No doubt, He is coming to judge and make war, but this is NOT the final judgment. Revelation 20:4.

On 10/08/25, the wife and I watched one of the assistant pastors at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills take the microphone and preach a sermon called The Millennium of the Messiah.

I suspect he went this direction because Pastor Jack was not there to personally squelch it, as this young man is a trusted High School Pastor and does not usually preach to the middle-aged crowd.

As I listened, I believe there were at least three times I said, " That is NOT in the Bible. Only one now stands out distinctly in my mind, the day after the false teaching, and it goes something like this.

“The sheep and the goats will be among those judged by Jesus shortly after the end of the seven-years of God's wrath. The sheep, being found righteous, will gain entrance into the millennial kingdom, while the goats will go off directly to hell.”

The sheep and goat judgment can be found in Matthew 25:31-46.

I have no intention of going into a deep conversation about the sheep, but I am going to talk about judgment. Pay attention to what Jesus said to the disciples as He was defining the eschatology and end times chronology.

“He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”

If Jesus, and I can say that because Jesus is God and the judge, is sitting, then this is the final, great, white throne judgment. This only happens once, at one place, at the end of the Revelation narrative.

All nations?

Huge overview, there are only three people groups detailed in the Bible: the Jews, the nations, and the church.

The church, prior to the wrath being poured out, is removed from earth. This theme is all over the Bible. The Jews who have a relationship with Jesus Christ, the Messiah, will leave with the church; therefore, we can include some within the church.

The next group, minus the followers of Christ, is the Jews. The wrath is meant to drive the Jews into a knowledge, love, and acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah. Many will come into a relationship, and we see Jesus, after He does battle with the word of His mouth, acknowledging the Jews who now see Him. After this battle, the only two who are included among the combatants and yet NOT killed are taken alive and thrown into the lake of fire. These are the first humans to be thrown into the lake of fire.

The last group is the nations; this is a vast and mixed group. All this happens at the end of time. Are there Christians included in this group? No, as they went up in the rapture, 1007 years before. How about the slaughtered saints from the time of wrath? No, because even they are given a resurrection that happens during the time of wrath. Revelation tells us that there is a specific number, which we are not privy to. So the only other consideration is all those people that we quickly assign to hell. Jesus, the good shepherd, gives the vast number an opportunity to enter the kingdom of peace based upon some of the simplest of kind acts.

Back to the topic.

I immediately said to my wife that what he said is NOT in the Bible.

I was not in a position to check and see if there was a transcript, and so I am having to go slowly through the playback of the video.

The young pastor's introduction continued with these statements.

“We must understand something, He is coming to judge and make war.”

Is this an appropriate statement?

The answer is yes; however, … The Revelation is a Revealing of Jesus; therefore, the seven years are Jesus pouring out the Father's wrath, in other words, judgment.

In the chronology of events, since Jesus just came riding back to earth on the white horse, then we must understand that He is not quite finished with the seven years, and all seven years are an aspect of His judgment. You surely realize that none of those who died as a result of God's wrath/judgment have gone on to eternal judgment as yet.

Where are they then?

Lying in the dust with no thought. Judgment will not happen until the end of the thousand years, and that is all. Yes, that means that those who die after the rapture, aside from the tribulation saints, will have to wait until the final judgment.

So, who dies when Revelation tells us that He is come to fight with the nations?

He is only coming to kill those who have come to fight with Him.

No doubt, He is coming to judge and make war, but this is NOT the final judgment.

Judge(s) is the Greek word krínō, which means “to separate, distinguish, discriminate between good and evil, select, choose out the good.

In the NT, it also means to form or give an opinion after separating and considering the particulars of a case.” While the details are masked from us, this is exactly what we see in Matthew's retelling of the sheep and goat judgment.

Are you telling me that God will continue to show mercy to some?

Absolutely. The problem we have is that, for some reason, we seem to relish the idea that God will bring about some horrific punishment at the drop of a hat. Again, you have a problem, because we don't see this horrific punishment in the end times events.

Perhaps a word picture will help. I picture King Solomon, who listened to the legal proceedings from two harlots, about a baby, which belonged to one of them. (One woman had unknowingly suffocated her baby during the night and chose to swap her dead baby for the other lady's live one.)
Solomon, after considering the particulars of the case, gave an opinion and returned the baby to the correct woman because she had compassion and could not allow the baby to be cut in half just to satisfy the selfish and foolish desires of the other woman. (Read about this in 1 Kings 3:16-28)

The young pastor continued to imply that He (Jesus) judges: “against all of His enemies and slays them.”
If you are going to advocate for an action that implies the eradication of an entire class of people that hold to a particular ideology, like Islam, and you deem them unworthy of God's salvation, then you need to back your false and confusing teaching with scripture. The young pastor could not do that.

This next paragraph is here to inform you that false teachers come in every shape and size.

Encouraged by my late father, I joined my mom and dad for dinner at a restaurant with an old friend of his. This friend, whom I will call Bob, would constantly rant about semi-biblical events. On this particular evening, my dad says, Bob (this is not his name), tell my son about your latest theory. Bob immediately tries to tell me that Satan had intercourse with Eve in the garden. This, according to Bob, allegedly created dark-skinned people and was associated with the entrance of sin into the world. I immediately lashed out at this man and said, " Show me in scripture where you got this rubbish! Bob could not provide “evidence” for such an outlandish assertion. He did, however, angrily lash back with, " You look it up! I tried to look it up, but not while sitting there that evening. I found NOTHING in scripture to validate such an outlandish claim, but I did find that this hideous theme has been around since the mid 1800s and had its roots in some very ugly racism, and was integrated into a religious sect. This is only coming, at the moment, from my memory, but when I came back to confront Bob, I came back with specifics. I told him that lashing out with “look it up,” only adds to the fact that advocating for something so in conflict with the scriptural narrative makes you a vile, false teacher who should keep his mouth shut. Any future meetings with Dad and Bob came with instructions to NOT fight with him. So I stayed away from Bob after that.

Let's look at Revelation 19, where we see a definition of those who are about to cease to breathe.

Revelation 19:15 NASB “From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.”

If you develop a doctrine of destruction, based upon Revelation 19:15 alone, you are going to be sadly lacking in an understanding of God's nature and character. For one, God is love, and denouncing God as a psychopathic mass murderer is so far removed from who God is. Consider that these people, having somehow made it through seven years of God's wrath being poured out upon the people of the earth, have now (once again) rallied a fighting force against Jesus/God.

Questions?

• How did they know where to come, so that they could attempt to fight against God?

• What would possess them to think that they could prevail against the same God that had been pouring out His wrath, in multiple forms, against those on the earth?

• How do we define the combatants?

  This last one may be the hardest to define because the Quran teaches its followers to teach their children, to hate those in opposition to the Quran, up to and including killing the unbelievers; and that giving their lives in death is the closest thing to an assurance of eternity, virgins and all.

God does not leave it at merely striking down the nations. John is shown armies gathered to fight against Jesus, and no more.

Revelation 19:19 NASB And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

I say it like that because that is what will happen. The passage below only shows us two beings thrown into the lake of fire, although we know that Satan is also thrown there for a thousand years.

“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:19-21 NASB)

So the beast (the Antichrist) and the false prophet are the only humans that are thrown into the lake of fire. The rest of the dead – non air-breathers- lie in a state of inactivity awaiting the judgment that only happens at the final throne, which Revelation 20 describes as a great white throne, 1007 years later.

Who is seated upon the horse in Revelation 19?

Jesus.

Who is assembled to make war?

While the armies of the nations are NOT defined, it is easy to assume that they are primarily Islamic nations that are currently rising up against Israel. So, if you noticed, we have the beast, the false prophet, the kings of the earth, and their armies, which were assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His armies.

If the Islamic male, head of household, follows their leader and comes to fight against Jesus, are those that he left at home supporters of Jesus?

It is probably safe to say, NOT A CHANCE. So, it is clear that NOT everyone is killed and denied entrance into the 1000-year reign.

If, as some would say, only “Christians” go into the millennial kingdom, then why would God see a need to point this next passage out?

With Satan put away for 1000 years, there is nothing spiritually evil to influence people to sin. Lacking a death that would kill the body, and therefore, the sin that lives within the human body, through Adam, these people are still carriers of this sin disease.

Revelation 21:7-8 defines who will eventually end up in the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:7-8 NASB "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. (8) "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

This branch off his notes focused upon Revelation 20:4.

Revelation 20:4 BSB “Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image, and had not received its mark on their foreheads or hands. And they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

The young pastor centered on these words for a moment.

“I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge.” Some translations will say “they” instead of those. It seems to me that we need to find the context of who is being referred to when it says those or they. Further evidence as to who will be seated on those thrones with Jesus can be extracted from Revelation 19. So, we see the saints in Revelation 19:14, and we see the martyred saints in Revelation 20:4.

This young pastor said, they won't simply be lying back in a recliner, they will be given a job to do, and this is where he took us to 1 Corinthians 6:2.

1 Corinthians 6:2(a) “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?”

The young pastor added, with Christ – that is.

Daniel's words seem to say it all.

Daniel 7:27 NKJV “Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”

Micah 5:9-15. They will be like a lion among the animals in the forest.

Since you have been following me, then you understand what I tried to convey as I spoke of the destructive properties of these last days, and the armies that converge on Israel. Allow me to point out now, that only a third of Israel's population will survive. With roughly eight million people in the land that will leave approximately two million survivors.
Some will ask, where do you get this information?
Zechariah 13:7-9 ERV  The LORD All-Powerful says, "Sword, wake up and strike the shepherd, my friend! Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will run away. And I will punish those little ones.  (8)  Two-thirds of the people in the land will be struck down and die," says the LORD, "but one-third will survive.  (9)  Then I will test those survivors by giving them many troubles. The troubles will be like the fire a person uses to prove silver is pure. I will test them the way a person tests gold. Then they will call to me for help, and I will answer them. I will say, 'You are my people.' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"
If Zechariah does not convince you, perhaps passages from Ezekiel will. Ezekiel may be giving us a more explicit definition of how the Jews within Israel die.
Ezekiel 5:12-14 ERV  A third of your people will die inside the city from diseases and hunger. Another third will die in battle outside the city. And then I will pull out my sword and chase the last third of your people into faraway countries.  (13)  Only then will I stop being angry with your people. I will know that they have been punished for the bad things they did to me. They will know that I am the LORD and that I spoke to them because of my strong love for them!"  (14)  God said, "Jerusalem, I will destroy you (and-) you will be nothing but a pile of rocks. The people around you will make fun of you. Everyone who walks by will make fun of you.
Never forget that God, has on occasion, used others, namely the nations, to wield His sword. The death and destruction will seem like it happened overnight, but the process will begin, either right before the church is caught away to Jesus, or, immediately after that.
With that information let's move on to the study:

A Remnant Shall Be Delivered

Micah 5:7-8 ERV  “But those from Jacob who are still living and scattered among the nations will be like dew from the LORD that does not depend on anyone. They will be like rain on the grass that does not wait for anyone.  (8)  Those from Jacob who are still living are scattered among the nations. But they will be like a lion among the animals in the forest. They will be like a young lion among flocks of sheep. If the lion passes through, he goes where he wants to go. If he attacks an animal, no one can save it. The survivors will be like that.”

• “But those from Jacob who are still living and scattered among the nations.” A read of Zechariah's prophecy doesn't inform us that Israel may, once again, be scattered. The idea of scattering comes across more like, run for your life! The Complete Jewish Bible translates this verse in this manner. “The remnant of Ya`akov among the nations, surrounded by many peoples, will be like a lion among forest animals, like a young lion among flocks of sheep—if it passes through, tramples and tears to pieces, there is no one to rescue them.” (Micah 5:7 CJB)

This reference to a young lion in the forest comes across as though the nations are now in fear of Israel. Understanding the text requires a look through spiritual eyes, for perhaps the nations have always been afraid of Israel, and that is why they have unceasingly tried to destroy Israel.

• “Those from Jacob who are still living are scattered among the nations. But they will be like a lion among the animals in the forest. They will be like a young lion among flocks of sheep. If the lion passes through, he goes where he wants to go. If he attacks an animal, no one can save it.”

Micah 5:9 CJB  "When that day comes," says Adonai, "I will cut off your horses from among you and destroy your chariots.
Most translations say something like this: “Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries.” We want to believe that, and if we watch the news, you can actively see Israel retaliating against aggressive acts, of which there are many. If I chose to read this loosely, and not study the verse out, I could take this statement, seen here in the CJB, as being one against Israel. The NASB and the NLT prove otherwise.
Micah 5:9 NASB Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, And all your enemies will be cut off.
Micah 5:9 NLT  The people of Israel will stand up to their foes, and all their enemies will be wiped out.
This standing up to one's foes all sounds bold, but it is in stark contrast to the devastation that we see coming against Israel. Destruction, however, does not mean that Israel did not put up a fight. Regardless, scripture shows two-thirds of Israel being killed off, and the city being trampled by the invaders. (Zechariah 13:7-9)
There is only one point in time in which I can envision Israel acting so boldly, and that is when their Messiah returns to earth as the warring King they expected. Revelation 19 clearly shows us this King.
Revelation 19:11-16 NLT  “Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war.  (12)  His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself.  (13)  He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.  (14)  The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed him on white horses.  (15)  From his mouth came a sharp sword to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a wine press.  (16)  On his robe at his thigh was written this title: King of all kings and Lord of all lords.”
A consideration. If you have spent your life living in a state of fear, as I have, then you tend to look at this scenario in one of two ways. You either see yourself rejoicing that you are finally going to be rescued from the bullies of the world or, you feel that with the appearance of Christ you will grow a backbone and gladly lend a hand. Imagine living in a world without fear or retaliation from enemies. It is possible that none of my scenarios is a reality, and we may be asked to stand back while Jesus clears the world of bullies for us. This hope is not a fairy tale; it is a scriptural reality that both Micah, Joel, and the prophet Isaiah spoke of.
Isaiah 2:3-4 NASB And many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths." For the law will go forth from Zion And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. (4) And He will judge between the nations, And will render decisions for many peoples, And, they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. A nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.
Micah 5:10 NASB "It will be in that day," declares the LORD, "That I will cut off your horses from among you And destroy your chariots.
Again, we have to ask, which day? The answer is the day when Jesus comes back as the warring Messiah. So many things will happen quickly.
The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury has this to say about this verse. “This seems to refer to those happy times when the Jews shall be converted and restored to their own land, and all their enemies being destroyed, shall have no further need of cavalry or fenced cities.”
Is this statement by the writers of the UCRT a solid supposition?
We understand that the remnant, after the Messiah's return, will come to the mountain of Lord, to worship the Lord, and, they will be the teachers of the nations. In case you missed what I said there - The Jews are the remnant, and by my archaic calculations, there will be well over two million of them.
Will they live in a restored Jerusalem?
No, but they will live in the NEW Jerusalem.
If they are restored to their land, could they live outside the walls of the New Jerusalem?
I don't see why not, as there is evidence that free will still exist during the millennial reign.
What of this statement, “all their enemies being destroyed, (Israel, and those who also live as citizens during this period,) shall have no further need of cavalry or fenced cities.”?
We already understand this from Isaiah 2:4, as you can see above. As one trained in Horticulture, I get a little excited about growing my own crops; and some of these Jews may feel the same way. Micah gives us this:
“Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree, With no one to make them afraid, For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.” Micah 4:4 NASB
The context of Micah 4:4 applies to the nations, and not the Jews, or me. So, my assumption (and I think it is logical,) is that while there would no longer be a need for weapons of war; there may, however, indeed be a need for horses and farming equipment. This line of reasoning could apply; nonetheless, there is clearly a dissembling of the large and small scale war machine. Fences, though not entirely war-related, could still fit into this scenario, as they keep people divided from one another.
Micah 5:11-15 NASB "I will also cut off the cities of your land And tear down all your fortifications. (12) "I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you will have fortune-tellers no more. (13) "I will cut off your carved images And your sacred pillars from among you So that you will no longer bow down To the work of your hands. (14) "I will root out your Asherim from among you And destroy your cities. (15) "And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed."
There are some interesting statements in Micah 5:11-15.

• “I will cut off sorceries from your hand, And you will have fortune-tellers no more. I will cut off your carved images And your sacred pillars from among you So that you will no longer bow down To the work of your hands.”

Most people don't read the Bible for themselves and therefore are unfamiliar with this young man. Manasseh, the 12-year-old who became king over Judah, and ruled for 55 years. Look at how 2 Chronicles describes his actions.
“He made his sons pass through the fire in the valley of Ben-hinnom; and he practiced witchcraft, used divination, practiced sorcery and dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger. Then he put the carved image of the idol which he had made in the house of God, of which God had said to David and to Solomon, his son, "In this house and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel, I will put My name forever; (9) Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the sons of Israel.” 2 Chronicles 33:6, 7, 9 NASB
Keep in mind that Manasseh learned none of this on his own. He was taught, either through active training or by observation.

• "I will root out your Asherim from among you And destroy your cities. Strong's Concordance tells us:'ăshêrâh - asherah (or Astarte) a Phoenician goddess. While The Word Study Dictionary gives us this: A feminine noun which signifies the Canaanite fertility goddess believed to be the consort of Baal. Because of this association, the worship of Baal and Asherah was often linked together (Jdg_3:7; 1Ki_18:19; 2Ki_23:4). The noun is most often used for a carved wooden image of the goddess instead of a proper name (Jdg_6:26; 1Ki_14:15). Israel was deeply entrenched in idol worship, and Aaron's making of the god Molech should be all the evidence you need.
• "And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath On the nations which have not obeyed." It is evident that the nations played a role in the idolatrous downfall of Israel. The prophet for hire, Balaam, told King Balak how he could bring about the destruction of Israel by bringing in women from nearby nations to them. The men of Israel gave up their souls for these young girls. "Therefore wait for Me," declares the LORD, "For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, To assemble kingdoms, To pour out on them My indignation, All My burning anger; For all the earth will be devoured By the fire of My zeal.” Zephaniah 3:8 NASB

While on the one hand, this ends with the Messiah ruling over a restored kingdom - a kingdom into which we, the followers of Christ, have been engrafted. And although I despise the word, sin, Israel has been neck deep in it, and God told them they would have pay severely if they did not stop; and, they did not. So we have a nightmarish mix of damage, but it will, someday, end in peace. I know that so many of you are living amidst the horrors of the Islamic invasion, brought under the guise of refugees. Joel chapter speaks of some of us standing our ground in the Name of Jesus. I don't know you, but I know the God you serve, and I am calling you out to speak against these things, just as the Prophet Elijah spoke to the rain. If you have a relationship with Christ, then you have the most powerful force on the face of this planet living within you, the HOLY SPIRIT. Stand your ground, and declare, NOT ON MY WATCH!

In Ezekiel 39 what has taken place so far?

I do nothing quickly, but I am going to try; let's begin with a short recap.

In Ezekiel 39 what has taken place so far? Though it is not spelled out, as some might wish, Gog and his armies have attacked Israel – from every direction.

A Fire has rained upon Gog and his armies, as well as the coastal lands. One might presume that these coastal lands would be strictly associated with the Mediterranean region, but that can be nothing more than an assumption. Since the word fire is a somewhat generic term meaning heat, then we cannot exclude the idea of nuclear strikes. But this idea creates other problems, for how and why would God have atomic weapons? The problem with our thinking is that we see God as the creator and holder of this fire. While it is true that God generated the sulfur and brimstone hail that rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah, He is also adept at using the armies of enemies, along with their stockpiles of weapons, to bring judgment (and that is what this is,) against Israel and Gog. Nuclear weapons, as you can imagine, kill everyone within range, not just an enemy, and therefore many within Israel will die.

So, in killing off Gog, God has managed to kill off a large quantity of Israel as well.

Ezekiel 39:22 NET. Then the house of Israel will know that I am the LORD their God, from that day forward.

What is the timing of this war? There are several possibilities.

1. Some, because of the reference to Gog, believe that this happens at the end of the Millennial reign. Let's see if that argument holds up.
   Revelation 20:7-8 ISV When the thousand years are over, Satan will be freed from his prison. 8) He will go out to deceive Gog and Magog, the nations at the four corners of the earth, and gather them for war. They are as numerous as the sands of the seashore.
   Using the ISV, as I have, you can see that Gog is no longer a person, but a people group. That definition alone should dispel the idea that Gog himself must be there in this battle. The verse itself shows that the people groups of Gog and Magog, are spread to the four corners of the earth; and, they are as numerous as the sands of the seashore. In speaking to Abram, God said,
   Genesis 13:16 NET. And I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the earth, then your descendants also can be counted.
   God wasn't just talking about the descendants through Issac; he was talking about Ishmael and Esau as well.
   Genesis 17:20 DRB And as for Ismael I have also heard thee. Behold, I will bless him, and increase, and multiply him exceedingly: he shall beget twelve chiefs, and I will make him a great nation.
   With this information, you should be able to see that many of this line of descendants have been destined for this moment. So what we see in Ezekiel is NOT the final war of Revelation 20.
2. Because there is a Mosque in Jerusalem, The Dome of the Rock. It is safe to assume that there will be no temple as long as that Mosque stands, and yet, as any student of Eschatology knows, there will be a final temple built by man. How convenient would it be if God blew the Mosque off the map with this firestorm? It seems that this war with Gog could play right into that scenario. So, let's pursue that timing out for a moment.
   This idea of a temple being built falls into place with several other events, such as the Antichrist collecting signatures on his peace treaty (which does not have to include Israel.)
   We also know that two witnesses from God, appear and stand in the streets of Jerusalem for 1260 days. The tumult will be incredible, and in a sense, people will be trying to survive. Since no Palestinian will tolerate the temple being built, these two from God may play a role in keeping a relative peace (especially since they can call fire down upon anyone who tries to harm them.)
   While I don't pay much attention to modern day prophetic words, I will give more credence to a word if it is something that God was speaking to my heart about, or, I see the same theme in the scriptures.
   When I read my bible I keep seeing a war that breaks out right before the catching away of the Church, or immediately after thereafter. As I said in my previous post, the timing here would put everything after the “rapture” into the category of God's judgment. And, since it becomes clear that Israel is the object of God's judgment, then to have this war with Gog immediately after the rapture makes all the sense in the world; (and yes, I am well aware that God does not need my opinion about when He can make his moves in this earth.)
   Having been asked numerous times if I thought that we, as a church, would go through the tribulation, the answer is yes; but, I believe that the answer to that question is already skewed. It is skewed, or maybe a better word is biased because the person asking the question has intertwined the last seven-years of judgment into what Jesus said would be an everyday lifestyle, tribulation.
   Don't get me wrong, I understand that what we like to call the tribulation is the last seven years, but misnaming this period has done far too much harm. When these arguments and terms come up, I often say, tribulation seems to be a relevant issue, for there are followers of Christ all around the world that are dying daily because of their faith in Jesus, while the person asking the question effectively lives in the protected lap of luxury.

There is, without a doubt in my mind, two more wars, if we consider Jesus, rather violent return, one of them. When the Antichrist breaks the covenant at 1260 days, several events happen.

3. So let's consider what will happen when the Antichrist breaks the covenant midway through the seven-year period.

• • The two witnesses are allowed to die, be resurrected after three days, and return to the Father.
  • The False prophet will divulge his true identity. This false prophet has full access to the Holy of Holies in the temple and therefore performs his desecration. As I read about his actions in the temple, I could not help but think, this man has to be a high priest (however, until recently I did not know there was one. Islam too believes that a man like this will come. When he makes his move, he will give his allegiance to the Mahdi. That action means that he worships the beast and takes his mark. He will set up the image of the beast and make it talk; this also implies that the false prophet worships the image as well, and, he expects all to follow his lead just as he has done. In addition to what seems like the biggest betrayal in the world, there are the amazing miracles this false prophet, now empowered by the beast, performs. Because of his clout, miracles, and actions: like converting to Islam, many of the elite Jews, and a few others will be deceived and follow him. You can look this up in Matthew 24:24.
    Let's go back to this idea that the false prophet has access to the Holiest place in the temple for a moment. Mere access would mean that he is the high priest unless he comes by force – but scripture does not show us that. Sometime around August of 2016, the Sanhedrin appointed such a person. His name is Rabbi Baruch Kahane. With that piece of information, we may be looking at the man who could potentially become the false prophet. Yes I know, I sound like an angry, slanderous, fool; but what if I am right. You see the problem with having prophetic insight is that no one believes you until it is too late.
    Islam, once again, gives us some insight into this false prophet, as he will become the enforcer of Sharia law. This move to enforce Sharia is when the martyrdom of those who follow Jesus will become almost pandemic in proportions. It is of this time that we are told, and it will become so horrific that if God does not stop it, no one will survive.
    In trying to find some definition, war-wise, that explains what will happen when the false prophet comes into his own; Daniel is the prime source that comes to mind. I am trying to conserve space, so I want you to look these verses up for yourselves. Daniel 11:38-45. Pay attention to verse 44 because it conveys what seems to be a theme throughout his reign.
    Daniel 11:44 KJV But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.
    Verse 41 tells us that many countries shall be overthrown. If you understand the goals of Islam, then you know that they have come to take over and turn your country into a Muslim nation. The Qu'ran gives the impression that money is evil, in spite of this, the Antichrist person, we are told in Daniel 11:43 “shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver." So he is an enigma, to say the least.
    Daniel 11:45 KJV ... yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
    Does he come to an end because Christ comes back, or, do the purists find him to be out of line with the standards outlined in the Qu'ran? Hard to say, as the truth about most dictators is that they are after money and power.

4. Thankfully, point three is the perfect transition into Christ's return as the Conquering Messiah.
   Revelation 19:11 KJV And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. Revelation 19:19 KJV And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. Revelation 19:21 KJV And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
   Whether this takes minutes, hours, or days is indeed none of our concern, as merely knowing that the Millennial reign will begin rapidly, and peace will rule for a thousand years. My mind has never understood peace, as I have battled with mild depression and anxiety for many years now.

I opened with a brief discussion about the final war. When you read the account in Revelation, you can see that God is talking about people groups, NOT a man called Gog. Regardless, this war ends rather quickly, again with a fire strike, and then the White Throne judgment. The best part is that we all slide off into an undisturbed eternity with the Father. How I long for that day, for in a moment, a twinkling of the eye, we shall be changed, and then, we shall be like Him.

Does king David reign over the Millennium?

Monday morning's Men's study started off with a tirade about king David reigning over the Millennium. In my notes I wrote, “try finding this in scripture; you can't.”

Is my assertion correct? That can only be proved out by scripture, and we need at least two witnesses, so let's try.

Ezekiel 34:24 will be the first witness we call to the stand.

“therefore, I will deliver My flock, and they will no longer be a prey; and I will judge between one sheep and another. "Then I will set over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them; he will feed them himself and be their shepherd. "And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David will be prince among them; I the LORD have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:22-24 NASB

When does this take place? 

Only after the victorious return of Jesus as the warring Messiah. When He returns He will conquer all foes and peace will be restored. Another piece of this understanding comes from Ezekiel 36:28

"You will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; so you will be My people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:28 NASB

Ezekiel 34:24 tells us that, “My servant David will be prince among them.” Does that mean that David will reign over the Millennium, or at the minimum, Israel?

The word prince is the Hebrew word nasi and means one lifted up, a chief, prince: - chief, and ruler.

Once again, Ezekiel 34:24 from the Complete Jewish Bible.

I, Adonai, will be their God; and my servant David will be prince among them. I, Adonai, have spoken. Ezekiel 34:24 CJB

The fact that the verse speaks of “them”, implies that God is speaking of David ruling. If that is the case, it is over Israel.

A piece of information that might help you see why I believe the word “them” applies strictly to Israel, would be the understanding that there are only three people groups to be considered. Those people groups are the Jews; the nations; and the church. Since the church is deemed to be in Christ, and He, as we see in the Revelation, is ruling and reigning, then I can easily assume that we, the church, are ruling with Him. This idea works out well during the millennial reign, as there will be another group of people still wandering around the earth during this time; that group is the nations. The surviving Jews will have come to accept Jesus as the Messiah; in the Millennial reign, and they will be the evangelists who go out to the nations, bringing healing in the form of leaves from the trees of life that grow along the river that flows out from under the throne of God.

Further evidence that there will people outside of the kingdom, comprising the ethnos, with the ability to make free choices, is found in Revelation 21.

Revelation 21:8 NASB "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

How is it possible, in this Idealized world we call the Millennium, that there could still be people conjuring up such evil? It is possible because the merciful God has allowed them to pass into the thousand year reign (This concept that the merciful God would allow the nations/sinners to pass into the thousand year reign is also one that is challenged by the leader of the Monday morning study, as he, declares that all, from the nations, are doomed to the lake of fire.) It is also very assertable that the Ethnos/Nations/Gentiles are continuing to live, just as they had been since time began. The difference being, there is no Satan to influence or motivate us. The lack of Satan's influence adds a bizarre twist because the vileness of Revelation 21:8 demonstrates the potential of an unchecked heart.

When I began to explain some aspect of scripture that referred to the nations, the religious fanatic I was speaking with, emphatically declared, these people are called the ethnos. He did this in a vain attempt to put me in my place.

The Hebrew word for nations is "go'ee." It is from this word that the Jews derived the word goyim, a slang term for Gentiles.

Ethnos, on the other hand, is a Greek word, meaning a race (as of the same habit), or a tribe; specifically a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually by implication pagan).

While my impetuous acquaintance seemed to imply that God would have nothing to do with anyone of colored skin, the fact that many Ethiopians (a dark-skinned race) can demonstrate a valid Jewish heritage, proves that color plays no part in the equation. Therefore, anyone that was not a Jew was of the ethnos and believed to be a pagan (This kind of narrow-minded thinking was easy for the Jews as they comprehended themselves to have the one true God. Now, whether they recognized Him and followed him or not is an entirely different story.)

What have I proved?

That David will reign as a chief, but so far, we can only prove that David will be a prince of Israel during the millennial reign. Beyond that, everything we know is circumstantial and unproven.

Does Ezekiel 37:23,24 prove anything?

Ezekiel 37:23-24 NASB "They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God. 24) "My servant David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd; and they will walk in My ordinances and keep My statutes and observe them.

It is possible that the reference to David is merely pointing to the Messiah, and David then, was simply a type of Christ? I know that is just a little hard to swallow considering how poorly David ran his life at times, and Jesus walked through this life without a failure we call sin.

It was Paul the Apostle that gave the oration we find in Acts 13. Here is just a portion.

Acts 13:34 NASB "As for the fact that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY and SURE blessings OF DAVID.

J. Vernon McGee, states in his commentary, that this is what Peter said on the day of Pentecost. So, what did Peter then say?

Acts 2:34-36 NASB "For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: 'THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, "SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, 35) UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET."' 36) "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified."

He is telling us that David spoke of Jesus. Is it possible then that we are to be looking for Jesus to be walking in the blessing spoken of to David?

Nathanael, Philip's brother, and one of the disciples said,

Nathanael answered Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel." John 1:49 NASB

This idea of Jesus/Yeshua reigning forever over the house of Jacob is also seen when the angel announces to Mary that she is to give birth to the Son of God, Jesus.

“The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32) "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33) and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." Luke 1:30-33 NASB

Let me sum this up by saying, it is uncommon, to say the least, to preach such a message, especially if you are going to verbalize the peculiar idea that King David shall rule over the millennium.

A response to a comment, three years late.

I wrote this in response to a comment. I am including it for your benefit as misconceptions and false teachings run rampant. I rarely talk to anyone who has a firm grasp on what happens after the seven years of wrath. I hope you find this beneficial, and yes, it is long.

Well, here it is three years since you wrote your comment and I am finally responding to it. I wish I could tell you why but I cannot remember now. Perhaps I can chalk it up to not having enough time at that point, but as I had only recently been fired from my last job back then, you might think I had nothing but time. Perhaps I did not have a clear answer and needed to develop a concrete response; or, maybe I just forgot. Regardless, another comment, just a few days ago - three years later, has brought your comment to my attention once again.

Let me add, that in the process of learning how to deal with my thoughts on “paper” and then subject myself to potential criticism, was quite challenging. I can tell you that I did not handle criticism well back then; I am not sure I manage it well now, but I certainly deal with it differently now. Having read another bloggers advice I have responded, deleted and blocked several caustic and religious “Christians.” However, I did not do that with yours as you were not hostile. I also felt that people who are reading my blog needed to see what the other questions are.

Your question/and interpretative challenges you put forth are not new to my world. Recently, as I sat among the men in Monday mornings "Bible study" the leader, unprovoked by me, proffered this very assumption, and he did so as though it was doctrine. As I have done with you I challenged his premise from the Word of God; however, he disregarded it. Considering how we are to make the Word of God the final authority on questions and challenges, our morning teacher chose to ignore what the word of God had to say and added, then I am stating my opinion, and that is all that matters. While opinions can often be important and valid, they are not all that matters, especially when you are alone with that idea. Fortunately, all these interpretative challenges will become clear someday as they are tested with fire before the Bema seat of Christ.

For now, let me offer a response.

You said, “Are we not told in Revelation, that when Jesus returns and throws the anti-Christ and false prophet into the lake of fire that He kills “the rest” with the sword from His mouth?”

While you are correct, it does say that, but the hypothesis is misleading because you ignored the context, which we find in Revelation 19:19.

Allow me to explain.

Revelation 19:15-19 NASB 15) From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the winepress of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16) And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." 17) Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, "Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18) so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great." 19) And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.

What do we see here?

• Jesus, with a sword in his mouth.
  With that sword He will strike down the nations, AND, He will rule them with a rod of iron.
  Why would there be a need to rule them if it is only believers that go into the Millennial kingdom? Remember, we believers were changed in the twinkling of an eye.
  Yes, I noted your comment that apparently only believers enter the Millennial reign.
  I have covered this in more detail toward the end.
• An angel invites the birds to come and eat the flesh of kings, commanders, and so on, at the great supper of God.
• And finally verse 19, the most telling of all as it says, “And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.”
  So, who is fighting against Jesus at this point in time?
  Is it all the nations, with all their citizenry? NO, it is the beast; the kings of the earth, and their armies. Why do I know this, because the context tells us precisely who is involved and therefore killed.

For the sake of context let's go ahead and use Revelation 19:20,21 as well.

Revelation 19:20, 21 NASB And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21) And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.

Based on what we see in Revelation19:19, we know that there is a large army amassed against Jesus and the saints with Him. It is evident from Revelation 19:20 that only two persons are thrown into the lake of fire at this point; the beast (known to us as the Antichrist,) and the false prophet who deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. And, they are thrown alive into the lake. Therefore the remainder: kings; commanders, and the army are those that are killed; no one else.

Assuming that we could not perceive the context, could we then build an argument on logical thought and patterns?

When you look at Revelation 19:21 NASB, it unquestionably states that the rest were killed, and that sounds compelling doesn't it? And yet, the word rest/loipoi means remaining ones: - other, which remain, remnant, residue, rest.

The word rest, when we look at the Greek definition, is not so definitive because it allows for others remaining, which can easily include those from Israel if I don't follow the context. But there is a context, and it specifically points to those armies collected to fight against Jesus Christ.

Some of that "logical" evidence and pattern shows up in Zechariah's prophetic word, as God has gathered the nations against Jerusalem for punishment.

Zechariah tells us that at least one-third of Israel makes it through the onslaught. I, however, cannot comfortably say that these Jews are those that have gone into hiding, and the reason for that is verse nine as you can see by this statement, “I will bring the third through the fire, Refine them as silver.., and test them..” This refining is not an example, in my mind of people in hiding. Now if I compared the plight of these Jews with someone like Corie Ten Boom, a woman who helped many people avoid the wrath of the Nazis, many, not knowing the whole story, might think that she escaped and did not have to go through the “fire.” But, we are aware from her testimony that she was caught, tortured in the prison camp, and lost family members to the Nazis.

Zechariah 13:8-9 NASB "It will come about in all the land," Declares the LORD, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it. 9) "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are My people,' And they will say, 'The LORD is my God.'"

Isaiah 66 tells us of what appears to be the same scene, and yet, it is not all but many.

Isaiah 66:15-16 NASB For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. 16) For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many.

Still trying to define who “the rest” would be, there is this:

Zechariah 14:1-4 NASB Behold, a day is coming for the LORD when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. 2) For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city. 3) Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as when He fights on a day of battle. 4) In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.

Since we know that this is an important and defining battle will every person including women and children come and join in the fight?

The obvious answer is NO. We already see examples of this when we look at the Islamic world. Children are taught from the age of understanding, to hate and kill the Jew and anyone who is not a Muslim. The news used to show us young boys about age seven learning to shoot AK 47s', but it is not practical to place children on the front lines of battle. So, while there will be those with a violent hatred against anything that represents a god other than say, Allah; not all will come to battle and therefore not be included as a combatant, and not killed.

There is no struggle to understand this, and, I don't have to go looking for other scriptures to prove my point any further because I stayed true to the context.

Consider, if you haven't already, that death is separation from God, and is much more than the cessation of breathing, as the spirit ever lives on.

Before I move on to another aspect of your note to me I have to address this statement more fully,
You added a defining factor when you continued with: “That is, everyone who took the mark of the beast.”

You said this in conjunction with this statement: “Are we not told in Revelation, that when Jesus returns and throws the anti-Christ and false prophet into the lake of fire that He kills “the rest” with the sword from His mouth?“ This implies that only those with the mark are destined for separation from God, and it also implies that those receiving the mark desired to be in compliance with the beast, but that is not the case as most are merely trying to save a life, their own.

The passages from Revelation 19 that initiated this response, tell us in verse 20 that they were deceived. There is no reason to believe that the deceived are doing anything but weeping at the realization of their fate. You can see from the same verses you referenced that no one else is thrown into the lake of fire at this time, and, there is no denying that at some point those who received the mark and worshiped the image of the beast, are judged, but that is not done here in Revelation 19:21.

What if this is not a government, like the USA, and most people in America assume, that is imposing this mark upon people?

(By the way, taking the mark does not condemn you to hell's flames; it must include the worshiping of the beast and the image of the beast.)

Islam does a modified version of this marking already, as they victimize conquered peoples.

They call it a Jizya tax, and you are made to wear an identifying band around your arm or head. Without paying this tax you cannot buy or sell under their regime, and it is intentionally made impossible. Allegedly, there is a way around this tax, and that is to convert to Islam. To do so, you must deny Christ, His deity, and proclaim that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammad is his messenger. Often they, at this point, treat you as an unworthy coward and kill you anyway.

So, let me ask you a question.

Do Muslims have to take this mark? In most cases, as with women, they are mandated to wear a burka out of compliance, but all of us can see that this is not standardized.

Therefore, I can safely assume that it is only those outside of Islam that must comply like this.

Perhaps I am being far too presumptuous in attributing this designation to Islam, but what other groups, outside of governments, have the capability and desire to globally mark a specific group of people?

I offer you the passage that shows that this taking the mark we speak of is a three-part equation.

Revelation 14:9-11 NASB 9) Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10) he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11) "And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."

Even as I read Revelation 14:9-11 I can see that there is a point at which those who “ worship the beast and his image and receive a mark on his forehead or on his hand,” will drink the wine of God's wrath, and they will be tormented with fire. I think it is safe to presume that this is the lake of fire seeing as it matches the description we have of the lake of fire and its purpose.

You added,

“It would thus seem that the 1000 years is began with only believers.”

Since I already know that many Jews survive the wrath of God, can I also assume that they too are believers?

There several problems with the idea that the thousand years is begun with only believers and that Jews would be deemed Christians as they enter.

1. 1. I have to assume from the statement that the Jews are included as believers/Christians.
      However, we are never told that there are Christians, living among the nations, that go into eternity.
      What we do understand is that there are those who warm seats in church buildings that will not go up when Jesus comes for His church. Since John saw the beheaded around the throne in heaven twice, we understand from what he related that their number was uncountable. These people are given the title of saint. The saints only get that title as they are martyred for their testimony, but their numbers are not included among those going into the Millennial reign.
      A defining statement about the saints is made in Revelation 20:4,5, where the martyred saints are brought back to life; this is labeled the first resurrection.
      The Jews, on the other hand, will not accept the title of Christian as that is a Gentile creation. What they do accept is Yeshua as the Messiah and they would never, with a free choice, agree to be called a Christian. Should they choose not to receive Yeshua then I suppose they would be intermingled with the nations. However, since God lifts the veil from their eyes and all peoples, we can safely assume that most remaining Jews would come to accept the true Messiah.
   2. Another problem arises as you have these “believers” going into the Millennium and then living the despicable lives we see in Revelation 22:15.
      How is that possible that God would allow these fractured believers into the city where no despicable person can enter; only to later go out and do what Satan did - use his free will and choice to act in opposition to God? The logic doesn't work unless it is the nations going into the Millennial reign along with their vile hatred for God, then Revelation 22:15 makes sense.
   3. The other problem, and it is common in the Western/Gentile church. We ignore or do not realize that there are only three people groups, at any given time, in the world. They are The Jews; the nations, and, the Church.
      Yes, some Jews can be considered among the Church, and time will prove that out, as they too will be caught up with the Church when Jesus comes in the clouds. Sadly, the Jews, right now, lean more toward the side of the nations as they too will be the targets for God's wrath alongside the nations.
      The nations and the Gentiles are effectively the same things in God's eyes. In the Western, “civilized” church, we see ourselves as set apart. However, the only thing that sets us apart is our acceptance of this adoption status we have been given. Simply because the “world” does not accept this adoption status, we presume that forgiveness does not and cannot cover their sins as well, but that is not true. The only thing anyone will be judged for is, what that person did with Jesus. That's all.
      At some point, multitudes of these people (the nations) will come into relationship with God. This is all laid out in scriptures by prophets, like Ezekiel. The key here then is the leaves of the trees of life, for the healing of the nations. Healing is the Greek word therapeía; attendance (specifically medical, that is, cure); figuratively and collectively domestics: - healing,

Since we, the church, with our brokenness; twisted ideas; legalism; and prejudices, are not allowed to bring this junk/sin into eternity with God, then, we will be changed in the twinkling of an eye, and so will those who partake of the leaves that give eternal life.

Consider the process here. The nations, in general, do not have access to the trees of life as that would give them immortality without change. But the entire purpose here is to bring these people on the outside into relationship. However, God is not going to allow them to bring their garbage with them as they come into a relationship with Him during the Millennial reign.

There is coming a day when Jesus will return in the clouds to gather His bride back to himself. As you know we call that the rapture, therefore the “believers” should effectively be gone. You should also realize that not everyone that warms a pew will be caught up to be with the Lord. I know this because the Word tells us that he comes for those who are waiting for Him.

1. 4. I am assuming that you when you say believers are then referring to those who continue to come and accept Jesus as their hope and salvation during the time of wrath. Calling them believers might make sense but is inappropriate as Scripture never refers to them as believers; it does, however, call them saints.

This idea of saints can and does cause some confusion as it seems the church is also referred to as saints. However, the word is only used in the Revelation and is always used about those martyred for their testimony. After the rapture, grace is gone. What those who come to Jesus have to live with is something comparable to living under the law as Israel did in the wilderness.

Revelation 12:11 NASB "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

It seems like you asked many questions, however, as I looked at your note you have been making statements; statements that do not align with the Word of God, and I felt they needed to be addressed.

The final thing I want to address is what seems to be your question.

“I am curious as to where you get the idea that mere compliance, or not getting the mark, will be enough to enter into the 1000 year reign of Christ.”

In response to this question how about, we start with Matthew 25:31-46. This is effectively the same story as Revelation 20 where we see the Great White Throne. The players are all the same but they have different names. The Judge is the same but Matthew conveys him as a gentle shepherd in contrast with the angry God of Revelation. Matthew's gospel focuses on the outcome of the sheep, while Revelation 20 speaks to those not found in the books.

Matthew 25:31-46 NASB "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32) "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33) and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34) "Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35) 'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36) naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.' 37) "Then the righteous will answer Him, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38) 'And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39) 'When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40) "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.' 41) "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42) for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43) I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.' 44) "Then they themselves also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?' 45) "Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' 46) "These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

In verse 34 he tells the crowd entitled the sheep "to come inherit the kingdom prepared for you." They obtain this mercy because they acted like the nature and character of Jesus/God. The judge, which is only Jesus, explains:

'For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36) naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.'

If you have read this, did you ever notice how shocked they were?

When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' 40) "The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'

If these had been deemed as such before the rapture, making them “believers', then why didn't they go up with the church?

Another thing that gives me the freedom to talk about non-compliance as an entrance into the kingdom is the process of martyrdom itself. What are the things that define them as God's possession?

Revelation 6:9 NASB When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained;

The mere fact that these are found underneath the altar is indicative of God claiming them as His own.

Revelation 12:11 NASB "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.

Twice now we have seen the term testimony, but what does mean and what does that look like under extreme pressure?

The word testimony is the Greek word marturía meaning to witness. A witness, certification (Joh_1:7), testimony (Mar_14:55-56, Mar_14:59; Luk_22:71), that which someone witnesses or states concerning a person or thing (Act_22:18; 1Ti_3:7; Tit_1:13).

Paul, while still known as Saul, is told by God to go to Damascus where a devout man, a Jew named Ananias, was sent to Saul. After Ananias prayed for Saul, he received his sight. Shortly after this Saul has a dream/vision. In that vision he is told:

Acts 22:18 NASB and I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly because they will not accept your testimony about Me.'

What are the ramifications of this? Saul, in talking about the Messiah Jesus would be subject to death for several reasons: The Jew's had been taught to reject Yeshua. Some proof of this happened when Herod is told the Magi are coming. Their numbers were large enough to cause some alarm, and so he demands that the Jewish leadership tell him what is going on. They said that the scripture called for the king of the Jews to be born in Bethlehem. While this information got Herod's attention, the Jews made no effort at all to visit this king of Jews born in a manger. Herod, on the other hand, had all the boys in that region, two and below, killed.

Saul had other problems as well, as he had essentially been a hit man for the Jewish council. Now, this should not have scared the Jews who held to tradition, but converts could have to run for their lives. This Saul was now making converts himself, another reason to kill him.

So what does this idea of testimony look like, especially to a Coptic Christian living in the Middle East?

Let's assume you are a Christian living in the once quiet little Syrian town of Aleppo. Perhaps our first question is, what is it about these people that tell others they are “Christians”?

Imagine ISIS overruns your quiet little burgh, and you cannot escape. They take you captive, and, after having some fun with you by torturing and raping your wife and children and then dismembering them slowly, they demand that you convert and give allegiance to Allah. After a morning of such wasteful frivolities, they have had enough and needed to move on. A sword is placed to your neck with the command, comply – worship Allah or die. You reply with a simple no. Seconds later your bruised and battered head rolls away from your body.

What just happened?

Did you, by your non-compliance, affirm that there is a God greater than an invented name called Allah? Or, did you, by denying the one accept the other? Is it possible that God is not the least bit interested in our church-related methods of mandated compliance, and does not care if your name is on a list of those who publicly made motions of acceptance in some religious service?

I have an ex-son-in-law who did all that, and yet lives a life of lies and deceit. I am not his judge, and I do not know his heart, but I can tell you that when his fruit falls off the tree, it is already rotten and immediately begins to stink up the yard and the lives of those with which he interacts.

What this tells me, is that God is looking at the heart and the motives, and that, which only He sees, is what matters. I decided long ago, after spending a tortured lifetime in the organized church, that if I must err then let it be on the side of mercy. Funny how that works, for I hear Him constantly telling me, good job and well done because you acted just like I would have.