The Millennial Kingdom – Sermon from The Best of Tony Evans 2021

It’s hard to imagine a world without any pain or chaos, and as much as humanity may try, it will never be able to achieve perfect peace. But Tony Evans wants you to know about a time that is coming where our world will become a flawless utopia under Christ’s governing. Learn more about the thousand-year rule of Jesus Christ and how your current walk with God will affect your role at that time.

do you know your answer could be sitting

right next to you but you’ll never know

it

until god is ready to reveal it

god says if you come back home you’ll

see

i haven’t gone anywhere

so you draw near to him and he will draw

near to you because he’s the one who’s

never left if you walk in the spirit or

walk by means of the spirit he will open

up the hole for you to get through

the snake is going to try to stare stuff

up the snake is gonna try to get you

away from god there is a serpent in the

garden and your job keep him out

sometimes he brings a little something

that’s a little cute to let you know

keep on going keep on trusting because i

hear you

[Music]

mankind has longed for utopia

paradise

you’ve seen it in tv and movies

where we long for a time

when the pain will end

when peace will reign

when problems

will go away

something has interrupted the dream of

utopia

it’s called sin

whether it’s your sin or somebody else’s

sin that affects you

or even the environment that has been

cursed

by sin

sin has disrupted

the possibility of utopia paradise

in fact

paul says in romans chapter 8

that the whole creation groans

under this curse

however

there is coming a time

when there will be utopia

and that time is coming in history

before we ever get to eternity

and we call it the millennium

the millennial rule of jesus christ

millennium means a thousand

let’s review

jesus raptures the church

seven years of tribulation

jesus comes back

to set up his millennial

kingdom

and so today i want to talk to you

about paradise

not heaven we haven’t gotten to heaven

yet

i’m talking about

history the thousand-year rule of jesus

christ

to understand this

you have to understand why this

thousand-year period of time must occur

when god created adam and eve he said

let them rule

we call it the dominion covenant

where man was going to rule on earth

as managers of god’s creation

that rule got interrupted by satan and

sin when adam and eve disobeyed god

leading to the deterioration of earth

life spans begin to decline

marital conflict entered in murder cain

kills abel the world becomes wicked the

whole world in genesis 6 has to be

destroyed by a flood

because

sin cursed the creation that man was

supposed to rule on behalf of god

because of the sin cycle there was no

man who god could use to oversee the

rule on earth so god became a man in the

person of jesus christ

in luke chapter 1 verses 31 to 33

we are told that mary the mother of

jesus gave birth to a son

who was to be

in the seed of david and who was to rule

on the throne of god

we know him to be jesus

he has redeemed the people for his

namesake called the church christians

there will be tribulation where god will

remove the church all hell is going to

break loose on earth as god’s wrath is

revealed for it will no longer be held

back because of the death of christ

christians during that seven year period

of time are going to be rewarded based

on their faithfulness now

so what you do now i’ll pick this up in

a moment will affect

what you get to do in the millennium

in the thousand-year rule of christ or

what you don’t get to do luke chapter 19

gives up one of the many illustrations

in the bible

of a person

who

based on their faithfulness

gained or lost reward

in the millennial kingdom

he says some will be over 10 cities some

will be over five cities

some will be over no cities because they

were unfaithful

during their earthly life here

all of this is setting the stage at the

return of christ when the bible says

christians will come back with him

for this

thousand-year rule of christ known as

the millennium

the reason the two reasons why the

millennium will be utopia

paradise

the bible even calls it a return to eden

ezekiel 36 35 a return to eden we get

back to what god originally designed

there are two reasons why this will be

paradise one

as we’ll say in a moment jesus will be

ruling

from jerusalem the capital of the whole

earth will be jerusalem

it’s the conflict of the whole earth

today it will be the capital of the

whole earth then jesus christ the bible

says will rule with a rod of iron in

other words there will be allowed to be

no rebellion

you and i based on our rewards will be

the people

who he

utilizes to make sure

his rule is exactly as he wants it to be

and nobody will be able to override you

because you have a glorified body

so you don’t have to worry about

rebellion against you because nobody can

overcome you

now who exactly will you be overseeing

in the millennium

well that is explained to us

in matthew chapter 25 verse 31-46

because in those verses at the end of

the tribulation god is going to separate

the sheep from the goat

that is the unrighteous gentiles the

goats from the righteous gentile

sheep it says the unrighteous gentiles

coming out of the tribulation will be

sent to eternal judgment and the

righteous gentiles coming out of the

tribulation

they’re going to go into the millennium

in their natural human bodies

so there’s going to be a whole earth

full of folk in natural bodies

while you and i

will be overseeing them in glorified

bodies so in our glorified bodies based

on the positions that we have earned

during our stay here in our natural

bodies will affect your assignment then

in your glorifying glorified bodies over

those who are in the millennium in their

natural bodies and i’ll prove to you in

a moment

how those natural bodies will function

but of course you and i are in a

glorified body and this will last for a

thousand years before we ever get to

eternity

so one reason is that jesus will rule

through the saints from the capital of

the world jerusalem when he returns

there is a second reason why why this

will be paradise

the second reason you read in the first

two verses of revelation 20 because it

says and satan will be bound for a

thousand years

satan will be bound so that he no longer

is able to deceive the nations

let me give you

let me give you a little uh

summary of satanic strategy it exists

today that’s why he has to be bound

and that is

deception

that he will no longer deceive the

nations anymore

the reason why we are messed up is

because we’ve been tricked

and because jesus will rule with a rod

of iron four thousand years

even if you want to rebel you won’t be

able to you will not be allowed to rebel

so so your rebellion you better keep it

to yourself

because in the in the millennium with

you and i as judges

and in various

relationships will be co-heirs the bible

says we will be co-er heirs with him

so

this will be the ultimate answer to the

lord’s prayer thy kingdom come thy will

be done on earth as it is in heaven

earth

will take on the look of heaven

so let’s get this straight

for 1 000 years

if you are a believer today

most of your time is going to be spent

on earth not in heaven

there will be an event that will lead

into the millennium

the judgment separation of sheep sheep

and goats

but leading into that is going to be a

wedding

look at chapter 19

verses 7 to 10.

let us rejoice and be glad and give

glory to him for the marriage of the

lamb

has come and his bride has made herself

ready it was given to her to clothe

herself in fine linen bright and clean

for the fine linen is the righteous acts

of the saints

then he said to me write blessed are

those who are invited to the marriage

supper of the lamb and he said to me

these are true words of god then i fell

at his feet to worship him but he said

to me do not do that i am a fellow

servant of yours and your brother who

hold the testimony of jesus worship god

for the testimony of jesus is the spirit

of prophecy

so everybody loves a wedding so let me

tell you about a wedding and because

this wedding involves you because you’re

the bride

see the bible calls the church the bride

of christ

so god uses this terminology to express

our relationship jesus is called the

bridegroom okay

so there’s going to be a wedding

to appreciate this you have to

understand

the oriental weddings

so let me tell you the oriental weddings

and then how it applies to us and then

how that applies to the millennium

in biblical days the wedding took on a

number of different parts

the first aspect of a wedding in

biblical times was the betrothal period

you and i would say engagement

but there was a big difference between

our engagement

and the biblical times engagement

because the biblical time engagement was

a legal contract

then there was

the marriage

okay

that would lead to

what we all are aware of and that is

the reception

you know what the reception is it’s a

party

jesus’s reception is going to last a

thousand years

they were being made ready for the

marriage supper of the lamb that’s the

reception

so there’s going to be a party

with jesus and his bride

and it’s going to happen on earth

even though you’re in a glorified body

and for 1 000 years

carrying out your responsibilities as

jesus’s bride you are going to be

in a wedding reception called the

marriage supper of the lamb

and you will be there

based on the level of your reward so

everybody won’t party equally

and in fact the scripture says

some

who are part of the wedding

will be in outer darkness

well when god plays your tape

at the judgment seat of christ

he’s only going to allow to stand what

he can use

what was done in his name for his glory

everything else will be discarded

and based on what’s left based on your

tape will determine how much partying

you get to do

at the party

or whether you just get to see other

folk having fun

who you didn’t think had that much going

for

okay

so that’s the wedding that’s the party

that’s the marriage stuff of the lamb

which is the millennial reign of jesus

christ

now

what will this kingdom

look like what will this earthly rule

before we get to the eternal rule what

will this look like what he’s saying is

the rule of god during this kingdom will

be so comprehensive it will be unlike

anything you’ve ever saw because even

animals will not be able to display

their nature of sin

not even animals not snakes not lions

not bears why because it says the

knowledge of god is going to rule all

the creation notice what you saw in the

passage a child

that’s because in the natural life is

going on people are still getting

married people are still having babies

because we’re not in heaven yet we’re

not in eternity yet we’re in the

millennial kingdom on earth where human

beings are still operating in their

natural bodies look at one other passage

isaiah 65.

in isaiah chapter 65 here’s what we read

he says beginning in verse 17

for behold i create a new heaven and new

earth and the form of things will not be

remembered or come to mind

but be glad and rejoice forever in what

i create for behold i create jerusalem

for rejoicing and her people for

gladness

i will also rejoice in jerusalem and be

glad in my people because jerusalem will

be the son of the whole earth and there

will be no longer be heard in her the

voice of weeping or the sound of crying

no longer will there be an infant who

lives but a few days or an old man who

does not live out his days for the youth

will die

at the age of

and the one who does not reach the age

of 100

will be thought accursed let me pause

right there

in other words if you died 100

you died young because you weren’t doing

right

so what he says is in the millennium

because it’s lasting a thousand years

if you die at a hundred so we’re not in

heaven yet because people still dying so

if you die at a hundred they say you

must have been judged for something

you must have done something wrong to

die so early

so you see it’s a whole different world

order how can folks live so long in

their natural bodies because there’s no

sin

there is no allowed sin no overt sin

because sin is what kills your young

the only reason that life’s man went

down is because of the increase of sin

but notice what he says as he goes on

here in chapter 65.

he says

in verse

21

they will build houses and inhabit them

they will also plant vineyards and eat

from their fruit they will

not build and another inhabit nobody’s

going to take your house from you

they will not plant in another eat

for as the lifetime of a tree so will

the days of my people be

and my chosen ones will wear out the

my chosen ones will wear out the work of

their hands they will not labor in vain

or bear children for calamity because

they’re bearing children natural bodies

for they are the offspring of those

blessed by the lord and their

descendants it will also come to pass

that before they call i will answer and

while they are still speaking i will

hear the wolf and the lamb will graze

together the lion will eat straw like

the ox

and dust will be the serpent’s food they

will do no evil or harm in all my holy

mountain says the lord

utopia

paradise

it says folks who go to work won’t hate

their jobs they will not labor in vain

in other words you’re gonna be happy to

go to work that’ll make you want to go

to the millennium right now you’re just

looking forward to tomorrow morning you

can’t wait

if you’re living during this time and

we’re in glorified bodies so everything

about us is a party

because god is going to fulfill the

destiny of man

psalm 2 talks about god was going to

rule through man psalm 8 talks about

god’s going to rule through man history

cannot be completed until within history

there is the rule of god through man

jesus christ his glorified saints over

mankind

that is the millennial kingdom

oh

but revelation 20 verse 7

says something very interesting

it says

when the thousand years are completed

satan

will be released from his prison

and will come out to deceive the nations

which are on are in the four corners of

the earth

so history’s not finished yet

after a thousand years

satan who’s been chained

and not allowed to deceive the nations

will be released

now why

if there has been no

evil allowed to to express itself

because while there will be no evil in

the millennium allowed to express itself

there will be evil in the hearts

so there will be rebellious hearts that

will not be free to express themselves

because if you express rebellion

at a hundred years old you died as a

curse

god’s not going to allow overt rebellion

in the millennium

but there will be hearts of rebellion

so satan is going to be released to

reveal those who have rejected god even

in utopia

and that shouldn’t surprise us because

many of us have raised our kids in a

very godly environment to watch them go

left

you know what i wasn’t i didn’t raise

you like that but you went left anyway

god’s going to give mankind a perfect

environment which shows

that you don’t need satan to show how

sinful you are

because satan’s going to be bound and

there’s still going to be sinful hearts

so with that satan is going to be

allowed to reveal those who rejected god

one final time before the white throne

judgment and the white throne judgment

is to determine how much hell you get

the whole point of god telling us

prophecy is for us to live now in light

of them

to live now

in light of the eternal future that we

have to make your decisions now

in light of then

for the bible says

that everyone will stand before the lord

and you must give an account

you won’t have a choice

you don’t get to say i i’m tied up

you will be forced into his presence

to give an account for your appreciation

of the free gift of salvation which he

will never take away

he’ll never take away the free gift of

salvation but he will take away rewards

and the bible says the pain you will

feel

when he takes away your reward he

describes it as weeping and gnashing of

teeth

that means profound regret

that i had no time for the lord

the disciples said teach us how to pray

our father wasn’t heaven hallowed be thy

name thy kingdom come okay and then he

said

thy kingdom come thy will be done on

earth as it is in heaven

but he told them to pray that now

so let me give you some news

god wants to give you some level of

kingdom experience

before he brings in his kingdom

worldwide

thy kingdom come but how do i get that

kingdom down here so i can taste it he

tells you thy will be done

you must live for the will of god

in order to taste the kingdom of god if

you’re not living for the will of god

god’s not going to let you taste

something that you have no interest in

but there’s some here

who’ve had a taste

we got a few here

you didn’t taste it that’s why the bible

says taste and see that the lord is good

he ain’t gonna give you all of it right

now

but he’ll put a little something

something on it put a little sugar on it

and let you go

where they cooking this where they

baking this it’s all up in the kingdom

but he’ll give you a taste now if you

are committed to his will

oh but i got to conclude with the rest

of the story

because in this world

and in this life

some of the tasting comes through the

crucible of suffering

now

i do not want to lie to you

the bible says all those who live godly

in christ jesus will suffer persecution

it’s not going to be all good all the

time if you’re a serious christian but

here’s what i will tell you whenever you

watch the super bowl

and the winning team

is on the field

there’s a

party they’re celebrating

they’re hugging

they’re crying

they’re rejoicing

they’re grabbing their families

but look real close

some of them got bloody arms

some of them got torn jerseys

all of them got dirty jerseys

in other words they didn’t been through

something

for three hours they didn’t been through

something

they didn’t been through some pain they

they’ve been hit they’ve been tackled

they’ve been blocked they didn’t been

through yeah there was some good stuff

but there may have been some fumbles

some dry passes and some offsides so

they made some mistakes they’ve been

hurt along the way but other folks who

are trying to hurt them they have been

through something but if you ask them at

the end of the game was it worth it even

though they have been through something

they will tell you yeah

cause i got a super bowl ring

i got a trophy

and i’m going to disneyland

so you hang in there

and you hang in there

cause god has got a ring for your finger

he’s got a trophy for your commitment

as you taste of the kingdom that is to

come

[Music]

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do you know

what you and every other kid in the

whole world share

all of you are made in the image of god

god’s special stamp is on all of you

the stamp says made by god of love

even though everyone in the world looks

different from each other

we are all equally made by god

some kids have dark skin some kids have

brown skin some kids have green eyes

some kids have brown eyes some kids have

curly hair some kids have straight hair

god made us different

we have diversity

but he also made us part of the same

family

we have unity

god loves all the the same and we should

all love each other to say

it all starts with you

that’s what god wants all of us to do to

love one another

you