The second coming and the millennial kingdom

Isaiah 66 does not mention anything about the millennium. This was a new revelation to John the Revelator. Nobody before knew about this.

Isaiah wrote in context that Israel would overcome their enemies. They did not. Their probation closed in A.D. 31-34. These Old Testament prophecies will now meet their fulfillment antitypically.

These prophecies are outdated, and have been redefined by New Testament Antitypes.

Sorry!

Notice it is "heavenly", not earthly. Proof that there is no earthly millennium. JUST THE text I was planning to quote to prove that there is no earthly millennium! THANK YOU!

The reason they did not receive it is because they failed as a nation. They rejected the Messiah. It is "NOW" that they "those who are righteous" look forward to a heavenly country!

The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven, that is within, is the same as the Kingdom of Grace. This is in no way referring to the Kingdom of Glory, which is in heaven. The kingdom that is without observation is on the earth. The kingdom that is visible is in heaven. It will come down out of heaven at the end of the millennium according to Revelation 21.

No where does it say on earth. All the verses that specifically refer to our reign in heaven are so profuse, they cannot be ignored. I can tell from your posts that you did not read the article I cited:

The 1000 Year Millennium Following Jesus' Second Coming

Read it. ALL of it. And make sure you INCLUDE the arguments that have been presented in this article in your NEXT posts.

This is at the beginning of the millennium, at the Second Advent. Notice that just before, in Revelation 19:17-18:

"And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of ALL men, both free and bond, both small and great."

ALL men have been destroyed at the Second Advent. ALL men are BIRD FOOD.

Zephaniah 1:2-3 - "I will utterly consume ALL things from off the land, saith the LORD. I will consume man and beast; I will consume the fowls of the heaven, and the fishes of the sea, and the stumblingblocks with the wicked; and I will cut off man from off the land, saith the LORD."

Please do not ARGUE with these PLAIN utterances of scripture!

Stryder already dealt with this nonsense. Notice the word "shall"--future tense!

When is that?

"And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 22:5)

This verse places this reign on earth at the "end" of the millennium. During the 1000 years, the reign will be in heaven.

But John the Revelator comes along and gives us more details. Notice, "THEN" comes the end...meaning, "next". There is a 1000 year millennium in between that John tells us about. These details were not given to Paul. Christ slowly gave more details to each Apostle over time. The Millennium was the final revelation to John, and now we can take this and put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

The Millennium is the only time in history that allows the earth to be completely vacated at least once before the earthly reign.

The rulding of the rod of iron is actually the "process of destruction of the wicked". That's how he rules them. By destroying them. The moment Christ rules them is the beginning process of their destruction. He does not rule over the wicked for many years. They are all destroyed very quickly during this ruling.

You are infusing into scriptures that which it does not say. The link I gave you already deals with these arguments, thoroughly, and unless you come to grips with these arguments and face the music, you will never be able to carry on a reasonable conversation with Adventists who know their doctrine of the millennium. Because you are looking at everything from skewed lenses.

Revelation places the new heaven and new earth at the END of the millennium. There is no scripture that teaches a "gradual process". God made the earth and heavens in 6 days in Genesis 1, and the New Heavens and New Earth will be created in just as fast of a time again. This is why in Isaiah 66, we will be keeping the Sabbath Holy, because it will be the 7th day based on the "new creation", not the old---meaning, God will recreate the earth in 6 literal days again, while all the saints are safely inside the New Jerusalem watching the creation process as it overs above the earth on the Mount of Olives.

Concerning the "babies being born" in Isaiah, J.N. Loughborough translates it the following:

NOTE: The brackets are not mine:

The same prophet says that it is to be a renewed earth in which the final reign shall be established: "For, behold, I create new heavens [atmospheric heavens] and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind [margin, Heb., "come upon the heart," that is, to be desired again]. But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence [from the time the new earth is created] an infant of days [a short lived child], nor an old man that hath not filled his days [premature old age]: for the child shall die an hundred years old [in days when men attained to lives of nine hundred years children might be one hundred years old]; but the sinner being an hundred years old [in later years of an hundred-year life-time] shall be accursed. [Those dying at the time the new earth is brought in are those who perish in the "perdition of ungodly men." 2 Peter 3:7.] And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [the tree of life, Septuagint] are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands." 60 {1905 JNL, GSAM 52.2} [brackets not mine--but Loughborough's]

The verse does not say that man dies at one hundred years old. The "child dying at an hundred years", simply means that he ceases to be a child at a hundred years, and is now an adult.



Neither does it say that God's saints set right back down on the ground. Such a theology is ridiculous. Go up into the clouds, then set right back down? Ludicrous reasoning!

After the Second Advent, we have:

Revelation 19:1 - "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God."

John 14:2-4 - "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know."

Where is the Father? In HEAVEN. Where are these mansion? (or rooms)? In the Father's "house".

Jesus "goes" to prepare a "place" for them. Jesus comes again to "receive us" unto himself, that where He IS (in heaven where the Father is), there we may be also. And where Jesus "goes", we do not know.

Very simple, very plain. No ifs, ands, or whats about it.

We already covered this. More repitition? Is this to make your posts look bigger and "better"?

This is a post-millennial event.

"Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." (Zech. 14:3)

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

Revelation is not written in chronological order. John goes BACKWARD (he does this constantly throughout the book), and goes back to the same "Beloved City", but now when it is coming down out of heaven.

The proof is in verse 15:

"For without [of the City] are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." (Revelation 22:15)

But this had to be while the wicked were standing outside of the Beloved City in Revelation 20 and fire came down out of heaven and "devoured them!"

This is PROOF positive that the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 IS the Beloved City in chapter 20.

"Then", meaning, "next". This is in heaven. You yourself quoted the text that His kingdom is without observation, so why are you putting an earthly visible, observable, kingdom on earth?

Yes, after the millennium, not before, not during.

The tears will be in heaven because we will be reviewing the records of the wicked--and many will be loved ones. After we come down, the tears will be wiped away. Very simple. The point is, God will now dwell with His people on earth, their home. In no way is it implying that He was not reigning with them before. Your arguments do not make any sense whatsoever, especially in light of the fact that in Revelation 19:1, John saw many people in heaven--that is, after Babylon was destroyed by fire.

The Bible tells us the exact opposite. The ruling of a rod of iron is an expression to mean the destruction of the wicked. They will be ruled over DEAD. The link I gave you deals with these arguments meticulously.

The 1000 Year Millennium Following Jesus' Second Coming

Do a search for the word "rod" on that page, and notice all the arguments presented.

Also, the Throne of David is in the New Jerusalem. Jesus is presently sitting on the Throne of David. He has not received the Kingdom of Glory yet on earth yet.

Here is a powerful article proving this exegetically:

The Davidic Covenant - by D.S. Farris

All the necessary arguments that must be grappled with. The Apostle Peter placed the Davidic rulership in His day already!! Notice the charts.

Post-millennial event.

More repetition. Post-millennial event.

Notice the part: "they shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessel". That's what it means to have "power over the nations", and that is how Jesus will rule them with a rod of iron. By destroying them at the Second Advent. There is no intimation of a long, extended reign and ruler-ship over the wicked. It is quick destruction.

Don't ignore what I just said above. It is very clear now that there is no earthly millennial reign.

This was the mistake of the Pharisees and the Jews. They thought Jesus was coming to establish an earthly kingdom.

The same it is with the Dispensational-Futurist world, who REFUSES to be hewed by the Three Angel's Messages. They REFUSE to let God hew them from their perfidious doctrines of devils, that are carnal in nature, and earthly.

We're not playing games! We mean business when we say that this doctrine of an earthly millennium has to go.

Those who continue to cling to these fallacious, and perfidious ideologies, are living in a fantasy world that is akin to Walt Disney Fiction.

The context is clear, however, that Jesus will take us where He is "going". Don't try to spiritualize away what is plainly uttered.

That is not what the text says. You are superimposing an ideology that does not belong in the text.

Once again, progressive light. John the Revelator "added" more details to Daniel, and now shows us that there is a 1000 year gap. Scripture with scripture! Daniel does not stand alone. No prophecy is of private interpretation. ALL scriptures must be accounted for. Truly, was it important or necessary for Nebuchadnezzar to understand the millennial detail?

Of course not. All that was important for this basic elementary course was that King of Heaven will come and destroy all earthly kingdoms, and the Kingdom of the God of Heaven will be established on this earth. That's all that was necessary to drive a point home in the mind of Nebuchadnezzar.

Revelation comes along and provides the "finishing touches", but filling in between the lines!



You can't see this? If not, then wow.

Nope. After the millennium.

The growing up and teaching is now. No second chance after the Second Advent.

"He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." (Revelation 22:11,12)

This is it. After the Second Advent, there is no hope of salvation for sinners. All cases of all humanity are permanently SETTLED. There is no more mediator between God and Man.

Jesus is also very clear there will be no marriage in heaven. Matthew 22:29,30.

Thus, births will be impossible. The Old Testament Types will no longer be fulfilled. The New Testament has redefined those Old Testament types, antitypically.

This will be realized antitypically, in the New Earth, after the millennium. Remember, Antitypes are never identical to the Types. They are similar, but not exactly the same. Yet the Antitype is still a "full" fulfillment of the Type, despite the Type giving it a different description.

You're right. It's taking place on earth, after the millennium. Isaiah was not given details of the millennium. John was given these details, and provided the "finishing" touches for the chronological pattern. God redefined the Old Testament Patterns in their New Testament Antitypical light through John the Revelator.

Ellen White, who had over 2000 visions, also confirmed these realities, which you refuse to accept.

You want to interpret these scriptures by your own private interpretation. John the Revelator, however, along with the Spirit of Prophecy, and God's people (the remnant--who are Adventists) who He has enlightened true understanding of these prophecies, you refuse to accept their counsel.

Keep rejecting the counsel of the brethren that have the Spirit of Prophecy, and you'll see where it takes you.

It will ONLY be on the earth after the 1000 years. Not during.

Zechariah 14 says that Jesus comes down with ALL His saints--this proves that they were already in heaven where God was. Bingo! I already explained this to you. No need for more repetition.

All accounted for in the previous post.

The Rapture and the Millennium
by Lysimachus

The subject of the rapture has been one of controversy and fascination since the inception of the Christian era. Trying to unravel its mysteries in connection with the millennium and tribulation has been a challenge for almost 2,000 years, and the number of viewpoints revolving the timing of the rapture only continue to surmount--especially in these last days.

The purpose of this thread is not only to demonstrate my viewpoints on this topic, but also to allow you the opportunity to demonstrate your views as well, and offer your feedback.

The general consensus of Christians on the millennium today is that of a premillennial nature (including myself). This means that the Second Coming of Christ commences the millennial reign with Him for a thousand years. Dispensationalists, Futurists, Historicists, and Covenantalists all tend to agree on premillennialism (save for Preterists). For the purpose of this discussion, I wish to not deal with postmillennialism or ammillennialism.

The points of disagreement, however, are found to be more prominent in the timing of the rapture. Such questions may be asked:

> "Is the rapture and the second coming 2 separate events at 2 separate times? or do they both commence simultaneously?"

> "Does the rapture precede the tribulation? (pre-trib) occur in the middle of the tribulation? (mid-trib) or take place at the end of the tribulation? (post-trib)"

> "If the saints are raptured and taken to heaven at the end of the tribulation, how does that make it possible for them reign with Christ on earth during the 1000 year millennium? Wouldn't this mean that after they are raptured, they would have to set right back down on the earth? Then how does this leave any room for the saints to dwell in heaven before returning to the earth?"

> "Will there be anyone left on the planet during the 1000 years? If so, who will be here, and who and when will they be in heaven?"

It is my hope that this discussion will offer some new insight into this topic and generate a deeper interest and passion for discovering what the Bible really has to say concerning the rapture and the millennium. While on the surface, understanding the chronology of these events may seem insignificant and not salvational, I believe you would be surprised as to how our view of the rapture and the millennium has a domino effect in shaping our views concerning many important things---such as the role of Israel in end-time prophecy and how it relates to the Church, the timing of the Antichrist, the punishment of the wicked, the justice of God, the judgment of the righteous and the wicked, and many more.

I will now proceed to briefly summarize a chronological outline of what I believe to be the Biblical position of the Rapture and the Millennium, and I more than welcome criticism and feedback on this view. Later, I will be offering scriptural support, but for now, my desire is for you to get a general picture in your mind:

1. The Rapture of the Righteous Living and Righteous Dead occurs at the same time of the Second Coming--a unified event at the end of the great tribulation. Christ does not touch the earth at the Second Coming. Christ comes the second time, and all righteous dead and living are caught up to meet the Lord in the air and taken to heaven to reign with Christ a thousand years. This marks the First Resurrection (Resurrection of the Righteous).

2. At this same event, the remaining living wicked are destroyed by His brightness, and the earth is laid desolate and void for 1000 years. "The land rests from habitation during the 7th millennium".

3. Satan is bound for 1000 years to this dark, desolated earth--the bottomless pit (Gr: abussos--or "abyss")—a wilderness—along with his demonic hosts. The earth does not cover her slain.

4. When the 1000 years are finished, Christ and all the saints come back to the earth along with the New Jerusalem. Christ puts His feet down on the Mount of Olives, it cleaves into a great plain, and the New Jerusalem sets down.

5. All the wicked that ever lived are resurrected (the Second Resurrection--Resurrection of the Wicked), and the sea gives up their dead. Satan is loosed from his chain of circumstances, and goes out to deceive the resurrected nations to join him in besieging the New Jerusalem--that Beloved City that came down from heaven.

6. After the Great White Throne judgment, when all the wicked are shown the evil of their ways, fire comes down from heaven creating a lake of fire that covers the breadth of the earth, eventually destroying the wicked, Satan and his hosts.

7. The earth is cleansed by fire and then remade new before our very eyes. The Gates of the City open, and the saints inherit the earth forever and ever. God and Jesus will dwell with us.

I shall elaborate more details in the next post.

If you’re not grasping anything, then please raise your hand!

Conclusion:

According to this viewpoint, there will be no people left on the earth after the rapture. This would naturally force a post-tribulational view, since if the earth is left desolate after the rapture, there are no people to come back for at the end of any tribulation. It is at the coming of the Lord in the clouds of glory that ALL (dead and living) saints will be raptured into the sky. The Bible teaches that the wicked will not escape at this very moment, and will be destroyed by the brightness of His coming. Under this scenario, this leaves no possibility for any human being to be inhabiting the planet during the 1000 year millennium. Numerous verses teach a desolated and void earth after Christ's second coming, and the 1000 years are the ONLY time to fit this scenario into the chronology.

(Continued...)

What makes me believe that the Rapture occurs at the Second Coming, and that the earth is left desolate for 1000 years?

Here is the logic behind it. Please pay VERY close attention to the described events in the following Bible passage:

Paul was addressing the Thessalonian brethren regarding their their ignorance of those brothers and sisters who died in Christ...reminding them that they would resurrect at the Second Coming:

" 4: (13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. (14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. (15) For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the COMING [PAROUSIA] OF THE LORD shall not prevent them which are asleep. (16) For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (18 ) Wherefore comfort one another with these words. ----5: (1) But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (2) For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (3) For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (4) But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. (5) Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:5

There are 3 important things that I wish to draw your attention to:

1. Paul is placing the Rapture at the "coming of the Lord" and the "day of the Lord". The Greek here for "coming" is "parousia in verse 15, which means according to Strong's: "The Advent. The future visible return from heaven of Jesus, to raise the dead, hold the last judgment, and set up formally and gloriously the kingdom of God"

2. All the Saints -- Righteous Living and Righteous Dead -- are "caught up" and raptured into the sky to meet the Lord in the air. The Lord is "in the air", not on the earth. This is when we go to spend time with God in the Mansions prepared for us according to John 14:1-3--and this also a reflection of when John "sees much people in heaven singing Aleluia" in Revelation 19:1. This is in heaven during the 1000 years.

3. All the wicked receive "SUDDEN DESTRUCTION", and "SHALL NOT ESCAPE"---this coincides with Isaiah 11:4 and 13:9 where the Lord will "slay the wicked by the breath of His lips"...and "destroy the sinners out of the earth and lay the land desolate."

Result?

No people left on the earth! If you follow the logic and pattern of 1 Thess 4:13-5:6, there seems to be no way out of this conclusion. How can there be people on the earth during the 1000 years if 1. Paul places the Rapture AT the Coming of the Lord, and 2. All the righteous are taken to heaven, and 3. The wicked receive sudden destruction?

In my next post, I will post an outline with visual representations so that you guys can see the sequence of events in perfect order.

1000 Year Millennium Visual Chronology

Visual Depiction and Chronology of the Second coming, the 1000 Year Millennium, and the Lake of Fire in order:

1. Second Coming of Christ in the Clouds of Heaven. Righteous are about to be Caught Up and raptured into the clouds, and cities and land are being desolated all around them. Righteous are resurrected:




Notice how some graves are not opened. They stay dead until the thousand years are expired:







2. Wicked are destroyed by brightness of His Coming. They join the dead who will not rise until the thousand years are expired:





3. Satan is bound to this desolated, uninhabited earth, for 1000 years (the "abussos", or "abyss", translated "bottomless pit"), with no one to deceive or molest. He will have a 1000 year vacation to contemplate on the consequences of his evil work:






4. New Jerusalem and Saints descend out of heaven back to earth, every wicked person that ever lived are resurrected, Satan loosed from his chain of circumstances (having no one to molest) and goes out to deceive them into thinking they can conquer the city, and that he resurrected them by his power, and that the ones in the city are actually the rebels who took his kingdom:







4. At the END of the millennium, Satan and his armies (Gog and Magog "enemies of God") surround the New Jerusalem that descends out of heaven to attack it:





5. Fire reigns down from heaven, destroys Satan, Demons, and all the wicked:








6. After fire has purified the whole surface of the earth (save for the spot where the city rested), the earth is remade new, and the saints inherit the earth into eternal bliss. The wicked and Satan are no more:




The End of All Sorrow

May we remember, that Christ comes to this earth a total of 3 times, but only 2 times for the righteous. 1. Bethlehem, 2. Second Coming for the Saints of all ages, from Adam to the last righteous man. 3. The Judgment of the Wicked--aka--The Great White Throne Judgment. The third coming is not for the righteous, but for all the wicked of all ages. Revelation 20 describes this Great White Throne Judgment in verses 11 and 12. This third time is known as the "Second Resurrection", or the "Resurrection of Damnation".

It should be remembered that when it comes to chronology (order of events), I try to leave out the book of Revelation as much as possible, as the book of Revelation is the worst book to be used in trying to decipher chronological events. For example, if you read Revelation 20 in chronological order, you could conclude that Satan will be loosed twice (verses 3 and 7), that there will be dead wicked resurrected 3 times (verses 5, 8, 13), and that there are 3 or 4 lakes of fires (verses 9, 10, 14, and 15--and Revelation 21:8 repeats the lake of fire). If you read Revelation 20 in this style, suddenly, Revelation will make absolutely no sense. Therefore, Revelation must be read in conjunction with the literal events described in all the other books of the Bible without the symbolism, and also harmonize the Old Testament typologies. Then you must deduce the events accordingly, and arrange them in the only logical format that the Bible will allow.

For those of you interested in learning more about the poetic style of Revelation, I invite you to evaluate The Chiastic Structure of Revelation (Link). It is quite enlightening, and will aid you when reading the book of Revelation. The only way to make any sense of the book of Revelation is to:

1. Recognize the symbolic language being employed.

2. Recognize the poetic chiasm of the book...where the order of events are reversed, and they converge to a climax in the center. Not only are the chapters in a chiasm to each other, but much of the written content of each chapter within is written in a chiasm as well.

3. Recognize that sometimes the symbolic language being employed encompasses a "multitude of events", and is not written to convey chronology, rather "concepts" for spiritual attainment and character development in our personal lives.

4. Recognize Old Testament typology, and realize that many of the things written in the Old Testament concerning local Israel was a type of a much greater climax at the end of the world. Books such as Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, Zechariah, etc. etc. are all books for which John derived his messages from, and reveals their Antitypical fulfillments. Antitypes are always similar, but much greater than the type. The word "antitupos" in Greek (which the New Testament employs quite extensively) literally means "in place of the type".

5. Recognize that Old Testament descriptions of the Second Coming when Christ will come to punish the inhabitants of the earth are written all very literally.

Going back to Revelation 19:11-16, we see this to be another description of Second Coming, although much symbolic language is being employed. For example, we know that Christ is not literally going to ride a White Horse, as a White Horse is a symbol of purity and the Gospel Herald. For example, Revelation 6:2-8 describes the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse...first beginning with a White Horse and its rider with a Bow, and then it goes on to describe a Red Horse, a Black Horse, and a Pale Horse...all with riders. These first 4 seals (4 horsemen) have been identified by nearly all Christian expositors (up to about 1850 or so), as periods of Church history, commencing with the early apostolic Church founded by the 12 apostles and in its pure state--and Christ was its rider shooting the arrows of salvation and conviction to the hearts of men (Psalms 64:7; Habakkuk 3:8,9) , and then the Red Horse represents the time the Church was persecuted (in the times of Emperor Nero and Diocletian), the Black Horse the time during the Dark Ages when the scriptures were forbidden and the truth was cast to the ground, the Pale Horse reflects the reformation era when the Papacy dominated at least 1/4th of the earth, etc. etc.

Now going back to Revelation 19:11-16, I want you to notice something interesting. First, the term "rule with a rod of iron" does not mean that Christ will keep them alive during the thousand years. The ruling has been going on, but now this "rod of iron" comes into full fruition at the Second Coming, which is at the beginning of the 1000 years. If you read past verse 16, we get a more complete picture:

"(17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; (18 ) That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of ALL men, both free and bond, both small and great. [Note, at this point, John now backs up and fills in more details:] (19) 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. (20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. [Note: At this point again, John backs up and repeats verse 17 above] (21) 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." (Revelation 19:17-21)

The end result? All the wicked are dead as a result of Christ coming. While the birds are having a feast, often termed "The Supper of the Birds", with all the flesh of the kings and captains of the earth, the saints are in heaven at the Marriage supper of the lamb. Keep in mind, John is constantly backing up and repeating and adding more details. He's not writing in chronological order.

"(7) Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. (8 ) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. (9) And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God." (Revelation 19:7-9)

Now I want you to ask yourself a question. Where is this "marriage supper of the lamb?" All we have to do is back up to verse 1 and 2.

"And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (2) For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand." (Revelation 19:1,2)

Can you see a little clearer now how Revelation is written? Revelation 19:1 starts at the END...after the whore has been judged. We see, therefore, that while the Saints are in Heaven enjoying the Marriage Supper of the lamb, the Vultures are on the earth having a feast on the earth, devouring the flesh of all the dead bodies that cover the earth. Now whether these birds are symbolic, or real, I know not. But it does not really matter. Even if these birds are real, once they run out of flesh, they will die.

Let us keep in mind that Revelation 20 simply backs up and repeats parts of 19. But the end or result of the Second Coming on the earth is dead bodies strewn everywhere.

Regarding the Second Coming, Jeremiah prophesied and said:

“I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was NO MAN, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and ALL the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end [The wicked have not been judged yet…the “full end” does not come till after the Great White Throne Judgment and the Lake of Fire at the end of the 1000 years]. For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it.” (Jeremiah 4:23-28)

We see here a very clear description here. The context of the passage, though typically attributed to local Israel and Jerusalem, through divine inspiration foreshadowed the end of the world on an apocalyptic scale which never took place in Jeremiah's day. The immediate context calls for 1. ALL the cities of the earth be broken down (not just Jerusalem), 2. The heavens will be "black" with no sunlight, 3. No man, 4. The earth be without form and void.

It may be possible that the "supper of the birds" is symbolic, because in Zephaniah, God will destroy all living creatures at His Second Coming as well:

“‘I will utterly consume everything From the face of the land,’ Says the LORD; ‘I will consume man and beast; I will consume the birds of the heavens, The fish of the sea, And the stumbling blocks along with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the land,’ Says the LORD.” (Zephaniah 1:2-3 NKJV).

So that would pose a bit of a problem in interpreting the supper of the birds literally. Regardless, the scene being depicted is dead bodies.

When Jesus comes the Second time in the "Day of the Lord", sinners will be destroyed out of it:

“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” (Isaiah 13:9-13)

There are many many more Old Testament passages that describe the same thing in different wording, so for now, these should suffice.

At this point, we should determine if this is in harmony with the New Testament writings?

Regarding the day when the "Son of man is revealed" (Luke 17:30), notice what Jesus said:

"(34) I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. (35) Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (36) Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. (37)And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." (Luke 17:34-37)

Interestingly, the "Left Behind" novels have used these texts to support their theory that some will be taken to heaven, and others will be left behind during a 7 year tribulation. The implication, however, in these Left Behind Novels, is that those left behind will be left alive. But this ignores verse 37 where the disciples asked Jesus "where Lord?" The antecedent to "where" in verse 37 is "left" in verse 36. Therefore, it is more than likely that the ones left are the ones not saved. Verse 37 concludes that those who are "left", are "left dead!" Wherever the body is, there will the eagles be gathered together. That's where! While the righteous are taken to heaven, the wicked are left DEAD! Not alive, but DEAD.

Try repeating that to those who believe in a Pre-Trib Rapture, and it will land on deaf ears. lol.

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Once again, regarding the Second Coming we have Jeremiah prophesying:

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard: for the LORD hath spoiled their pasture. And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the LORD. He hath forsaken his covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.” (Jeremiah 25:32-28)

The implication is clear. Dead bodies will cover the breadth of the earth. They will not be gathered (there is nobody to gather them), they will not be lamented over (there is nobody to lament them, they're all dead), and they will not be buried (there is nobody to bury them). This harmonizes well with Revelation 19:17, 18 and 21 regarding the supper of the birds. What a despicable, horrendous scene!

Not a very appetizing place for people to be living! If the earth is being inhabited by wicked people after the Second Coming, then one must raise the question, why were they not destroyed by the brightness of His coming? If there are any righteous are on the earth during the 1000 years, then we raise another question.... why would God allow them to dwell in such a despicable atmosphere when we know the earth according to Revelation 21 and 22 will not be new until the end of the 1000 years? And why were these righteous saints not caught up to heaven to enjoy the marriage supper of the lamb? How can the earth be habitable with every island and mountain moved out of its place, and all the animals are dead?

The desolated earth theory, in my observation, is the most solid explanation to ALL the dilemmas revolving the rapture. It solves almost every controversy regarding the rapture and millennium problems.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13 - 5:5, Paul describes the Second Coming. Verse 15 calls it "the COMING [parousia] of the Lord", and verse 16 says the "Lord shall DESCEND FROM HEAVEN". Describing this single event, all the saints are raptured into heaven, but chapter 5 and verse 2 and 3 describes that when the Lord comes, "sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape". So we see here that the wicked receive "sudden destruction", while the saints are "caught up" into the clouds.

Before the wicked are destroyed, God will first allow them to live long enough so that they might see Christ in the clouds:

"(14) And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. (15) And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; (16) And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: (17) For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Revelation 6:14-17)

We see in the following that the punishment of remaining living wicked takes place at the Second Coming at the same time the righteous are "relieved":

“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 NIV)

We see pretty clearly, therefore, that the righteous are given "relief" and the wicked receive "trouble" AT the Second Coming, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels!

1 Thess 2:19 says "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? [Are] not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?"

Hence, we see that the rapture, which is the blessed hope, commences at the same event of the presence and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is writing to the Church.

Speaking to the Church again, Paul writes:

"May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones."

Wow, Paul, who is writing to the Church, is appealing to them that they (the Church) might be blameless when Jesus comes with all his holy ones!!!

Repeating Matthew 24:31's account, Mark elaborates on the Second Coming:

Mark 13:27
"And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."

Now let's evaluate the Greek being employed here:

"And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from [Gr: Ek, 'out of'] the four winds, from [Gr: Apo, 'away from'] the uttermost part of the earth to [Gr: Heos, 'until' 'as far as 'up to'] the uttermost part of heaven."

Dispensationalists say this event is describing the Second Coming, yet they completely fail to grasp that Mark 13:27 is clearly implying "gathering together" of the Church into the clouds of heaven, just as 1 Thess 2;1,2 and 1 Thess 4:13-17 is.

Mark's account along with the Greek CLEARLY implies that the Lord will gather his people out of the atmosphere after he has brought his people away from the earth up to or as far as the sky. These scriptures are not, in the remotest way, illustrating the return of Church saints with Christ at His glorious appearing. The word "Heos" (to) represents "going up" or "as far as" (See Luke 10:15, John 2:7; 2Cor 12:2; Heb 8:11).

Therefore, when Jesus comes the Second Time, where are the Church Saints that Paul was addressing "gathered to"?

They are gathered up into the sky (the heavens) at the revealing of the Lord in the clouds of heaven!

So are there any more passages that describe the condition of the earth after the Second Coming?

Yes there is. Here we go:

“Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof [Some people have argued that “scattering the inhabitants” proves there are people on the earth. No, they are scattered all over the earth, but destroyed. Cross-reference with Psalms 92:9 which says “thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.”--plus Psalm 68:2 says "Let the wicked perish at the presence of God"]. . . . The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word." (Isaiah 24:1,3)

What is the fate of Lucifer and his demonic hosts, along with the earth?

Let us read:

“Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth [Satan inhabiting the earth]. And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit [the grave]; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high [These are Satan's hosts...they were "high ones" cast out of heaven], and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited [punished - NKJV] [Cross-reference with Revelation 20:5 – “the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years are finished”]. Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously [This is the end of the 1000 years, after the New Jerusalem has come down out of heaven]” (Isaiah 24:17-23)

We see here a small overview of the "gathering of the wicked" into the pit, and their final punishment will not come until after many days. It is during the millennium that the earth will be left in a chaotic state.

Is there more concerning Lucifer's fate? There sure is:

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? [another reference to the resurrection of the wicked at the end of the 1000 years] All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house [Job 17:13 – “If I wait, the grave is mine house”]. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers; that they do not rise, nor possess the land, nor fill the face of the world with cities.” (Isaiah 14:12-21)

We see small inferences here and there from Isaiah concerning the fate of Lucifer. He will be the "raiment (remaining) of those that are slain". This is why in Revelation 20 we see that Satan will not be able to deceive the nations, because all the kings of the earth are DEAD, and Satan cannot deceive them! He will not deceive them until they are all resurrected at the Second Resurrection, and this is why all the wicked receive the "SECOND DEATH"! Because they all died ONCE BEFORE!

Question: What is meant by the "nations" that Satan goes out to deceive? Aren't these nations alive during the 1000 years for Satan to go out and deceive?

John, once again, is backing up, and revealing more details. This event is taking place at the end of the 1000 years, after all the saints have returned with the New Jerusalem. Zechariah depicts this in chapter 14:

"Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and ALL the saints with thee." (Zechariah 14:3-5)

So yes, It is true. This does not take place in heaven, as they've all come back to the earth by this time.

This great valley, or great plain that is created when Christ's feet touch the Mount of Olives, and is formed into an incredible landing spot for the New Jerusalem. While there is no direct verse that says "The New Jerusalem will land by the Mount of Olives", it is easily inferred based on all the Bible texts that teach that the Saints stand on Mount Zion, and the New Jerusalem is the home of the Church saints. Here we see that when Christ comes to punish the wicked, ALL the saints come with Him! Did you catch that? ALL the saints.

Going back to John the Revelator, it is impossible for him to paint the full picture of all the events taking place, so he backs up and adds more details.

Revelation 20:5 says:

"But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished."

Verse 3 prior says:

"And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season."

Verse 7 and 8 say:

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."

Therefore, the "rest of the dead" are all the remaining dead people that were destroyed at the Second Coming, and the saints were taken to heaven. These "rest of the dead" are the SAME as the "nations" that Satan goes out to deceive. Notice that they "do not live again UNTIL" the thousand years are finished". It is not UNTIL the thousand years are finished that Satan goes out to deceive the nations! Therefore, it is the resurrection of these wicked nations that LOOSES Satan so he can go out to deceive them! In other words, all the nations that Satan goes out to deceive were the wicked dead during the 1000 years, and now come alive at the Second Resurrection.

Notice verse 6:

"Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years."

Only those who have had part in the "first resurrection" are "blessed and holy". The "second death" has no power over them.

"And death and hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." (Verse 14)

We therefore see that ALL the wicked will receive the "second death". This means that they had to have died "once before". This means there has to be a "second resurrection" in order to die a second time, right?

The first death are all those who died either a natural death before the Second Coming, or were consumed by the Brightness of AT the Second Coming if they were still alive up to that point. The Second Death is after they are resurrected at the end of the 1000 years and then judged and thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Scripture teaches two resurrections:

1. The Resurrection of the Righteous (beginning of the 1000 years)
2. The Resurrection of the Wicked (at the end of the 1000 years, and terminating with the Second Death)

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

"And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." (Acts 24:15)

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." (Daniel 12:2)

All we have to do is take these above verses and plug them into Revelation 20, and we get an accurate picture. The "First Resurrection" is the resurrection of the righteous or the just according to Revelation 20:6. Blessed are all those who have part in this resurrection. The Second Resurrection only occurs for the wicked at the end of the 1000 years. So if you you die before Jesus comes, and you wake up and see Jesus coming in the clouds and see your guardian angel, then you know you are saved. If you wake up and you see the New Jerusalem without your guardian angel, and thousands of teaming wicked people, you know your lost. May we ALL strive to be among that number who will be a part of that First Resurrection!

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