Article number 8 ended with the capture of the beast and the false prophet. Ofcourse Satan will be captured too and then will be locked up for a period of thousand years:
“And I saw an angel come down from Heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled; and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Revelation 20:1-3 KJ21)
Satan will be out of the way during the socalled "Millenial Kingdom". He cannot deceive the nations for a long period. As soon as he is locked up, those who gave their lives for Christ will be resurrected and will, together with Him and all gathered via the rapture, rule the nations:
“And I saw thrones and they that sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the Word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast, nor his image, nor had received his mark upon their foreheads or on their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4-6 KJ21)
The last verses of the 65th chapter of the book of Isaiah seem to describe this period of thousand years:
“"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 a hundred years old; but the sinner being a 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 labor 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 65:17-25 KJ21)
During this period men, not dying before the age of a hundred years, apparently still can sin while the animals have returned to their original nature. In the garden of Eden were no carnivores because death was unknown. Let's read some words of Isaiah's chapter 11:
“"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11:6-9 KJ21)
Wouldn't you love to play with a lion or a bear?
Let's move on to the end of the above-mentioned thousand years:
“And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations to the four quarters of the earth — Gog and Magog — to gather them together for battle, thenumber of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went out over 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 who had deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (Revelation 20:7-10 KJ21)
Isn't it extremely sad that, after thousand years of peace, Satan still is able to deceive the nations and can organize a huge army and try to battle the saints and the beloved city?
Unfortunately for them God does end their rebellion with fire out of heaven and Satan joins the beast and the false prophet for ever and ever.
Then, when Satan has left the stage, comes the moment of Truth: the moment that all who had no part in the first resurrection will be judged:
“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, standing 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.” (Revelation 20:11-15 KJ21)
Some commentators claim that all who had no part in the first resurrection will be thrown into the lake of fire. Personally, I gladly leave the judgment to the Almighty. Our God and Father knows who is in the Book of Life and who isn't.
After this the eternal Kingdom of peace, together with Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the angels, begins for real:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of Heaven, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away."” (Revelation 21:1-4 KJ21)
Do you notice the difference compared to the text from Isaiah 65?
"there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying"
I'm really looking forward to the moment that "God shall wipe away all tears from their (and our) eyes"!
The holy city, New Jerusalem, comes down from God out of heaven and takes her place on the new earth. This is the house of which Jesus spoke:
“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14:2-3 KJ21)
The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the beloved City and from that throne will flow a wonderful river with on both sides a Tree of Life, which no longer is forbidden for mankind (see Genesis 3:22):
“And he showed me a pure river of the Water of Life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, there was the Tree of Life, which bore twelve kinds of fruit and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1-2 KJ21)
The prophet Ezekiel already was allowed to describe this River:
“Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house, and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar. Then he brought me out of the way of the gate northward, and led me about the way outside unto the outer gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when the man who had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand, and it was a river that I could not pass over; for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over. And he said unto me, "Son of man, hast thou seen this?" Then he brought me and caused me to return to the brink of the river. Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other. Then said he unto me, "These waters issue out toward the east country and go down into the desert and go into the sea, which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live. And there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither; for they shall be healed, and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets. Their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the Great Sea, exceeding many. But the miry places thereof and the marshes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt. And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed. It shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof for medicine."” (Ezekiel 47:1-12 KJ21)
Then we will be with God and the Lamb and “...reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5 KJ21)
*
No comments:
Post a Comment