They will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it. Revelation 21:2.

 Let's assume you read my last post and now have a confidence that allows you to describe how:

• The surviving Jews enter the millennial kingdom and become evangelists.

  “In that day ... the survivors of Israel.” (Isaiah 4:2 NASB)

  "For out of Jerusalem will go forth a remnant ... survivors.” (Isaiah 37:32 NASB)

  "...There will be those who escape, ... Even among the survivors ...” (Joel 2:32 NASB)

• The beast (which is the antichrist) and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire, while Satan is locked up in Hades, where he cannot bother anybody for a thousand years.

  Revelation 19:20; Revelation 20:1-3.

• People from the nations that are NOT believers and did NOT fight against Jerusalem and Jesus at His triumphant return will enter the thousand years with their free wills intact.

  “Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, there will be no rain on them. If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the LORD smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths. This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.” (Zechariah 14:16-19 NASB)

  Because there are many among the churches that believe only Christians come into the millennial kingdom, here are a couple more passages that speak in opposition to this belief.

  “... and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, .... (Jeremiah 3:17 NASB)

  "Many nations will join themselves to the LORD in that day and will become My people. ... (Zechariah 2:11 NASB)

• The entirety of the thousand years will be peace. This is only one verse among many that speak of this.

  "I will make a covenant of peace with them and eliminate harmful beasts from the land so that they may live securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods. "I will make them and the places around My hill a blessing. And I will cause showers to come down in their season; they will be showers of blessing. "Also, the tree of the field will yield its fruit, and the earth will yield its increase, and they will be secure on their land. Then they will know that I am the LORD when I have broken the bars of their yoke and have delivered them from the hand of those who enslaved them. "They will no longer be a prey to the nations, and the beasts of the earth will not devour them, but they will live securely, and no one will make them afraid. "I will establish for them a renowned planting place, and they will not again be victims of famine in the land, and they will not endure the insults of the nations anymore. (Ezekiel 34:25-29 NASB)

• By the time the great white throne judgment comes along, multitudes from among the nations will have come into the kingdom and are now called God's people.

  It is hard to imagine who is left to stand before the throne. One of the things that became clear as I did this study is that in Matthew's account of the great throne, Jesus (the only judge) finds good deeds listed for some, and they obtain mercy and enter the eternal kingdom.

• The thousand years are expired; Satan is released; and deceives all those whose names ARE NOT written in the book of life.

  This tells me that many from the nations chose to NOT have their names written in the book of life. To be honest, this is unbelievable that someone could choose to walk away from God's love. So, Satan deceives an uncountable number from the nations, and they surround the Holy City in an attempt to kill God and His people. God responds by killing them all with fire. Do you understand what death is? Most think it is merely the cessation of breath and heartbeat. Ah, but your soul never dies. As a non-believer, you merely go to sleep as you await whatever happens next. Unfortunately, even if it's a wait of several thousand years, that next event is to stand before the Great White Throne.

• Scripture tells us that the next event is the great white throne, the final judgment, which has Jesus Christ as the judge.

  The only people standing before this throne are dead people. Scripture says nothing about sinners; they are simply dead. They weren't “Christians,” or they would have gone up in the rapture, and we far too quickly forget that Jesus took ALL sin upon Himself on the cross; therefore, their sin was forgiven. Alright then, why are they standing here?

  Since each of us has God's moral code written upon our hearts, (Think about the logic of that. We were made in God's image, so it only stands to reason that His moral code is written there also. It also stands to reason that the choice of following after the one who made you or tossing Him aside has repercussions,) then, you are only judged based upon what you did with Jesus; and it was Jesus who paid that sin price for you. In Matthew's gospel, chapter 25, we see Jesus calling the nations before Him. Nations suddenly equals the dead.

  All of them standing there are judged by what is written in those books, and Jesus is looking for good deeds. Those deeds are explained in Matthew 25, and I will let you go there and pursue that on your own time. But it is evident that the simplest acts that demonstrate God's love, which is an aspect of that moral law written upon our hearts, had its wanted effect. While it is not explained, those who demonstrated these acts of love apparently have their names written in the book of life. (Do not ask me how or why their names are written there because I do not know. I just know it happens because I see it in scripture.) Matthew's gospel tells us that the “sheep” are the first to be dealt with and given entrance into the eternal kingdom. (Don't worry, Jesus is going to allow anyone to bring their broken human nature into the eternal kingdom, and so they will be changed at some point.) Those NOT found in the book of life were cast into the lake fire.

• The final judgment is over. The next thing that happens is that the earth is burned up along with the heavens. But not to worry, because believers are now immortals and can't be harmed. That and God makes the heavens and the earth new.

  “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1 NASB)

Where does this Holy City go when the earth burns?

Maybe nowhere. Maybe it is heavenly, spiritual, and according to scripture, more real than what we see on earth and untouchable by fire. Maybe, it's hovering in the sky, just waiting for the command to descend.

With the end of the time of wrath, I know that the New Jerusalem (God's Holy City) will come down to earth, and this may happen within minutes of Jesus' return.

How can I be so sure?

The end of warfare can come about with a Word from Jesus. The changes will begin.

Jesus, alongside the previously martyred saints, will sit as the judge during the millennial reign. Doesn't it stand to reason that He will sit in the new Jerusalem? Amir Tsarfati, a Jewish believer and evangelist, will tell you, “We DO NOT have control of the temple mount in Jerusalem.” I would think that would be a necessity if Jesus were to sit on the throne of David. (Spare me the theological arguments and corrections, as they don't really matter while I try to make a point.) The point here is that the place and the city in which Jesus will be seated is NOT here yet, and the only place and time that can happen is after Jesus returns and conquers everything.

Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (Revelation 20:4 NASB)

So, when Jesus comes back to earth at the end of the time of wrath, where does, He sit as the judge?

"It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. "At that time they will call Jerusalem 'The Throne of the LORD,' and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.” (Jeremiah 3:16-17 NASB)

Jerusalem, but not the place we now see, as that will be destroyed. It will be the New Jerusalem that lies within the Holy City, which is currently absent. This line from Jeremiah chapter three, “and all the nations will be gathered to it,” is the lead in verse to the sheep and goat judgment of Matthew 25. It has a context, and that is the final judgment.

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. (Matthew 25:31 NASB)

Standing before the Jewish high priest, who could not recognize Him as God, spoke of that throne.

But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." (Mark 14:61-62 NASB)

And in the book of Hebrews, Jesus is described as the one who upholds all things by the Word of His power and is seated at God's right hand.

“in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:2-3 NASB)

So, Jesus, as we speak, is seated at the right hand of the Father. He is, by the way, ever making intercession for us.

Doesn't such a picture imply something noble, worthy of a judge?

I know I am making a broken human assumption, and NO, we don't need special seats to judge, but we all picture a throne. And most of you realize that such a magnificent place can only exist when Christ comes to reign.

In Revelation 19:3-5, we see a chorus of voices rejoicing because they see smoke rising up from her. That “her” is Jerusalem as the sin and rebellion are squeezed out of her, and God's wrath is finished. Revelation 19:5 tells us that he heard a voice coming from the throne; however, that throne is in heaven, and there is a good chance that this voice was coming from The New Jerusalem that comes down from heaven. We have to look outside the Revelation to get more details on this.

“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, ...” (Zechariah 14:4 NASB)

And here our introduction ends, so let's move on to Revelation twenty-one, verse 2.

Revelation 21:2 NASB “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.”

While Zechariah 14:8-11 does not speak of a throne, he tells us that Jesus will be the king over all the earth and where this Holy City will be placed.

“And in that day, living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter. And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one. All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem, but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. People will live in it, and there will no longer be a curse, for Jerusalem will dwell in security. (Zechariah 14:8-11 NASB)

At 1500 miles square, there is much ground to level.

As for the dimensions of the Holy City, most translations use the term stadia, but stadia does not translate into an exact measurement in English. For me, it is like meters and feet. So, the CEV version 

works best for my understanding.

“The city was shaped like a cube, because it was just as high as it was wide. When the angel measured the city, it was about fifteen hundred miles high and fifteen hundred miles wide.” (Revelation 21:16 CEV)

According to Ezekiel 48, this measurement is the exact same on each side. I found several versions of maps, and most differ, but here is one. Some show the land engulfing all of Saudi and North to encompass Turkey. By looking at old maps and their distance equivalence indicators, I can do no better than 600 miles.

Here is a thought for you. We always make the assumption that Adam stayed in one small garden area. When in fact, the landmasses were all combined. I don't speak of this much as I do not handle ridicule well. One day my mildly autistic grandson said to me, “the entire earth was a Pangaea.” This was a new vocabulary word moment for me, and my grandson knew what it meant. I looked it up, and it means that what we consider continents were at some point all combined into one landmass. I told my grandson, “I have believed that for many years, and my bible tells me that this was the case.” That did not impress him, but it impressed me. In case you don't believe that I will show you.

Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for, in his days, the earth was divided; and his brother's name was Joktan. (Genesis 10:25 NASB)

Divided is the Hebrew word pâlag and literally means to split. So, we have evidence of an earthquake so massive that the continents physically split apart; and people wonder how Egyptian glyphs ended up in the walls of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and other places. Having joined landmasses may explain why are there commonalities between the megalithic stonework of Sacsayhuaman, Cusco, Peru, and Baalbek in Lebanon?

Just remember, brides, are always at their best on their wedding day. So the New Jerusalem will be spectacular.

A new heaven and a new earth. Revelation 21:1.

 We ended chapter 20, where the thousand years have come to a close.

Satan has been thrown into the lake of fire along with the false prophet and the beast or antichrist.

The dead have been brought before the great throne, the books were opened, and the dead were judged according to their works. This sentence can throw many for a loop as it opposes one of the main themes of traditional religion. I say this because Matthew's gospel, which shows the same throne, indicates that the judge, Jesus, shows many of them mercy.

We also found out that the fallen angels also stand before this throne. Their names are NOT written in the book of life and, therefore, find NO mercy.

The NASB has this as the opening line for chapter 21,

The New Heaven and the New Earth.

The question was asked, I thought the heavens and the earth were burned with fire, so when does that happen?

Well, we are about to find out.

Revelation 21:1 NASB Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.

Think this through. The thousand years are done; the final judgment at the white throne is done; Satan, the beast, the false prophet, and all those dead people that did not have their names in the book of life are cast into the lake of fire. The fallen angels are NOT our problem, and yet God has judged them; therefore, the judgments are over and done.

What's left?

The heavens, filled with the debris from broken spacecraft, and polluted earth, have to be cleaned up. I suppose this is where the burning comes into play and why there is a new heaven and a new earth. Second Peter 3 also speaks of these things burning.

But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:7 NASB)

I always try to find a witness or two from the Old Testament, so let's run with this.

""Of old, You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You endure; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing, You will change them, and they will be changed." (Psalms 102:25-26 NASB)

If you had doubts about God having or showing anger, read Zechariah.

"...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)

Do we care what the timing is, seeing as this is God's plan of redemption, a plan where the timing is entirely His?

There should be no concern on our part, especially since all this happens after the thousand years and the judgments involved with the great white throne. Everything I see in scripture shows me a new Jerusalem coming down at the beginning of the millennial reign. One of the proofs that it comes down at the beginning of the 1000 years comes from Revelation 20 verse 9, where the nations, having been deceived, surround the Holy City to kill God and, I suppose, God's people. This battle is where God kills all those participating with fire and then recalls the dead from among the nations, from all-time to the great throne for judgment.

Revelation 20:9 NASB “... they came up ...and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.”

As I advanced in this study of Revelation 21, I became concerned about what becomes of the city made of gold as everything burns up. I wouldn't be surprised if many have a similar question because of erroneous religious teachings. I say this because I had no firm grip on effectively anything that happened from the initiation of the seven years to the great white throne.

The answer to my concerns was just a verse away, as God replaces those things.

Revelation 21:2-3 NASB “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,”

Consider Isaiah 52:1.

“... O Jerusalem, the holy city; For the uncircumcised and the unclean Will no longer come into you.” NASB

If Isaiah 52:1 was speaking of the Holy City, after the 1000 years, why would there need to be any discussion about the uncircumcised and unclean coming into the place?

As you just saw, there are NO unclean and uncircumcised after the great throne, and I do not think there is any need to discuss the uncircumcised any longer, as the Apostle Paul informed us that circumcision is by faith and of the heart.

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter...” (Romans 2:29 NASB)

Perhaps Ezekiel 43:7 answers our questions.

Ezekiel 43:7 NASB “...I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die,”

The Bible, speaking historically, informs us that Israel did defile God's Holy name. The fact that God has to say, “And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name...” proves that. You can't have a conversation like this unless something brings about a drastic change, and there is; we see it in Revelation 19:11-14. Moments after Jesus returns to earth as the warring messiah, He sits on the throne in the New Jerusalem and sits as the judge. At this point, the days of Jewish denial are over. Here comes another of my theology crushers. Everyone not in Christ, entering the millennial reign, still has the free will NOT to worship Messiah.

Do you know what a person during the millennial reign who refuses is called?

One from among the nations - a person who is NOT a Jew, nor are you a believer, although those designations shouldn't even exist any longer. In my mind, this puts the Holy City on the ground, at the beginning of the millennial reign, long before the white throne judgment.

Zechariah chapter eight backs me up on this previous assertion.

"Thus says the LORD, 'I will return to Zion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the LORD of hosts will be called the Holy Mountain.” Zechariah 8:3 NASB

When does Jesus come back and do this?

At the end of the seven years of wrath, we are told that when Jesus returns, He stands upon the Mount of Olives, and it splits in two. A portion of this answer is what I pointed out in the previous paragraph. Everything Zechariah describes can be assigned to the millennial reign. Once again, we have no evidence that this applies to the time after the white throne judgment.

Ezekiel 37 talks about His sanctuary being among the nations.

"And the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel when My sanctuary is in their midst forever."'" (Ezekiel 37:28 NASB)

Trying to attribute this imagery to the time after the 1000 years doesn't work because it talks about the nations knowing that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Something just became obvious to me; this does not tell me that all of those from among the nations will convert their understanding into a relationship with the Father. I am aware that a thousand years is a long time and the population, among the nations, will grow exponentially, to the point that their numbers will be uncountable by the time that Satan, once again, deceives them.

If you struggle to grasp this, you need to remind yourself that the Jewish understanding of nations is about those outside of Judaism. Accordingly, the nations would be entirely outside of a relationship with God. In contrast, those that have passed the great white throne are all in a relationship with the Father.

The best way I have to grasp the Holy City is to see it as a heavenly place.

Dake's commentary tells us that Jerusalem “...is called new (referring to the Holy City) because of its eternal freshness and newness, not because it is new in existence. It is as old as heaven and was promised to the earliest saints on earth.” Emphasis mine.

Do you have a problem with that?

Then consider what 2 Corinthians 4:18 has to say.

“while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
(2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB)

The NASB restated tells us that we, followers of Christ, DO NOT look at things that are seen because those things are temporary. Sadly, our government seems relatively corrupt and fixed, but it too is only temporary. A day is soon coming when they will figure this out. We, the followers of Christ, are looking at, and waiting for, something called Heaven and a relationship with the Father, which is eternal; this is our hope.

Consider this. Christ died, rose again, came back, and was seen by over 400 people. But to Thomas, and I am sure there were more, He said, touch Me spirits don't have flesh and bone as I do. (You can read this in Luke 24:39.)

I hope that I have made my point that the Holy City is here on earth during the millennial reign.

For all intents and purposes, the Holy City is as real as it can get. However, when the old earth we are currently standing on gets burned up, the Holy City seems to get put in storage or simply disappears when God eradicates the old polluted planet by fire and makes a new one a good place to put the new Holy City, we read about in Revelation 21:1.

Isaiah speaks of the New heaven and earth. "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; ...” (Isaiah 65:17 NASB)

Isaiah chapter 25 describes so many details that happen only moments after Jesus returns as the warring Messiah that Israel has been looking for. One of those examples comes from verse eight.

He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord GOD will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 25:8 NASB)

God Will Swallow Up Death Forever.?

Since this time indicates Jesus's return to earth, a time in which peace reigns. You might assume that death would be eliminated, which would be the reason for no more tears. However, if I look for the word death and nothing else, some passages indicate that people are still dying during the millennium, making this statement not precisely accurate. For example, Satan's ability to deceive the nations; God's response to their actions is to send a firestorm and kill all those that attempted the takeover.

Another example of death comes from Isaiah 65.

"Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
(Isaiah 65:20 NIV)

People are dying; we know this because there is apparent dismay when a person dies young. Since no one truly dies, maybe I can give this a pass. Another aspect of this conversation lies in the fact that only those among the nations that have NOT received healing from the leaves of the trees of life will continue to die; this also means that births will continue to occur among the nations.

My wife asked me if I thought we would continue to have babies in heaven. I responded by saying, I do not think so, as we will be like the angels, and they do not partake in marriage as we do. Sorry if this last part ruins your dream and causes you to demand a refund. But think about it. If you are honest, you will admit that "love making" is nothing more than our yearning for a deeper relationship than our broken mindset can give or receive. All we get is momentarily distracted from life's pressures for a few minutes. Only God can love you the way you long for. An example, though broken as well, was David and Jonathon. Don't go trying to make this more than what it is. I understand it a bit more because I had a fishing buddy like that. When he got married, I lost him to a wife that did not like the God I represented or me.

I guess we all have to make choices. I chose God.

This will be the last look at and critique of Pete Garcia's post, How it all ends.

Post three of three.

The original merely had eight bulleted points with no explanations. Here, I continue as I look at point number five.  

5. (The) "Sheep and Goat" judgment (Matt 25:31-46).

   If you had asked me about the sheep and goat judgment, this is where I would have initially directed you. It is, the same scenario as the great white throne judgment of Revelation twenty, verses 11-15, however, Matthew shows us, Jesus, while Revelation 20 seems to show the judge as God. Keep this in mind as you read the Revelation, it is a Revelation of Jesus Christ. There are very precise reasons I feel comfortable saying that are the same, and we may touch on some of them here.

   In Matthew 25 we see this.

   "But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31 NASB)

   It is the Son of Man sitting on His glorious throne. You should know at this point in time, that all judgment has been placed into Jesus' hands.

   "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;” (Matthew 25:32 NASB)

   Here in Matthew, all nations are gathered before Him.

   Can you make an assessment as to whether those gathered are alive or dead?

   We are not given that information.

   Can you define dead, in God's eyes?

   Death is only a separation from God.

   Notice that it is Jesus that creates the groups and places the people in their appropriate group

   “and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. "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.”
   (Matthew 25:33-34 NASB)

   The King, that's Jesus, makes the announcement to the group on the right – the sheep, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.”

Before the foundation of the world, doesn't that imply that their names were written in that book this entire time?

If that is the case why wouldn't they have been called up in snatching away of the church?

I don't know the answer to that, but this is speaking to me of the religious judgments that I have been inappropriately taught to make.

Perhaps those being shown God's mercy, are having the same questions because Jesus seems to respond with an explanation.

'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;” (Matthew 25:35 NASB)

Wow, giving someone something to eat or drink doesn't really seem like much. But in God's eyes it is acting in the nature and character of the Son. His nature and character is LOVE, in case you did not know. This exchange of questions and answers goes on for four more verses.

"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.'
(Matthew 25:40 NASB)

“...To the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Have you ever given that any thought? He, Jesus, is projecting, and appropriately so, His persona upon these.

If we could end it here that would be enough for me, but NO, He has to go on.

"Then He will also say to those on His left (the goats,) 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;”
(Matthew 25:41 NASB)

Verse 40 applies to these people as well, only in the opposite. “To the extent that you did (NOT do) it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did (NOT do) it to Me.”

6. Millennial Reign of Christ on earth (Isa 2:2-4, 9:6-7, 11:1-10, 65:22-25, Rev 20:1-10) righteous (outside of the Church) resurrected, unrighteous of all time not resurrected until the end.

   First, the millennial is the 1000 year reign of Christ over the earth. It is also the time when Satan gets thrown into the Lake of Fire for a thousand years, where he cannot bother any of us in the outside world. Wow, if that is the case, then how do you explain what we see in Revelation 21 where it is talking about the New Jerusalem.

   “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.”
   (Revelation 21:27 NASB)

   It would seem that God has allowed for free will, and based on their actions, I would say they have chosen not to follow after Jesus.

   “Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it. 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. 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. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, And never again will they learn war.” (Isaiah 2:2-4 NASB)

   Interesting how many usages the phrase “last days” refers to. It can imply Jesus' return for His church, the seven-years of God's wrath, known to many as the great tribulation, and the millennial reign of Jesus. Here, in Isaiah, it is speaking of the thousand-year period.

   The mountain of the house of the Lord will be established. There are scriptures that speak of Satan being tossed from heaven, stripped of power, and all power being given to the Son. With statements like this, you would think that we, the followers of Christ, would walk about in power and victory; but we don't, do we. The millennial reign is when this actually happens.

   “That He may teach us concerning His ways And that we may walk in His paths.” Sadly, you have had this opportunity to learn His ways and walk in His paths all along.

   During the 1000 years, He (we assume that this is God, but no, all judgment has been given to the Son, Jesus,) will judge between the nations, and (He,) will render decisions for many people.

   And, as a result of this judgment, they (the nations,) will hammer their swords will be turned into plow-blades, and their spears into vine-knives.

   The BBE Bible puts the end in this manner.

   “No longer will the nations be turning their swords against one another, and the knowledge of war will be gone for ever.”

   Finally, peace.

   Can you imagine how many people live in a constant state of fear?

   What a relief a life like this would be.

   It is a wonderful thought, and it will end with a final judgment.

7. Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15)

   This is the same judgment that you saw when we talked about the sheep and goat judgment. Yes, there seem to be differences, such as here in Revelation 20 it talks how He (we assume it's God here,) calls the nations before Him. While in Matthew's account, He (in this case it is the shepherd – which we understand to be Jesus,) calls the dead before Him.

   Since our spirits live on forever, is anybody truly dead?

   Death is nothing less than your permanent separation from God, and hence, that is why there is a hell.

   "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15 NASB)

8. The eternal order (Rev 21-22:5)

   I have no idea what Mr. Garcia is talking about and I will tell you that I have never heard this preached in church. Let's see what the passages say and see if we can make any sense out of it.

   “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.” (Revelation 21:1 NASB)

   “A new heaven and a new earth.” I was recently told by someone that they wanted to talk about these very chapters. I have read them on several occasions, and I thought they made sense. Immediately one of the questions I was asked popped into my mind, and it had to do with the earth burning up. In trying to find an answer for this person, I did an extensive search. This is about all I could find.

   2 Peter 3:4-7 NASB "and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." (5) For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, (6) through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. (7) But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men."

   I, and a few others, will tell you, that the Revelation is a Jewish book immersed in the Old Testament, and prophecy to the Jew is based in repetition. I find nothing in scripture that shows me the earth being consumed by fire, except for 2 Peter 3. Should I then reject any allusions to the old earth burning up and being replaced? I don't think so, if for no other reason than to purge the earth of it's pollution; and I can see pollution on two levels – Satan's and that made by humans.

   If Mr. Garcia is trying to make a point, perhaps the point lies in the chronological order of things. Albert Barnes, who published his commentaries around 1847, tells us that John assigned no time frame to what these two chapters convey. So I am not sure a chronological order is going to work.

   If, like the Apostle, Peter tells us, that it is all reserved for fire, then how does God manage to show mercy to those living throughout the millennial years?

   My question is anchored in the scriptural understanding that non-believers enter the millennial reign; and since these people will continue to live with a freedom of choice, among their own people, outside of the New Jerusalem, then births will continue and each individual will have to be shown God's mercy, hopefully leading them to Jesus Christ. You cannot merely burn them up and we see an ample opportunity for them.

   In Revelation 21:2 we see the Holy City, 1500 miles square, coming down. For this to land on a level pad, there has to have been a tremendous shaking, and we see that as we read the scriptures. I have always pictured Holy City being in place throughout the millennial reign. A piece of evidence for this comes from this statement, which Mr. Garcia did not point you to.

   "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying." (Revelation 22:14-15 NASB)

   If we do not see the Holy City until after the sheep and goat judgment, where the goats are thrown into the lake of fire (to be burned eternally,) then how is it that there people like this walking around outside the city of God?

   Another question arises. How could a just God allow these people to enter the millennial kingdom and continue with such horrid desires? Perhaps the answer lies in His mercy.

   We have one more clue in that Satan will be released after the 1000 years and he deceives the nations; they, in turn, driven by his passion to kill God and take His power, attack the Holy City. God stops that nonsense by, you got it, burning them up. Satan is then cast permanently into the Lake of Fire, while all these new deaths get to join the others at the great white throne judgment. This is the same judgment as what we see in Matthew 25 where the “goats” are cast into the fire. In either case, among those books used to judge is the Book of Life. The mere thought that God is scouring the books to see if there is a shadow of a reason to give those before Him life, should keep you awake at night.

   So, if the Holy City was sitting on earth when God burns the heavens and the earth, would it also be consumed in the fire?

   I suspect that God can do anything and maintain what is His. Revelation 21:4 tells us that there will no more death, sorrow, nor crying, for the former things have passed away.

   Ah, but when does that happen?

   Does it happen, for the church, at the catching away – the rapture?

   Beyond the rapture the martyred saints, murdered during the time of wrath, should no longer have to deal with death, sorrow, or crying, and yet we see them crying out, how long Lord until the rest can come home, almost as though they are still aware of grief. So I am not sure this thought process works to define the order of heaven.

   Perhaps this has more to do with the beginning of the millennial reign because it seems that immediately after Jesus shows up peace will take over. I have struggled to comprehend this peace all my life, as I have had to deal with bullies, just as many of you.

Look, the “Order of Heaven” is irrelevant as God will do what He intends, and His intent is to give us back the world and the relationship Adam had with the Father before the fall. No more Satan, therefore, no more prodding to sin. For the believers, we will be immortals, impervious to pain, death, and aging. And one other thing that I long to understand, is the companionship of such a powerful God.