Every day we pray more earnestly, "Your Kingdom come!" We look forward to the time when Satan's rule will stop and Christ's rule will begin. When Christ returns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16), we shall rule with Him as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:9-10; 20:6).

All of those who were called and chosen by the Father will rule with Christ at this time. The sufferings during this life will fade in memory as we shall be joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:16-18). But what exactly will we be doing during this time? What is our role in the Millennium?

Kingdom Given to the Saints

We are told in Daniel 7:22, 27 that when Christ returns, the Kingdom will be given to the saints. Revelation 3:21 says that the saints will share Christ's throne. This includes having specific offices of authority and making judgments (Revelation 20:4; 1 Corinthians 6:2). Jerusalem will become the capital of the earth (Jeremiah 3:17), and God's government will spread from there.

Christ said that the saints will rule over cities (Luke 19:17-19). He specifically stated that David will be king of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9), and the apostles will be over the individual tribes of Israel (Luke 22:29-30). Christ will appoint the saints as rulers over the entire earth (Revelation 2:26-27; Psalm 149:5-9). Man's self-rule will cease, and there will no longer be human governments (Daniel 2:44; 7:27; Revelation 11:15).

The saints' joint rulership with Christ helps us understand our role in the Millennium. When we read the things that Christ will do in the Millennium, we can put our names with His! As Isaiah 32:1 says, "Behold, a king [Christ] will reign in righteousness, and princes [the saints] will rule with justice."

So let's look at events in the Millennium, and see what God has in store for us.

The Restoration of Israel

One of the first things Christ will do is bring Israel back from captivity. At this time Israel will be scattered all over the earth (Isaiah 11:11-12). In Jeremiah 16:14-16 God says He will send for many "fishermen" and "hunters" to seek out and find all of His people and bring them back. Whether this is a literal reference to the saints gathering the Israelites or merely a metaphor, the saints will still play a large role in this gathering of Israel. How?

This second exodus is to dwarf the first exodus. Moses led perhaps 2 million Israelites from Egypt . The number in this second exodus will far exceed that number.

God says in Isaiah 6:11-13 and Amos 5:3 that only a tenth of Israel will be left when Christ returns. A rough estimate of the population of the modern day Israelite nations is half a billion. A tenth of that is 50 million, which indeed dwarfs 2 million! No wonder people will no longer mention the first exodus (Jeremiah 16:14-15).

So who will lead these millions of people back to Jerusalem? Christ is to gather them, and who is reigning with Christ at this time? The saints! Perhaps we will help lead the Israelites back to their homeland. Being delivered from their captivity, they will be overwhelmed with emotion and will be eager to return to God (Jeremiah 31:7-9; 50:4-5).

Once the Israelites have been gathered, their education will begin. God will remove the spiritual blindness and give them His Holy Spirit, and they will be taught the way of peace (Isaiah 25:7; Ezekiel 36:24-27; Jeremiah 33:6).

The saints will be their teachers. As priests, we will teach knowledge (Malachi 2:7). We will teach them the difference between right and wrong, between the clean and unclean (Ezekiel 44:23). Teaching will be a big part of our job in the Millennium.

Throughout our physical lives we have learned by experience that God's way works. We will pull from our well of experiences and knowledge of God to help these people. We will be there helping them one-on-one, encouraging them to do what is right (Isaiah 30:20-21). God says that He will send shepherds to Israel to teach them according to His heart and feed them knowledge and understanding (Jeremiah 3:15). We will be those shepherds.

The Conversion of the Other Nations

Israel will become the model nation for the world. Throughout the first several decades of the Millennium, the other nations will begin to look up to Israel. They will see the blessings of living God's way and want to learn it themselves.

Zechariah 8:23 paints a vivid picture of these people: "In those days ten men from every language of the nations shall grasp the sleeve of a Jewish man, saying, 'Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"

So where have these people heard about God? Isaiah 11:9 tells us that the whole earth will have knowledge about God. That knowledge will come through the saints! We will be sent all over the earth teaching God's ways.

Some nations will not obey at first. Many will not trust Christ. After all, the False Prophet said he was God, and look at the corruption and devastation that followed! As kings, we will not "twist their arms" to force them into submission. Rather, they will reap the consequences of their choices.

God tells us that He will send drought and plagues to those who do not keep the Feast (Zechariah 14:16-19). The saints will teach the blessings for obeying God, and the curses for disobeying God. We will use the power entrusted to us to lead these people to God, not drag them.

Some will start obeying God only to save themselves. They will not want to be plagued! But as they start applying God's ways in their lives, they will begin to see the benefits of His ways. So instead of obeying because they "have to," they will learn to obey because they "want to." We will be there encouraging them along the way.

Dealing With Evil in the Millennium

As a whole, the nations will see the blessings of obeying God. However, evil will exist during the Millennium, especially during the early years. Although Satan will be removed, his ingrained influence will still be present, especially during the first few generations in the Millennium. So how is Christ—and His assistants, the saints—going to deal with evil?

It is important to note that although God's Holy Spirit will be available to all mankind, repentance is still a requirement to have it (Acts 2:38). God will not give His Spirit to just anyone. Some will not want to repent. What will happen to them? How will we deal with this in our areas of jurisdiction?

A rebellion is prophesied early into the Millennium in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. This rebellion is to consist of a huge number of people who want to conquer Israel. These armies do not want Christ and the saints ruling over them, but want to plunder the wealth God provides to those who are obeying Him.

Both Christ and the saints will be aware of what is happening in the thoughts of these people. Yes, people will still have free moral agency, and they can still choose to do evil. God will allow this insurrection to occur. Why?

Notice the thoughts of these people in Ezekiel 38:11-12, "You will say, 'I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates'—to take plunder and to take booty." They think they can easily overtake "defenseless" Israel with their large army and many weapons.

God ultimately annihilates this army as an example to all in the Millennium. God says this will teach all nations that He is in charge, and teach Israel to trust in Him (Ezekiel 38:23; 39:7).

So where do the saints fit in this picture? Remember, human nature is still around. Many will be afraid of the coming army. Who will be there encouraging them to, "Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD!" (like Moses did in Exodus 14:13)? We will! Notice Isaiah 35:4, "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with recompense of God; He will come and save you.'" This verse is in the context of the Millennium.

So great is this example, that the weapons of this army will burn for seven years, and it will take seven months to bury the dead! No doubt it took several months or years to organize this rebellion, but it will be stopped in an instant.

Speaking of the Millennium, Isaiah 11:9 says that no one will hurt nor destroy in God's holy mountain.

When someone begins doing wrong things, the saints will get involved. Notice Isaiah 30:21, "Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left."

As God spoke to Cain when he began to choose the wrong path (Genesis 4:6-7), we will encourage people to do what is right when they are going astray. But unlike Cain, those evil plans will not be able to be carried out against someone who is living God's way. Most likely angels will be there to prevent acts that can hurt or destroy.

After several generations, the way of peace will become the norm. Children will be born into peace. People will grow up knowing only God's ways and not learning war (Isaiah 2:1-4). Fear from others will not exist (Micah 4:4; Zechariah 8:4-5). Many generations will only hear and read about times of war and violence. They won't know what it is like to live in a world full of pain and sorrow.

Yes, most of the Millennium will be a time of unprecedented peace. But, unfortunately, evil will once again show its ugly face at the end of the thousand years.

A Time of Warning

During the latter part of the Millennium, we will warn the people about Satan's release. Probably all during the thousand years we will have taught about his influence on mankind, and its bad effects. Now, during the last generations—with urgency—we will warn of his coming deception.

Who better than the saints know about Satan's weapons and tactics? We know all too well his methods. And we will warn the people. Yet free moral agency will still exist, and many will fall for Satan's deception (Revelation 20:7-9).

The rest will not fall for Satan's tactics and will remain faithful. During the Millennium it seems likely multiple billions of people will be converted and finally changed to spirit like us. We will have completed the work given to us as kings and priests during the Millennium, and look forward to our new assignments helping the Father and Christ bring even more sons and daughters to glory (Hebrews 2:10).

An Awesome Opportunity

The news today is full of war and violence. We have been called to be part of a time that will be full of peace and tranquility. In the world today some 40,000 people die every day from starvation. In the world tomorrow food will be in such abundance that the plowman will overtake the reaper (Amos 9:13).

Today we are a privileged few who have been called by God to understand His purpose for us. But beyond today, all people will know God (Jeremiah 31:34).

Yes, God has called us to be part of the solution. The Father has handpicked each one of us to play an active role in the conversion of billions of people. No matter how insignificant we may feel now, God has called you and me to have an important role in the Millennium.

As Paul said, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God... Because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:18-19, 21).

Yes, the world is waiting on us. Now, more than ever, let's pray—"Your Kingdom come!" UN