The Golden Age
The Golden Age (2369)Revelation 20 speaks of the coming Golden Age—a day when the Garden of Eden will be restored. There will be no more poverty or war. Israel will be restored to her land. Jerusalem will be the world’s capital. The resurrected saints will rule and reign with the Lord Jesus Christ.We call this the millennium.Theologians have divided their thoughts about the millennium into three basic categories: amillennialism, postmillennialism and premillennialism.Amillennialists believe that the millennium is an allegory for Jesus ruling through the modern church.Postmillennialists believe there must be one thousand years of peace on earth before Jesus Christ can come back. There aren’t many postmillennialists around today, because the world is falling deeper and deeper into sin, as the Bible teaches. Adrian Rogers says, “The Gospel is not something to save civilization from wreckage. The Gospel is God’s plan to save men from the wreckage of civilization.”Therefore, the final category, premillennialism, believes that Jesus must come before we can have a thousand years of peace here on this earth. Jesus will rule and reign on earth from Jerusalem. If we believe this interpretation, we have much to look forward to about the Golden Age.First, there will be a forceful restraint of Satan. Today, Satan roams the earth like a lion. In the millennium, this roaring lion will be chained.Second, there will be the future reign of the Savior. The Lord Jesus Christ will reign on earth, and the saints will reign and rule with Him. All kingdoms on earth will be changed.Third, there will be a final rebellion of the sinners. God, who is always sovereign, will allow Satan to have one final fling; why? It is God’s final testimony to the wickedness of the human heart.Finally, we can anticipate the fixed resolution of sin. Jesus will do away with sin, cast Satan into the lake of fire and deliver the kingdom to Almighty God.We should be encouraged by this. We should anticipate Jesus’s Second Coming. We should evangelize to others so they may know the truth of the Gospel. And we should examine our hearts to make sure we have a relationship with Jesus Christ. ####Apply it to your lifeWhat does this mean for us now? Our major responsibility in this day and age is to prepare men for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ by the preaching of the Gospel.