Who are the mortals entering the Millennial Kingdom? PreMillennial Doctrine and the Sequence of Events
Overview of Premillennial Doctrine and the Sequence of Events
Premillennialism holds that Christ will return bodily to earth before (pre-) the millennium to defeat Antichrist at the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21 KJV) and establish His kingdom. Prior to the tribulation, the church—composed of all true believers from Pentecost until the rapture—is caught up to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 KJV: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air"). This rapture removes the church from earth, sparing it from the wrath of the tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9 KJV: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ").The seven-year tribulation follows, marked by seals, trumpets, and bowls of judgment (Revelation 6-16 KJV), during which many will perish due to wars, famines, plagues, and divine wrath. However, not all humanity will be destroyed; Scripture indicates survivors who live through this period and are judged at Christ's return.Who Are These Tribulation Survivors?At Christ's second coming, He will judge the nations in what is often called the "sheep and goats" judgment (Matthew 25:31-46 KJV). This occurs on earth immediately after the tribulation and Armageddon, separating the righteous ("sheep") from the wicked ("goats"). The goats are cast into everlasting punishment (v. 46), while the sheep are invited to "inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (v. 34). These "sheep" are the survivors in question—Gentile (and possibly some Jewish) individuals who endured the tribulation without taking the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17 KJV) and demonstrated faith through actions, such as aiding persecuted believers (Matthew 25:35-40 KJV: "For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat... Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me").Additionally, a remnant of Israel will be preserved and converted during the tribulation. Zechariah 13:8-9 KJV prophesies that two-thirds of Israel will perish, but one-third will be refined and call upon the Lord: "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined... they shall call on my name, and I will hear them." Romans 11:26 KJV affirms that "all Israel shall be saved" at this time, referring to a national repentance when they see Christ return (Zechariah 12:10 KJV: "And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him"). These Jewish survivors, along with the Gentile "sheep," form the group that enters the millennial kingdom in mortal bodies.These survivors are distinct from:
- The church (raptured saints), who return with Christ in glorified, immortal bodies (Revelation 19:14 KJV describes them as "the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean").
- The "tribulation saints," who are believers martyred during the tribulation (Revelation 7:9-17 KJV; 20:4 KJV). These are resurrected at the start of the millennium and reign with Christ but do not procreate, as they too receive glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:52-53 KJV describes the transformation to incorruptible bodies).
- Mortal Bodies and Longevity: Unlike the glorified saints, these survivors remain in natural, sinful bodies subject to aging and death, though under vastly improved conditions. Isaiah 65:20 KJV, often applied to the millennium, states: "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed." This suggests extended lifespans—people living to advanced ages like in patriarchal times (e.g., hundreds of years)—but death still occurs, especially for the unrepentant. No infant mortality is implied, emphasizing the blessed state.
- Procreation and Population Growth: These mortals will marry and have children, repopulating the earth. Revelation 20:7-8 KJV implies a massive population by the end of the millennium, as Satan deceives "the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea." This growth comes from the offspring of the survivors, not the immortal saints, who are like angels in this regard (Matthew 22:30 KJV: "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven"). The survivors' descendants will live under Christ's rule, but some will rebel inwardly, leading to the final uprising at the millennium's end.
- Daily Life and Worship: They will participate in a restored temple system (Ezekiel 40-48 KJV describes a millennial temple with sacrifices, seen as commemorative rather than atoning in premillennial views). Nations will pilgrimage to Jerusalem annually for the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-19 KJV: "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts... And it shall be, that whoso will not come up... even upon them shall be no rain"). Agriculture, commerce, and society will flourish (Isaiah 65:21-23 KJV: "They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them... for as the days of a tree are the days of my people").
- Spiritual State: While the survivors enter as believers (having been judged righteous), their offspring born during the millennium will need to personally accept Christ. Sin will be restrained by Christ's "rod of iron" rule (Revelation 19:15 KJV; Psalm 2:9 KJV), but not eradicated until the eternal state. This explains why rebellion is possible at the end (Revelation 20:7-9 KJV).
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