Prelude to Heaven / David Jeremiah

Prelude to Heaven And I saw thrones.... And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.  Revelation 20:4 No, the “William Tell Overture” (the theme music for the 1950s TV show, The Lone Ranger) was not written by a musician named William Tell. It is the overture, or prelude, to Guillaume Tell (William Tell), an opera in four acts by Gioacchino Rossini, first performed in Paris in 1829.

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 40:9-11

An overture, or prelude, is an introduction. It precedes that which it introduces, and while important, it is less important than that which it precedes. In that way, the thousand-year Millennium is a prelude to heaven. The Millennium is very important for a number of reasons. It allows God’s promises to Israel to be fulfilled on earth; it rewards those who have been faithful during the Tribulation. It allows justice, peace, and righteousness to fill the earth. It allows Christ to reign on the throne of David, and it prepares for the final judgment of Satan. But the Millennium is not heaven. It is only a foretaste of the glories that will last forever in the eternal state. If the blessings of the Millennium seem exciting, remember—it’s only a thousand-year prelude to the eternal blessing to come.   We must live and work in the world. Yet we do so as people who know that they are on their way home, and anticipate the joy of return and arrival.  Alister McGrath