Lessons From The Millennium

Q

From your teaching, I understand that the earth will be repopulated, repaired, and refurbished by believing, but mortal, survivors of the Tribulation. And I know we are told little or nothing about life on earth or the organization of society during the Millennium.

Yet, at the end of the thousand years, when Satan is released, he will have no problem recruiting a vast army of new rebels against God and His rule. To me, that indicates that as new generations are born during the Millennium, mankind will have reverted to its old, rebellious, sinful nature just as it is today despite the presence of the Lord ruling from Jerusalem with a Rod of Iron.

How can I resolve the apparent contradiction seen when Jesus, God Himself, ruling with a stated and emphasized Rod of Iron, is unsuccessful, powerless, to overrule man’s rebellious spirit? This has caused me great distress for years.

 

A

Without going into a lot of unnecessary detail, I think what the Millennium is meant to teach us is that because of his sin nature there’s no set of circumstances in which natural man can be obedient to God. Because He has given man sovereignty over his own life, not even God can make it so. Man’s sin nature makes it impossible to live according to God’s Law, and when the opportunity presents itself, he’ll rebel.