After the devil is cast into the lake of fire (v. 10), John the apostle saw (in his vision) “a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them” (v. 11). Regarding this last phrase, John Macarthur commented, “John saw the contaminated universe go out of existence…The universe is ‘uncreated’ going into non-existence.”8
This destruction of the universe is also mentioned in 2 Peter 3:10, 12 as the “day of the Lord.”
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!
Then also we will look at Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
There is much we could say from these verses to back up the claim that heaven and earth will indeed be destroyed, or go out of existence. Let’s examine these terms.
“Earth and heaven fled away” (Rev. 20:11). This seems to indicate that they do go out of existence.
“Heaven and earth will pass away” (Matt. 24:35). It seems that “pass away’ and “fled away” is the same thing.
“The heavens will pass away with a roar…” (2 Pt. 3:10). This sounds much like an atomic reaction.
“And the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up” (2 Pt. 3:10, 12). The elements could be atomic components from which matter is composed and held together.
Total destruction of the universe seems to be the meaning of these verses; however, many scholars look at it differently. They see just the surface of the earth being renewed by fire, or made new by fire. We will discuss both interpretations later.
8 John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible (Thomas Nelson, 2006), John MacArthur’s notes of Revelation 20:11.
This is the next event after the one-thousand-year reign of Christ—a great battle between Satan and Christ and His saints. We have this event recorded for us in Revelation twenty, verses seven through ten.
When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The result of this battle, as you may surmise, gives us the result of the final test for man, as we have just written above—that they will not be able to save themselves apart from God’s help and the redeeming blood of Christ. But let us fill in the details as much as we can from just these four verses.
Verse 7.This verse tells us clearly that when the thousand years are completed God will release Satan from his prison. And some may ask why. Why would God do that? The answer is obvious. It is to test, or to reveal, the character of the rebellious ones who are on the earth and to bring them to judgment.
Verse 8. Here we see that Satan immediately does what he has planned to do all along if given a chance; he does what is natural for him, to deceive. And he will deceive not just a few. This time he will go out with his demons and deceive all those in the world that are here referred to as Gog and Magog. This term is a title (used also in the Ezekiel war, Ezek. 38, 39) to refer to rebels who are enemies of God. And they are evil people that are spread out all over the earth—many of them, probably millions of them. The devil and his demons will deceive them into coming together with him to war against Christ.
Verse 9. Here we are told that they (the rebels) “came upon the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.” Most commentators will interpret this to say that they came and spread over all the land up to the city. But I think we can be more detailed than that. The “broad plain” I think may refer to how the land around Jerusalem will be. In Zechariah 14:10 it tells us that all the land for miles around Jerusalem will be changed; it will be converted into a great plain with the city rising above the plain. This change will be part of the early millennial land renewal project, probably for the growing of gardens and crops.
Nonetheless, they will come on this broad plain, which will probably hold millions of the rebels; and then, just as they will be intending to storm the saints and up into Jerusalem where Christ reigns, God will send fire from heaven to devour them.
Verse 10. The devil, apparently not hurt by the fire, was captured alive and thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where he will meet his old friends the beast and the false prophet—having been there for a thousand years. They, all three of them, with the demons, will suffer there day and night forever and ever. We are not told anything about the millions of rebels that were fighting with Satan, but I imagine that their bodies will be incinerated by the fire and their souls will be sent to hell. Then, it will happen very soon that their bodies also will be resurrected, judged at the Great White Throne, and then cast into the lake of fire.
I will be quite brief on this subject, but if you want to dig deeper I invite you to read my book, The Coming Millennial Kingdom.6
After the disastrous effect of the seven-year Tribulation and an urgent need for renewal (although, the Tribulation fires may be a part of the renewal process), I imagine that the first thing on the agenda for the millennial kingdom will be the setup. The very first on the list will be to lock up Satan and his demons (Rev. 20:1-3). After the old dragon is put away, the next on the list—though there is no way we can know the exact order of things—may be to establish a new and righteous government with new rulers (Isa. 9:6-7). Next, I suppose, is to enlarge the borders of Israel (where the new administration will be located); and also, to redistribute the land according to how it has already been planned (Ezek. 48). Then they will begin building the new temple with a new system of worship (read Ezekiel 40-44). And a new glorious city of Jerusalem will also be built (Ezek. 48:30-35). But this is not the heavenly city spoken of in Revelation 21.
After those thing are set up, a restoration process on the earth will begin—if it hasn’t already begun. Some things, like the removal of the earth’s curse (on the ground, the atmosphere, and the animals) will be taken care of immediately through God’s miracle wonders. But most other changes will be affected gradually.
Because of His strong government and His crack down on crime, idol worship, and false teaching, the earth will begin to experience peace and justice, joy and gladness, protection and comfort.
In addition to the ruling of Christ from His throne, His brilliant teachings will be heard everywhere. As Isaiah tells us, “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).
Now besides the renewal process, there are three more important purposes for the millennial kingdom that we will now mention briefly.
1. To fulfill God’s eternal covenants with Israel. What we are talking about is the Abrahamic covenant and its tributary covenants: the Palestinian covenant, the Davidic covenant, and the New covenant. These carry the promise of land, the promise of descendants, and the promise of salvation and blessing. And they have certainly have been partially fulfilled, showing the literal nature of the covenants. But in the Millennium they will be completely fulfilled. Here in five points is a picture of this fulfilment.
Israel (the Jews) will possess all the land that was promised to themaccording to the covenant in Genesis 15:18-21.
Israel’s possession of the land will be a permanent possession.In both Genesis 13:15 and in Genesis 17:8, Abraham’s descendants were promised the land as an everlasting possession.
Abraham’s descendants will forever be blessed with physical and spiritual blessings (Gen. 12:2; 22:17).
Israel will be a blessing to all nations.As a result of God blessing the Jews with His wisdom and knowledge, all the world will be more prosperous and will live well.
All nations will bless Israel. In the millennial kingdom, as never before, when God blesses Israel, and as Israel blesses others, they will in turn bless Israel (Gen. 12:3; 27:29).7
2. To display the character and glory of Christ. It is altogether proper for every person in the Millennium to lift up Jesus Christ for His works and for all He is. And the kingdom will in fact display His character and glory. He is the one who will bring renewal to the earth by His mighty miracles and by His government and teaching. And all will see His glory on His throne as Prophet, Priest, and King. We will see Him as Priest in His governorship; we will be mesmerized by Him as Yahweh; and we will glorify Him as the Good Shepherd, as our Savior and Redeemer, and as Jesus Christ the anointed One or Messiah.
3. To provide a final test for man. Let me begin this section by telling you, first of all, that the test is not for the redeemed, but only for those who choose not to believe. Secondly, we already know the result of this test according to what the book of Revelation reveals. And here is the result of the test. We will find that those that are unregenerate, even under the most ideal circumstance will not be able to save themselves and to make themselves fit for the eternal kingdom—and in the end will be deceived by Satan and choose to rebel (with Satan and his demons) against God. Hence, we will see that man always needs God and the redeeming blood of Christ to save Him from his sins.
It is likely that on the very day that all the evil nations come against Jerusalem and Judah to destroy them (Zech. 12:2-4), that that will be the day when Jesus Christ will come in the clouds of glory. He will come to rescue all of His believers (Jews and Gentiles) and to bring judgment on all unbelievers. Yes, He will come triumphantly in the clouds of glory (possibly the Shekina glory), riding on a white horse with heavenly armies and angels following Him on white horses.
And when He appears in the sky every eye will see Him; and most people will mourn with guilt over their sins—without repentance. But those of the house of David (the Jews), they will also mourn, but with repentance (Zech. 12:10-14); and so, they will be saved. And He will fight for all Israel, both for those in the wilderness and also for those who are yet alive in Jerusalem.
His purpose for coming is clear. He comes to judge and destroy all evil. He will cast the beast and the false prophet into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20); He will kill the rest of the unbelievers at Armageddon with the sword; and later He will gather all nations together (all gentiles that are still alive), and judge them for how they treated His people (Matt. 25:31-46).
His purpose is also to set up His throne on earth—the throne of David. And He will rule on His throne and over His kingdom with His saints. And in His kingdom He will determine that His covenant program with Israel be fulfilled.
After the Rapture of the church and all of the things that will follow it (such as the setting up of a global government and a global religion, and the failed Gog and Magog invasion) begin to happen; and as soon as a very popular leader (soon to be the Antichrist) will begin talking of world peace and of making a peace plan with Israel, and eventually puts that plan is in place, that is when the seven-year Tribulation officially begins.
We won’t at this time spell out in any detail the events of the Tribulation; but we will highlight the source, purpose, and nature of the Tribulation. It’s source is God’s wrath against evil, dished out in two ways: 1) by Satan and the Antichrist, and 2) through natural means such as earthquakes and storms.
Its purpose is two-fold: 1) primarily to prepare Israel for her Messiah, and 2) to punish the world of sin for its evil.
The nature of the Tribulation is tied to God’s wrath. We may see it as a day of destructionand disaster, a day of trouble and distress, a day of vengeance and wrath, and a day of fear and terror.
All these descriptions of His wrath will come to the earth in three different sets of seven intensifying judgments. They are labeled in Scripture as seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls—all intended to punish the world for its evil, but also to bring the nation of Israel, and any other sinners, to repentance and salvation.
We should also mention the very important last things of the Tribulation. Over all, there will be what is known as the war of Armageddon. Within this war time is, first, the fall of Babylon—which is the destruction by God of Antichrist’s evil empire. Then, immediately after that is the fall of Jerusalem (but take note that about three years earlier about a third of Israel will escape into the mountains for safety). So, these remaining ones are those who will be killed or captured (Zech. 12:2-4; 14:1-2).
The climax of Armageddon and the Tribulation is the visible return of Jesus Christ.
In this article we are interested in the marriage between Christ (the Lamb) and the church, which takes place in heaven after the bema seat. And since this marriage is patterned after a typical ancient Jewish wedding, we will present it as such. First we will show all the events of a typical Jewish wedding; then we will describe those same events in theological terms showing our marriage with Christ the Lamb.
The marriage of a typical Jewish wedding.It all begins by an arrangement of a betrothal period and payment of the wedding by the father of the groom. When these arrangements are made and the price is paid, the marriage covenant is established and is binding.
After the marriage covenant is made the groom returns to the father’s house. During this time of separation, the groom is busy preparing a place for his betrothed, and she is also preparing herself for him.
After a period of time known only by the groom and his father, the groom comes unexpectantly to get his bride. But he will warn her with a shout, something like, “Behold the bridegroom comes!”
Within four days of the wedding, the bride and sometimes the groom will undergo a ritual bath called the mikuah—which is for both outer and inner cleansing.
Each Jewish wedding ceremony has been different, but the most basic practice has been the exchange of rings symbolizing purity and honesty in the relationship.
After the wedding ceremony the happy couple retires to the bridal chamber to consummate the wedding. Shortly after there will be a big celebration of the couple’s first union.
The last event is the marriage feast, which usually lasts for an entire week.
Our marriage with Christ the Lamb.Just as with a Jewish betrothal period, our marriage with Christ begins with His Father loving us and paying the price of His own Son’s death. If we chose to believe in Him we enter into an eternal marriage covenant with Him.
After Christ died on the cross for our sins, He left this earth and is now preparing a place for us in heaven (Jn. 14:23). And we, His betrothed should be preparing ourselves for Him.
Just as the groom comes unexpectantly to get the bride in the Jewish wedding, Jesus will come from heaven to get us and bring us to His Father’s house in heaven. He will resurrect the dead believers first, and then rapture the living ones (Jn. 14:2-3; 1 Thess. 4:17).
The next event after we arrive in heaven is the cleansing. In the Jewish wedding the cleansing was by a ritual bath, but in our marriage to Christ it will be a cleansing by fire—the bema judgment, where all our hidden motives will be revealed (1 Cor. 4:4-5).
Both the wedding ceremony and the consummation of the marriage will be very private and sacred. Since our bodies will be transformed, our relationship and communion with Him will be very different—very good but very different.
The marriage feast in a Jewish wedding was for one week. But our marriage with Christ will last for one-thousand years, all during the millennial kingdom—after which the new bride (the church) and groom (Jesus) will enjoy each other in heavenly bliss forever.
The bema judgment, or as it is sometimes called, the judgment seat of Christ will probably occur just after the Rapture and our transformation. And I am guessing that it will be one of those timeless events. That is, things that happen in a few days or even a few years in our time will take only a second in God’s time. Really, since Christ will be the only judge, and since He will have to judge every Christian for all of their works, in our time this could take over a thousand years. But since God is God and He will not be restricted by time, it will take only a second—or less.
Now this bema judgment (bema, indicating an elevated judgment platform) will happen somewhere in heaven—we don’t know where. And the subjects of the judgment are the church—those who will be raptured. All others who are not of the church will, I suppose, be judged at another time and place. And, as I said, Christ is our judge.
As for the basis of this judgment; it will not be according to our sins, for they have already been paid for on the cross, and His blood has already cleansed us of all sins (1 Jn. 1:7). Praise God for that! But we will be judged according to our deeds, whether they are good or bad. Our bad deeds will have no value for His kingdom, so we will get no reward for those. But our good deeds, whatever value they have for His kingdom, we will be rewarded on that basis (read 1Cor. 3:10-15).
Now, as for what reward we will get, that is hard to say. God has not revealed that specifically. Certainly, He will judge us according to our motives and our attitude toward Him and toward others. And we know that He is a perfect judge and He knows our heart. There has been much said in Scripture about crowns that we will get as rewards. There has also been things said about rewards of land, rulership, and of responsibilities. But I think the best reward we will want to receive is to hear Jesus say to us, “Well done My good and faithful servant.” Also, in the end of things, whatever glory we receive from Him, we will so much desire to reflect that glory back to Him—that all things will be to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:12).
My last blog, if you have been following along, was about the war of Gog and Magog. And I am suggesting here that after that war Israel will be starting to make plans to build the third temple—with the Antichrist wanting to take a leadership roll in it. But none of us really know for sure all the details of what will happen or the order of the events. But anyway, here is my post…
As the people of Israel (after the Ezekiel war) are busy burying the dead bodies and are in the process of burning the weapons, they will have a chance to think about what comes next. Of course, we know now how we think about the Antichrist—he is evil! But the Jews and the world at that time don’t know him. They think he is wonderful and a man of peace. Since he and the EU were not involved in the war, and were in fact against it, they probably will see him as a peacemaker and a good man. They will also see him as a religious person—maybe even a Christian—since he will be taking steps to be unified with the new global religion. More importantly, he will at this time be cultivating a friendship with Israel, and very soon will announce his seven-year peace plan and the building of the third temple—and I’m sure the rumors are spreading.
As for the temple, what do you think Israel and the world are thinking about it? Are they in favor of it?
Let’s take the Jews first. There is quite a mixed bag of Jewish beliefs. Mainstream Orthodox Jews, which is by far the largest group, want the temple, but they believe it can only be built by the coming Messiah. Another group called Ultra-orthodox Judaism, a much smaller group, believe they already have a command of God (Ex. 25:8) to build the temple. And there are already several organizations that are in the process of carrying out this order. Then there are a few more liberal denominations that see no need for the temple—and especially for animal sacrifices.
True Christians, of course, see no need for a temple, since every Christian believes that he is a temple and God dwells in him (1 Cor. 3;16). Even so, we see the building of a temple as prophetical; and so, it is a sign that His coming is near.
The Antichrist may not know all of what his future is, but I’m sure Satan will fill him in as to what his role is; and so, he will have somewhat of a plan to sign a peace agreement and also to take charge of building the temple for the Jews. He may even know what he will do half-way through the seven-year peace plan.
There is so much more we could say about the progress made for the building of the temple and about all the obstacles they are encountering; but we will put that off for another time.
However, I’m thinking that if mainstream Orthodox Judaism comes to believe that this great man of peace is their Messiah, everything may very quickly fall into place.
The Ezekiel invasion of Ezekiel 38 and 39 may be the next major world event after the Rapture of the church. Here are a few of the most important details of this invasion: first, though it may seem like the many nations that come after Israel are great and self-determined with their own plan, it will be God that will summon them into battle. In fact, Scripture tells us that He will put hooks into their jaws and pull them into the war (Ezek. 38:4), where he will bring His fierce judgment on them.
Secondly, this invasion will be at a time when Israel is living securely (vv. 8, 11). And many think that this is true of Israel now, since they have a well-equipped military and a strong economy. So, this war could come at any time.
One more important point is: though there will be millions of troops that will come against Israel, and will cover the land “like a cloud,” (v. 16), there will also be a few nations that will be against the invasion (from Ezek. 38:13). These are Sheba (or Yemen), Dedan (or Saudi Arabia), the Merchants of Tarshish (or Spain and Britain), and the young lions (possibly the USA). We don’t know exactly why they will not get involved; but it is my guess that they just aren’t as hateful toward Israel as the other nations; or they may have more of a commercial interest with Israel.
Here are the invaders—those who are mostly Muslims and who are led into war by one called Gog (from Ezek. 38:1-6).
Rosh – probably Russia.
Meshech and Tubal – what is now Turkey.
Persia – modern Iran.
Ethiopia – probably Sudan.
Put – Libya and Tunisia and parts of Algeria.
Gomer and Beth-togarmah – Turkey.
Many other people – this refers to people that may not be troops, but civilians, all haters of Jews!
The surprising and miraculous outcome of this invasion is that Israel won’t be touched at all; but the invading armies will be almost completely destroyed. Of course, this will be God’s intention all along. He will summon them to this battle to be judged by Him. And His judgment will be four-fold.
By a great earthquake (38:19-20).
By infighting (38:21). By the divine, direction of God, the invading troops will become confused and will fight against each other.
By disease (38:22; 39:4, 17-20). So many dead bodies lying everywhere will cause an outbreak if disease.
By rain, hail, fire, and brimstone (38:22; 39:6). This judgment, direct from God, may be the most devastating.
This very destructive war no doubt will be used to convince the world to establish peace with Israel—and the Antichrist will play a major part in that peace as we will see in the next point.5
Stephen Nielsen 