Christians and the Millennial Hope

“Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.’​—Matt. 6:10.

1. (a) How does Christendom speak of the millennial hope? (b) Why are Jehovah’s Witnesses not disturbed by this?

THE Roman Catholic Church and, indeed, most of the large, well-established Protestant religions never mention the millennial hope to churchgoers. They speak disdainfully of that hope as “millennialism,” and of those who share it as “millenarians.” But Jehovah’s Witnesses are not ashamed of this belief, for irrefutable historical facts show that the millennial hope was shared by the early Christians.

EARLY CHRISTIANS WERE CALLED “MILLENARIANS”

2. What do two encyclopedias state concerning belief in the millennium among the early Christians?

² Referring to Christians who believe in the 1,000-year reign of Christ, the Encyclopedia Americana states: “Those who hold such views are called millenarians or chiliasts, and their tenet chiliasm (Gr. chilioi, 1,000). It is admitted on all sides that these views were, if not general, at least very common in the ancient church.” The French Encyclopædia Universalis informs us: “In Western Christendom millennialism was very active in Judeo-Christianity during the first three centuries. . . . Millennialism was very deep-rooted during the first centuries of Christianity.”

3, 4. (a) What indications are there that Christians did not have to await the Revelation before cherishing millennial hopes? (b) What may some claim about the millennial hope?

³ There is evidence that the hopes connected with the 1,000-year reign of Christ were shared by Christians even before the apostle John received the Revelation at the end of the first century C.E. By reading the Jewish prophets, they had received foregleams of the wonderful millennial hope given by Christ in Revelation, chapters 20 and 21. Interestingly, the Encyclopædia Britannica (1966 edition) confirms this, stating: “Among early Christians the idea of millenarianism . . . was derived chiefly from Jewish eschatological expectations [expectations concerning the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world].” On this same point the 30-volume New Encyclopædia Britannica (1977) has this to say: “In the Book of Revelation the assimilation of Jewish apocalypticism [expectation of the ultimate destruction of evil and triumph of good] to Christianity was completed. . . . During the first hundred years of Christian history [33-133 C.E.], this form of millenarianism, or chiliasm (from the Greek word for 1,000), was commonly taught and accepted within the church.”​—Italics ours.

⁴ Some may retort: ‘Perhaps, but the millennial hope for these early Christians did not concern the earth. It was a heavenly hope.’ Yet, what do the historical facts and the Bible show? Let us see.

PARADISE ON EARTH STILL HOPED FOR

5, 6. According to various authorities, what views did first-century Christians hold?

⁵ There is an abundance of evidence that the early Christians never imagined that all the prophecies and promises in the Hebrew Scriptures concerning the restoration of paradise on earth had been canceled out by the coming of Messiah or Christ. The Dictionnaire de Théologie Catholique itself admits: “The origins of millennialism reach back beyond the Christian era. The belief in an earthly reign of the Messiah had its beginning in the hopes of Israel.”

⁶ In A History of Christianity, historian Kenneth Scott Latourette says of the early Christians who were hoping for the second coming of Christ: “Many held to the view that before the final end of history and the full accomplishment of God’s purpose in the perfect doing of His will, a hope which was common to all Christians, Christ would return, set up his kingdom on earth and reign for a thousand years. . . . The conception of an age or ages of a thousand years duration was not confined to Christians, but was also to be found in Judaism.”

7. What indicates that the early Christians did not confuse paradise with heaven?

⁷ Thus, there is cumulative evidence that the early Christians were “millenarians,” insofar as that name was applied to those who were hoping for the 1,000-year reign of Christ the Messiah. Jesus had revealed that he would rule from heaven, but he did not annul the original Messianic hope of the Jews, the restoration of paradise on earth during that millennium. Interestingly, the Catholic Supplément au Dictionnaire de la Bible admits that “in Jewish writings, as in early Christian literature, the word paradise is not usually synonymous with heaven.”​—Italics ours.

CHRIST DID NOT ANNUL THE MILLENNIAL HOPE

8. (a) Of what was Jesus’ coming a guarantee? (b) How do the Scriptures show that paradise will be restored on earth?

⁸ In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated: “Do not think I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I came, not to destroy, but to fulfill.” (Matt. 5:17) Or, as Today’s English Version renders the last sentence: “I have not come to do away with them, but to make their teachings come true.” Since Jesus came to make the teachings of the prophets come true, his coming was a guarantee that their prophecies concerning the restoration of paradise on earth would be fulfilled. Here are just a few: Psalms 37:11, 29; 72:1-8,16-19; 115:16; Isaiah 9:6, 7; 11:1-10; 45:18; Daniel 2:34, 35, 44, 45; 7:13, 14.

9. How does the Model Prayer link the Kingdom with the millennial hope?

⁹ Also in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed quite clearly that the earth is due to play a part in the outworking of the divine will or purpose. He taught his followers to pray: “Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified. Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matt. 6:9, 10) He linked the accomplishment of God’s will on earth with the coming of God’s kingdom, which is none other than the Messianic kingdom. Hence, the Lord’s Prayer, repeated literally millions of times by Catholics and Protestants throughout the centuries, is, in fact, among other things, a prayer for the fulfillment of the Messianic promises tied in with the millennial hope.

THE MILLENNIAL HOPE FULLY REVEALED

10. (a) When and how did Jesus fully reveal the millennial hope? (b) What heartwarming details did he provide?

¹⁰ A quarter of a century after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 C.E. (which put an end to Jewish hopes of national deliverance by a political Messiah) Jesus, the true Messiah, fully revealed the true millennial hope. In his record of the Revelation that he received from God through Jesus Christ, the apostle John wrote:

“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven with the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he seized the dragon, the original serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. . . .

“And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. . . . Happy and holy is anyone having part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; . . . With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them . . . And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.’”​—Rev. 20:1-6, Re 21:1-4.

A “SACRED SECRET” EXPLAINED

11. How did the millennial hope revealed by Jesus correspond with the original Messianic hope of the Jews?

¹¹ Can you not see the resemblance between this description of the millennial reign of Christ and the original Messianic hope of the Jews, “the hope of an ideal Messianic future . . . the golden age of paradisiacal bliss . . . a world of perfect peace and harmony among all creatures . . . ‘new heavens and a new earth,’” to requote The Jewish Encyclopedia?a

12, 13. What shows that Jesus’ disciples were still expecting an earthly reign of the Messiah?

¹² However, undeniably, there were important details concerning the Messianic kingdom that the Jews did not understand and that even the 12 apostles and other early disciples of Christ had difficulty in comprehending. Shortly after giving his Sermon on the Mount, in which he taught his disciples to pray for God’s kingdom to come and for God’s will to take place on earth, as in heaven, Jesus said to his disciples: “To you the sacred secret of the kingdom of God has been given, but to those outside all things occur in illustrations.”​—Mark 4:11.

¹³ Throughout his earthly ministry Jesus taught his disciples many things concerning the Messianic kingdom. In fact, even after his death and right up to the time he ascended to his heavenly Father he continued telling them “the things about the kingdom of God.” Yet, in spite of this, the very last question they put to him was: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”, thereby revealing that they were still expecting the Messiah to restore the fleshly kingdom of Israel. (Acts 1:3, 6) They were right in thinking that the Messianic kingdom concerned rulership, government, but they mistakenly thought that Messiah would reign on earth and that his government would be purely Jewish.

14. (a) What enabled Christ’s disciples to break free from their mistaken hope? (b) What important features of the “sacred secret” did the early Christians gradually come to understand?

¹⁴ Only after the outpouring of the holy spirit at Pentecost did Christ’s disciples break free from the concept of a nationalistic Messianic kingdom and come to comprehend new and important features of “the sacred secret of the kingdom of God.” One aspect of that “sacred secret” was that the Messiah would be a heavenly king and that his government would be located in heaven. (John 18:36; Acts 2:32-36; 1 Tim. 3:16) Other features of that “sacred secret”​—truths new and revolutionary for faithful Jewish minds molded by the Scriptures and not by Greek philosophy—​were that a limited number of humans would be chosen as “holy ones” to become associates with the Messiah in his kingdom, that these would reign with him in heaven, and that they would be chosen not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles or non-Jews.​—Dan. 7:13, 14, 27; Luke 12:32; 22:28-30; John 14:1-3; Eph. 3:3-6; Col. 1:26, 27.

A REVOLUTIONARY NEW HOPE

15. Why was the very idea of going to heaven revolutionary for the faithful Jewish remnant?

¹⁵ All of this was something quite new. As we have already seen in the article “Origin of the Millennial Hope,” the Jews’ original Messianic hope was an earthly hope, and it was only under the influence of false religious traditions and philosophy that, very late in their history, some of them came to believe in an immortal soul. The faithful Jewish remnant that stuck to the inspired Hebrew Scriptures and accepted Jesus as the true Messiah certainly did not believe in inherent immortality. So for these the idea of a Messiah ruling the earth from heaven and of themselves becoming corulers with him in heaven was all the more revolutionary.

16. What did Peter write about this revolutionary new hope?

¹⁶ In a letter to early Christians who had received this very special call to become priests and kings with the heavenly Messiah, the apostle Peter wrote: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for according to his great mercy he gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance. It is reserved in the heavens for you . . . But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood.’”​—1 Pet. 1:3, 4; 2:9.

17. How did Paul show that the call to life in heaven was something new?

¹⁷ The apostle Paul also wrote about this exceptional call to heavenly life, saying: “He saved us and called us with a holy calling . . . now it has been made clearly evident through the manifestation of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death but has shed light upon life and incorruption.” (2 Tim. 1:9, 10) If life in heaven had been the hope of the faithful remnant among the Jews, why did Christ have to “shed light” on this “holy calling” to incorruption? No, this call to heavenly life was clearly something quite new for these early Christians chosen from among the Jews and the Gentiles.

THE HEAVENLY HOPE FOR A LIMITED NUMBER OF “CHOSEN ONES”

18, 19. Explain how Paul’s second letter to Timothy and Peter’s first letter indicate that not all those who hope to live forever will be kings and priests with Christ in heaven. (Rev. 5:9, 10)

¹⁸ But do all those who accept Christ and hope to live forever receive this “holy calling” to incorruptible life in the heavens? Indicating that this special calling is meant for a limited number of ‘elect’ (Authorized Version) or “chosen ones,” Paul adds: “On this account I go on enduring all things for the sake of the chosen ones, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in union with Christ Jesus along with everlasting glory. Faithful is the saying: Certainly if we died together, we shall also live together; if we go on enduring, we shall also rule together as kings.”​—2 Tim. 2:10-12.

¹⁹ If all who are saved are called to “everlasting glory” in order to “rule together as kings” with Christ Jesus, over whom are they due to rule? And if all are to become “a royal priesthood,” on behalf of whom are they to act as royal priests?

20. How do Paul’s letters to the Galatians and the Romans show that the number of spiritual Israelites is limited?

²⁰ Consider the following: In his letter to the Galatians, Paul says of Christians chosen from among Jews and non-Jews who have been “baptized into Christ” that they “are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise,” and he calls them “the Israel of God.” (Gal. 3:26-29; 6:16) And in his letter to the Romans, the same apostle speaks of the “sacred secret” of non-Jews being called by God because of the “lack of faith” of many Jews, adding​—and this is a key passage—​“until the full number [“complete number,” TEV] of people of the nations has come in.” He explains that “in this manner,” that is, by Gentiles being called to fill out the required number, “all Israel will be saved.” Obviously this refers to spiritual Israel, the “ones chosen” from among Jews and non-Jews who are “really ‘Israel’” or “truly Israel.”​—Rom. 11:7, 17-26; 9:6 (The New English Bible); Ro 2:28, 29.

21. (a) How many spiritual Israelites are there? (b) What scripture proves that they are not chosen from among the angels?

²¹ Since non-Jews would receive this “holy calling” only until the “full number” was reached of those making up “the Israel of God,” logically the number of such spiritual Israelites is limited. Well, what is that number? Look up Revelation 7:1-8. There a definite limit is set on the number of Christians who are “sealed” to become a part of spiritual Israel. That this limited number is not chosen from among the angels is proved by Revelation 14:1-4, where this same number is said to be “bought from the earth,” “bought from among mankind as firstfruits to God and to the Lamb.”

22. For the 144,000, of what kind is their Bible-based hope?

²² For these 144,000 spirit-begotten, anointed Christians their Bible-based hope is a heavenly hope. After having part in “the first resurrection,” they “will be priests of God and of the Christ, and will rule as kings with him for the thousand years.”​—Rev. 20:6.

23. What questions are raised by the words “firstfruits” and “kings”?

²³ But if these “ones chosen” are “firstfruits,” logically other fruits are to follow. And if they are to “rule as kings,” who will be their subjects and what is the hope of such? We shall see as we proceed with this examination.

[Footnotes]

The Millennial Hope Triumphs

1. What questions were raised by the coming of the Messiah?

WHEN the long-awaited Messiah came to the Jews, did he confirm their original belief in a future life through resurrection, or did he come out in favor of their newly found pagan concept of inherent immortality of the soul? In bringing to light a heavenly hope, did Jesus Christ mean that all those saved would go to heaven? Or do both the Hebrew and the Christian Greek Scriptures hold out to millions the hope of everlasting life on earth?

FUTURE LIFE BY RESURRECTION

2. What did Jesus teach about the hope for future life?

² Far from teaching the pagan concept of inherent immortality of the human soul, Jesus showed that any hope for future life depends on the resurrection. He stated: “For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted also to the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to do judging, because Son of man he is. Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who did good things to a resurrection of life, those who practiced vile things to a resurrection of judgment.”​—John 5:26-29.

3. What are some of Christendom’s theologians now admitting with regard to the soul?

³ Interestingly, some modern-day theologians of Christendom are coming around to the idea that inherent immortality is unsupported by either the Hebrew or the Christian Greek Scriptures. For example, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Vol. 3, 1978) emphasizes “how unfamiliar the OT [Old Testament] is with the concept of a soul separate from the body, or a soul which becomes separate from the body at death.” And again: “Matt. 10:28 teaches not the potential immortality of the soul but the irreversibility of divine judgment of the unrepentant. . . . The NT [New Testament] sees man essentially as a unity and promises the transformation of the whole person, and not just the survival of a part. . . . there can be no immortality without prior resurrection.”

A HEAVENLY AND AN EARTHLY HOPE

4. What do Jehovah’s Witnesses accept, but what do they deny, and why?

⁴ Jehovah’s Witnesses do not deny that the Christian Greek Scriptures teach that some Christians receive “the heavenly calling.” (Heb. 3:1) What they do deny is that such “heavenly calling” does away with God’s original purpose to have the earth cultivated into a paradise and filled with a righteous race of men and women. They cannot accept the idea that all the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures foretelling the restoration of paradise on earth have become dead letters. They are all the more convinced of this because the promise of “a new earth” in which “righteousness is to dwell” is confirmed in the Christian Greek Scriptures.​—2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1-4.

5, 6. How does the Bible make plain the twofold Scriptural hope: (a) the heavenly? (b) the earthly?

⁵ Serious Bible study has led Jehovah’s Witnesses to believe that the Christian Scriptural hope is twofold: The gift of immortality in heaven for a limited few, and everlasting life on earth for the greater number. The heavenly hope to “rule as kings” with Christ is offered as an exceptional “grace” (AV) or “undeserved kindness” to 144,000 “elect” (AV) or “chosen ones,” starting with the apostles and early disciples of Christ. (Luke 12:32; Rom. 5:17; 8:33; Rev. 5:9, 10; 7:1-4; 14:1-4) Of these, only a few “remaining ones” of those who have ‘survived to the presence of the Lord’ are at present alive on earth.​—1 Thess. 4:14-17; Rev. 12:17.

⁶ The earthly hope is the original hope to which Adam and Eve could have attained, if they had stayed under Jehovah God’s sovereignty and not sought moral independence. (See the first three chapters of Genesis 1-3.) Man “is earthly by nature.” (1 Cor. 15:47, The Jerusalem Bible) His natural aspirations and yearnings are earthly. “To Jehovah the heavens belong, but the earth he has given to the sons of men.” (Ps. 115:16) And the Bible states plainly that Jehovah ‘did not create the earth for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited.’ (Isa. 45:18) Therefore the hope of everlasting life on earth in paradisaic conditions is both natural and Scriptural. It is nothing of which to be ashamed.

THE MILLENNIAL HOPE FOR TWO GROUPS

7. What hope do the Abrahamic promise and the prophecy of Daniel hold out for the peoples on earth?

⁷ Since the 144,000 spiritual Israelites are the “seed” or “true descendants of Abraham” and the “true heirs of his promise” (Gal. 3:26-29, Phillips), then it is well to remember that the promise given to Abraham also stated: “By means of your seed all nations of the earth will certainly bless themselves.” (Gen. 22:16-18) The prophet Daniel also spoke of “peoples, national groups and languages” over whom the “son of man,” Jesus Christ, will exercise from “the heavens” the “kingdom and the rulership.” This he does together with the “chosen ones,” spoken of as “the holy ones of the Most High.”​—Dan. 7:13, 14, 27, footnote; 2 Tim. 2:10.

8. What shows that Paul and John realized that salvation is not limited to the “chosen ones”?

⁸ The early Christians were not unfamiliar with these prophecies that speak of two groups: the “seed” and the “nations,” the “holy ones” and the “national groups.” Confirming this, after having spoken of those who will be “joint heirs with Christ” and who will be “glorified together” with him in heaven, the apostle Paul speaks of human “creation” whose “eager expectation” is to be “set free from enslavement to corruption,” or sin, and to “have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:15-21) Writing to Christians who, like himself, shared the heavenly hope, the apostle John spoke of Christ as “a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins [those of the “chosen ones”], yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s.”​—1 John 2:2; 3:1-3.

9. (a) What visions had John probably seen when he wrote his first letter? (b) How do they confirm the existence of two groups of saved ones?

⁹ When John wrote those words, most likely he had already received the Revelation in which, after having seen the 144,000 “sealed” spiritual Israelites, he saw “a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues.” These survive the “great tribulation” and are guided by the “Lamb,” Christ Jesus, “to fountains of waters of life.” (Rev. 7:4-17) And, of course, it was in that same Revelation that John also had a vision of the millennial reign of Christ, which again mentions two groups: those “having part in the first resurrection,” who “will rule as kings,” and “mankind,” who will be blessed by God and who “will be his peoples.”​—Rev. 20:1–21:8.

10. Today, what two groups share the millennial hope, and how do their numbers compare?

¹⁰ Today, the millennial hope triumphs in the hearts of those of the “little flock” called to “sit on thrones” with Christ in heaven to reign for a millennium. (Luke 12:32; 22:28-30) That hope of the millennium has been embraced also by those of the “great crowd” who have joined the remaining anointed Christians in proclaiming “this good news of the kingdom . . . for a witness to all the nations.” (Matt. 24:14) These two groups were represented at the celebration of the Lord’s Evening Meal held on March 31, 1980. Those partaking of the emblems of the bread and the wine were only 9,564 worldwide, indeed just a few “remaining ones” of the 144,000 who are to rule with Jesus in his millennial kingdom. But along with these, 5,717,092 others attended as observers, thus showing appreciation of Jehovah’s grand arrangement made possible through the sacrifice of his Son. These rejoice in the prospect of everlasting life on a paradise earth.

THE MILLENNIAL HOPE STILL LIVES!

11. When and how will the millennial hope become a reality?

¹¹ Yes, the millennial hope remains very much alive today. It will become a reality following the “great tribulation,” as Christ and the 144,000 “chosen ones” commence their reign in heaven for 1,000 years, and the “great crowd” of sheeplike ones, together with billions of resurrected ones on earth, enter into untold blessings in the earthly realm of that Messianic kingdom.​—Matt. 25:34; Rev. 20:12, 13.

12. How has the millennium been defined in an encyclopedia?

¹² Mankind is in dire need of such a hope today. Worldly-wise men are not unfamiliar with this hope. Thus, the 1977 Britannica Macropædia defines the millennium as follows: “This 1,000-year period, known as the millennium, is viewed as a time during which man’s yearnings for peace, freedom from evil, and the rule of righteousness upon earth are finally realized through the power of God. . . . millennialism is concerned with the earthly prospects of the human community. . . . millennialism attempts to answer in vivid imagery such questions as: What will be the final end of this world? Will mankind ever fulfill the agelong dream of dwelling in an earthly paradise or will all men be destroyed in a cataclysm of fire brought on by their own folly or God’s judgment?”​—Italics ours.

13. (a) Do you believe the earth will be destroyed in a “cataclysm of fire”? What is the reason for your answer? (b) What was God’s original purpose for the earth?

¹³ For certain encyclopedia writers and faithless religious leaders, those questions may be merely of academic interest. But for many honest-hearted people in all lands they are very realistic present-day problems of burning interest. Jehovah’s Witnesses have found the answer to these questions in the Bible. For them, the hope of living forever “in an earthly paradise” is not an “agelong dream.” That hope has sure foundations, being based on sound Bible scholarship. Both the Hebrew and the Greek Scriptures show that God will not allow wicked men to destroy the earth “in a cataclysm of fire.” (Rev. 11:18; Isa. 45:18) Neither is he going to destroy the earth himself. (Ps. 104:5) After creating man and placing him in a localized paradise, God revealed to him His purpose, namely, for man to “subdue” the earth by extending paradise conditions worldwide, and to “fill [not overfill] the earth” with a righteous race of men and women ‘made in the likeness of God.’​—Gen. 1:26-28; 2:15.

14. How does the millennial hope fit into God’s “eternal purpose”?

¹⁴ Such is still God’s “will,” which, through his Messianic kingdom, will be done “on earth as in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10, JB) The whole tenor of the Bible shows beyond doubt that God has not abandoned this original purpose. (Isa. 46:9, 10) The millennium, or 1,000-year reign of Christ, fits into God’s “eternal purpose,” part of which is “to gather all things together again in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.” (Eph. 3:11; 1:8-10) In other words, the millennium is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end, the carrying out of God’s original purpose for the earth.

NOT A “MATERIALISTIC DREAM”

15, 16. How has one Catholic priest defined the millennial hope, but what has he apparently forgotten?

¹⁵ Religious adversaries deride Jehovah’s Witnesses for preaching the millennial hope. Yet these scoffers are perfectly happy to send all the good to heaven and all the wicked to everlasting torment in hell, thus leaving the earth completely out of God’s “eternal purpose.” For example, French Dominican priest H. C. Chéry, who has made a speciality of criticizing Jehovah’s Witnesses, calls the hope of paradise restored on earth “a materialistic dream.”

¹⁶ First, this Catholic priest should be reminded that the millennial hope has never been formally condemned by the Catholic Church or defined as heretical. This is not surprising, since it is based on the Bible and was considered to be “one of the essential dogmas of the Christian faith” by most of the earliest and best-reputed of the “Church Fathers.” Were Polycarp, Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr and Tertullian also ‘materialistic dreamers’?

17. Why may nobody rightly accuse Jehovah’s Witnesses of being ‘materialistic dreamers’?

¹⁷ True, some of these, and others in later times, discredited the millennial hope, by giving the foretold millennial blessings a carnal application or even a sociopolitical twist. But nobody can in good faith accuse Jehovah’s Witnesses of doing this today. Even now, in a pleasure-oriented world, these Christians are putting up a hard fight against materialism and pleasure-seeking in their own lives and within their congregations. They put the accent on spiritual values. They fully realize that if any fall victim to materialism in this “time of the end,” they may never see the millennium. (Luke 21:34-36; Dan. 12:4) Furthermore, they have no hopes of bringing in the millennium through human programs of social reform. They rely entirely on God’s intervention through his Messianic king. At the head of heavenly combat forces, this “King of kings” will fight to put an end to all wickedness on the earth.​—Rev. 19:11–20:3.

PARADISE​—SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL

18. How may we expect the spiritual paradise to develop further during the millennium?

¹⁸ Jehovah’s Witnesses are already living in a spiritual paradise. Moreover, they look forward with confidence to their becoming more spiritual throughout the 1,000-year reign of Christ, when symbolic “scrolls” revealing God’s requirements will be “opened.”​—Rev. 20:12.

19. Why will the millennium call for much self-sacrifice and hard work?

¹⁹ From a careful reading of scriptures that speak of the millennial reign of Christ (for example, Revelation 20:11–21:8), Jehovah’s Witnesses know also that the millennium will call for much self-sacrifice on the part of those who share the earthly hope. There will be much work to do in cultivating and beautifying the earth, but they will not selfishly cultivate paradise conditions just for themselves and their families. Christ’s 1,000-year reign is in fact a “day” of judgmenta for those who survive the fast-approaching “war of the great day of God the Almighty” (Acts 17:30, 31; Rev. 16:14, 16); it is also the judgment day for the millions of the dead who will be resurrected and judged according to the works they will practice in paradise on earth. (John 5:28, 29; Luke 23:42, 43) These innumerable resurrected ones will need to be unselfishly taught the ways of righteousness by those who are already living under the millennial rule of the Messiah. (Compare Isaiah 11:1-9.) No “materialistic dream” that! It will mean much hard work, also, on a spiritual level.

20. What will occur when the 1,000 years have ended, with what prospect for the faithful ones?

²⁰ What is more, the millennium will be just a beginning. After a final test, when the 1,000 years have ended, those men and women who remain faithful to God’s universal sovereignty will be ushered into an eternity of life on a paradise earth.b​—1 Cor. 15:24-28; Rev. 20:7-10.

A HOPE THAT CAN BECOME YOURS

21, 22. (a) What are Jehovah’s Witnesses always happy to do? (b) What is their hope for the near future?

²¹ Such is the hope now cherished by over 2,000,000 Christian witnesses of Jehovah in over 200 lands. It is very much alive in their minds and hearts, so much so that they are always happy to give others the ‘reason for the hope that is in them.’​—1 Pet. 3:15.

²² Since 1914, world events in fulfillment of Bible prophecy show that we are now living in the “time of the end,” and that the unprecedented “time of distress” is near. (Dan. 12:1-4; Matt. 24:3-21) The remnant of the “chosen ones” and the “great crowd” of their companions have been promised survival through that “great tribulation.” (Matt. 24:22; Rev. 7:9, 10, 14) Thereafter, their respective millennial hopes will be fulfilled. Do you believe that? “May the God who gives hope fill you with all joy and peace by your believing, that you may abound in hope.”​—Rom. 15:13.

[Footnotes]