HUMAN DESTINIES IN BIBLE PROPHECY (CHARTED)

 

I.                 Introduction

A.    Believers often ask what Scripture predicts on the destinies of various people groups, be they saved or lost people in the Old Testament, the Church, the Tribulation Period or the Millennial Kingdom.

B.     We thus offer an overview of human destinies in Bible prophecy with a chart to answer these questions:

II.              Human Destinies In Bible Prophecy (charted).

A.    God is eternal, so He existed in eternity past before He created the universe, Deuteronomy 33:27; Genesis 1:1.

B.     After creation and the entrance of sin into the human race by Adam’s Fall (Gen. 3:1-24), when an unbeliever dies in history, he goes to Hell (Hades) (Lk. 16:22-24) until the Rev. 20:11-15 Great White Throne judgment.

C.     Between Adam’s Fall and the start of the Millennium (or Millennial Kingdom or M. K. on the chart), the souls of all deceased Old Testament (O. T. on the chart) saints and Tribulation (Trib. on the chart) saints go to heaven (Luke 16:22) until they are raised to enter the Millennium (Daniel 12:12-13; Revelation 20:4-5).

D.    O. T. Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and O. T. Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) were raptured and will return to earth at the start of the Millennial Kingdom (Matthew 16:28-17:3), and the Revelation 11:11-12 two witnesses in the second half of the Tribulation are raised and ascend to heaven to return to earth at the start of the Millennial Kingdom.

E.     However, when Christians die, they instantly go to heaven (2 Corinthians 5:6-8) until the pre-tribulation Rapture when God raises them, translates living Christians, and takes both groups of Christians to heaven to be forever with Christ, 1 Thess. 4:13-18.  Christ will judge the Church in heaven at the Bema Seat Judgment and reward them according to the works they did as Christians, 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15.

F.      After the Rapture comes the seven-year Tribulation Period predicted in Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 et al.  The first half of this era is predicted in Daniel 9:27 with Matthew 24:1-14 et al. and the second half is predicted in Daniel 9:27 with Matthew 24:15-28 et al.  Believers living in this era will physically survive its hardships by faith (Luke 18:7-8; Matt. 24:13) though many will be martyred for their faith (Rev. 6:9-11).

G.    The military campaign of Armageddon then occurs as predicted in Revelation 19:17-21 et al.

H.    Christ’s Second Coming to earth occurs at the climax of the Armageddon conflict (Revelation 19:1-21 et al.) and the Church also returns to earth with Christ according to 1 Thessalonians 4:17b with Revelation 5:8-10.

I.        In the first thirty days after Christ’s return (Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1978, ftn. to Dan. 12:11), the Matthew 24:36-41 and Matthew 25:31-46 et al. judgments occur where all living unbelievers are sent to Hell.  The next 45 days (Daniel 12:12) are likely needed to repair the earth after the Tribulation to prepare for the Millennium.

J.       Then comes the resurrections of dead Old Testament saints (Daniel 12:12-13) and dead Tribulation saints (Rev. 20:4-5) so that Tribulation saints who physically survived the Tribulation, risen Tribulation saints, risen Old Testament saints and the post-Raptured Church – believers in all previous history – are rewarded to enter into the Millennial Kingdom.  The New Jerusalem (New Jer. on the chart) that is now in heaven (Heb. 12:22-23) likely descends part way to hover over the earth in the Millennium and the angels descend and ascend over Christ Who rules on earth while God the Father rules in the New Jerusalem above the earth, John 1:50-51.

K.    The apostles will rule over Israel’s 12 tribes (Matt. 19:28) and the Church will rule on the earth (Rev. 5:8-10).

L.     The souls of Millennium saints who die will likely go to the New Jerusalem that hovers above the earth.

M.   After the Millennium, many unsaved descendants of believers who survived the Tribulation in natural bodies are deceived by Satan to rebel against Christ at the battle of Gog and Magog, so God slays them, Rev. 20:7-9.

N.    Then, all unbelievers in history are resurrected into bodies of shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2) to stand before Christ’s Great White Throne judgment, and God causes the old universe to pass away with great heat and noise, Rev. 20:11-13; 2 Peter 3:10.  Death and Hell (Hades) along with the unsaved are cast into the Lake of Fire where they are tormented day and night forever, Revelation 20:10, 14-15; 2 Thessalonians 1:9.

O.    God then creates a new universe (Revelation 21:1), and by deduction, we believe that Millenium saints are resurrected if deceased or translated if alive along with Tribulation saints who survived the Tribulation and who might still be alive in natural bodies.  The New Jerusalem then descends to the new earth (Rev. 21:2).

P.      The eternal future then occurs with all saints of all ages in glorified bodies as noted in Revelation 21:3-22:5.

 

Lesson: Every mortal human being in history will either be judged to be eternally punished in torment or be blessed to rule with the Lord forever based on how he or she responded to God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ.

 

Application: (1) May we believe in Christ that we might have eternal life.  (2) May we believers in the Church do God’s will for us that we might be rewarded at Christ’s Bema Seat.  (3) May we disciple the world for Christ.