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Synthesis

When I align the chronological details in these three prophecies, I reach the following conclusions:

1. When Jesus returns to Earth, the armies of Earth will actually attempt to destroy Him.

2. Jesus will face His enemies and command them to die. (The sharp sword that comes out of His mouth represents this.) Incidentally, the righteous dead are resurrected by words from the same mouth!

3. The Antichrist (the false prophet) and his global administration (the beast) will be thrown alive in a lake of fire at the Second Coming. Everyone will be destroyed in that fire, but the fire itself will burn on throughout the 1,000 years. Lucifer and his angels will see the place of their coming execution for 1,000 years.

Note:  Lucifer and his angels are allowed to physically appear on Earth during the fifth trumpet. At that time they will be given visible bodies for the benefit of mankind to see. (Revelation 17:8 9:1-11) These bodies will be taken away from them at the Second Coming and destroyed in the lake of fire. This forces Lucifer and his angels back into the spirit world or the Abyss (from whence they came) and they remain in this state, “chained” to a desolate Earth for 1,000 years.

4. During the thousand years, the saints reign with Christ. This means they will

Share in Jesus authority in reviewing the records of the wicked to determine the appropriate amount of restitution as required by law.

5. At the end of the 1,000 years, the holy city, New Jerusalem, descends from Heaven to Earth with the saints inside. The wicked will be resurrected and Lucifer will be “released” to lead the wicked in an all-out attempt to destroy God, the saints and the city. God allows this to occur to demonstrate once again that sin cannot be justified. Sin is nothing but rebellion against the authority of God. When the righteous sees the defiant behavior of the wicked in the very presence of God, this evidence will be more than enough to satisfy any question that may linger about the necessity of destroying the wicked. Every tear will be dried.

     6.  As the wicked rush the city, the Great White throne judgment scene takes place. The Maker of Life will stop the great throng as it advances toward the city. Jesus will address His created beings and reveal to each wicked person why He could not save him or her. He will also reveal his or her forthcoming punishment. I presume there will be a few special words addressed to Lucifer, the father of sin. Jesus will lament the rise of sin as He speaks to the being who was once His best and closest friend. It will be an awesome day of reckoning.

     7.   When the wicked realize their great loss, when they see that their fate was sealed by their own rebellion, when they hear their sentence of restitution and death, panic stricken they go into an agonizing frenzy. Jesus calls fire down out of the heavens and the judgment decided by the saints is applied and ultimately, the penalty of death by execution brings an end to sin.

Some Questions

Perhaps the best way to conclude the study on this topic is to answer nine commonly asked questions.

1. Where are the saints during the 1,000 years and what will they be doing?

They will reign (share authority) with Christ in Heaven. This conclusion is based on four concepts: First, the righteous dead of ages past and the righteous living will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Important point: Christ does not walk on Earth at the Second Coming. Instead, He calls the saint’s up to meet Him in the air. (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17) Jesus takes the saints back to the holy city, New Jerusalem, where He has been preparing homes for them. (John 14:1-3) Second, when Christ appears at the Second Coming, He commands the wicked to die. (Revelation 19:15-21; 2 Thessalonians 2:8) Third, the saints will have the responsibility of determining the appropriate punishment for the wicked people and Satan’s angels. (1 Corinthians 6:1-3) Last, at the end of the 1,000 years, the saints descend from Heaven to Earth in the Holy City at the end of the 1,000 years. (Revelation 21:2-22:5)

2. Where are the wicked during the 1,000 years and what will they be doing?

With the exception of those who participated in the crucifixion of Jesus, the wicked are not resurrected at the Second Coming. They remain in a state of soul-sleep or death. They wait for the second resurrection and the White Throne Judgment scene. (Revelation 20:5; 20:12,13) At the Second Coming, the devil is forced to return to the spirit world (the Abyss) for 1,000 years. (He was let out of the Abyss during the fifth trumpet. Revelation 9:1-11) Because the Earth’s is desolate of life, he cannot deceive anyone during the 1,000 years. Furthermore, he is “chained” to his earthy prison and cannot go anywhere to tempt or annoy the other inhabitants of the universe. (Revelation 20:1-3) The devil and his demons will have a lot of time to reflect on their eventful history of rebellion against God and they will churn with depression and anxiety over their coming destruction – especially the restitution phase. Remember from page 238, Lucifer is the scapegoat. All the sins from the temple will be placed on his head.

3. Did God pre-decree a precise period of 1,000 earth-years or should this time-period be interpreted as a general statement?

Evidence from the Bible suggests the 1,000 years will be a sabbatical millennium. There is nothing in the Bible to prevent the 1,000 years from being a precise time-period that fulfills the weekly template God designed at Creation. (Genesis 2:1-3; Psalm 90:4; 2 Peter 3:8)

4. Does the millennium occur before or after Christ sets up His kingdom on Earth?

Based on the material presented in this lesson and the previous one, Jesus will return for the saints at the beginning of the millennium. At that time, He will take them to “His Father’s house,” which is located in Heaven, for 1,000 years. During the 1,000 years, the saints will conduct a judgment process upon the wicked, determining the amount of restitution that each wicked person must pay. At the end of the 1,000 years, the Holy City and the saints descend to Earth. At that time, the wicked are resurrected to see the reality of salvation and why He could not save them. Then the punishment begins and ultimately, God cleanses the Earth of every impurity. Hallelujah! After seven millenniums of sin, a new Heaven and a new earth will be created. Then it can be said, “the Kingdom of God is among men.”

5. What event marks the beginning of the 1,000 years?

The Second Coming

6. What event marks the end of the 1,000 years?

It could be called the Third Coming, since the Holy City descends and the wicked from all ages are resurrected to meet their fate.

7. Will the 1,000 years of Revelation 20 be the seventh millennium since sin began, in effect, a sabbatical rest for Earth?

Yes, it appears that way. (See 2 Peter 3:8) Consider the parallel: The works of sin last for six millennial days (six 1,000 years before it is put back into proper “working” order at the beginning of eternity!

8. What is God’s overall purpose for the 1,000 years?

In addition to the purposes stated in previous questions, God uses the millennium as a time for the saints to prove to themselves that God’s judgment of the wicked, His character and His government are righteous beyond question. All issues surrounding the judgment process will be resolved before God permanently annihilates anyone. The first 1,000 years of eternal life will also include their judgment regarding restitution from the wicked. God gives this job to the saints at the beginning of their eternal life because He wants the redeemed to carefully consider the seriousness of sin and rebellion from His perspective Therefore, He requires them to sit in judgment upon human beings, as He must do. As ages of eternity about the importance of maintaining a nonnegotiable faith in God and His government. Their eternal testimony will thwart the rise of sin forever in god’s expanding universe.

9. Although the 1,000 years are only mentioned in Revelation 20, do other Bible writers indirectly speak of this time-period?

Old Testament prophets give no details or comments about the millennium. Since God’s original plan (I refer to it as “Plan A”) to rescue Earth from sin was based on a scheme that directly involved ancient Israel, the original plan did not have a 1,000 year respite from sin. But when ancient Israel failed to meet God’s requirements, God introduced what I refer to as “Plan B.” The book of Revelation demonstrates how God can take the failure of man and produce an even more glorious outcome. Remember this, the greater the chaos, the greater God’s glory for resolving the problem!

Conclusion

We have reached the end of this study. I have attempted to explain five essential Bible truths (I call them the five S’s)

Salvation through faith in Jesus Christian Christ

God’s seventh day Sabbath rest

Parallel Sanctuaries

The State of man in death

The circumstances and events surrounding the Second Coming.

Each of these doctrines centers on the generous ministry of Jesus Christ. As we begin to understand the depth of God’s plans, it leads the sincere in heart toward a greater appreciation for Jesus. I have written this study for two reasons. First, I want to exalt my Savior, Jesus. Even though I continue to learn more about Him every day, my desire is to share a number of wonderful things I have gleaned from Scripture. No one compares to Jesus. He rightfully deserves to be called, “The Alpha and The Omega.” He is the most awesome being in the whole universe. Second, this study was written as a primer for prophetic study.  The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are an advanced area of study and a harmonious understanding of the prophecies require a solid foundation of these five essential truths presented in this study.

For example, Revelation 8:5 mentions the “casting down of the golden censer” at the golden alter. To understand what this means, we need to understand it within the context of services being conducted in Heaven’s temple at the Alter of Incense Since information about services conducted at the Heavenly Alter of Incense does not exist in the Bible, we must turn to the parallels and patterns between the heavenly and the earthy sanctuaries. As we examine the ministry conducted at the Alter of Incense on Earth, it helps us to understand the significance of casting down the censer at the heavenly alter.

“Future telling” is not the primary purpose of Bible prophecy. Bible prophecy does involve a study of future events, but not in the way most people assume. Bible prophecy covers a number of topics that believers should want to understand. Ultimately, Bible prophecy reveals how Jesus will resolve all the problems caused by sin. He will eventually destroy the wicked, both humans and angels. Earth itself is so contaminated with sin that purification by fire is required! The Godhead has been dealing with the sin problem for a long time and they will bring the drama to a close as planned – and this is where apocalyptic prophecy comes into focus.

Unfortunately, the elimination of sin also involves destroying human beings that Jesus deeply loves. The deliberate and final destruction of fallen angels and fallen human beings must be done within a framework of justice and mercy that every survivor can understand. Throughout eternity, the drama of sin will be reviewed and discussed by men and angels. Of course, after the drama is over, God’s children will have a host of records to examine which will disclose the whole truth about sin and God’s behavior. (1 Corinthians 6:1-4, Revelation 20:4) But, we are presently living before the drama of sin has been brought to a close. So, God has given us who live before the drama comes to a close, an opportunity to understand the sweeping outline of how sin problem will be resolved. By giving this information to us in advance, our understanding of what He must do to the human race during the Great Tribulation makes sense.

If the balance between God’s eternal justice and His unlimited love to save man is not the central theme when studying Bible prophecy, then it is robbed of its sanctifying value, because human beings can do nothing to prevent the things God has determined to do. At the present time, one man says this about Revelation and another says that, so no one can determine the truth. This is about to change. When the Great tribulation begins, God will make sure all people will see and hear His truth. He will empower 144,000 spokespersons all over the world and they will speak with authority, as did Moses and Elijah.

For now, we must accept by faith that God is unbelievably generous in His grace and His government is based on the equitable rule of law based on love. God’s laws are not righteous because He declares them to be righteous. God’s laws are righteous and fair because the evidence will show that when sin’s drama has ended, His laws will have been proven to be righteous! The eternal well being of His creatures is God’s first and highest concern. As I have come to understand His profound love for sinners, I conclude that, “Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and Last, the Beginning and End. He is the engineer of everything and the Creator of all creations.

He is the Architect of the universe, the Prince of Kindness and the Prince of Peace. But for a few hours in the tomb, He is eternal. He has no beginning and He is alive forever more. He is unmoved, unchanged, undefeated, and never undone. He was bruised but He brought healing. He was pierced but He eased pain. He was persecuted but He bought freedom. He was put to death but He brought life. He was raised and He brings power to those who believe Him. The world cannot understand Him, the armies of Earth cannot defeat Him, the schools of men cannot explain Him, and the leaders of nations cannot ignore Him. Herod could not kill Him, the Pharisees could not confuse Him, and the crowds could not get enough of Him. Pilate could not hold Him in the tomb, Caesars could not silence His followers, traditions cannot replace Him, and modern science cannot explain Him. He is the way, the true light, and the bread of life, perfect love and Lord of lords. He is goodness, kindness and gentleness. He is God, He is the angel of the Lord and He is man. He is holy, righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure. His ways are right, His word is eternal, His will is unchanging, and His expansive thoughts include me. He is my redeemer and Savior. He is my guide and my peace. He is my joy and my comfort, He is my Lord and He rules over my life. I serve Him because His bond is love, His burden is light, and His objective for me is abundant life. I follow Him because He is the source of truth, the owner of wisdom and all knowledge. He is love. He is sovereign over the kings of Earth, the Ruler of rulers, the Leader of leaders, the Model for over comers. If His qualifications seem impressive, His demonstration of love is even greater. He desires a wonderful relationship with every human being. If I obediently submit to His call, He will never leave me, forsake me, mislead me, forget me, overlook me, or ignore my prayers. When I fall, He lifts me up. When I fail, He forgives. When I am weak, He is strong. When I am lost, He knows the way. When I am afraid, He gives me courage. When I stumble, He steadies me. When I am hurt, He heals me. When I am broken, He mends me. When I am blind, He leads me. When I am hungry, He feeds me. When I face trials, He assures me. When I face persecution, He sustains me. When I face problems, He comforts me. When I endure loss, He provides for me. When I face the shadow of death, He gives me grace. He is everything for everybody, everywhere, every time, and in every way. He is Almighty God He is faithful and trustworthy. I am His, and He is mine.”  Originating author is unknown.

Quiz:

1. Can we tell from prophecy when the end of all things is near?

2. Three clocks are based on planetary motion, what are they?

3. Do you think the better we understand God’s actions, the deeper of faith will grow?

4. Can you see as a result of these 39 studies on Daniel & Revelation the devil’s schemes and how he mixes truth with an error?

5. Can you see now how the layers of these prophecies are “stacked” onto each other to get a more complete picture?

6. How do you feel about Jesus giving you authority to judge the wicked in the restitution phase in the kingdom of Heaven during the 1,000 years?

7. My last question my eternal friend is, what are you going to do with all this valuable and timely information you have learned about the Revelation of Jesus and His saving grace?

Notes:

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