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By Pastor Gary Boyd

You know I have never been much to keep repeating information, but sometimes I have to so that it sinks in. The longest period of relative peace as far as recorded history is concerned is from 1815 to 1914, as Rowan Smith said, unless it should be the Pax Romana (Latin for "Roman peace"). It was the longest period of relative peacefulness and minimal expansion by the Roman military force experienced by the Roman Empire after the end of the Final War of the Roman Republic and before the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century. During this time, the Roman empire reached its peak land mass area and its population grew up to 70 million people. Since it was established by Augustus Caesar, it is sometimes called Pax Augusta. Its span was approximately 206 years (27 BC to AD 180), from the time of Augustus becoming emperor to the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. However the Roman Empire was not the whole of Europe, and I personally think it is likely that there still many unrecorded wars between states or tribes outside its borders during that time. The world at peace has not been altogether worldwide though.

Looking at the Long Run

Biblically speaking it looks like the next big event on God’s calendar is the Rapture, some think as early as the next Feast of Trumpets on September 23rd of this year. Go to Rabbi Scottie Clark’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzYyZ1jekz4&feature=youtu.be for a thourough explanation. After the body of Christ has gone in the rapture
the seven year Tribulation starts immediately with the ride of the four horsemen that causes war, famine, pestilence and death. After Christ comes to set up his kingdom he destroys Israel’s enemies and sets up his kingdom with his saints.

This is followed by the one thousand year Millennium when Jesus will rule the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords locking up the devil and his minions in the great abyss.

Seven Dispensations

God has dealt with man via six different dispensations, a method of interpreting history that divides God’s work and purposes toward mankind into different periods of time with a seventh dispensation coming in the millennium. in each one, man has failed. Over and over it is proven that the natural man cannot please God. The seventh and last dispensation is the Millennium, and once again, man will fail to live in a manner pleasing to God. Only in eternity, will mankind (those who have inherited eternal life through Jesus Christ) and the angels never again have the desire or ability to disobey God.

The seven dispensations are:
The Age of Innocence: from Creation to the Fall
The Age of Conscience: from the Fall to the Flood
The Age of Human Government: from the Flood to Abraham
The Age of Promise: from Abraham to Moses
The Age of the Law: from Moses to Jesus
The Age of Grace: from Pentecost to the Rapture and
The Age of the Kingdom: the 1,000 year Millennium following the Tribulation

The Age of Innocence – Man is created without ever knowing sin, but then falls to its temptation in rebellion against God.
The Age of Conscience – Man lives by his own conscience of right and wrong, and fails miserably in his rebellion against God.
The Age of Human Government – As mankind forms into groups and human governments are formed, man quickly reverts back into sin, continuing to rebel against God.
The Age of Promise – Even though God always keeps His promises, man cannot, and does not have the patience to wait on God. His rebellion against God continues.
The Age of the Law – Even with clear and strict guidelines, man corrupts the Law of God by disobedience in rebellion.
The Age of Grace – Even in the most coveted dispensation prior to the Kingdom age, man as a whole refuses the riches of God’s grace. The grace of the cross is spurned for the works of man.
The Age of the Kingdom – The Kingdom age will originally be comprised of all those who know God as Savior and Lord through Jesus Christ. All will be without sin and the ability to sin because of the saving grace of God. What could go wrong? Will mankind still rebel against God?

We all know that when the Tribulation ends Satan will be bound for a thousand years See Revelation 20:1-3, “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven with the key to the bottomless pit and a heavy chain in his hand. He seized the dragon—that old serpent, who is the devil, Satan—and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he must be released for a little while.”

The Millennium is Devil Free

So throughout the Millennium, Satan and none of his followers will be around to seduce mankind. Jesus will reign from Jerusalem. The Church will reign with Him, and the surviving saints from the Tribulation will repopulate the earth. In order for this population to grow there will be no more seas and the earth will be all land.

So, at the beginning of the Millennium everyone will be a child of God. The earth will be restored. Nature will be at peace. Prosperity will abound. Every man will has his own land. Every saint in the body of Christ will have his own mansion to live in the eternal state forever. The Lion will lay down with the lamb.The life expectancy will be extended to a thousand years. Everything will be perfect.

Have you ever considered just how long a thousand years is? A lot can happen in a thousand years. Think about this. As of this year, America is 241 years old. That’s not even a quarter of 1,000 years. If you go on back to when Columbus headed our way, it’s still only 525 years ago.

I was born when Harry S. Truman was President. Since then we have had twelve more Presidents. I can assure you, a LOT has happened over that short period. Many, many things have drastically changed over that very short period of time.

Remember, when the Millennium begins everyone is saved at that point. Everyone belongs to the Lord and He rules the earth. But … the Tribulation saints who were not murdered will enter the Millennium and bare children. Those children, and all those born after them will have the ability to sin because they will be born with that sin nature we all have today. Babies who were killed in the womb, children who were never given a chance to grow up will be resurrected and given a chance to live in the millennium. Our Lord is a merciful God.

Billions Will Be Born

A population explosion will rage in the millennial period. Billions will be born from those original Tribulation saints that will have the same choice mankind has today; honor God or rebel.

When the Millennium ends Satan will be released and lead billions against Jesus and His rule (Revelation 20:7-10).

The Defeat of Satan
7 When the thousand years come to an end, Satan will be let out of his prison. 8 He will go out to deceive the nations—called Gog and Magog—in every corner of the earth. He will gather them together for battle—a mighty army, as numberless as sand along the seashore. 9 And I saw them as they went up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded God’s people and the beloved city. But fire from heaven came down on the attacking armies and consumed them.
10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

How did it ever get to the point that Satan could find that many followers in a world that is perfect?

Even though Satan is bound and cannot deceive anyone during that time, those billions born in the Millennium will have the ability to follow Jesus or reject Him. They will all be born with the same nature that is currently within us.

It is my opinion that even though the Kingdom age (the Millennium) will have so many blessings, rebellion will begin to rise in the hearts of those born into the Millennium. The Scripture says in Revelation 12:5, “And she bore a son, a male, who is going to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child was caught up to God and to His throne.” This male son is none other than Jesus Christ, and He will rule during that time, “with a rod of iron.”

There will not be an outward uprising until the end of the Kingdom age (the Millennium), but rebellion will rise and continue to rise in the hearts of many. By the time Satan is once again unleashed, they will be revealed for what they really are, rebels against God.

If you’ll think about it, God has allowed all of us to have freedom of choice, even the angels. Satan made his choice. The angels that followed him made their choice, and one third of the angels followed Satan. Adam and Eve made their choice, and every individual throughout each dispensation has made or will make a choice either to obey God or not to obey Him.
Since sin entered the world through our original parents, Adam and Eve, mankind has been in rebellion. Some have decided to call upon God, but most do not. God clearly demonstrates that no matter how He deals with us, as long as we have a sinful nature, there will be those who will always rebel against Him.

Today’s society practically wears out the phrase, “God is love.” Yes He is, and He is no less “just” than He is “love.” We tend to forget that God cannot deny His justice any more than He can deny His love. We want His love in letting us “do our own thing,” but not His justice in judging the sin(s) we wallow in.

He has proven through six dispensations that we cannot save ourselves, and the seventh and last dispensation will corroborate the others. Only He can save us, and He can only do so through our belief in His Son, Jesus.
Mankind began in a perfect world (Garden of Eden) and we failed. Mankind will close out the ages in a perfect world (Millennium) and we will fail again.

Sin and its consequences must be judged and totally eradicated, and the world must be filled with the righteousness of God before there can ever be peace between mankind and his Creator God. This can only be accomplished by the grace of God in the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. All those who come to God through the Son will be saved (rescued) from judgment and adopted into the family of a Holy God. Only those who come through Jesus will live with Him for eternity in absolute righteousness, never knowing sin again. All those in Christ know God not just as our Creator, but also as our Father, because our faith rests in the saving work of Jesus Christ.

In each age, man attempts to produce the perfect world, as he sees utopia in his own mind. Thankfully, God has seen fit to save us from our own delusions.
So to recap:
Innocence cannot save.
Conscience cannot save.
Government cannot save.
Promises (ours) cannot save.
The Law (or law) cannot save.
Grace (if rejected) cannot save.
A perfect world cannot save.

Each dispensation proves that no one can be saved apart from the cross. The cross is offered each time, but only the few choose wisely. Most try an alternate route, but only those who come via the cross go into eternity as children of the eternal God to reign with Him forevermore. All those who reject the cross will spend eternity in the lake of fire and brimstone.

JW

The short answer is, no.