Millennial Psalms - The Return of Christ

In the study of eschatology (things that will happen in the last days and in eternity) millennialism is the belief that before the final judgment and the eternal state (i.e., heaven, the new heavens and new earth, the new Jerusalem, the lake of fire) there will be a literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth. Those who do not believe in this as a literal thousand year period are called amillennial. Millennialism is subdivided into premillennialism or postmillennialism, believing that the return of Christ will occur either before, or after, the millennium. I take the premillennial position because I believe it agrees best with simple and literal readings of the pertinent scriptures.

Many of the Psalms describe this period of time, and it is likely that many people read over them without realizing it. In this series of studies I do not aim to do a complete study of the millennium, but to take its major characteristics and see how there are Psalms that describe them. These will be under these major headings:

1.    That God himself (Jesus) shall come to earth and destroy his enemies

2.    That Christ will reign out of Jerusalem

3.    Judgment upon the nations

4.    Righteous government under the King

5.    Universal worship

6.    The inheritance of the meek

There are many other things we can know about this period from elsewhere in the Bible (Isaiah, Micah, Daniel, Zechariah, Revelation, and others), but for now I would like to limit it to millennial characteristics that are supported by, or described in, the book of psalms.

In each of the above headings, I will reference other places in the Bible with the clearest descriptions to establish the premise, and then proceed to the supporting psalms.

God Himself (i.e., Jesus Christ) Shall Come to the Earth and Defeat the Enemies of Israel

Christ’s return will be the initiation of the Millennium. Probably the clearest, though not the only, Bible references to the return of Christ are in Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19.

Zech. 14:1-5 – “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.”

God in his sovereign will and eternal plan, will actually precipitate the return of Christ by drawing all nations against Jerusalem to battle. This is not difficult to imagine, considering the United Nations and its long standing hatred of Israel, and constant capitulation to other nations’ complaints against her. Though presently not all nations are against Israel, it will eventually come to pass that Israel is utterly alone in the world. Zechariah says that God will allow Jerusalem to be taken and the people horribly abused. But that is the precise moment when the LORD will come and fight for Israel as he did in the days of old. Jesus will return and he will stand on the mount of Olives, causing a great earthquake. Then it says “and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee.” Although we will not pursue this last point, I will point out that all the saints coming with Christ at his return presupposes a previous rapture and the first resurrection.

The actual return of Christ is referenced in the gospels and other NT books many times, but the most explicit description is in the book of Revelation:

Rev. 19:11-21 – “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.“

This is certainly a different view of Christ at his return than many people imagine. Now with these scriptures in mind, let us look at the book of Psalms for corroborating scriptures.

There is a day when Jesus, the King of Glory will quite literally come in (to Jerusalem) as a mighty warrior:

Ps. 24:7-10 – “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory.”

In this return of Christ, God will shine out of Zion (Jerusalem). Although for the last 2000 years he has been “silent” in his physical absence from this earth, and only perceived and known by the faith of his elect, yet a day will come when he will return in fiery indignation (see Isaiah 63). The whole earth will be called together in judgment.

Ps. 50:1-6 – “The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.”

Christ will reign over his enemies, with survivors being brought under willing submission. He will bring bloody destruction on those kings and armies who rise up against him and his people Israel. He will reign as the mighty victor, as King, Priest, and Judge.

Ps. 110 – “The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedec. The LORD at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath. He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries. He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.”

This whole series of events is also seen in Psalm 2, from the vain uprising of the wicked rulers of this earth against Christ and his people, to his reigning from Jerusalem, possessing his inheritance in all the earth.

Psalm 2:1-9 – “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

This is our mighty God, our Savior and King. So now while we have the opportunity, let us “kiss the Son”, receive him in his compassionate and sacrificial mercy, putting our trust in him to deliver us from the just punishment of our sins, and to abide in him, being refreshed with the ever-flowing living water that springs up unto eternal life.

Psalm 2:10-12 – “Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.“