From Armageddon To The New Earth! : Part Two

FROM ARMAGEDDON TO THE NEW EARTH! : PART TWO

Copyright 1994 - 2008 Endtime Prophecy Net

Last Updated : July 23, 2006

Millennial Training, Righteous Judgment, A Rod Of Iron, God's
Summer School, Seeing Is Believing, Satanic Influence Is
Removed, Denial Of Sin, Voice Of Conscience, Evilness Of
Man, Sin Of Rebellion, The Final Test, True Submission Or
Lip Service?, Fiery Judgment, Heart-felt Obedience, The
Incorrigibles, Forsaking God's Mercy, God's Righteous
Judgments, Endtime Mockers, Magog Survivors, Satan's Final
Judgment, Great White Throne Judgment, Second Resurrection,
Second Death And Lake Of Fire, New Heavens And New Earth, No
Survivors, Baptismal Fire, Destroy Not The Earth!, Isaiah's
Millennial Prophecies?, A Tough Reign, The Millennium In The
Gospels, Millennial Priesthood, Prophecy About John, The
Revelation Of Jesus Christ, More On Our Glorious Future

While the Bible does not spell it out for us directly, I
believe that we can make a few fairly safe assumptions
concerning the purpose of the Millennium. To begin with, I
believe that it may be a training period for we the Saints
of the Most High God. Without the influence of Satan, who
will be bound in the Bottomless Pit, and due to the fact
that we will no longer be in our sinful flesh, it will be
easier for us to learn and to grow into wise and just
spiritual leaders who are fit to rule the Earth; and the
Lord knows that this is something which many of us sorely
need at the moment. At this current time, we are so in the
flesh, that our personal pride, prejudices and preconceived
ideas cause us to argue about such things as proper Biblical
interpretation, beliefs and doctrines. We also tend to make
erroneous character judgments about each other. During the
Millennium, we will be under the direct tutelage of Jesus
Christ Himself, the very Word of God, as He teaches us all
about wisdom, patience, love, mercy and righteous judgment.
During that time, we will truly learn to follow the Lord's
admonition when He said:

"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment." (John 7:24)

This topic of judgment is covered more fully in some of my
other articles such as 'Exposing The Judge Not Fallacy', and
'Are Personal Tragedies Due To Sin?', as well as in some of
the Apocryphal articles. The idea of righteous judgment in
itself could be another reason for the Millennium. This makes
perfect sense if you stop to consider the fact that, during
the initial years of the Millennium, we will be ruling over
those who currently reject our message of Salvation; and
sadly, the number of these hard-hearted unbelievers is
growing daily at an alarming rate! During the Millennium, we
will probably be able to meet some of these very same people
face to face and say to them, 'You see, it is all true;
every word of it. You didn't have the faith to believe it
then, but here is the physical proof.' In that day, we will
be in charge, and not them. They are going to have to submit
to us or else pay the consequences for their rebellion.
Consider what John wrote to the Church at Thyatira:

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end,
to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule
them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall
they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father."
(Revelation 2:26-27)

As I point out in such articles as the series 'Is Jesus The
Only Begotten Son Of God?', the above promise goes hand in
hand with the prophecy found in Daniel chapter two regarding
the coming Kingdom of God on Earth, and the destruction of
the worldly governments of man:

"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set
up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the
kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever." (Daniel 2:44)

Thus we see that the coming Millennium will be a time for our
personal spiritual growth as the Holy Priesthood of the
Lord, as well as a time of righteous rule and judgment
against those who currently reject our witness. This rule
with a rod of iron will be further discussed later on in
this article. One thing is absolutely certain; under the
Lord's and our direct reign of the inhabitants of the Earth,
absolutely no one will be without excuse. No one will be
able to say 'know the Lord', for all will know Him, just as
those of ancient Israel knew Him when He walked the Earth
two thousand years ago:

"And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every
man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know
me, from the least to the greatest." (Hebrews 8:11)

At this current time, we believe in the Lord by faith, and
it is counted to us for righteousness; however, during the
Millennium, those who haven't believed by faith, as well as
those who are born during the Millennium, will have the full
physical witness of the Truth of God's Word, as they see
Jesus Christ, and we His Resurrected Saints, ruling in our
glorified bodies. This period will be God's final chance for
humanity as He puts the people of the world into 'summer
school' for one thousand years. Because they have flunked
for the past six thousand years, the Lord is going to give
them a one-thousand-year crash course. They are going to see
a clear example of how things were originally meant to be
done under the Lord's direct Leadership. As I discuss in the
article 'The Children Of God And Politics', it was ancient
Israel's rejection of the Lord as their King and only
Leader, and their choosing of a human king, rebellious King
Saul, which accelerated their decline into sin and unbelief.

As I mentioned earlier, what is interesting about this
Millennial Period, is that with Satan bound, it appears that
there will be no evil spiritual influence to affect the
people of the world; after all, if Satan is bound, it would
seem likely that his demons will likewise be bound. In this
current age of the Apostasy, because of their pride and
arrogance, many not only deny the existence of God, His Son,
and the Spiritual Realm, but they also deny the existence of
sin. In the callous heart of the atheistic unbeliever, sin
is viewed as nothing more than a concept concocted by
oranized religion for the sole purpose of controlling the
masses. Because of this dangerous denial of our sinful
nature, which is due to passive rebellion on their part
which results in strong delusion, personal accountability
and responsibility are being discarded by many. These
Endtime mockers of the Truth of the Word of God feel that
anything is permissible; as long as they aren't caught. As I
have pointed out a number of times before, Jesus said that
one sign of the Endtime would be that the love of many would
was, or grow, cold. Paul also added that many would become
past feeling and darkened in their understanding:

"And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold." (Matthew 24:12)

"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the
life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because
of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have
given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all
uncleanness with greediness." (Ephesians 4:18-19)

To give you a shocking example of exactly how evil some
people have become, consider the following very graphic
incident taken from a June 14, 1998 Cable News Network,
(CNN), news report. How can the Lord not judge the United
States of America?:

----- Begin Quote -----

POLICE: PARENTS PUT INFANT'S BODY IN BATTERY ACID

"A Chicago couple has been charged with killing their
16-month-old daughter, then putting her remains in a pot of
battery acid and hiding her body parts that did not
disintegrate. The crime is so heinous even police are
calling it one of the most "horrific" they've ever come
across. "No one can recall parents inflicting such horrific,
unspeakable acts on their child," one policeman said. Joan
Tribblet, 27, and Everett Johnson, 29, were charged with
first-degree murder and concealing homicide in the December
murder."

----- End Of Quote -----

For me personally, it is extremely difficult to accept that
some people don't realize when they are doing wrong. As I
have stated in other articles, I believe that we all know
when we are doing wrong or committing evil, because God has
put it in us to know. The Apostle Paul tells us that His
laws are written in our conscience, that is, on the tables
of our heart. It is that still small voice which leads and
guides us wherever we go, and in whatever we do. It is an
inescapable voice which no one can deny:

"Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,
their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts
the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)"
(Romans 2:15)

To add to this tragedy, when some people are caught doing
wrong, even though they don't believe in anything spiritual,
sometimes they are smart enough to use Satan or his demons
as an excuse for their shameful actions. Some of these
deluded people will even go so far as to claim that 'God'
told them to do something. Of course, neither God, nor
Satan, nor the spiritual realm, are recognized as motivating
factors in some Earthly courts of law; so these people are
simply deemed mentally unstable and not held accountable for
their actions. These workers of iniquity are sometimes given
a much lighter sentence and locked away in some mental
institution for a time, where they are administered one kind
of drug or another to keep them in a constant mental stupor.
Of course, this isn't always the case, and we can thank the
Lord that some people are being forced to receive their just
reward for their evil deeds, even in this life. Consider the
following example, also taken from a June 1998 CNN news clip:

----- Begin Quote -----

ACCUSED SCHOOL SHOOTER INVOLVED IN SATANISM

"A teen-ager accused in a Mississippi school shooting
rampage testified on Thursday that he opened fire on his
classmates at Pearl High School after becoming involved in
satanism, which he said bestowed "power over many things."
Luke Woodham, 17, took the stand against his lawyers' advice
after a defense psychologist told jurors the boy was legally
insane when two students, including a girl he dated, were
shot to death. Seven others were wounded in the attack."

TEEN FOUND GUILTY IN MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL SHOOTING

"Rejecting an insanity defense, a Mississippi jury has found
17-year-old Luke Woodham guilty of two counts of murder and
seven counts of aggravated assault for a shooting spree last
October at Pearl High School. "I am sorry for the people I
killed and hurt," Woodham told the court after being
sentenced to two life sentences for murder and seven 20-year
terms for the aggravated assault convictions. "If they could
have given the death penalty in this case, I deserve it."
Woodham was accused of killing two classmates and wounding
seven others during the attack, the first of a series of
deadly school shootings."

----- End Of Quote -----

Incidents such as the previous two are clear examples of why
the Lord is going to have to rule the world with a Rod of
Iron during the Millennium. Some people are so hardened of
heart that they will simply not learn to fear Him any other
way. While the Millennial Rule will be strict, it is my
belief that it will still involve personal choice; and this
is the crux of the matter. I believe that there is going to
be an important lesson that the Lord will be trying to teach
everyone during that time; and that is that despite the fact
that Satan and his evil minions will no longer be affecting
people's decisions, some are still going to choose to rebel
against Him. And why is this? The answer is very clear in
the Scriptures. Consider the words of the Lord through the
mouths of some of His vessels of the past:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

"They are all gone aside, they are all together become
filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one."
(Psalms 14:3)

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
(Romans 3:23)

During His Earthly Ministry, the Lord also emphasized that
the real problem could be found by looking in the heart of
man when He said the following:

"And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that
defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men,
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an
evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil
things come from within, and defile the man."
(Mark 7:20-23)

Thus we see that the basic problem is not just negative
spiritual influence from without, but rather it is the sin
and rebellion within the very heart of man himself. As I
mention in 'The Children Of God And Politics' and other
articles, the Prophet Samuel uttered some very serious words
against King Saul regarding this matter after the king had
rebelled against the Lord by leaning to his own
understanding regarding a certain matter:

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness
is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the
word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being
king." (1 Samuel 15:23)

In short, in the Lord's eyes, rebellion is akin to satanic
worship, and it is for this very same reason that the Beast
will be able to lead the armies of the Earth against Jesus
Christ and the Heavenly Host during the coming Battle of
Armageddon; because they will be in rebellion against God
Himself! However, as we have already seen, during the
Millennium, people will have absolutely no one to blame for
their rebellion against the Lord, not even Satan, since he
will be bound in the Bottomless Pit. These rebellious souls
are going to have to face up to the fact that the sin lies
within themselves and nowhere else. They are going to have
to either admit their guilt and their wrongdoing, and thus
their need for a Saviour, or else they will have no choice
but to face the consequences for their actions.

By the end of the Millennium, one would think that most of
the doubt and unbelief will have been purged out through
successive generations of humans witnessing the direct
presence of the Lord and His Resurrected Saints. As a final
sifting of the grain, the Book of Revelation tells us that
the Lord will loose Satan upon the world one more time in
order to see who has truly accepted the Lord's rule over
them:

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be
loosed out of his prison," (Revelation 20:7)

In other words, this final test will not be a matter of
belief, for it seems to me that all will believe in Jesus,
Christ and will know exactly who He is as I explained
previously. How could anyone possibly deny the Lord's
sovereignty at that time? After all, both He, and we, will
be in our supernatural resurrected bodies. What we all need
to realize is that believing in the Lord, and knowing who He
is, is not exactly the same as accepting His authority over
our lives. As James tells us, even Satan and the demons are
fully aware of the Divine Status of Jesus Christ. Consider
the following verse:

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the
devils also believe, and tremble." (James 2:19)

You see, part of the Salvation Plan is not just knowing and
believing in Jesus Christ; but rather it is also accepting
and submitting to His Divine Authority. For we Christians to
say that we believe in the Lord, but then not submit to His
Will for our lives, makes us hypocrites and liars just like
the unbelieving people of the world. Just like them, we are
offering the Lord nothing but lip service; and we know what
Jesus said about that. Allow me to remind you:

"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and
honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from
me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:7-9)

If it were just a matter of knowing and believing, then even
the devils would be saved, but they aren't; because they
don't submit to the Lord by any means. In fact, their
primary goal is to persuade us to not submit ourselves to
God either. This is why both Peter and James admonish us to
do the following:

"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time:" (1 Peter 5:6)

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you." (James 4:7)

So again, this loosing of Satan from the Bottomless Pit will
be a final test of acceptance of Christ's Divine Authority.
Those who still reject Jesus' rule over them will of course
again be deceived by Satan, and will join the armies which
will encompass about the Camp of the Saints:

"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." (Revelation 20:8-9)

Based upon the above scenario, it appears that during the
Millennium, some people will obey, not out of genuine love
for the Lord, but only grudgingly because they really have
no other choice in the matter. This is not the kind of
obedience that the Lord desires. The Apostle Paul makes it
clear exactly what the Lord desires of us in the following
Scriptures:

"But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but
ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which
was delivered you." (Romans 6:17)

"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of
Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;"
(Ephesians 6:6)

The only obedience that counts is that which comes from the
heart. As Jesus said in the six chapter of the Gospel of
Matthew, no man can serve two masters; and the minute that
Satan is released from his dark prison, many foolish humans
are going to allow him to persuade them to once again rebel
against the Lord and His Saints. As unbelievable as it may
seem to we the Believers, despite the fact that they have
witnessed the Lord's direct Righteous Reign, this generation
of the future will be totally incorrigible; just like those
who will soon perish during the Battle of Armageddon. In
fact, in my view, these Millennialists will probably be the
most inexcusable people on the face of the Earth in all of
history! While the Jews of two thousand years ago also
witnessed the miracles of Jesus Christ, and will be held
accountable for their actions against Him, they did not
witness Him ruling in all of His Power and Glory in His
Resurrected Body. Thus, I believe that these Endtime rebels
will truly be the worst, and the lowest, that humanity has
ever had to offer. While they will witness the greatest
amount of Light and Truth the world has ever known, they
will also live in the greatest darkness because of their
rebellious and unbelieving hearts. In the Book of Isaiah, we
find the Prophet saying:

"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly
pardon." (Isaiah 55:7)

Sadly, in this case, despite the fact that they will witness
the Lord's Millennial Rule with His Resurrected Saints, these
reprobates of the future won't have learned a single thing;
because as the Prophets also tell us:

"They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy."
(Jonah 2:8)

"Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn
righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal
unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD."
(Isaiah 26:10)

It is for this very reason, that at this point, the Lord's
patience finally runs out; and He just destroys these
evildoers without a second thought. Notice that there is no
mention here of a battle of any kind. The minute these
wicked forces, led by Satan, encompass the Camp of the
Saints, we are told that the Lord will simply devour them
with fire from above. Thus, if there is one other thing we
will learn from the Millennial Experience, it is that God's
judgments are indeed truly righteous. God wants everyone to
know, both in Heaven and on Earth, that He doesn't make
mistakes. After a thousand years of the direct rule by the
Son of God, no one will be able to point a finger at God and
say that He is unfair in His judgments.

This is precisely one criticism which modern atheistic man
is constantly using against the Lord. Because of their own
haughtiness and deluded state, some people accuse God of
being some kind of a blood-thirsty unfeeling monster. In
their folly, they blaspheme Him daily saying that He is
nothing but a power-hungry megalomaniac. In my dealings with
people across the Internet, and in other message forums, I
am constantly confronted with this kind of mentality. These
people have absolutely no fear of the Lord whatsoever. It
leaves me absolutely dumbfounded when I read how blatant
they are in their defiance of the Lord. There are many who
say in their hearts, 'If I were in control, that isn't how I
would run things'; and on and on they go with their crude
and unfounded criticisms of the Lord. Either that, or they
deny the Lord's existence altogether and put their faith in
modern science and technology. Truly, these ignorant souls
are fulfilling many ancient prophecies such as the
following:

"Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days
scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where
is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning
of the creation." (2 Peter 3:3-4)

From a straight reading of the above Scriptures, it is
impossible to tell exactly how many will actually follow
Satan in this final battle between Good and Evil. All we are
told is that 'the number of whom is as the sand of the sea'.
This must truly represent a great number; but we must ask
ourselves if it actually means everyone living on the Earth
at that time. Personally, while I would like to believe that
there will be many who will be found worthy of Eternal Life
during this one thousand year period, I am not yet convinced
that this will be the case. Considering the Lord's direct
Rule and Reign on the Earth, we must ask ourselves how could
they not accept Him? If we use the Battle of Armageddon as a
model, we could assume that not everyone will go to fight
against the Lord and His children in this final battle, just
as not everyone will go to fight in the coming Battle of
Armageddon either. You may recall that in Matthew chapter
twenty-four, the Lord said that it will only be His Second
Coming which will prevent the destruction of all flesh:

"And except those days should be shortened, there should no
flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be
shortened." (Matthew 24:22)

It doesn't make sense to me that the Lord would save a part
of humanity by His Second Coming, just to destroy them all a
short time later during the Battle of Armageddon; so again,
I don't believe that everyone is going to be killed during
this soon-coming confrontation in the Middle East. Only
those who participate directly in the Battle will be
destroyed. There will be many other people still left alive
in the world following the conclusion of this Battle. But
the question still remains; will this final Battle of Magog
one thousand years later follow the exact same pattern? This
is all directly related to my personal views concerning
Salvation. From my personal study of the Holy Scriptures, I
am convinced that the Lord won't be satisfied until as many
as can be saved, will be saved, for as the Apostle Peter
wrote:

"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to
repentance." (2 Peter 3:9)

However, at the same time, it is important that we keep
things in proper balance by comparing Scripture with
Scripture; thus, let us also not forget the Lord's own
admonition when He said the following in the Gospel of
Matthew:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it." (Matthew 7:13-14)

Nevertheless, we must also realize that at some point, just
as we parents do with our children, the Lord simply has to
draw the line and finally say, 'Look folks; this is it. You
have had ample opportunity to repent of your unbelief and
accept the Truth. Now the time has arrived to punish the
incorrigibles'. So will there be survivors from the Battle
of Gog and Magog? Keep reading and you will find out what I
currently believe. The Apostle John then tells us that
following this Post-Millennial battle in which the wicked of
the Earth are destroyed by Celestial Fire, Satan finally
reaps his judgment as well and is cast into the Lake of
Fire:

"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." (Revelation 20:10)

Following Satan's judgment, we are given a view of the
Celestial Throne as the Books of Records are opened, along
with the Book of Life. It is at this time that the final
resurrection of the dead occurs. As you will recall, John
earlier described this resurrection of the remaining dead as
the Second Resurrection:

"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." (Revelation 20:11-13)

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus spoke of this very same
event in the Gospel of John when He said the following:

"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection
of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection
of damnation." (John 5:28-29)

According to my understanding, this event represents the
final judgment of everyone who has ever lived on the Earth
since it was first created, except for certain individuals.
To be more specific, it includes all of those people who
lived during the first four thousand years of Earth's
history who were not resurrected at the time of Jesus' own
Resurrection, (see Matthew 27:51-53), as well as those who
will have lived for the two thousand years since Jesus'
Resurrection to our current day, who will not have partaken
in the First Resurrection of the Saints at the Lord's Second
Coming. I believe it will also include all of those who will
live during the final one thousand years of the Millennium.
In short, the Second Resurrection will be for everyone who
hasn't already accepted the Lord and been resurrected or
changed previously.

This event is commonly referred to as the Great White Throne
Judgment; or as most people know it, Judgment Day. During
this event, people will either be deemed worthy of Eternal
Life, or else they will be cast into the lake burning with
fire and brimstone. John refers to this as the Second Death.
For a more in-depth look at the Second Death and the Lake Of
Fire, please refer to the article 'Hell And The Lake Of
Fire':

"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 20:14-15)

"But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and
murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters,
and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
(Revelation 21:8)

What is also interesting to note about the Final Judgment
scenario is that we are told that 'the earth and the heaven
fled away; and there was found no place for them'. We find
a similar phrase used in the prophecies of Daniel where we
read the following:

"Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff
of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them
away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that
smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the
whole earth." (Daniel 2:35)

Based upon this verse, as well as a few others, this phrase
seems to imply total destruction. The Apostle Peter likewise
vividly describes the destruction of the current Earth and
the atmospheric heavens during the Great White Throne
Judgment when he writes:

"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same
word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day
of judgment and perdition of ungodly men...But the day of
the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works
that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all
these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and
the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we,
according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."
(2 Peter 3:7, 10-13)

It is right after this that the Apostle John launches into
the final two chapters of the book of Revelation where he
describes the wonderful New Earth and the New Heaven, and
the beautiful Heavenly City, New Jerusalem, which will
descend upon the pure New Earth:

"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. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride
adorned for her husband." (Revelation 21:1-2)

This returns us to a question I posed earlier. If the Old
Earth and the Old Heaven are destroyed at the time of the
Great White Throne Judgment, what happens to those who are
still dwelling on the Earth at the end of the Millennium,
that is, after the Battle of Gog and Magog when Satan is
cast into the Lake of Fire, and the wicked are burned up? As
shocking as this may be for you, it appears to me that
perhaps there are absolutely no survivors! In other words,
it seems that the world will be so evil, and so full of
darkness in its final hours, in spite of the Reign of the
Lord and His Saints, that everyone will participate in the
Battle of Gog and Magog! It is for this reason that the Lord
will send down fire to suddenly destroy them all; just as He
sent the Flood in Noah's day to destroy the entire Earth:

"Which sometime were disobedient, when once the
longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the
ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
saved by water." (1 Peter 3:20)

While this may be hard to accept, at this current time, I
simply find no other Scriptural way to reconcile the fact
that there is no mention of any survivors following the
Battle of Gog and Magog. The Lord destroyed them all once
before by water; and it appears that He will do it once
again by fire.

There are some very deep concepts here concerning baptism.
First, we have the Earth being baptized and reborn by water
in the days of Noah; next we have John preaching repentance
and baptizing with water; and finally we have our physical
birth being represented by water in John chapter three.
Following a similar parallel, first we find mention of our
birth of the Spirit in John chapter three; next we have
Jesus baptizing with the fire of the Holy Ghost in Acts
chapter two; and finally, we have the Earth being baptized
and reborn by fire at the time of the Great White Throne
Judgment. Considering these things, it might very well be
that Peter's description of the destruction of the Earth and
the atmospheric heavens by intense fire is exactly what John
is referring to when he says that the Lord will send down
fire from Heaven. This destruction by fire will not only
destroy the final generation of the wicked during the Battle
of Gog and Magog, but it may also be the catalyst which
results in the birth of a New Heaven and a New Earth
following the Great White Throne Judgment.

This brings us to another possible reason for the Millennium;
and that is that it will serve as a very vivid example to
all of humankind of how not to do things, and how not to
destroy the Earth. Remember, prior to the Lord's Coming, not
only will the Earth be ravaged by human warfare, quite
possibly nuclear in nature, chemical pollutants, etc., but
it will also be the target of the Seven Plagues/Vials of
Wrath which include a third of the grass and trees being
burned up, great earthquakes, the rivers and oceans being
polluted and turned into blood, etc. In short, the Earth
will be a physical wreck as we enter the age of the
Millennium; and it may possibly remain that way for some time
to come as a grim reminder of the sins and rebellion of
mankind against his Creator. In the eleventh chapter of the
Book of Revelation, we are told that those who destroy the
Earth will also be destroyed by the Lord:

"And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou
shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to
the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great;
and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth."
(Revelation 11:18)

While doing some Scriptural research for this article, I
discovered that some of the verses which some people have
erroneously attributed to the Millennium, may not apply to
the Millennium whatsoever, but rather to the New Heavens and
the New Earth at the termination of the Millennium. Allow me
to pose another interesting question for you: Why would the
Lord revitalize the surface of the Millennial Earth just to
destroy it a thousand years later? It doesn't make very much
sense, does it? Some of the verses commonly used to describe
the Millennial Period are taken from Isaiah chapters eleven
and sixty-five. Allow me to share a few of them with you:

"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
cockatrice' 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)

"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 65:25)

Allow me to bring several points to your attention. First of
all, please notice that all of the animals mentioned here
are herbivores, and that they don't harm each other or man.
What is the only time in the entire history of the world
when such a situation has existed? It was only in the very
beginning when the Earth was young and new. It was only
before the fall of man. During the Millennium, humankind will
still be in a fallen state. If this weren't so, then the
Lord's Rule with a Rod of Iron would be totally un
necessary, wouldn't it? Following are several more verses
from both the Old and the New Testaments which mention this
Rod Of Iron:

"Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash
them in pieces like a potter's vessel." (Psalms 2:9)

"And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all
nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto
God, and to his throne." (Revelation 12:5)

"And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod
of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and
wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:15)

The above Scriptures are a clear picture of the Lord smiting
the Earth and beating the nations and people into submission
to His will. It is not the pretty Millennial picture of nice
men, women and children playing with lions and other wild
beasts such as we find in the magazines of certain churches,
denominations and organizations. Based upon what I have
personally discovered through an honest study of the Holy
Scriptures, I can only conclude that that is a totally false
picture. The Millennium is going to be tough work for we the
Saints of the Most High God under our Lord and King, Jesus
Christ. We are going to have one thousand years in order to
try to undo the damage of the past six thousand years; but
sadly we already know exactly how it is going to end; with
the Battle of Gog and Magog! Therefore, these people who
survive Armageddon are not going to deserve the pretty
picture described above. As I will prove without a shadow of
a doubt in a minute, the above verses from Isaiah are
describing the New Heavens and the New Earth reserved only
for the Lord's faithful Believers.

Now let me draw your attention to another point in those
verses from the Prophet Isaiah. Notice the mention of the
words 'my holy mountain'. Is this phrase referring to the
physical Earthly Mount Zion, that is, to Jerusalem? In my
opinion, definitely not! As I have already shown in this
article, as well as in my two-part article 'Revelation's
Babylon The Great Whore', Jerusalem is going to be invaded
and destroyed by fire, more than likely by Arab forces. The
Scriptures are very clear on this. If this is the case, then
in my view, this phrase 'my holy mountain' must be referring
to something else; and that is to the New Jerusalem which
will not descend from Heaven until the Lord has created the
New Heavens and a New Earth. The Lord certainly doesn't want
His pure Holy City touching down on the current polluted
Earth full of evil men.

With the evidence I have presented, are you now convinced
that the so-called 'lion and the lamb' scenario is not an
accurate depiction of the Millennium whatsoever? I must admit
that I have been leading you on because I want you to try to
come to this conclusion for yourself. If you are not yet
convinced that this is so, then allow me to present you with
the icing on the cake so-to-speak. In the twenty-first
chapter of the Book of Revelation, following the creation of
the New Heavens and the New Earth, we read the following
verse:

"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all
things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful." (Revelation 21:5)

Do you understand what the Lord is saying here? 'Behold, I
make all things new! I am going to start all over again!'
God is going to make New Heavens, a New Earth, new animals
which get along with each other, and new people! I believe
that this is the very same thing to which the Prophet Isaiah
was referring when he wrote the above lines. He was not
talking about the Millennium at all; he was looking beyond it
to something much greater than that. Here again is that
final verse from Isaiah's prophecy:

"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 65:25)

Now, if we go back only eight verses before this one, we can
put the above verse, as well as the other Scriptures from
the eleventh chapter, in their proper time frame and context:

"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." (Isaiah 65:17-18)

There it is as plain as day! In the above two verses, not
only is Isaiah talking about the creation of the New Heavens
and the New Earth, but he is also prophesying the creation
of the beautiful New Jerusalem as well which shall descend
from Heaven, exactly as is described by John in the final
two chapters of the Bible! Nowhere is Isaiah talking about
these things happening during the Millennium. Despite what
some Biblical teachers may say, it simply just isn't true.
They need to go back to the drawing board and take a closer
look at what is being said in these verses. So again, the
idea of man and wild beasts dwelling together in peace and
harmony occurs on the New Earth, and not during the actual
Millennium.

The person who originally inspired this article was also
wondering why Jesus didn't mention the Millennium in His
Endtime teachings if it was so important. Upon doing a
careful study of the Scriptures, I quickly discovered that
the Lord did in fact mention it in quite a few of His
parables. The problem seems to lie in the fact that this
person did not recognize them as being Millennial in nature.
As you will see from the following key verses, Jesus amply
described how we will one day be rewarded according to our
different levels of faithfulness, and will be permitted to
sit down with Him as rulers in His Millennial Kingdom:

"There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall
see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in
the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out. And they
shall come from the east, and from the west, and from the
north, and from the south, and shall sit down in the kingdom
of God. And, behold, there are last which shall be first,
and there are first which shall be last." (Luke 13:28-30)

"Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath
made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he
cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he
shall make him ruler over all his goods."
(Matthew 24:45-47)

"His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of
thy lord." (Matthew 25:21)

"And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou
hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority
over ten cities." (Luke 19:17)

Something else we need to remember is that the Gospels do
not contain every single thing that Jesus said and did.
Consider these words found in the final chapter of the
Gospel of John:

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that
even the world itself could not contain the books that
should be written. Amen." (John 21:25)

While a lot of the things which Jesus said and did were not
recorded in the four Gospels, a few of them were included in
some of the Epistles. As an example, consider these verses I
shared earlier from the Epistles of Peter where he is
specifically referring to us as the Lord's holy and royal
priesthood. The fact that we are royal implies that we are
also rulers; which in my view seems to be indicating that
Peter is referring to the Millennium. The only way Peter
could have known this is if the Lord had revealed it to him
directly:

"Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)

"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy
nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the
praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his
marvellous light:" (1 Peter 2:9)

While he wasn't one of the original Twelve Apostles, in his
Epistles, Paul informs us that he learned from no man but
rather by direct revelation of Jesus Christ. Exactly what
were some of these things which were revealed to him by the
Lord? In several of his Epistles, Paul makes the following
comments:

"And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may
be also glorified together." (Romans 8:17)

"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him,
he also will deny us:" (2 Timothy 2:12)

It seems to me that Jesus very much wanted to let us know
about the Millennium; and this is why that, in addition to
His own parables, He used other people and other methods to
tell us about it. Consider the following mysterious prophecy
that the Lord made right before His Ascencion into Heaven.
In the final chapter of the Gospel of John, Peter inquires
of the Lord concerning the fate of John, and here is what
Jesus tells him:

"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this
man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I
come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this
saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should
not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but,
If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"
(John 21:21-23)

If we try to understand this incident with our human
understanding, we might come to the same erroneous
conclusion as above; that is, that John would not die until
the Lord's Second Coming. In other words, by some miracle of
the Lord, John is still alive today waiting like the rest of
us for the Return of the Lord. However, this is not what
Jesus was saying. We need to remember that Jesus did not
always think and speak in terms of human time, because He
was not subject to it. Everything Jesus said above came to
pass exactly as He said it would. John did in fact tarry, or
remain or abide, until He saw the Lord's Second Coming. That
is exactly what the Book of Revelation is all about. It is a
continuation of the Gospel of John some sixty years later
after John, in his old age, is exiled to the isle of Patmos
in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor, what is today
known as Turkey. By a miracle of God, John is lifted up in
the Spirit, which might mean that the Lord permitted him to
be whisked off through a vortex in the time and space
continuum to the distant future, to witness the end of all
things, and the beginning of the New Heavens and the New
Earth.

What we also need to remember is that the Book of Revelation
is not just John speaking; it is the Lord speaking as well.
Almost the entire first three chapters are printed in red
letters showing that this is the Lord speaking, and not John
himself. In chapter twenty-two, after all of the prophecies
and visions have been recorded, Jesus again gives His
closing words. Consider some of the following Scriptures
which show that this is the Lord speaking through His angel
to John:

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to
shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to
pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his
servant John:" (Revelation 1:1)

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith
the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive
for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
(Revelation 1:18)

"Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and
hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I
will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what
hour I will come upon thee." (Revelation 3:3)

"Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast,
that no man take thy crown." (Revelation 3:11)

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my
throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my
Father in his throne." (Revelation 3:21)

"Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book." (Revelation 22:7)

"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man according as his work shall be."
(Revelation 22:12)

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these
things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of
David, and the bright and morning star."
(Revelation 22:16)

All of the above verses clearly demonstrate that the Book of
Revelation is indeed Jesus Himself speaking to us directly.
So, in addition to the various parables in the Gospels, we
have the Lord speaking in the Epistles, as well as in the
Book of Revelation. Clearly then, He wants us to know all
about the Millennium, and many other things as well. Besides
what we have already covered in chapter twenty, here are a
few more verses from the Book of Revelation which
demonstrate how we will rule on the Earth as kings and
priests of the Lord:

"And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father;
to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."
(Revelation 1:6)

"And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we
shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:10)

"And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their
foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need
no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth
them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever."
(Revelation 22:4-5)

Thus, with this article, not only have we now discovered the
possible purposes of the Millennium, but we have also
answered the question concerning what will happen to the
Saints after they have ruled with the Lord on the Earth for
a thousand years: We will continue to rule with God the
Father and Jesus His Son from within the Heavenly City for
ever and ever on the New Earth! God is going to make all
things new! There is going to be new people on this New
Earth! Consider the following verses which confirm this:

"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the
light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory
and honour into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at
all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they
shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. And
there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that
defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh
a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of
life." (Revelation 21:24-27)

"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the
river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner
of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves
of the tree were for the healing of the nations."
(Revelation 22:2)

These verses clearly reveal that only the saved people of
the new nations of the world will be allowed to enter the
Heavenly City. The fact that these people will still require
healing is a strong indication that they are normal human
beings. They are not we the Resurrected and Reigning Saints.
We will have already made the grade many years before when
we first became the adopted sons and daughters of God. We
will be a part of the Household of God who will be permitted
to dwell within that City of Golden Light with God our
Father, and Jesus Christ our Older Brother. Consider these
wonderful verses:

"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but
fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of
God;" (Ephesians 2:19)

"He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son." (Revelation 21:7)

In that day, which is hopefully not too far off in the
future, we will finally and fully understand the signifance
of what John wrote in the very first chapter of his Gospel
when he said:

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name:" (John 1:12)

If you would like a clearer understanding of what it really
means to be a son of God, I invite you to read my series 'Is
Jesus The Only Begotten Son Of God?'. I believe it will
thrill your heart! Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your
Lord and Saviour so that you too can become an adopted son
of God? I certainly hope so! Time is certainly growing short
with each passing day! I pray that this article has been an
inspiration and a blessing in your life. It won't be long!