The Eternal Kingdom

At the conclusion of the Millennial era, Satan will be released
from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four
corners of the earth. This is the reason I feel that the one continent
theory I introduced in the previous chapter is possible. He gathers
together Gog and Magog and prepares them for battle. This is the area
we knew during the battle of Armageddon as the king of the north,
peoples from the land of Scythians or Russians. This could be a
completely different group of people coming from the same area. In
number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across
the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the
city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of
burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.
They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.1
We ask ourselves, what is man that he has been tempted and
tested under every possible condition? He was tempted by Satan and
tested by God under the law, under government, under grace, and now
under glory. Satan is released to show us that even under the
circumstances of the Millennial Kingdom, mankind has a sinful heart.
We are a failure to ourselves and have a flaw that requires God to
repair us. We are unable to fix our broken condition by ourselves.
Satan was bound, silenced for a thousand years. The removal of his
temptation of mankind combined with the fullness of knowledge,
guided by God residing on earth—and still man could not regenerate
his own heart and conform to righteousness. We must be tested to
determine our true nature.
We find those who adhere to the love of God encamped close to
His temple, whereas those who chose to disobey stood far off in the
corner of the earth. They have shrunk from close contact with God
and are unprepared when Satan is rereleased. Even the righteous reign
of Christ, together with all the blessings and the enjoyment of a world
redeemed from the curse, does not change the heart of mankind.
There will be those who follow and those who fall. The Millennial,
with all its blessings, will be no different than the present age in
which we endure evil.
God is not one who demands righteousness from others. His reign
is always one of inflexible justice giving us every opportunity to turn
toward Him. Unfortunately, there will be this multitude of people who
under Satan’s power will attack those who are encamped around the
temple of God. They will only meet their doom when fire comes
down from heaven and destroys them. Both satanically motivated
movements, the one that lead to Armageddon and this final attempt by
Satan, are designed to destroy the saints of God. In this manner God
removes all unbelief from His kingdom so that those who survive will
receive the benefits of a universe without sin.
We come to the Great White Throne judgment where all who
defied the will of God will be punished for all eternity. Then I saw a
great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the
heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And
I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books
were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of
life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as
recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and
death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person
was judged according to what they had done. Then death and
Hades were thrown into the lake of fire.2
The people who have been resurrected are to be judged,
convicted, and sentenced to the second death, which is eternal
separation from God. This will be the final act of Christ as He has the
“all and all” of God. At the conclusion of the Great White Throne
judgment, Christ will return the all and all back to God the Father.
The dead were judged for those things they did while in their human
body. Everything we say, everything we do, and everyone we harm is
written down so that we will be judged according to our works. The
lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found
written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.3
Neither the world that is around us, nor the unseen world of
spirits, demons, and those who reside in the inner earth, can hide from
the justice of the One who sits on the throne. This concludes the
dealing that God has with all the parts of beings that have rejected His
word. These beings, both human and otherwise, are now in the
resurrected bodies in which they will endure the lake of fire for all
eternity. This will eliminate any trace of sinners to be found in the
world. All will reside in the lake of fire where there will be wailing
and gnashing of teeth. Where the worms that eat them do not die, and
the fire is not quenched.4 And the smoke of their torment ascends
forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night.5
The universe at this present time is expanding at an ever-faster
rate. It will at some time stop expanding and will collapse upon itself.
Everything in it will be destroyed except for those of us who are
protected in the city of the New Jerusalem. It may be quite possible
that the 260-foot wall, along with the massive foundations of the city,
will be used as a blast shield to protect the inhabitants of the city. We
are mere flesh and bone and would not be able to withstand the
dissolving of the elements. All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,
and the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall
down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig
tree.6 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in
which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it
will be burned up.7
Prior to this time the city called the New Jerusalem was suspended
above earth. Now with the destruction of sin and all the evidence that
was once on the planet earth destroyed, the New Jerusalem sets down
on earth. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more
sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down
out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle
of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be
His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And
God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more
death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the
former things have passed away.”8
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And
where I go you know, and the way you know.”9 For you died, and
your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life
appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Therefore, put
to death your members which are on the earth: fornication,
uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of
disobedience, in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in
them.10
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead
in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And thus, we shall always be with the Lord.11 Behold what manner of
love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children
of God! Therefore, the world does not know us, because it did not
know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet
been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is
revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And
everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is
pure.12 And Jesus said, “Father, I desire that they also whom You
gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory
which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation
of the world.”13

1.) Revelation 20:7-10
2.) Revelation 20:11-14
3.) Revelation 20:15

4.) Mark 9:44
5.) Revelation 14:11
6.) Isaiah 34:4
7.) 2 Peter 3:10
8.) Revelation 21:1-4
9.) John 14:3
10.) Colossians 3:3-7
11.) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
12.) 1 John 3:1-3
13.) John 17:24