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Revelation Series #36
The Last Hundred Years of the Millennium
Fred R. Coulter—October 8, 2001
Track 1 or Download
Greetings, brethren! We are told to keep the Feast of Tabernacles seven days; we'll talk about the eighth day tomorrow, but today is the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. This reminds us of what Solomon said, that there is a time, there is a season for purpose of everything under heaven. So, just as the Feast of Tabernacles began, it is also going to end. In God's plan there is a beginning and an ending in relationship to human life. Let's come to Revelation, the first chapter, and let's see what Jesus said of Himself. The whole plan of God hinges around the plan and purpose, through Jesus Christ, as revealed in the Word of God and as revealed in the Holy Days. So, just as we have seen, there was a beginning. Now we're going to see there is an ending. We'll find out why there has to be an ending.
Revelation 1: 4: "John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace and peace be to you from Him Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come; and from the seven spirits that are before His throne… [Those spirits go out and search in the earth who is seeking God.] ….and from Jesus Christ, the faithful Witness… [and that can even be martyr, because it's 'martus'] …the Firstborn… [not 'begotten' (KJV)] …from the dead, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to God and His Father… [there again, projecting forward what we are going to be doing during the Millennium. Also, this is going to expand out into all eternity.] …to Him be the glory and the sovereignty… [God is sovereign and rules and reigns] …into the ages of eternity. Amen. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen" (vs 4-7).
How is that those who pierced Him are going to see Him? They aren't living today, but—let's think on this for just a minute—the book of Revelation gives us the details of the fulfillment of the Last Great Day, which is the eighth day—isn't it? And they shall see Him at that time! So they will literally see Him. There's another explanation, which you can apply to this, which is this: Since Jesus died for our sins, which He did (we just read it) and since He became the sin offering for each one of us individually, therefore, when He returns and we see Him; because our sins have pierced Him, therefore, it could be fulfilled that way. But, I think it's talking about those who literally pierced Him. That is the soldiers who did it, with the nails in His hands and in His feet and the spear in His side.
Verse 8: "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending,' says the Lord, 'Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come—the Almighty.'" Jesus overcame death to set the pattern for those who follow Christ.
So, after John saw the vision of Christ in His glorified form, v 17: "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead; but He laid His right hand upon me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last, even the One Who is living; for I was dead, and behold, I am alive into the ages of eternity. Amen. And I have the keys of the grave and of death'" (vs 17-18). With this we see there's a beginning and there's an ending. And we see that just as the Millennium began, it's going to end.
Revelation 20, and let's see it right here concerning the beginning and the end. There are a couple things, which are a little perplexing when you read this and try, and understand what God is really telling us in these things. Revelation 20:1: "Then I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years" (vs 1-2).
So all during the Millennium Satan is not going to be around. That means that human nature is not going to have the intense evil that it has today, because Satan today is the 'prince of the power of the air.' He has all the things working for him, especially today:
- to deceive people
- to keep them deluded
- to give them wrong information
- to give them wrong understanding
- to try and take them away from God
So, when he is removed, the author of sin is gone! Then human nature is not going to be as intense as it is today. It's going to be taught the good of God, rather than having to have evil there and then repentance from the evil and the depths of it. Let's understand something also: Repentance during the Millennium is going to be perhaps, for some people, a little more difficult than it is today, when they look and see all the terrible sins that they have had in their lives. However, since God is the One Who grants repentance, therefore, when God grants it, they will repent! I don't know if we can say it's a different kind of repentance than ours, from the point of view that they will not have experience in sin like we do. So, from that point of view it will be a little bit different. But Satan won't be there; that's the main and important thing!
Verse 3: "Then he cast him into the abyss, and locked him up, and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled… [or completed. Why is that?] …and after that it is ordained that he be loosed for a short time." Why is that?
Why is Satan not immediately, as we find here in v 10: "And the Devil, who deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet had been cast… [that happened at the beginning of the Millennium] …and they, Satan and the demons, shall be tormented day and night into the ages of eternity." Wherever Satan goes the demons go, and we know that they will go back into the abyss, because that's where a lot of them came from.
Revelation 9:1: "And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet; and I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and there was given to him the key to the bottomless abyss. And he opened the bottomless abyss; and there went up smoke from the pit, like the smoke of a great furnace…" (vs 1-2). So, this is a time when all the demons that are there are released and let go.
Let's see if we can understand why this is going to happen this way. We're going to see that there are some other events that are going to take place, and we need to have an understanding of what the whole atmosphere is going to be like during the Millennium. We have seen how that the knowledge of God is going to cover the earth as the sea and the oceans cover the earth. We have seen that everyone is going to know God. In other words, everyone is going to have a chance for salvation. There will be universal salvation at that time. Won't be anything like we have today. We also know that the world is going to be put back into the same order that it was when God created it.
Acts 3:19—Peter says, "Therefore, repent and be converted in order that your sins may be blotted out, so that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Him Who was before proclaimed to you Jesus Christ Whom the heaven must indeed receive until the times of restoration of all things, of which God has spoken by the mouth of all His Holy prophets since the world began'" (vs 19-21).
So the earth is going to be restored. And, as we've seen, the people under our supervision are going to
- build the cities
- raise up the waste places
- they are going to have wealth
- they are going to have fine homes
- everyone is going to keep the Sabbath
- everyone is going to keep the Holy Days
—no question about it! Now, let's come back to Isaiah 62 and let's just review just a couple of these things so that we can understand what it's going to be like in the Millennium. Let's think about one of the weaknesses that human beings have.
Isaiah 62:1: "For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness goes out as brightness, and her salvation as a burning torch. And the Gentiles will see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you will be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name…. [That's referring to us who are going to receive the new name, and we're going to rule and reign with Christ.] …You also will be a crown of glory in the hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God…. [Now then, he talks about Israel. Israel was forsaken]: …You will no more be called Forsaken; nor will your land any more be called Desolate; but you will be called My Delight is in Her, and your land, Married; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married" (vs 1-4). God is going to make the whole earth that way, with all the peace and with all the great things that are going to be taking place. There are going to be children born. There are going to be big families, because God wants a lot of spiritual sons and daughters in His kingdom.
Since the restoration of everything, I'm sure that God is going take away the curse of the problems in childbearing and also childrearing. There's going to be right education. There isn't going to be an NEA to teach the kids. You won't have to send them off to colleges to get their brains all messed up. They are going to learn the right things.
Let's see what else they're going to do. Let's come to Isaiah 66:23—here's what they're going to do all through the Millennium. This is going to be quite a thing. This is going to be a magnificent thing, indeed! This will also show you some of the activities that we will be doing in helping and teaching and training and all of these things. I've often wondered: What is the society going to be like that has everything that it needs? Also, have the knowledge of God and know the Truth of how to live. Isn't that going to be something? From the very time that children are taught, they are going to understand that there is a purpose in their life, and they're going to be taught how to fulfill that purpose.
Isaiah 66:23: "And it shall come to pass, that from one month to another… [This indicates that there is going to be a restoration of the astronomical things. Is this telling us that there will be a 360-day year again? Don't know! But at least this means from month-to-month.] …and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me,' says the LORD." That's going to be happening all during the Millennium.
Is there a time in history which gives us a close proximity as to what it's going to be like to have the perfect society? We'll look at one that's recorded in the Scriptures here, that was nearly perfect as far as human perfection. It had God's blessing. It had God's inspiration. Let's look at the reign of Solomon. When he was made king, remember what happened. He came to God, prayed to God, and God appeared to him in a vision. Solomon prayed to God and said, 'I need wisdom to rule Your people, because I'm so young' God said, 'Choose what you want—wealth, power, whatever it is—you say what you want and I'll give it to you.' So, he said, 'I need wisdom so I can judge Your people.' God said, 'Because you asked for wisdom, I'm going to give you wisdom.' And He also gave him wealth because he didn't ask for it, and made Solomon the wealthiest man on earth, as well as the wisest. We're also going to learn in this: that wisdom without retaining the knowledge of God can lead to a disaster.
2-Chronicles 9:1: "And the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon and came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company and camels that carried spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones. And she came in to Solomon and spoke with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon answered her all her questions. And there was nothing hidden from Solomon which he could not answer her. And when the queen of Sheba saw the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers and their apparel, and his ascent by which he went up into the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her" (vs 1-4). Just took her breath away! It was so beautiful!
This was a very advanced civilization, and In talking about clothes today, these are nothing but cheap rags compared to what they had. And the wealth was unbelievable. There's going to be plenty of wealth during the Millennium. God is not going to hold back anything. God is going to bless all the people and they will be tithing all of them properly, and there won't be anymore confounded taxes from the countries. The money is not going to be wasted because
- there will be no crime
- there will be no jails
- there will be no hospitals
- there will be no big departments like we have in government
—because we will be the government. The government will be on Christ's shoulders, but we will be the government, and we will live off the tithes. Also, they're going to keep the land-sabbath every seven years. And the land-sabbath guarantees a perpetually prosperous economy. If it's done right, the land-sabbath takes out the up and down cycles of the economy that we have today, because they get too much and the bottom falls out. Every seventh year, if you rest the land, then that solves the problem.
After it took her breath away; it must have been just absolutely 'splendiferous'—v 5: "And she said to the king, 'The word that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom is true. Nevertheless, I did not believe their words until I came and had seen it all with my own eyes. And behold, not even one-half of the greatness of your wisdom was told to me, for you far exceed the report which I heard. Happy are your men, and happy are these your servants who stand before you continually and hear your wisdom" (vs 5-7). There's going to be nothing but happiness during the Millennium, and we're going to help bring that about. Isn't that going to be amazing? I mean, you stop and think: Every evil under the sun is going to be removed! It's going to make this just become almost pale in comparison.
Notice, this gives us a good idea what it's going to be like, v 8: "Blessed be the LORD your God Who delighted in you to set you upon His throne to be king for the LORD your God. Because your God loved Israel to establish them forever, therefore He made you king over them to do justice and righteousness." Sound a little familiar, about what we're going to do? Yes, it does!
"And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold… [that's a lot] …and an abundance of spices, and precious stones. And there has not been any such spice as the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon…. [I wonder what those special spices were? But he didn't have them until she brought them.] …And the servants of Hiram and the servants of Solomon, who brought gold from Ophir… [As far as we're able to understand, Ophir is Southeast Asia.] …also brought algum trees and precious stones. And the king made terraces by the walkways to the house of the LORD with the algum trees, and terraces leading to the king's palace, and lyres and harps for singers. And there were none such as these seen before in the land of Judah. And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, evenmorethan what she had brought to the king. And she returned and went away to her own land, she and her servants. And the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year…" (vs 9-13). This is yearly; this is an annual tribute from all the nations of the earth. At this time, Israel was a world-ruling empire. Israel's job was to be functioning toward God and the rest of the world as priests of God.
Let's come back to Exodus 19 for just a minute. I don't think we understand what a great failure it was that Solomon did when he sinned the way that he did. Listen to this, Exodus 19:4: "'You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you unto Myself. Now therefore, if you will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a Holy nation.' These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel" (vs 4-6).
Solomon had the opportunity to really do that, because of the blessings that God gave to him. 2-Chronicles 9:13: "And the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold." 666—isn't that amazing? And that's the number of the mark of the beast. So is that the number of the best society that men can do. This was the real Kingdom of God. The kingdom of the beast is going to the fake Kingdom of God. So isn't it interesting that the number of his mark is 666, and it has to do with buying and selling. Just think on that!
Verse 14: "Besides that from the traders and that which the merchants brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon. And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold. Six hundred shekels of gold went to one target" (vs 14-15)—and it shows all that he did, and the tremendous and beautiful throne that he made for himself.
How's this? Listen to this well. They had so much gold, v 20: "And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold… [Can you imagine drinking water and wine out of gold? You almost have to use two hands to pick it up, because gold is pretty heavy! It doesn't tell us how thick they were, and it doesn't tell us if they were a hundred percent gold, but at least they were of gold.] …and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver. It was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon." That is such a booming, prosperous kingdom and economy, it's just unreal!
Verse 21: "For the king's ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Hiram. Once every three years the ships of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks." That's why when he built his terraces he probably had the finest zoos in the world; he had the specimens of all animals. When he looked out and saw Jerusalem, which he had built, boy! it just took his breath away! But he forgot God—didn't he? Yes, he did!
Verse 22: "And King Solomon was greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the kings of the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom that God had put in his heart. And they each brought a present, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothing, armor, and spices, horses, and mules at a certain rate year by year" (vs 22-24). So this was a worldwide tax that came from all of the countries.
This thing that America was not discovered until Columbus is just a bunch of bunk! They had ships that went around the world. How long does it take to go around the world when you use a sailing ship? Three years! That's how long it took Magellan to do it. They knew how to build things, and I'm sure they had far better ships that we ever give them credit for. But because of the evil theory of evolution, people think of these times as a bunch of just ignoramus people that knew nothing! Here this is telling us of a very advanced society—isn't it? Now, the reason I bring this out is because the Millennium is going to be even more advanced! It is going to have such wealth, as we have seen, that God is just going to pour out His blessing on all people, on all nations, and everything that they do, and there's going to be universal salvation for everyone.
Let's come to Isaiah 61, and let's see if we can put this together and understand what's going on here; this is going to be something! The thing that's so important, brethren, is this: We have been blessed to be called, to have a part to do this. Isn't that something!? Have you ever, down deep inside—I'm sure everyone of you have—wanted to do something to really make this world right. With Satan there, you can never make anything right, because he always has his agents there to upset it. Now all during the Millennium, he's going to be removed, and we're going to do the things to make it right.
Isaiah 66:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor…" It's what we're going to do.
- We're going to preach the Gospel every Sabbath; every Holy Day.
- We're going to show people how to live.
- We're going to show people how their lives can interact with what God has provided for them.
- They will be educated.
- They will be skilled.
- We won't have any of the diseases; no mental problems or anything that we have today.
It is going to be just stunning, brethren!
"'…He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to preach the acceptable year of the LORD and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to appoint to those who mourn in Zion, giving to them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the mantle of praise for the spirit of heaviness; so that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He might be glorified.' And they will build the old wastes, they will raise up the desolations of former times. And they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations" (vs 1-4).
Remember, we are going to be given authority to rule over the nations—aren't we?—given authority to rule over the cities. We're going to be responsible to be sure that the cities are right, not the jumbled up messes that we see today.
Isaiah 60:16: "You will also suck the milk of nations, and suck the breast of kings; and you shall know that I the LORD am your Savior and your Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For bronze I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver; and for wood I will bring bronze, and for stones, iron. I will also make your overseers to be peace, and your rulers to be righteousness. Violence will no more be heard in your land, neither wasting nor ruin within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise" (vs 16-18). That's something! Think of this for a thousand years, and children being born into this environment. What a tremendous thing—right?
Let's see that there's something else that's going to happen. Let's understand this: All through the Millennium there's going to be the right way of God taught. But they're also going to have to choose. Their choices will not have the broad spectrum that we have today, but they're still, nevertheless, going to have to choose. It's not going to be quite exactly the same that it was when God told Israel, 'I set before you this day life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore, choose life that you may live.' But it'll have to be that the penalty of sin is going to be known, because people are going to sin simply because there is human nature.
Let's come to Isaiah 65 and let's understand this in relationship to the Millennium. I think with it this year, I'm able to understand one part just a little better than I didn't quite understand before. But, I'll see if I can make sense of it for you. Isaiah 65:17: "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth…. [That's what we're going to be doing during the Millennium.] …And the former things will not be remembered, nor come to mind." Let's understand something: This section of Scripture can apply [#1] to the Millennium and also [#2] to the Last Great Day. Those people that are resurrected in the second resurrection will be coming into what? A new heaven and a new earth! And everything's going to be different than they understood it was when they died.
Verse 18: "But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and I will joy in My people; and the voice of weeping will no more be heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There will not be an infant who lives but a few days, nor an old man that has not filled his days… [that is fulfilled their purpose or die prematurely] …for the child will die a hundred years old; but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed" (vs 18-20). I think this is telling us very clearly that the lifespan in the Millennium is going to be approximately a hundred years.
It says, v 20: "…for the child will die a hundred years old; but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed." So, there will still be sinners! We'll see how God will handle sinners. Let's understand this. Let's see if we can put it together and understand about the child dying a hundred years old; in other words, going to live a hundred years. "…but the sinner who is a hundred years old shall be accursed." In other words, if you sin to the point that you die and you are buried, you know that that person is waiting for the Lake of Fire, for the second death, because that's what 'accursed' means.
Now, let's come to Hebrews, the ninth chapter and let's see what it says about all men. When it says 'all men' it means all human beings. Hebrews 9:27: "And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment." Let's understand something: When God calls us; we're baptized. When we are baptized—what is that? That is a spiritual death—is it not? It is a covenant death! You are actually pledging your life unto God that if you do not remain faithful you shall likewise die. If you are faithful, Christ has removed the second death from you. Until Christ returns, everyone who has the Spirit of God that dies, they die once.
Let's look at a couple of other things that are important, and let's ask a couple of questions here. Let's come to 1-Thessalonians, the fourth chapter, and let's see is there a time when God suspends the debt, the first death? Yes, there is! 1-Thessalonians 4:14: "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in exactly the same way also, those who have fallen asleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say to you by the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall in no wise precede those who have fallen asleep… [those who are dead in Christ] …because the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (vs 14-16).
All those who are dead in Christ have died once—have they not? They also died the death of baptism, too—didn't they? Yes! That's why Paul said that he was 'dead to sin.' He died that death of baptism. Now, let's look at the exception for those who are still alive and there's not time for them to die. Christ is coming! He's here! He's on His way!
Verse 17: "Then we who are alive and remain shall… [die. NO! it doesn't say that!] …shall be caught up together with them in the clouds for the meeting with the Lord in the air; and so shall we always be with the Lord." Since the saints who are still alive when Christ returns have died that death in baptism, therefore, God has suspended the judgment of death upon those people who are converted, and they shall be changed.
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Let's see that again in 1-Corinthians 15:50. The Apostle Paul wrote about this, too. I think we just need to look at it from a little different perspective. "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all fall asleep… [Now, this time he's saying we're not all going to be dead. He knows that those who are dead in Christ will be raised, but at this point he was also talking about those who would not be dead.] …but we shall all be changed… [When? When Christ returns, when we're caught up in the air to meet Christ in the air.] …in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed" (vs 50-52). That is all of us! Whether we were dead in the grave or whether we are alive, because he said in 1-Thess. 4 that we who are alive and remain shall be caught up in the clouds together with them. So, of those who are converted and are righteous, the penalty of death has been removed.
What we will be doing during the Millennium is this—I've mentioned this before, that since it's 'given to men once to die' that when we come to the 100-years, they die and are changed instantly. There will be no need for them to die because they have died the death of baptism. They have already died; they have died in Christ. So when it comes time for their life to come to an end, because they have been righteous, what would be the need for them to die at that time if there was no need for those who were Christ's today and they are alive when Christ returns, that there's no need for them to die. But to be changed instantly, 'in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye' and be 'caught up in the clouds to meet Christ' and be with Him forever.
Now then, I think this helps explain concerning the sinner that dies accursed. He's going to have to wait the second death, because God has decreed that all human beings who have committed the 'unpardonable sin' must die the second death!
Let's come back to Isaiah 65:21, and we can see that this can apply to the Millennium and this can apply to the length of time that people will be living. "'And they will build houses and live in them; and they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They will not build, and another live in them; they will not plant, and another eat; for like the days of a tree areso will be the days of My people, and My elect will long enjoy the work of their hands…. [So, we're talking about the elect. Are those who are called during the Millennium 'the elect'? Have to be, no doubt about it. We are today. We are called 'the elect.'] …They will not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for calamity. For they are the seed of the beloved of the LORD, and their offspring with them'" (vs 21-23).
And here's what it's going to be like. I mean, you talk about instant answered prayer! "'And it shall come to pass, before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together (Isa. 11:6), and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the food of the serpent. They will not hurt nor destroy in all My Holy mountain,' says the LORD" (vs 24-25). So here we have at least ten generations, 100 years long. Of course, with people being born all the time, then the hundred year period is not going to be a set, fixed 100-years, because it's going to be 100-years for each one as it comes.
- What's going to happen to these people?
- What kind of attitude are we going to find at the end, or toward the end, of the Millennium?
- What is it that we are going to see?
- What is it that human nature always does?
Especially considering the last generation—the last 100-year period there. Those who are born into the society come into a ready made society that for 900-years have been blessed of God, has been perfect, has been just absolutely marvelous. They that sin will also know—'the transgression of the law'—will die accursed.
When we come to the last generation, we have a little bit different situation that we need to deal with. What is going to happen with people who sin? Let's come back here to Revelation, chapter three, and let's draw a parallel from the last era of the church. I think we are going to understand, and think we can say with safe assurity that the last generation is going to Laodicean BIG TIME! Why is that? Because everything is there; everything has been provided. There are a lot of people in their sin; it's going to be the sin of indifference and callousness. There will be a lot of people then who will not accept the salvation that God is giving them.
Remember, this last generation is going to be a multitude of people. We don't know what the population of the earth will be when we come toward the end of the Millennium, but the way that it's described here in the Bible, there are going to be people and they're going to have children and children and children and God is going to glorify Himself with all the children and human beings all during he Millennium. Not only is that going to happen, but that tells you what kind of job that we are going to have to have—right? In each generation there are more people to deal with. So those that are righteous accept the salvation of God. They will be born into the Kingdom of God when it comes to the end of their 100-year lifetime. There will be no need for them to die, because the sinner dies 'accursed.' The death that God will accept is the death of baptism into Jesus Christ.
And if they're faithful unto the end, they'll be born into the Kingdom of God and be spirit beings. What do we have today when people die? The Irish have what is called a 'wake' and they all get drunk. They should call it a 'drunk' instead of a 'wake.' But it is to have good memories of the person that died, rather than be all sorrowful. Can you imagine what the 'going out' party is going to be like when people are ready to be born into the Kingdom of God, because
- they've been righteous
- they have live their life properly
- they have been humble
- they have served God
- they kept His commandments
- they understand and know God's plan
Boy, I tell you, it's going to be something—isn't it?
Would there be?—and it think that would be an appropriate thing—wouldn't it? There would be a 'coming in' feast, a 'going out' and 'coming in' feast—going out from physical life and coming into spiritual life. That would be something!—wouldn't it? We'll, just kind of use our imagination here just a little bit.
You know all about the Laodicean Church, but let's just pick up on a few things here, Revelation 3:14: "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans, write: These things says the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginner of the creation of God…. [So here we are again with the beginning.] …I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot; I would that you be either cold or hot" (vs 14-15). With everything provided; with every physical thing that you need—isn't it going to be hard for some people to repent? Isn't it going to be hard for them to not be complacent? For them to not be lukewarm? I think it's going to be very difficult. Sometimes living in this evil world, we see all the evil around us and that really stirs us up to really desire God's Kingdom and to do right and to love God and to serve Him. But, all of that's going to be removed. It's going to be a whole different thing for them.
"So then, because you are lukewarm, and are neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth…. [They're removed from the Church. That's an interesting thing! What happens when you're removed from the Church, but you haven't yet died? Is that not an exile? It surely is! Now, can there be repentance and re-entrance? Yes, indeed!] …For you say… [I just imagine there'll be a lot of people who will say to God, 'Boy, look at all these things around here. Look how fantastic this is.'] …'I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'; and you do not understand that you are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (vs 16-17). Human nature is still going to be there—isn't it? They are going to turn aside the salvation of God. What's going to happen to them? There's not enough time for them to die the first death, because the end of the Millennium is coming.
So, we'll see what God does, v 18: "I counsel you to buy from Me gold purified by fire so that you may be rich; and white garments so that you may be clothed, and the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and to anoint your eyes with eye salve, so that you may see…. [Isn't that going to be true? Aren't those people then going to have to really see things from a spiritual perspective? Yes, they will!] …As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore, be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock…. [Is God going to give those that He vomited out an opportunity to come back? Yes! Jesus is the door (John 10); and you've got to go through Him. Also, He's standing at the door and knocking. This is also likened unto the 'door of your mind.'] …If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me" (vs 18-20).
Now, let's come back to Genesis, the third chapter, and let's see if we can put this together. Here we have something that is really quite unusual—isn't it?—with the Laodiceans. They're 'spewed out.' But they're still living! They're still living in their sin! They're given an opportunity to repent. Let's see what happened here when Adam and Eve sinned. We're going to get a parallel, and we'll see what happened, and then we'll see what happened when Cain sinned. So, what's going to happen to these people, at the end of the Millennium, that sin. Yet, there's not enough time for them to complete their lives and die at a hundred years old accursed.
Genesis 3:23: "Therefore, the LORD God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he had been taken. And He drove out the man, and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life" (vs 23-24). They were 'vomited out' of the Garden of Eden—weren't they? They were 'driven out.' They were cutoff from God—weren't they? In other words, they were exiled! They could not longer go back into the Garden of Eden. They could come up to the gate where the cherubim were, but they couldn't go in. God would meet with them there, but they were cut off from going back into the Garden of Eden—weren't they?
Let's see what happened here with Cain, when he sinned. Genesis 4:16: "And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and lived in the land of Nod, to the east of Eden." So he was removed even further. The land of Nod is called the land of wandering. So when Cain sinned, he was removed. Now, he still was alive—wasn't he? He was being punished for his sin by being exiled. That was his punishment. Adam and Eve were one step removed from God; now then, Cain and his descendants were two steps removed from God.
Let's look and see another example of what happened to Israel and Judah when they sinned and God did not want to execute all of them. Remember, 'the wages of sin is death.' But, if there is not time to die then something else has to happen.
Let's come to 2-Kings 17, and let's see what God said concerning the children of Israel. I won't go through the whole chapter, but let's just catch a couple of verses which tell us that they were exiled. They were removed from the land that God gave them.
2-Kings 17:6: "In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria. And he placed them in Halah, and in Habor by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. Now it came to pass because the children of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods" (vs 6-7). So, they were carried away because of their sins. They were taken away!
Verse 11: "And they burned incense in all the high places, like the nations whom the LORD had removed from before them…" So God did the same thing to the heathen—didn't He? Did not God expel the Canaanites from the land because of their sin? Yes! And He told the Israelites, 'If you sin like they sin you're going to be expelled from the land, too. So they were exiled.
This is undoubtedly what God is going to do in that last generation for those in the Millennium that sin. We also know that Judah was carried away, exiled into Babylon. So, since that's the way that God works, that we can conclude with great assurity that that's what God is probably going to do at the end of the Millennium.
Let's come back to Revelation 20, and let's look at that. Let's understand this. Let's put it together in a way that it is going to give us the understanding we need. Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed…." So there is a category of people that died that were not called during their lifetime. That cannot be anyone who lives into the Millennium, because all are called during the Millennium. This has to be those as pictured by the Last Great Day.
"(But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were completed.) This is the first resurrection…. [referring back to v 4 about thrones being set down] …Blessed and Holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection… [Isn't it interesting, if it were just the resurrection it would say 'the resurrection.' This says 'the first resurrection' and if the rest of the dead 'live not again until the thousand years are finished' that's got to be another resurrection. We know there are two resurrections.] …over these the second death has no power…. [those in the first resurrection] …But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years" (vs 5-6).
Now we come to the end of the Millennium and here is Satan. God put him in the abyss, bound him there for a thousand years so that he wouldn't deceive the nations anymore. Now he's got another job for Satan to do. "Now when the thousand years have been completed, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison… [Why?] …and he shall go out to deceive the nations… [Remember, all of those who have sinned, there is not time for them to die, have been exiled into the area of Gog and Magog.] …that are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog…" (vs 7-8). This has to be the geographical location in Gog and Magog. Why? Because if it were just the people of Gog and Magog, then God is a respecter of persons and has for the people of Gog and Magog cut them off so none of them will never have salvation. This has to be the geographical area. Just like we saw the children of Israel were carried off into Assyria and into the cities of the Medes.
So here we have that they are in Gog and Magog. Why are they there? They have to be there because they did not accept the salvation of God and they were removed. When you get all these sinners together in Gog and Magog, they're probably being witnessed to all the time. There may be some who repent and are able to come back out of Gog and Magog. Even some people have brought up the question: Will there be a place of exile all during the Millennium? I don't know. The Scriptures don't tell us. But this at least tells us that there are going to be human beings at the end of the Millennium living out there in Gog and Magog. Why are they there?
- They have to be there because they have sinned!
- They have to be there because they have rejected the salvation of God!
- They have to be there because they were exiled, since there is not time for them to live out their physical lives, because the end of the Millennium is coming.
Verse 7: "…Satan shall be loosed out of his prison; and he shall go out to deceive the nations that are in the four corners of the earth… [These are all nations, not just Gog and Magog. That's where they are.] …of whom the number is as the sand of the sea, to gather them together for war" (vs 7-8). Why would Satan be loosed to gather them together for battle? Remember, before the Great White Throne Judgment starts—the Last Great Day—all sinners have to be removed. They don't have time to die their first natural death and to be sinners 'accursed' at a hundred years old. God uses Satan the devil to go out and deceive them. They'd already rejected salvation, so they're not being deceived out of salvation. God is not condemning the people of Gog and Magog, but there is an area of Gog and Magog where the sinners are exiled.
Satan comes out—you can almost write the script. The Catholics say that the antichrist will come and he will reign a thousand years, and after that the true Catholic faith will revive. Just switch the places, because the antichrist of the Catholics is the true Christ. Satan is their god! When he comes out what is he going to do? He's going to say, 'Hey, I am the true God, look at me. Now, let's get this thing organized.' And with their carnal, seared conscious in rejecting the salvation of God, they're going to say, 'Hoorah!' Satan is probably going to perform some great miracles. He'll probably re-institute the Catholic religion. He's going to form the armies. This is going to be an easy target down here in Jerusalem. They don't have any weapons, so 'we're going to make some weapons.'
It says 'for a little season'—we don't know how long it's going to be. We don't know what kind of weapons they can develop in whatever period of time that's is. 'A short season' can refer to a time of about three and half years. I suppose with great diligence, in three and a half years they could raise up a good army, they could develop all kinds of weapons and they could have them ready to go.
Notice what's going to happen. He's going to lead them in this battle against Jerusalem. Verse 9: "Then I saw them go up upon the breadth of the earth and encircle the camp of the saints…" Why does it say 'the camp of the saints'? Could it be that this is the time of the keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles at Jerusalem? That's the time to come and get them because they're the most there at that time, 'so we'll come and encircle them and if we can get Jerusalem we can gain control and power over this world.' Satan has always thought that he could defeat God! Satan has always thought that he is just like God! And he knows he's failed a couple of times, but he himself is so deceived he is convinced that he's going to do it this time.
So he comes down, "…encircle the camp of the saints, and the beloved city; and fire came down from God out of heaven and consumed them" (v 9). The died! That is their first death. At this point what do we have?
- We have all of those who are then ready to enter into the Kingdom of God because they were faithful.
- We have all of those who have just been exterminated by the fire of God, having gathered together for this battle, having come out of their place in exile—Gog and Magog.
Now the judgment comes upon Satan! This is when we judge the angels. God is going to judge Satan. There's going to be that time of judgment; let's see what's going to happen here.
Verse 10: "And the Devil, who deceived them, was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet had been cast; and they, Satan and the demons, shall be tormented day and night into the ages of eternity"—and he's never getting out ever again! There is no more need or purpose for Satan the devil. When we come to the time of the Great White Throne Judgment, Satan is not allowed back, because all of those people who will come up in the Great White Throne Judgment—whom God did not call during their physical lifetime—they have already lived one life under Satan the devil. And living one life under Satan the devil is plenty enough. No question about that! So Satan will not be around. His final judgment has taken place here in v 10.
I think that is what it's telling us here, as far as I'm able to understand it. If you have the beginning and you have an ending, you've got to take care of the problems at the beginning and you've got to take care of the problems at the end. Since God has decreed that all sinners must die twice, experience the second death, therefore, that is God's way to execute the first death upon them at the end of the Millennium.
Now then, there's one more day, the Last Great Day. The meaning of that is so absolutely profound, brethren!
Scriptures from The Holy Bible in Its Original Order by Fred R. Coulter
Scriptural References:
- Revelation 1:4-8, 17-18
- Revelation 20:1-3, 10
- Revelation 9:1-2
- Acts 3:19-21
- Isaiah 62:1-4
- Isaiah 66:23
- 2 Chronicles 9:1-13
- Exodus 19:4-6
- 2 Chronicles 9:13-15, 20-24
- Isaiah 61:1-4
- Isaiah 60:16-18
- Isaiah 65:17-20
- Hebrews 9:27
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
- 1 Corinthians 15:50-52
- Isaiah 65:21-25
- Revelation 3:14-20
- Genesis 3:23-24
- Genesis 4:16
- 2 Kings 17:6-7, 11
- Revelation 20:5-10
Scriptures referenced, not quoted:
- Isaiah 11:6
- John 10
- Revelation 20:4
FRC:bo
Transcribed: 8-27-10
