WHO WILL HAVE CHILDREN IN THE MILLENNIUM?

by Shawn Brasseaux

Before answering your question using the Bible, for the benefit of our readers unfamiliar with the passage to which you are referring, we will read the Bible passage first.

The Holy Spirit moved the Prophet Isaiah to write in chapter 11 of his massive book: “[1] And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: [2] And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; [3] And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: [4] But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. [5] And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. [6] The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. [7] And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. [8] And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den. [9] They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

Above is a brief description of the Millennial (1000-Year) Reign of Jesus Christ, when the God of creation will come back to this planet and utterly destroy its evil world system. He will remove the sinners and place them into hell, He will redeem the nation Israel from her sins, He will restructure the governments of Earth, and He will reverse the ecology of this planet. There will be no predation in the animal kingdom; all animals will eat vegetation as in the beginning, before sin entered (Genesis 1:29-30). There will be no more evil spirits loose on Earth and no idolatry in Israel (Zechariah 13:1-2); Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit for that entire 1,000-year period (see Revelation 20:1-7). There will be righteousness and justice as Jesus Christ personally, literally, physically, visibly rules over Israel and all nations; His kingdom will be headquartered in Jerusalem. Yes, it is literal, despite that some teach it is “spiritual,” claiming that it does not mean what it says. The Bible says exactly what it means, and it means exactly what it says.

In Isaiah’s prophecy above, we see “a little child” (verse 6) leading the wolf, the lamb, the leopard, the kid (baby goat), the calf, the young lion, and the fatling (a young animal such as a calf or lamb). “The sucking [nursing] child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’s den” (verse 8). These human children are playing by the hole of the asp (a venomous snake) and by the den of the cockatrice (another type of venomous snake), and yet they are unharmed because the curse on creation has been lifted! From where did these human children come?

The greatest number of children born during the Millennium will evidently come from believing Gentiles who blessed believing Israel during the seven-year Tribulation. These Gentiles are described in Matthew 25:31-40 (which read in your Bible). Furthermore, there are a number of believing Jews who will not die during the seven-year Tribulation. In that group of Jewish believers, a large number of Jews will be hiding out in the wilderness, free from the wrath of the Antichrist, God taking care of them until the seven years end (Revelation 12:5-6,13-17). Believing Jews (we do not know the exact number) will be physically alive to see Jesus Christ literally come back to Earth at His Second Coming (Zechariah 13:8-9; cf. Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27; Luke 21:27-28). Evidently, these Jews, having never died, will also enter the 1,000-Year Reign of Jesus Christ with the ability to reproduce.

When the Sadducees asked Jesus a captious question, an inquiry to try to trip Him up in His words, He provided some insight into the matter we are currently discussing. We will just break into the context to see what He had to say in Matthew chapter 22: “[23] The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, [24] Saying, Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. [25] Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: [26] Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. [27] And last of all the woman died also. [28] Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. [29] Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. [30] For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

Notice how Jesus said that those who are resurrected do not marry and are not given in marriage. Evidently, any believer resurrected to go into the Millennium will not be able to reproduce. In other words, the Old Testament saints, the believers from Christ’s earthly ministry and early Acts, and those Tribulation saints who died, they will be resurrected to enter Jesus Christ’s earthly kingdom. Because they will be resurrected, they will no longer be able to marry and thus not be able to reproduce.

CONCLUSION

Considering what the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 22:30, and what Isaiah wrote in chapter 11, the children born during the Millennium will be the children of believing Jew and believing Gentile parents who survived Daniel’s 70th week, those who never died, those who did not receive resurrected bodies.

Also see:
» When will the Old Testament saints be resurrected?
» Why is the Millennium necessary? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
» Who will reign with the Lord during the 1000 years? (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)