Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb19951008.htm

THE DOCTRINE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Part XIV: The Future Work Of The Son Of God
C. Christ's Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom and Eternal State
  1. Introduction
    1. One of the big questions that men have tried to level at the God of Scripture is: "Why can God so freely judge us when we inherited such an evil society, environment and history? How can God blame us when our environment and society make us evil in the first place?
    2. We examine the Lord's Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom and Eternal State to answer this question:
  2. Christ's Second Coming, Millennial Kingdom and Eternal State
    1. Christ's Second Coming Ends Judgment On Unbelievers who rejected the Gospel.
      1. At the end of the seven year, Great Tribulation Period, Christ will descend as He left to the mount of Olives with ten thousands of His saints. This group includes the raptured, glorified Church and numerous, heavenly angels, Zech. 14:4 with Acts 1:9-10 and Jude 14-15a.
      2. All who are still unbelievers on the earth at Christ's coming are removed from the earth as a final judgment for having rejected the Gospel preached during the Church era, 2 Th. 2:11-12; Mtt. 24:36-41.
      3. God judges the nations, nationally and individually, Ezek. 38:1-39:29. Only believers survive!
    2. Christ's Millennial Kingdom Is A Testing Ground For Imperfect Men In A Controlled, Godly Environment!
      1. At this time, Old Testament saints are resurrected in glorified bodies (Dan. 12:11-13) along with saints who died during the Great Tribulation Period, Rev. 20:4. Christians, Old Testament and Tribulation saints all rule with Christ fo r 1,000 years in His Messianic Kingdom, the Millennium. ("Millennium" is the Latin form for 1,000 to refer to this period of time.)
      2. Satan is confined to a bottomless pit for this era, Rev. 20:1-3. Thus, all demonic activity is suspended.
      3. The Adamic curse is released from creation, making the earth return to an Edenic state, Rom. 8:21-22; Isa. 65:18-25. Sin is held to a minimum under an iron rule of righteousness by Christ, Is. 30:13-14, and mortals who survive the Gre at Tribulation as believers will live greatly prolonged lives, cf. Isa. 65:20.
      4. Israel dominates through Christ who rules from Mount Zion with great blessing, Isa. 27:12-13 et al.
      5. The Heavenly Jerusalem does not come down to the earth as yet due to the presence of sin natures in mortal men who survive the Tribulation and enter the Millennium as saved sinners!
      6. This era of controlled sinners tests the capacity of sinners to live uprightly in a controlled environment!
    3. The Eternal State
      1. At the end of the Millennium, Satan is released from the Bottomless Pit and is permitted to deceive the mortal nations that are formed from the descendants of mortal believers who survived the Tribulation, Rev. 20:7-8. Even after enjoying Christ's rule for 1,000 years, these nations heed the deception, showing God must purify man totally of even sin natures before there can be eternal blessing, Rev. 20:9.
      2. Following this event, The Great White Throne judgment is held that determines the fate of the Lake of Fire for every unbeliever in history, Rev. 20:11-15. Satan is also doomed to hell forever, Rev. 20:10.
      3. By deduction, we believe that those who died during the Millennium are now resurrected so that only believers in glorified bodies remain for the eternal state !
      4. God makes a new creation as the old passes away with fervent heat, Rev. 21:1; 2 Peter 3:10. Though we know little about this new creation, we know that ther e is no more sea, a place of limitation for man's normal passage, Rev. 21:1c. We also know that there is no more sun or moon as the Lord Himself provides the light the world needs, Rev. 21:23. There is neither any more night there as all is daylight since God's light illumines all, and all have glorified bodies that do not need rest!
      5. Then the New Jerusalem, heaven, descends to dwell on the earth where the presence of the Father finally meets the earth and Christ turns the kingdom back over to the Father, Rev. 21:2ff; 1 Cor. 15:24.
      6. In this state, we will live and serve God for endless days of great blessing, Rev. 22:1-5!
Lesson: Because of the need to settle questions about God's being just in sending men to Hell because many experienced pressures to sin in evil environments in history, God will set up His eternal throne on the earth in stages! God shows through t hese stages that only with the complete eradication of the sin nature in man can there be complete righteousness and lasting divine blessing!