This is one reason the Lord commanded the children of Israel to rest the farmlands every seventh year (Exodus 23:10, 11). It would give the ground a chance to recover its vitality and provide a volunteer crop for the poor to eat. But most of God’s people ignored this law or simply refused to obey it. Then came a day of awful judgment. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, came to Judah and executed those who had rebelled against him. Others were carried off to the golden city of Babylon. Meanwhile, the land of Israel lay quietly in ruins, “until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath.”

2 Chronicles 36:21. At the end of 70 years, the survivors returned to Canaan to replant the Promised Land and to rebuild Jerusalem.

For 6,000 years now, Jesus has been sowing the seed of the gospel. The Bible tells us that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years.” 2 Peter 3:8. Soon King Jesus will come to harvest the world. Some will be slain by the brightness of His coming, and the rest will be carried off to His golden kingdom. Then this tired old planet will keep a 1,000-year Sabbath, becoming a desolate dungeon, a bottomless pit, that imprisons Satan in chains until the millennium comes to an end—just in time for a new world to begin.

THE STUDY

Fill in the blanks after reading each Bible text.

1. What events mark the beginning of the 1,000 years?

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the___ Himself will____ from heaven with a shout, … And the dead in Christ will____ first.

Revelation 20:4, 5 And they lived and reigned with Christ for a____ years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the___ resurrection.

NOTE: The one thousand years of Revelation 20 is often called the millennium. The word “millennium” is simply a Latin composite of two words: “milli,” meaning “one thousand,” and “annum,” meaning “years.” The second coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the righteous mark the beginning of the 1,000 years. The saints of all ages (described as “blessed and holy” in verse 6) will be raised in this first resurrection.

2. What else will happen at the first resurrection?

Corinthians 15:51, 52 We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be____—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised.

Philippians 3:21 Who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His___ body.

2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will … ____with the brightness of His coming.

Revelation 16:18, 20, 21 And there was a great____ , such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. … Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And great____ from heaven fell upon men, each hailstone about the weight of a talent [about 75 pounds].

Revelation 20:1, 2 An angel … laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and___ him for a thousand years.

NOTE: See the 1,000-year chart on page 6 for a summary of the events that will take place as the 1,000 years begin.

3. Who will be raised in the second resurrection, and when will it take place?

John 5:28, 29 All who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth— those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done___, to the resurrection of___ .

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead [the wicked] did not live again until the thousand years were___ .

NOTE: The wicked are raised in the second general resurrection at the close of the 1,000 years.

4. What is the condition of the earth during the 1,000 years?

Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the Lord makes the earth___ and makes it waste.

Jeremiah 4:23-26 I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and___ ; and the heavens, they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, … there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. … The fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its___ were broken down at the presence of the Lord, by His fierce anger.

Jeremiah 25:33 And at that day the___ of the Lord shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth. They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or____ .

NOTE: The earth will be totally devastated by the earthquake and hailstorm that strike at Jesus’ second coming. It will be left in complete darkness. Dead people will lie strewn across the earth’s surface, with no one mourning, because none will be left alive. The righteous will all be in heaven, and the wicked will all be dead. (See supplement on “The Bottomless Pit.”)

5. Where will the saints be during the 1,000 years, and what will they be doing?

John 14:3 I will come again and receive you to Myself; that___ I___ , there you may be also.

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and____ was committed to them. … And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 Do you not know that the___ will judge the world? … Do you not know that we shall judge angels?

NOTE: During the 1,000 years the saints will be in heaven, participating in the judgment. They will not decide who is saved or lost, because God will already have that determined. They will simply confirm the judgments of God. “For Your judgments have been manifested.” Revelation 15:4. The fairness of God’s punishment for the lost will be affirmed, as well as the rewards for the righteous (Revelation 22:11, 12). This phase of the judgment is for the benefit of the saints. For example, suppose you get to heaven and discover that your beloved pastor is not there—yet some infamous criminal is there! You would probably need an explanation. The angels will guide us through the record books to settle any doubts. At the end of this phase of the judgment, all will be totally convinced of God’s justice, love, and His impartial dealings with all. They will declare, “For true and righteous are His judgments.” Revelation 19:2. (See supplement entitled “The 1,000-Year Chart.”)

6. What will happen at the close of the 1,000 years?

Zechariah 14:1, 4, 5, 9 Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, … And in that day His feet will stand on the___ of___, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be___ in two, … Thus the Lord my God will come, and all the saints with You. … And the Lord shall be King over all the earth.

Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming___ out of____ from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

NOTE: At the close of the 1,000 years, the New Jerusalem with the saints inside will descend from heaven and land on what is now the Mount of Olives. The Lord will flatten the hill to make a great plain for the city’s landing site.

7. What will happen next to free Satan from his prison?

Revelation 20:5, 7 But the rest of the____ did not live again until the thousand years were finished. … Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be___ from his prison.

NOTE: After the wicked are resurrected, Satan will once again be free to deceive and manipulate them.

8. What will Satan do when the wicked are raised?

Revelation 20:8, 9 And will go out to___ the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and___ the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

NOTE: Satan will deceive people into believing that he was unjustly deposed from heaven and that together they can capture the city and take control. Realizing they are shut out of the holy city, the wicked will organize an attack to conquer the New Jerusalem.

9. At this crucial moment, what will stop everything?

Revelation 20:11, 12 Then I saw a great___ ____ and Him who sat on it, … And the dead were__ according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

NOTE: God’s throne will suddenly appear in the heavens above the city, and the final phase of the judgment begins. The assault on the city of God is thus brought to an instant halt. The books will be opened, and every person’s life will be made to pass before him. Everything will be open for the wicked and righteous to see (Luke 12:2, 3).

10. What will happen after the wicked are judged?

Romans 14:11 As I live, says the Lord,___ knee shall___ to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Philippians 2:10, 11 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should___ that____ Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Revelation 19:1, 2 I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying,… “true and___ are His           .”

NOTE: The wicked will all freely admit that God has been fair and just and that He tried desperately to save them, but they openly chose to reject Him and to live a selfish life of sin. After this universal admission, the sin controversy will be forever settled and it will be safe to destroy sinners.

11. What will happen next?

Revelation 20:9 ____ came down from God out of heaven and___ them.

Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the____ of fire.

NOTE: God’s fire will then fall upon the wicked and form a vast lake of fire all around the city of God. This fire will eventually turn them all to ashes (Malachi 4:3). The devil will have no control over this fire, which is called hell. Instead, he and his angels will also be punished in the fire and then turned into ashes (Revelation 20:10; Ezekiel 28:18). There is no resurrection from this fire, which is called the second death (Revelation 20:14).

12. After the fire goes out, what will God do for His people?

Isaiah 65:17 For behold, I____ new heavens and a new earth.

2 Peter 3:13 We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which___ dwells.

NOTE: At the end of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity, the children of Israel returned to the promised land and rebuilt the city. After the millennium, the saints will witness Jesus create a new heavens (atmosphere) and a perfect new earth, where sin will never again rear its ugly head (Nahum 1:9). The paradise that Adam and Eve lost by sin will be restored in all of its Edenic glory. Peace, joy, love, and perfect happiness will rest upon God’s people forever!

13. Where will God and the righteous finally live?

Revelation 21:3 Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will___ with____ .

Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the___ .

NOTE: Both God the Father and God the Son will live with their saints on the new earth. Just think of it—having God for a neighbor!

YOUR RESPONSE

Jesus says, “I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2. He has a mansion for you in the holy city. Will you now accept His offer of life eternal so He may give you the new birth and prepare you for His kingdom?

ANSWER:

SUPPLEMENT

This section provides additional information for further study.

The 1,000-Year Chart

The Bottomless Pit

The term “bottomless pit” from Revelation 20:1 is often misunderstood. It is translated from the Greek word “abusos,” the root of the English word “abyss.” In the Greek Old Testament, this word is used to refer to the formless, dark earth as it was before Creation. “The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.” Genesis 1:2. The word “abusos” is used again in Luke 8:31 to illustrate a condition where demons have no one to possess or manipulate.

During the 1,000 years, the devil is chained by circumstances, “that he should deceive the nations no more.” Revelation 20:3. A literal chain could never chain a spiritual being. Only one thing would prevent him from tempting people, and that is if there were no people alive! When Jesus comes, the wicked are all slain and the righteous taken to heaven, so Satan and his angels are confined to this planet with no one to tempt. For 1,000 years they will roam and behold the fruit of their rebellion. No more galling chain of circumstances has ever been forged. It is in this manner that Satan and his angels are bound. “They will be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and will be shut up in the prison; after many days they will be punished.” Isaiah 24:22.