EXPLAINING HUMAN DESTINIES IN BIBLE PROPHECY (CHARTED)

Part V: Explaining Destinies From The Kingdom’s End To Eternity Future

 

I.                 Introduction

A.    After our initial, single lesson on “Human Destinies In Bible Prophecy (Charted),” feedback from class members revealed the need for a five-part follow-up lesson series to explain key details of that initial lesson.

B.     Thus, we are teaching a follow-up series, using the chart of our initial lesson for clarity and noting key topics of that chart, and this fifth lesson in the series handles destinies from the Kingdom’s end to eternity future:

II.              Explaining Destinies From The Kingdom’s End To Eternity Future.

A.    After the end of the Millennial Kingdom, Satan is released from the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:7) and goes out to deceive the descendants of believers who survived the Tribulation in mortal bodies (Revelation 20:8a).  Satan gathers these nations of unbelievers to rebel against Christ’s administration at Jerusalem (Rev. 20:8b-9a).

B.     This rebellion, called “Gog and Magog” in Rev. 20:9b, is destroyed as God sends fire down from heaven on it.  [This group is not the actual Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38-39, for that is the northern coalition that comes against Israel in the early part of the Tribulation where the “Gog and Magog” of Rev. 20:8-9 involves all the world’s nations who oppose Christ at the end of the Millennium (J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come, 1972, p. 349-350).  Thus, “Gog and Magog” in Rev. 20:8 is a cloaking phrase typical of John’s writing in Revelation where he meant to get his message past his Roman guards to believers. This phrase (1) recalled for believers an earlier similar attack that God also destroyed by fire (2) while the phrase left John’s Biblically ignorant guards puzzled, not arousing dangerous suspicion in them that John might be predicting a war against Rome!]

C.     After the destruction of the “Gog and Magog” world rebellion, Satan is cast into the lake of fire, Rev. 20:10.

D.    [By deduction, we hold that believers still in natural bodies will be translated for eternity around this time.]

E.     The Great White Throne is then set up, and the old universe passes away in great heat, 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 20:11.

F.      The judgment of the Great White Throne then occurs, Revelation 20:12-15:

1.      All the unsaved dead of all human history are brought out of Hell (Hades) to stand before God’s Great White Throne for God’s final, formal judgment, Revelation 20:12a, 13. 

2.      The unsaved will be judged by what is recorded in the books of the deeds they performed in their earthly lives, Revelation 20:12b,c, 13c.  The reason for God’s judging them by their works is that the unsaved rely on their works to be justified, so God in all fairness will examine their works.  However, though many will even assert that they had prophesied in Christ’s name, cast demons out in His name and performed many miracles, Christ will reply that He never knew them as belonging to Him, and He will tell them to depart from Him since they were workers of iniquity, Matthew 7:22-23.

3.      No mortal, sinful human being can be justified by his works since one’s works only expose his sin (cf. Romans 3:20), so God will graciously check the Lamb’s book of life, the term “Lamb” being a cloaked, figurative reference to Christ Who has a record of those who have trusted in Him, Rev. 20:12b; 5:6-12. 

4.      When one’s name is not found in the Lamb’s book of life, he is cast into the lake of fire of eternal condemnation, Revelation 20:15.  Death and Hell (Hades) are also cast into the lake of fire, Rev. 20:14.

G.    Eternity future then begins as described in Revelation 21:1-22:5 (as follows):

1.      God will create a new heavens and a new earth where there is no more sea, and the New Jerusalem that had hovered over the earth in the Kingdom will descend to be joined to the earth, Revelation 21:1-2.

2.      The new universe will be full of blessings and lack any sin or its effects that have plagued mankind throughout history, Revelation 21:3-5.  No sinners will participate in this new universe, for it will be the inheritance only of glorified believers, Revelation 21:6-8.

3.      The New Jerusalem is unimaginably priceless and beautiful.  It is about 1,500 miles long, wide and high, and its wall is about 216 feet high (Rev. 21:9-21; Ibid., Ryrie, ftns. to Rev. 21:16, 17).

4.      There will be no temple there, for the Lord God Almighty and Christ are its temple, and God and Christ will illumine the city and the world so that there will be no need of the sun or moon, Rev. 21:22-25.  The nations of the earth will bring their glory and honor into the city, its gates will never be shut as there will be no night there, and nothing that contaminates with sin will ever enter the city, Revelation 21:24-27.

5.      God’s servants will serve Him and have His names in their foreheads as His possession, Rev. 22:1-5.

 

Lesson: God will one day judge all sin and remove it from His people, providing a perfect universe for them.

 

Application: In view of our eternal destiny, may we abound in the Lord’s work, for our work is not in vain in Him!