A New Creation

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1)

With the Great White Throne Judgment[1] out of the way, sin has been purged from the earth. However, the creation was cursed with Adam’s sin, and even with the near Edenic conditions of the Millennial reign of Christ, the planet retains remnants of the curse. God told Adam, “… cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:17-18). The purging of the curse will come by fire. The Apostle Peter writes, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10, emphasis mine). Earth, i.e., the planet, will not cease to exist, for God promised that it would exist forever. The psalmist states, “[God] Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever” (Psalm 104:5, emphasis mine).

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 The End of 1000 Years

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, (Revelation 20:7)

At the beginning of the Millennium when Jesus comes again, “the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan” is bound and imprisoned in the “bottomless pit” for a thousand years.[1] At the end of 1000 years (20:7, above), he will be released for “a little season” (20:3), “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” (Revelation 20:8). Who are these that are deceived? They are not the saints who reign with Christ. The saints – the Bride and the Tribulation saints – have glorified bodies “like unto his glorious body”[2] that are incapable of sin, and they are immune to Satan’s deceptions. The ones who Satan deceives are the progeny of those that survived the Tribulation and entered the Millennium in their natural bodies – some believers and some non-believers – and retained the ability to reproduce. At the end of 1000 years of perfect conditions and “pre-flood” lifespans[3], billions of people will inhabit the earth. These are those who Satan incites to rebel. The “Gog and Magog” mentioned here are not the same to which the Prophet Ezekiel refers;[4] but rather, it is the “spirit” of Gog and Magog that seeks to destroy the people of God.

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 A Thousand Years

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:1-2)

When Jesus entered Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago on the back of a donkey’s colt, He presented Himself as melek shâlêm, “King of Peace.” Now, He comes on a white horse as the conquering KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.[1] In the previous chapter of Revelation, we learned that He comes to rule “with a rod of iron.” Unlike kings that have come before, His rule will be absolute but benevolent, and He will reign on Earth for a thousand years.

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 The King Is Coming

Art used by permission by Pat Marvenko Smith, Copyright 1992. Visit her “Revelation Illustrated” site at https://revelationillustrated.com/

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)

The heavenly wedding reception is concluded. Now it is time to ride! The next thing John saw is reminiscent of his first sight of heaven. “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter” (Revelation 4:1, emphasis mine). At that time, he was on the outside looking in. Now he is on the inside looking out. “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war (Revelation 19:11, emphasis mine). The door of heaven opens and this time he sees a rider on a white horse. However, this is not the rider on a white horse that he saw at the breaking of the first seal.[1] That rider had a crown (a stephanos not a diadēma) and a bow with no arrows, and he went out “conquering and to conquer.” We identified that rider on a white horse as the Antichrist, the Beast. However, this rider is “called Faithful and True.” He does not break His promises, and there is no falsehood in Him. He judges rightly and He executes judgment, i.e., “war” rightly.

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 Heavenly Wedding Reception

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. (Revelation 19:7)

I have never been a bride, so I have no idea how a bride feels when the big day comes, and all her wedding plans come to fruition. She gets to take center stage at the wedding ceremony and later at her reception. It is a day for which she has prepared for months – picking the perfect bridal gown, selecting the perfect colors for her theme, selecting the floral arrangements, picking the perfect venue, choosing her wedding party, etc. It must be exhausting, yet exhilarating when the day finally comes.

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