| Event 5: Satan Loosed for Last Time |
Characteristics:
-Satan is
loosed from the bottomless pit
-He
deceived nations again to gather against Gods people
-They
are destroyed by fire out of heaven
-Satan
cast into lake of fire forever
Description:
Who would think after Jesus glorious reign on earth, where Israel and the Gentile nations live in harmony with each other, that Satan would have another chance to deceive them? Revelation 20: 7-10 describes the event. Satan who has been bound for a thousand years will be loosed on the earth. He will deceive nations from all over the earth to gather them for battle. The people, who are many, will compass (surround) the saints and the beloved city. The best scriptural interpretation is that Jerusalem is the beloved city. Fire will come down from heaven and devour them. Satan is then cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet are, forever and ever.
Why does God do this?
Perhaps because mans heart is still not perfect, despite living in ideal conditions
and they need to be tested. Maybe the people born during this period have
developed a rebellious heart and when Satan is loose he will go out and deceive them to battle against
Jesus for the last time.
How long Satan will be loose is not given.
Note:
Verse 8 mentions Gog and Magog.
Scripture references Ezekiel 38 and 39, which speaks of this also. Ezekiel 38:2 reads ‘Son of man, set
thy face against Gog, and the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and
Tubal, and prophesy against them’.
Apparently Magog is a land and Gog is a prince of these areas. From
studying Ezekiel 38 and 39, it is very difficult to
determine when the prophecies takes place.
Be careful and thorough when studying these chapters. Regardless Satan is destroyed forever,
paving the way for the great white throne judgment, and the new heavens and
earth. Rest assured. Gods plan is eternal.
Scripture
Reference:
Revelation
20:7-10
And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
And
shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth,
Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is
as the sand of the sea.
And
they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints
about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and
devoured them.
And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where
the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and
ever.
| Event 6: The Great White Throne |
Characteristics:
-Great white throne of God
-Judgment of dead non-believers
-Death and hell
cast into lake of fire
Description:
John
sees more amazing visions in Revelation 20. Jesus sitting on a great white
throne, and has made the earth and the heaven flee. Revelation 20:4 describes the judgment at the beginning of Christs 1000 year reign. However verse 5 says the rest of the dead lived not again until the 1000 years were finished, meaning their judgment still awaits them. Who is judged at the Great White Throne? They are unsaved people, including non-believers in God during the church period (present time) and during the tribulation period who have been in their graves throughout the ages.
John sees the dead stand before God.
Books were opened and they
are judged out of the things written in them. Their works are judged. Some will have their name written in the
books, but many will not. The ones which
names are not found will be cast into the lake of fire, where they will reside
forever. Death and hell are destroyed,
the last enemy of man (1
Cor 15:26)
He will create the
New Heavens and Earth, just as he created the original heavens and earth. This leads to the next and last
event.
Scripture
Reference:
Revelation
20: 11-15
And I saw a great white throne,
and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and
there was found no place for them.
And I saw the dead, small and great,
stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which
is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works.
And
the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the
dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their
works.
And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And
whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of
fire.
| Event 7: The New Heavens and New Earth |
Characteristics:
-A new heaven and new earth are revealed
-The holy city New Jerusalem comes down from heaven
-All things are made new by God
-Kingdom fully established and eternal
Description:
In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah writes about new heavens and a new earth created by God, and the old heavens and earth are not remembered. It may be confusing because the prophet jumps in time and it is hard to distinguish his direction. But John fills in the gap with a finite time. John sees a new heaven and new earth. When and how it was created is not really revealed. Was it a onetime event, kind of like the creation of earth recorded in Genesis? The most important thing from Event 6 is after the great white throne judgment, death and hell are no more - never to be remembered..
In Revelation 21 John sees a new heaven and a new earth; the old heaven and earth are passed away. Then he sees the holy city, New Jerusalem coming down from out of heaven. Verse 10 calls it the great city and holy Jerusalem. Verse 11–21 describes the city, its dimensions and sparkling beauty, made with precious stones and crystals. It is a real, literal structure that is 12,000 furlongs or 1500 miles on each dimension. God and the Lamb are the temples of the city. The city has no sun or moon for light - Gods glory lightens it and the Lamb is the light. An angel refers to the great city as the bride, the Lambs wife. This is the new home of the resurrected saints caught up with Jesus in event 1. Rev 22 describes a river proceeding out of the throne of God and the lamb. There will be no more curse and they shall see his face and his name shall be on their foreheads; and they shall reign for ever and ever with him.
Jesus has prepared this place for the saints of this day, as he said in the gospel of John. Perhaps its invisible to earth dwellers during the 1000-year reign, but it is our home where we will abide. And from the heavens we will reign and serve with Him, as well as on the new earth. Our new, incorruptible bodies will allow this. Then after death and hell are destroyed John sees it ‘coming down’ from heaven. This is most likely what Isaiah sees. John goes on to describe this New Jerusalem and implications to the new earth. Nations and kings of the earth bring glory and honor into the city. These are people who walked with Jesus during his thousand-year reign and were not tempted by Satan and did not join in his revolt in event 5. They reside on earth and our guided by the light of the New Jerusalem. The cities gates are never shut for them, which signifies their righteousness. Final Thoughts and Conclusion:
What role do you want to be in this timeline? Caught up with Jesus and live with him for eternity or live through the great tribulation that will occur on this earth? That will be a time of unthinkable torture for unbelievers, witnessing false religions and leaders, and hiding from Gods wrath. There will be no help from believers, because they will be removed from the earth. That will not be time to turn to Him. Now is the time!
...it is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. – Revelation 21: 6
Scripture
Reference:
Revelation 21-22
Rev 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Isaiah
65:17-18 – New Heaven and New Earth created
For,
behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be
remembered, nor come into mind.
But
be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I
create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
And I will rejoice in
Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard
in her, nor the voice of crying.
There shall be no more thence
an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child
shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old
shall be accursed.
And they shall build houses,
and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of
them.
They shall not build, and
another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a
tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work
of their hands.
They shall not labour in
vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed
of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
And it shall come to pass,
that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear.
The wolf and the lamb shall
feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall
be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy
mountain, saith the LORD.
Isaiah
66:22-23
For
as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me,
saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
And
it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one
sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah
60: 19-21
The
sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon
give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and
thy God thy glory.
Thy
sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD
shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended.
Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.
Daniel7:13-14; 27
Dan
7:13 I saw in the night visions,
and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and
came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
Dan
7:14 And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion , which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Dan 7:27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom , and all dominions shall serve and obey him
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
(1 Corinthians 15:24-28)