notes Revelation 19:11; 19:12;19:13; 19:14; 19:15;19:16; 19:17; 19:18)

Recording the defeat of the forces arrayed against Messiah, John writes...

And I saw the beast (the antichrist) and the kings of the earth and their armies, assembled to make war against Him who sat upon the horse, and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the Lake of Fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh. (see notes Revelation 19:19; 20; 21)

Contemporaneous with these incredible events we also see that the great city of Babylon is destroyed (the city of Babylon was never completely destroyed and has been partially rebuilt by Saddam Hussein and will be rebuilt to become a center of world commerce during Daniel's Seventieth Week, which is interesting in light of the fact that Iraq is on the path toward a democratic government and has some of the richest oil reserves in the world! One wonders if President Bush knew these prophecies foretelling of ancient Babylon's revival?). John records that...

And the great city (what does John call it? A city. So Babylon need not be interpreted symbolically like so many have done but as a literal city that will exist - see Babylon Photo Tour) was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And Babylon the great was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath. (see note Revelation 16:19)

"And a strong angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "Thus will Babylon, the great city, (Beloved, if John calls it a city, it is a city and you do not have to interpret it symbolically as is so commonly done. After all, how could you even know whose "symbolic" interpretation was correct? What God states plainly men sometimes make obtuse!) be thrown down with violence, and will not be found any longer." (see note Revelation 18:21)

There are many other Biblical details describing this cataclysmic time in world history, but for our purposes this overview gives the context for the subsequent golden Millennial age foretold by the Old Testament prophets of and longed for deeply by every Jew ever born (and especially those "born twice"!). In light of the absolute certainty of the rule of Messiah over His earthly Kingdom the question is "Who will be His subjects? Who enters into the 1000 year reign of Christ?" The short answer is that only Jewish and Gentile believers will enter the Millennial Kingdom. There are two judgments preceding the Millennium, one for Jews and the other for Gentiles.

Ezekiel foretells the future judgment of the Jews, who are still alive at the termination of the Great Tribulation, recording

"As I live," declares the Lord GOD, "surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out (refers to the Great Tribulation, a time of purifying when 2/3's of Israel will not come through the fire), I shall be king over you. And I shall bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered (predicts a worldwide regathering of Israel, a regathering we have been witnessing since the birth of the nation of Israel in May, 1948), with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out; and I shall bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I shall enter into judgment with you face to face. As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt (alluding to the judgment in which most of the Jews who came out of Egypt were not allowed to enter into the Promised Land of Canaan because of unbelief), so I will enter into judgment with you," declares the Lord GOD.

"And I shall make you pass under the rod (the so-called faithful remnant), and I shall bring you (God Himself engineers this spiritual transaction, which speaks of His grace and mercy) into the bond of the covenant (an allusion to the New Covenant not the Old Covenant of Law - cf Jer 31:31-34 see study of New Covenant in the Old Testament) and I shall purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against Me; I shall bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they will not enter the land of Israel (part of the 2/3's who are purged. Walvoord states "This is to be interpreted as a judgment of physical death, and they will be raised from the dead at the judgment of the great white throne after the millennium to participate in the destiny of all the wicked."). Thus you will know that I am the LORD. (The Jews who are regenerated will turn away from seeking to establish their own righteousness and will seek the righteousness of God through Jesus the Messiah and that will bring about their national regeneration. It is going to be a new nation, a regenerate nation that will enter the Millennial Israel under King Messiah. Notice that the description given does not mention any resurrection from the dead and it may be assumed in view of the fact that regathering is a prerequisite to the judgment that this applies only to the living Israelites in the world at the time of the second coming.)

"As for you, O house of Israel," thus says the Lord GOD, "Go, serve everyone his idols; but later, you will surely listen to Me, and My holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols. For on My holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel (Mt Zion, the Temple Mount, site of the rebuilt Millennial Temple)," declares the Lord GOD, "there the whole house of Israel, all of them, will serve Me in the land; there I shall accept them, and there I shall seek your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your holy things. (Ezekiel 20:33-40)

Thus we see that the Chief Shepherd will examine His flock (pass under the rod), and will purge...the rebels, and bring the faithful remnant into the blessings of the New Covenant in the 1000 year Messianic Kingdom. 

In an closely contemporaneous event, the Gentile survivors of the Great Tribulation will also be judged, at what is often called the judgment of the sheep and the goats. Matthew records that

"when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. (So clearly Christ returns visibly to earth and sits visibly on His throne as King of kings) And all the nations (Gentiles) will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'  (Their works did not save them but demonstrated that their hearts were regenerated. They brought forth fruit in keeping with genuine repentance).

Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'

"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' (Their works did not condemn them but demonstrated that their hearts were not regenerated).

"Then they themselves also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?'

"Then He will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Mt 25:31-46)