Christ Return, Judgement, Millennial Kingdom and The Second Creation

Jesus Christ will not return until all the Jewish people are back in Israel and the Gospel message has been preached to every ethnic group on Earth. He will return at the end of the Great Tribulation which is the final three and a half years of a seven-year judgement period (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21). Once the full number of people God intends to redeem from hearing the Gospel are redeemed, he will return (Romans 8:23). 

• "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations (ethnic groups), and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14

• "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

The first seal judgements cover the first three and a half years of the seven-year Tribulation. This is the time when the gentile's rule over Jerusalem. The final three and a half years is called the Great Tribulation when two prophets or witnesses from ancient times (Moses & Elijah) preach in Jerusalem to show God's redemptive grace. They are wearing sackcloth as a sign of repentance, mourning and grief. The outer court of the 3rd Jewish Temple is excluded in the verse because all the gentiles are raptured just before the start of the Great Tribulation.

• "But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months (3.5 years). 3 And I will appoint my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days (1,260/360 lunar years = 3.5 years), clothed in sackcloth.” Revelation 11:2-3

• “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days." Daniel 12:11-12

At the end of the Great Tribulation there is a 30 difference in Daniel and Revelation prophecies above: 1,290 days - 1,260 days = 30 days.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows the hour or the day of His return, but we do know the month and it's sometime during this 30-day period when Jesus returns and gathers up all the believing gentiles who have survived in the valley outside of Jerusalem to be judged as stated in Matthew 25:31-46. He divides the sheep (believers) from the goats (unbelievers). When the 1,335 days end (45 days later or 1,335 - 1,260), the people remaining are only the believers who enter the thousand-year Millennial Kingdom.

All believers to be prepared and anticipating His return.

• "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” Luke 12:40

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

― Eleanor Roosevelt 

Former First Lady, Diplomat, and Activist 

There are two feasts in Revelation 19 that are complete different experiences. God’s rule has been clearly demonstrated in the destruction of the anti-Christian world system and the triumph of His persecuted people. That triumph is now pictured in a heavenly wedding feast in which the redeemed are seen as the bride of Christ. They are clothed in pure white to indicate their heavenly purity. The symbolism then changes. The redeemed, though pictured collectively as a bride, are pictured individually as those invited to share the wedding feast with Christ. John, the author, overcome by the vision, is tempted to worship the angel who explained it to him. He is reminded that Jesus, not the angel, is the source of all these revelations.

• "Let’s rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) has come, and His bride (Believers) has prepared herself.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous of the saints. 9 Then he *said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.’” And he *said to me, “These are the true words of God."  10 Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:7-10

God purposely chose to put these two suppers back to back. This supper features the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to earth to close out the Great Tribulation. The inhabitants of the earth will mourn when they see  the Son of Man coming in the clouds (Matthew 24:30). This supper is for the wicked who marshal themselves against the Christ the King and have spurned Him. Now they will feel His anger and wrath. In a display of glory and power, the same Jesus who willingly laid down His life (Philippians 2:8; Matthew 26:53) will single-handedly obliterate His enemies from the face of the earth (Isaiah 63:3). It hard to imagine that there are still millions of human beings foolish enough to follow the Antichrist (and his False Prophet) and wage war against the Lord. Armageddon concludes with the Antichrist and False Prophet being thrown into the lake of fire and the graphic slaughter of their followers. This battle ending kicks off the beginning of the Millenia.

• "And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and the mighty, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, great and small." Revelation 19:17-18

"Since the body is our most valuable fleeting asset, then how much more valuable is our soul and spirit which are eternal."

― Michael Crist

Commoner

The purpose of the Millennial Kingdom or chiliad is that Jesus wants to teach man one more lesson similar to Noah's Flood. He removes all human competition and replace it with something else because man blames natural selection for much of the evil and suffering in the world today. No more excuses and no one to blame. Conditions in this kingdom will be much different and the perfected saints will help him rule. When Jesus Christ returns, He will establish a world order having a perfect environment with absolute peace and where Christians will be living extraordinary spiritual lives here on earth. In our current world, Christian adversaries are as follows; (1) the world system (non-believers), (2) the flesh (our sin nature) and (3) Satan (the deceiver). In the new Millennial world Satan will be bound in the Abyss where he cannot tempt us to sin (Revelation 20:2). The Antichrist and his False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire before the Millennial. Satan is dealt with after the thousand years. Believers will be given a new spiritual nature like God and this new nature will desire to obey God, but our old sin nature is not removed just yet. Believers understand that there is a battle going on inside us between our new nature in Christ and our sin nature. The fact that we know this battle is occurring means that we are born again. The only battle we will be fighting is the Millennial is our old sin nature. There will be extraordinary means to live your life for Christ since we won't have to battle a world system or Satan. Sin will be suppressed and almost nonexistent.

The people found in the Millennial Kingdom are those who had not followed the beast during the seven-year Tribulation. There won't be many mortal believers on earth who survive the Tribulation because most of them became martyrs. Those who were martyred during the Tribulation will be resurrected and given a special reward which is to reign with Christ on earth for 1,000 years in glorified bodies. This is the first resurrection of life. Jesus' resurrection was considered the "first fruits" or the "wave sheaf" which is phase one of the first resurrection (Matthew 27:50-53, 1 Corinthians 15:23). Phase two of the first resurrection will be the rapture of the Church called "The Harvest". The martyr's resurrection below is phase three of the first resurrection called "The Gleaning" (Leviticus 19:9-10). The resurrection of the Old Testament Saints will also happen at this time as covered in Daniel 12:1-3 and Job 19:25. Phase four is the final phase occurring at the end of the Millennia. These resurrections are patterned after the Harvest Feast in the Jewish calendar. It is thought that those believers who were raptured at the end of the Church Age will also rule with Christ in the Heavenly Jerusalem which will be suspended above the earth. Everyone will be surrounded by the knowledge of God during Christ's reign.

• "I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years." Revelation 20:4-6

Even Animals will be changed from carnivorous to grass eating and will not be fearful of children. Children will actually lead them. 

• "The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. 7 The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. 8 The infant will play near the cobra’s den, and the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest." Isaiah 11:6-8

Believers will live the entire thousand years period and at the end of the Millennia, they will be transformed from mortal to immortal which is phase four of the first resurrection. This phase closes the first resurrection of life. The only reason someone would suffer an early death would be because they are being judged for some flagrant sin. Jesus will rule with swift punishment for those who sin because there will be no prisons in the Kingdom (Revelation 2:27).  Read the rest of Revelation 20 and Isaiah 11 to get the full picture of the Millennia. 

• "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." Isaiah 2:4 also see Isaiah 9:6

• “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed." Isaiah 65:20

At the end of the chiliad, Satan is released...why would God release him? The Millennial Kingdom started with only believers who are mortals, and we know this because they give birth to repopulate the Earth. Immortals do not reproduce. Some of their children will be pretending to believe in Christ and are faking it in their hearts. Satan is released to bring out what God sees in their hearts. Nonbelievers will immediately follow Satan when he is released and rebel against Jesus Christ. Man rejects God proving once again that the answer isn't for man to be living in a perfect environment (Like Adam & Eve originally lived), the answer is to be born again in Christ. The issue is that man has a heart problem and only God can fix if we come to Him. 

• "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it? " Jeremiah 17:9

There are multiple views of interpreting the Millennial. 

• Pre-Millennial View: 
• Post Millennial View: 
• A Millennial View: 

The second creation occurs after the last judgement of the Millennial Kingdom. The Earth, our solar system and possibly our galaxy will be destroyed by fire. God will speak this universe out of existence just as He spoke it into existence. This will be done by the one who holds the elements together (Colossians 1:17). The neutron and protons of atomic structure will be release by God so we will see a glimpse His awesome power. He will no longer have a need for this universe once the full number of people have been redeemed. All believers will exist in our resurrected, eternal bodies so we can dwell with God in the new Heaven and new Earth. Our relationship with God will be at a much greater degree than Adam & Eve experienced in the beginning. What God has planned for us is beyond our wildest dreams. 

• "Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Revelation 21:1-2

• "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare. 11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells." 2 Peter 3:10-13

Day of the Lord is also referenced in Jeremiah 46:10, Isaiah 61:2, Psalm 50, Amos 5:18, Romans 9.

• "He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove His people’s disgrace from the whole earth, for the Lord has spoken." Isaiah 25:8

When we become a believer, God's spirit is born in us. This is our new spiritual nature that does not sin because it is born of God (Holy Spirit). In eternity believers still have a sin nature which constantly battling side by side. Our spiritual nature always wants to be in fellowship with God and do the things that please God. This is why a believer can never be happy sinning. Have you ever heard the term "Catholic guilt"? In the second creation God removes our sin nature for those who have overcome this world. Some of the characteristic of the second, new creation realm described in Revelation 21 are as follows: 

• Only those who overcome the world will dwell there (1 John 5:3-5, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Revelation 21:27)
• We will finally see Christ's face and His name will be on our foreheads (Revelation 22:4, John 1:18)
• We will be in direct fellowship with God
• All things will be made new
• There will be a new Heaven and a new Earth
• There will be no more curse (sin), death or sickness (we all have eternal, incorruptible bodies)
• We will recognize one another
• There will be no concept of time or an end time
• There will be no gravity
• There will be no electromagnetism
• There will be no law of decay (2nd Law of Thermodynamics)
• There will be no sun or the moon
• There will be no more night, no shadows or darkness
• There will be no seas
• God glory will gives the eternal city light and the Lamb (Jesus) is its lamp
• We will not have a sin nature
• There will be no more tears of sadness, pain or suffering and God will personally wipe our tears away
• We will all be Kings and Priests
• The Holy City, Jerusalem, will come down from heaven and its dimensions violate the laws of gravity
• A crystal clear river of the water of life will run through the middle of the city street with a trees of life on each side bearing twelve different crops of fruit and the leaves of the tree are for the health of the Nations
• The names of the twelve tribes of Israel are written on the city gates which are twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl
• The names of the twelve Apostles of the Church are written on the foundation stones which are decorated with every kind of precious stone 
• The city dimensions will be a cube, ~1380 miles length, width and height (12,000 stadia) and the wall thickness is ~70 yards (144 cubits). 
• The city walls are made of jasper and the city is pure gold like clear glass
• There will be no privacy (clear glass) because there will be nothing to hide

 The victorious are also promised to inherit some things described in Revelation 21.

• "He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children." Revelation 21:6-7

God promises that we will "inherit all this" which are seven new things that believers will receive for all eternity. The corrupt will not inherit these things:

1. New Heaven and New Earth (universe)
2. New Jerusalem
3. God will interact directly with us
4. Inherit the water of limitless life
5. Recognize Jesus as the Light
6. Right to the Tree of Life
7. Receive 12 types of fruits (different one each month)

God also promises that there are seven unpleasant things that will be taken away from believers:

1. No more current Heaven and current Earth
2. No more death or fear
3. No more sea (unbelievers)
4. No tears or cursing God
5. No crime
6. No pain or mourning
7. No night or darkness

When we die we are in a state of sin. God purges all of sin from Christians through a refining fire that will make us more loving to other people. We are also to recieve or lose rewards for what we did here on Earth. He does this purification instantaneously so that we can enter into the second creation as pure as silver.

• "If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. 14 If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. 15 If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames." 1 Corinthians 3:12-15

"Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good."

― Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

American Physician, Poet, and Polymath (1894)