In order to understand end-time events, we must first understand the judgment. Contrary to what some believe, the judgment is not a quick decision made by God either at the time of a person’s death or at the end of the world. The sanctuary service that God set up with the Israelites under Moses shows us the process of salvation. Through the rituals in that service, in particular on the Day of Atonement, we see how seriously God takes the process of judgment.

It is important to note that the millennium is not the reward. It is actually an important part of the lengthy judgment process.

Since the beginning of time, people have accused God of being unfair. When terrible things have happened, people have railed against God, blaming Him for the tragedy, the trial, and the pain.

Probably nearly everyone has had an experience in his or her life where they questioned God. The millennium is God’s answer to those questions. It is a beautiful part of the plan by which God will prove that His judgments, His actions, and His dealings have been just. It is the time when God will lay open the books of heaven to be examined.

During the millennium, we will be examining what God has been up to all this time, and why things turned out the way they did. We will be able to understand what really happened. We will be able to read the secret conversations, the private thoughts of each and every person who did not make it to heaven. We will finally be able to understand the “why” of the trials and pain of our lives.

So we see that the judgment involves more than just God judging us. In fact, the purpose of the judgment is three-fold:

1. To decide who must be stricken from the Book of Life because they have chosen to reject God’s sacrifice on their behalf (see Psalm 62:12; Proverbs 24:12; Romans 2:5-11; and Revelation 3:5, 20:15, 21:27, 22:12).
2. To set the record straight about the origin of sin and to vindicate God's character and dealings with humanity (see 1 Corinthians 4:5, 6:2-3).
3. To mete out the reward or sentence to each person who has ever lived, either by pronouncing them worthy of eternal life, raising them in the resurrection at Christ’s Coming, and taking them to heaven, or by permitting them to perish (see Revelation 22:12). Why does God not save everyone?

In the thousand years of peace that follow, known as the millennium, these people will be given the opportunity to review the judgments of God and determine their justness. In the meantime, those that have chosen to reject Christ's offer of eternal life will be dead, smote by the brightness of His coming. There will be no one left on Earth during the millennium.

After the millennium, when God returns with His people, those that have been left on earth and that chose to reject Christ’s offer of eternal life are resurrected, shown that they were wrong, and then perish forever. Only when this final phase takes place will every aspect of judgment be officially complete.

The millennium is actually an opportunity for us to make sure that God has not made a mistake in His judgment before the rejecters of His mercy receive their reward. It is like a safety measure to ensure that we're all in agreement with God's decisions concerning each person. There will be many in heaven who will have loved ones missing. Each person will examine the records and see that God's judgments are just. The millennium serves as an opportunity for God to be vindicated in all His dealings with humanity since the beginning of time.

The following articles further explain the Biblical judgment: