Unravelling previous millenium teaching

[skydreamers]

Okay, here goes my first post.

Now I know this topic may not be of extreme importance in terms of it pertaining to our daily lives now, but for some reason God has me returning to this again and again in my studies.  Then when I was reading the thread "fairness" I was reminded of it yet again by a post of SandyFla:

If the 1,000 years are literal (and I'm not sure they are), but just for the sake of argument, let's say they are.

God's elect would reign with Him for those 1,000 years, but if no one else is alive, whom would they reign over?

Kat's reply to this I agree with and have already been seeing this:

There will be people living on earth at Christ's return.
This scripture in Rev. show the return of Christ.

Rev 19:11  Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
v.12  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.
v.13  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
v.14  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
v.15  From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
v.16  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

In verse 15 he will strike the nations with a sharp sword from His mouth, this sword form His mouth is the Word of God.
It does state He will rule them with a rod of iron, they will need to be alive to rule them  Smiley

Mat 24:14 "And this glad message of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the inhabited earth, for a witness unto all the nations,—and, then, will have come, the end." (Rotherham)

The end in verse 14 is referring to the end of this world as we know it, and then will be the Great White Throne Judgment.

I was taught in the SDA church that no one is alive in the millenium period but I've always questioned, then who are the nations that the elect and Christ rule over??  Their interpretaion never made sense to me.  I'll include a basic outline of what the SDA's believe as I understand it just to show what things I am having to unravel as I study this further:

At Christ's second coming the righteous dead are raised and the righteous living meet them in the air.  The wicked are all killed.  During the millenium the righteous and Christ pour over and examine the "books" to determine proper punishment for the wicked when they are raised at the end of the millenium (in other words they believe this is when the saved will be judging men and angels).  The wicked dead are then raised, Satan is loosed from his prison and he gathers the wicked dead together in one more battle against the saints and the city.  God devours the wicked with fire. 

As you can see I've had to re-examine everything and I can see now that really none of the above fits with God's grand plan.  Much of what I have been taught is the literal application and not the deeper spiritual truths.  For example the church uses the follwoing verse to show that the wicked are all dead and being eaten by birds:

And the rest were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.
Revelation 19:21 ESV

And I'm sure at this point I still haven't a clue as to what it all means but I do sense that this has to do with dying to the flesh through the truth of God's word (the sword) and the birds are evil doctrines or spirits or something.  Obviously I am still unsure about the last part of this scripture, but I know there is a much deeper spiritual meaning than literal birds eating literal flesh!

So right now I am searching for scriptures that pertain to the millenium and show that there are indeed fleshly people living during this time. 

I found this and wondered if this pertains to Christ's second coming and the survival of some men:

Behold, the LORD will empty the earth and make it desolate, and he will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the slave, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. The earth shall be utterly empty and utterly plundered; for the LORD has spoken this word. The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and withers; the highest people of the earth languish. The earth lies defiled under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.
Isaiah 24:1-6 ESV

And then as Christ and the elect rule the survivors does God then create the new heavens and new earth and a period of relative peace occurs?  Is Isaiah 65 referrring to the millenial rule?

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed. They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity, for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain," says the LORD.
Isaiah 65:17-25 ESV


It is obvious to me that the world has not yet experienced the above verses and it sounds like utopia, yet there are babies being born and people dying so it is apparant that this is not speaking of being in the spirit in heaven where there is no marrying etc.   I am not yet able to see all this with spiritual eyes, but on a literal level is this talking about the millenium??

Again, a scripture used by the SDA to show that the wicked are slain at Christ's Second coming is this:

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 ESV


I sense that this also has to do with burning the carnality/flesh out of us by the true word of God as Jesus takes the throne in our heaven and kicks out the beast.  We will be brought to nothing as he increases and we decrease. 

I know there is much more understanding that I am missing so I humbly ask for anyone's insight on the above scripture.  Also does anyone else know of other scripture that pertains to the millenium and people living during that time?  This to me is a fascinating subject and is leading me to the next and grander question of what the purpose of this millenium age is.....(perhaps a subject for another thread).

Thanks to all for any contributions!  Peace, Diana