16—revelation’s thousand years of peace revelation of · pdf file ·...

16—Revelation’s Thousand Years of Peace

Revelation of Hope North American English 1

Revelation of Hope

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My topic tonight is Revelation’s Mysterious 1000 Years Unsealed

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In the 1920’s a young woman named Rose from New York City, lived a life consumed with pleasure. She seemed to exist to attend one party after another.

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But suddenly, at the age of 21, Rose was struck down by sleeping sickness. (Encephalitis Lethargica)

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After some time Rose awoke. She was now immobile, frozen in an awkward position on the bed. The local doctor said this was just a ‘catatonia’ which would go away in a week. The months and years passed. Rose remained fixed in some incomprehensible state. Eventually Rose’s body became rigid. She developed symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and was committed to an institution. She laid in bed or sat in a wheelchair for 48 long years. Remarkably in 1969, Dr. Oliver Sacks administered a newly-developed drug called L-Dopa and—

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Rose awoke from her long sleep. During the following days her eyes brightened and she felt bursts of energy. The physicians were amazed, to them this was a great awakening. Of course, she was awakened only to age and eventually die. There is another awakening coming, so remarkable, so amazing that it is hardly believable.

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The scriptures describe another awakening. This time when we wake up, we will never go to sleep again. This time we will not be living in time, we will be living in eternity. Jesus describes this incredible event in these words.

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John 5:28, 29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—

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those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”

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How many resurrections does this Bible passage describe? Two. What are they called?

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The resurrection of life and the resurrection of damnation. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly WHEN they will take place, but it does tell us that there are two resurrections. Every single one of us are destined to be in one of two resurrections. The resurrection of life or the resurrection of damnation.

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The first resurrection is the resurrection of life. Jesus Christ comes. Men and women who have been sleeping in the tomb, awake.

Awake this time never to go to sleep again. They awake this time to see the face of Christ. They awake to see the glory of God.

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Here is a woman with cancer who goes through chemotherapy. She suffers and eventually dies. The next thing she knows is the coming of Jesus.

The next thing she sees is the face of Jesus. The Bible says—

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1 Thessalonians 4:16

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

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And the dead in Christ will rise first.” When you and I close our eyes in the sleep of death in Christ, the next thing we know is the coming of Jesus. Death is not to be feared anymore than a good sound sleep.

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Our lives are hid with God. Jesus marks that grave. The Bible continues with these words—

1 Thessalonians 4:17 “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. There is a glorious resurrection that will occur.

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And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

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When Jesus Christ comes, there are only two classes. The saved and the lost. Those in the first resurrection and those destroyed by the brightness of His coming. You see, there is no second chance when Jesus comes. That’s why the Bible says—

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Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.”

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Think of it. Babies placed in their parents arms again.

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Loved ones separated by death reunited. Husbands and wives embrace again. Children, along with their parents, caught up to meet Jesus in the sky.

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Think of what it’s going to be like. A little child, which died at 4 or 5, is resurrected from her grassy tomb. Think of the incredible joy her mom will have when she holds her in her arms again. Fathers and mothers with their saved children will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. Have you lost some loved one by death?

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The resurrection of the righteous believers will be a joyous reunion. Now, somebody says, “Look, what if a person is married two times or even three times. Whose wife or whose husband are they going to be in resurrection?” Some of you may be thinking about that question. You know, God doesn’t give us the answer to every question, but He lets us know this—

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Heaven is going to be a place of incredible love. Love will fill our hearts and our “love needs” will be met. The question isn’t really whose wife will she be in the resurrection, that’s not the question. The question really is—

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Can I trust God enough that I believe He will fill every one of my needs? Can I trust God enough, to believe that in heaven He makes all things right? Isn’t that the question? There are a lot of questions that we can’t figure out right now and we could sit here and ask those questions all evening.

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One thing is certain. In eternity God, Himself, will meet all of our needs.

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Revelation describes two groups when Jesus comes. The first group is resurrected to live with Christ forever. The living, righteous believers are changed, and ascend through the sky with glorious immortal bodies, never subject to disease or death. There is another group as well. Revelation describes an event that is filled with sadness not joy—

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It describes a second group of people who are NOT joyously awaiting the return of their Lord. They are not happily awaiting the resurrection of their loved ones. When they see Christ coming in the clouds of glory notice their reaction.

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Revelation 6:15-17 “And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man,

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hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks,

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‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!

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For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”

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The first class look up and say, “This is our God, we have waited for Him and He will save us.” Their hearts beat with eager anticipation. They are longing for the coming of Christ. They are excited about the coming of Jesus.

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But there is this second class. They look up with hearts filled with fear. They feel guilty. Guilt makes you want to run. They look up and see the righteousness of God. They look up and see the holiness of God. They look up and see Christ coming and they begin to run.

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They cry for the rocks to fall on them. What a shame! What a tragedy. This Christ who wants to save them cannot save those who turn their backs on Him.

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This Christ who they run from wants to take them to a new world where there is no sickness, sorrow or death. They run from Him. They turn their backs on Him. They have never crowned Him king of kings now so they do not accept Him as king of the universe.

And ladies and gentlemen, if you do not crown Him as king of your heart now, you will run in fear then. You will be gripped with fear, because the holiness of God will consume you.

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What does it mean to accept Jesus as King? It means to invite Him to rule on the throne of your heart. It means saying, “Lord, I’m not running my own life, you are running it. I’m not sitting on the throne of my own heart, You are.” One day I want to look up and say, “Yes, Jesus, you are my Lord and Savior, my King and my Redeemer.” You see, Christ is not only our Savior. He is our Lord. Christ not only died for our sins, He died so He could be the Lord of our hearts so we could live different lives.

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2 Thessalonians 1:7- 9 “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,

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in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who is consumed? Those that don’t make Jesus King of their life. Those that turn their back on Christ. Those that say obedience is unnecessary.

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These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”

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2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.”

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When Christ returns there are only two classes— the saved and the lost.

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Those who are resurrected from their graves and receive glorious immortal bodies along with the living believers who are caught up to meet Jesus in the sky. Then there are those who cry for the rocks and mountains to fall on them and are consumed with the brightness of His coming.

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Tonight, Jesus invites you to make Him your Lord, your Savior, your King. As we crown Him King of kings here. He reigns in the universe as king of kings there. He comes again to redeem us. He comes to take us up from this earth. That’s why as we look around we do not need our hearts to be troubled. The second coming of Christ is the great hope for all believers. It takes away all doubt and fear regarding the future. Jesus said—

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John 14:1- 3 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

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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.

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. . . I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” Not maybe I will come again. Not perhaps I will come again. Not I might come again. Not I think I will come again. Not it is highly unlikely I will come again, but what are the words of Jesus?

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“I will come again.” Jesus came once. How many of you believe Jesus was a historical figure, the Divine Son of God—that He came once. Can I see your hands?

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If He came once, He’s coming again. This time, not as a child, born of a virgin. This time, not as a babe in Bethlehem’s manger. This time, not to die on a cross, but to reign on a throne. Christ is coming again in the clouds of heaven. Revelation describes that scene—

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Revelation 19:11-16 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. Why a white horse? You remember in our last lecture, we studied that a white horse was symbolic of victory.

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And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. So when Christ comes this time, it is the final judgment. The wicked are destroyed. The unbelievers are destroyed. Those who have not accepted Christ as Savior and Lord are destroyed. In righteousness He judges and makes war.

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His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns.

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He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.

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He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.

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And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Who are the armies of heaven? Who are those armies that come with Jesus?

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Angels – Ten Thousands times ten thousand angels. Jesus comes and Satan and his angels are going to be defeated. All the hosts of hell are going to be defeated. The Bible says—

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Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. What’s the sharp sword that comes out of His mouth? Hebrews 4:12 says that the word of God is like—

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A Sharp Two-edged Sword. In the presence of the glory of God, the unrighteous are judged by His word and consumed with the brightness of His coming.

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And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron.

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He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. It’s the end time. Jesus comes. The wicked are destroyed.

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And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Whatever you ask me to do, Lord. I’m going to do it. Jesus comes as a conquering general. He comes as a victor. All evil, sin, wickedness, suffering, want and war will be finally and fully destroyed. Let’s review:

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Events at Christ's Coming

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Believers resurrected

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Believers receive immortality

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Wicked living consumed. There’s no one alive on earth. All the wicked are consumed. There’s no one left. We’ve read the Bible texts. 2 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:8. All wicked are consumed with the brightness of Christ’s coming.

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Wicked dead remain in their graves They are not yet resurrected. The resurrection of the righteous is the first resurrection.

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Believers ascend to Heaven with Christ

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Questions Christians ask:

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What happens after Christ comes?

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What is the condition of the earth? What is the condition of the earth when believers are caught up to meet Christ in the air?

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What happens to Satan? Is He destroyed? Is He left on earth?

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When does God make the earth new? What did Jesus mean when He said He was going to create a new heavens and a new earth in 2 Peter 3. What did Jesus mean when He said the meek shall inherit the earth? When does that happen? These questions have good answers and we are going to explore them from the Revelation, tonight.

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Is anyone alive on the earth during the 1000 years?

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The book of Revelation provides some answers. In Revelation 19 it describes Christ’s coming as King of King and Lord of Lords.

In Revelation 19 it describes Christ the victor returning to earth. But in Revelation 20:1, 2 after the coming of Christ, the next scene in John’s vision is—

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“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

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He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” How long does the Bible say Satan is bound for? This is where Bible students get the term millennium.

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What is the millennium? The word, "Millennium" is not used in the Bible. It comes from two Latin words, "mille" and "annium" meaning 1000 years. Notice, the Bible says that Satan is cast in the bottomless pit.

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What is the bottomless pit? Is it some subterranean cavern within the earth?

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The New Testament word written in the Greek language for bottomless pit is “abussos.” Can you say that? Abussos! I’ll teach you a Greek word, tonight. Let’s say it together. ABUSSOS! That’s pretty good. Abussos.

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That means Abyss. How is this word used in the Bible? An abyss is simply a place of darkness. You remember in the Book of Genesis—

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Genesis 1:2 it says, “The earth was without form, and void.”

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It says the earth was an “abussos” an abyss, a desolate place. When the Bible uses the term “without form and void” to describe a desolate earth, it uses the word abusoss. This word abyss is not some deep subterranean cavern within the earth.

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When Christ comes the second time every mountain and island is moved out of its place. When Christ comes the second time every building comes crashing down.

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When Christ comes the second time the righteous dead are resurrected and the righteous living are caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.

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When Christ comes the second time, the wicked living are destroyed with the brightness of His coming. They are consumed with the glory of Christ’s return. Unbelievers are destroyed. The dead unbelievers stay in their grave. So when Christ comes the second time, the earth is made desolate. It’s like an abyss—like it was before God spoke the earth into existence. It was without form and void.

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So the “bottomless pit” is the Abyss – A desolate destroyed planet earth.

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What are these chains that bind Satan? Remember Revelation says, he would be bound or chained for how long? A thousand years. Does God come down and put handcuffs on Satan?

What kind of chains are these. The Bible tells us very clearly.

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2 Peter 2:4 “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell

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and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment.” So during the thousand years Satan is bound or chained on earth with chains of darkness. According to scripture the chains are chains of darkness.

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During the thousand years Satan is wandering around on a desolate earth with no one to tempt. He is chained along with his evil angels in the horrible darkness of his own evil deeds. A chain of circumstances binds him.

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Satan said to Eve, “Eve, if you eat of this tree, you will have life. You will not die.”

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Remember, Satan said to the angels, “if you follow me, you will have joy and happiness.” During the thousand years, why doesn’t Jesus just come and make earth new?

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Everything God does, is to insure the security of the universe for eternity. It is to forever do away with sin.

God is handling the sin problem in a way that is not some quick fix solution.

God desires that sin never raise its ugly head up again. In order for this to occur at least two things must happen.

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The entire universe, angels and human beings on earth must know that God is a God of incredible love. That God is worthy to be trusted. That’s why Jesus came, to show that God so loved the world. That He is this God of incredible love and that we can trust Him.

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He’ll go to any length to save us. He’ll pull you out of any pit.

No sin is so dark God’s love cannot blot it out.

This great controversy between good and evil can never be settled unless the whole universe sees how bad sin is.

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Satan will wander around among the dead bodies of the wicked. He will wander around on a dark earth. He will wander around broken cities.

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Echoing and re-echoing throughout the universe will be the words, “The wages of sin is death”. As the entire heavenly universe looks at earth they will see, THIS IS WHAT IT IS LIKE WITHOUT GOD. But—

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Is there anyone alive on earth during the millennium?

Satan and his angels are bound through a chain of circumstances on a desolate earth. The Bible says,

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Jeremiah 4:23-27 “I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light.

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I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, and all the hills moved back and forth.

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I beheld, and indeed there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled.

Some people have the strange idea that we live on earth during the millennium. My Bible says that we are caught up with Christ and we go to the heavenly temple.

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I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness,

It is obvious that the prophet is not describing creation. This is a time when the fruitful land, earth, becomes a wilderness, a desolate place after Jesus comes.

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and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the LORD, by His fierce anger.

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For thus says the LORD: ‘The whole land shall be desolate; yet I will not make a full end.’” Why won’t He make a full end?

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Because out of the ashes of this old world, God is going to create a new world.

Out of all this devastation, out of all this destruction, God will create a new heavens and a new earth.

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The Holy City will come down. God will re-create the heavens and the earth. Jeremiah further describes this scene.

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Jeremiah 25:33 “And at that day the slain of the LORD shall be from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth.

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They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried; they shall become refuse on the ground.”

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As Satan wanders around on the earth, he will hear echoing in his head, “The wages of sin is death.”

Sin brings death. Rebellion against God is self destructive.

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Rebellion brings sorrow. It brings disappointment.

But the righteous will say, “Lord, we trust You.” Yours is the way of life we want.

Satan’s way is the way of death.

Love brings life. Selfishness brings death. The Bible says—

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Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power,

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but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” What a passage! It says the righteous are priests of God and shall reign with Him a thousand years. What are we doing in that reign with Christ?

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Revelation 20:4 “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.” Never sell your soul cheap. There are only two ways; the way of life and the way of death. To sell out for money, is to sell out cheap. To sell out for lust or greed is to sell out cheap. God says, “At this time the books were opened”.

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Revelation 20:12

“. . . and books were opened.”

You say, “I don’t quite understand that?” Why after the lost are lost are the books opened? There’s a drama between good and evil, between Christ and Satan.

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During this thousand year period which we call the millennium, God will answer every question.

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We’ll have the opportunity to look over heaven’s record books. We will then fully understand that God has done everything He can to save every person. Anyone who is lost is lost only because of their choices. The entire universe understands once and for all that God has done everything that could be done to save the human race.

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Every question about His justice and love will be fully answered.

And the amazing thing is this. That an all loving, all wise, just God allows us to participate with Him in this final judgment. The apostle Paul says—

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1 Corinthians 6:2, 3 “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

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Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”

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1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness

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and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.”

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When heaven’s books are opened we’ll fully understand why certain things happened to us.

We’ll understand the hard times and the good times. We’ll see how everything fits into God’s wonderful plan. Let’s review what happens during this thousand year period known as the millennium. Is it becoming clearer to you now?

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Events During the Millennium

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Righteous in Heaven

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Wicked remain dead

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Satan and angels bound on earth

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Earth remains desolate

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What events happen after the millennium?

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The wicked dead are resurrected. This event is foretold in Revelation 20:5—

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“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” The “rest of the dead,” in this passage are the wicked dead.

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We have a resurrection of life for believers at the beginning of the thousand years, and we have a resurrection of damnation for the wicked at the end of the thousand years.

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John describes this group of lost human beings with this remarkable phrase

Revelation 20:8 “. . . number is as the sand of the sea.” The drama of the ages unfolds. The battle between good and evil comes to a glorious climax.

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Satan and the wicked of all ages form a gigantic army to attack the Holy City which descends from heaven at the end of the thousand years. Listen to this remarkable description of these events.

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Revelation 20:7, 8 “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

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and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth . . .”

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Revelation 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

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It’s the climax of the ages. The Holy City descends.

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Satan and the resurrected wicked rush the city. They want to overthrow God and take control of the universe. Every one of us will either be inside the city with Christ or outside of the city with Satan and the evil hosts of hell.

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Jesus will either be Lord of all in our hearts and we will sit with Him on the throne of the Universe or self will be on the throne of our hearts and we will battle against Him on that final day. Revelation reveals that the headquarters of the entire universe will be shifted from heaven to earth. It’s an amazing thing that God can take this planet in rebellion and restore it to Edenic splendor again. Listen as the apostle John describes this marvelous scene.

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Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,

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and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’”

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The glorious Holy City descends. Satan marshals the legions of the lost. They now attack the city believing that they can take control of the universe.

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Revelation 20:9 “They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.

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And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” The Bible says, “Fire comes down from God out of heaven and devours them.” The entire universe is clean. Satan and his evil angels are destroyed. Out of the ashes of the old world God makes a new one.

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Revelation 20:11, 12 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it,

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from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.

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And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened.

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And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.

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And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” But before the wicked and unsaved are fully destroyed forever, God allows them to see a panoramic view of their lives.

They too, now understand that God is fully just even in the destruction of the lost.

The Bible says “Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord” (Philippians 2:11,12).

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One pulse of harmony and gladness now beats throughout the vast creation. From the smallest atom to the unnumbered worlds,

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The entire universe in a symphony of praise declares, “Just and righteous are Thy ways, oh, God.” This amazing scene is portrayed in the last two chapters of Revelation. It begins with these words:

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Revelation 21:1 “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth,

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for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.”

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2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,

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and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

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Events at the End of the Millennium

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Christ, Saints, and City descend

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Wicked dead raised

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Satan loosed

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Last judgment

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Satan and Sinners destroyed

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Earth cleansed and renewed

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Would you like to live in this new heaven and new earth? Would you like to live in a world where there is no sickness, suffering, heartache and death? A land where worry and want are over? A land where all fear and anxiety are gone? A land where there are no prisons, no hospitals, no soup kitchens, no war, no diseases, no poverty, no mental institutions. A land where love and peace, righteousness and goodness reign forever and ever.

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2 Peter 3:13 “Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” You can live in that land. God gives you the invitation tonight.

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God has given us a promise. The promise that we can be with Him in this new heavens and new earth forever. He would not lie to us. We can stake our lives on it. There is nothing more He wants than for us to live with Him in His new heavens and new earth throughout eternity.

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Is there anything in your life that would keep you from being there with Him? Are you holding on to something that in your heart you know to be wrong, but you keep doing it anyway? Is there some weight of guilt that keeps you from a full surrender to Him? Is there some habit or temptation that binds you? You can be free. One day Jesus will reign on the throne of the universe, but tonight He wants to reign on the throne of your heart. Will you allow Him to do that right now as we pray? As we bow our heads to pray I’m going to invite you to raise your hand if you have a special need of coming closer to Him tonight. Maybe you have never given Him your life before and you want to do it tonight. Maybe something else has been on the throne of your heart and you want Him to take over that throne tonight.

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Maybe you once knew Him but you have drifted from Him and tonight you want to return. Just lift your hand. He will accept you; he will receive you. Your sins can be forgiven. He will give you a new sense of power in your life to serve Him. Would you like to give your whole life to Him as we pray?

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