House of Hope Online

August 13, 2023

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Last time we went through the scriptures describing timing and events of the Tribulation, the seven-year period that is characterized by the antichrist’s rule over the earth and the wrath of God poured out by angels from the Seven Bowls.

While Jesus has said no one knows the day or hour His Second Coming might happen, He also advised us to keep an eye on Israel to know when that season might be:

Matthew 24:

 32 ¶ “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;

 33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, [right] at the door.

The fig tree is prophetic symbolism of Israel.  We saw in Daniel 9:27 a prophecy that the antichrist would devise a seven-year peace plan with Israel, causing her to lay down her defenses, only to see that treaty violated at its midpoint, setting the stage for the Ezekiel prophecy of an attack on Israel by an alliance of enemy nations.  Experts believe that alliance will be led by Russia and will include modern day Israeli enemies such as the former Soviet Union states, as well as Iran, Sudan, and Libya.

We know from last week that the second half of the Tribulation, following the attack on Israel, is a perilous time characterized by the antichrist rule of the earth, the Seven Bowls’ wrath of God being poured out, the fall of Babylon and all the sin she represents, and the collapse of world markets.  While this is going on, we will be in Heaven attending the Marriage of the Lamb (Jesus) to His bride (the Church).  Following the marriage, Jesus will mount a white horse and, with us following, will defeat the kings of the earth and their armies at the Battle of Armageddon.  Finally, we saw the antichrist and false prophet will be seized and cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and Satan (the dragon) will be bound and cast into the abyss for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3).

Today I would like to focus on the closing chapters of the Book of Revelation which spell out the post-Tribulation glory that will unfold following the great battle of Armageddon.  This will be a time of great glory for Jesus.  We will all see His power and might on display, and His promised defeat of evil.  He will avenge the pain that many of us feel when we are oppressed and opposed by the evil forces in this world.

In the Post-Tribulation period, the following events will take place:

• 1,000-Year Reign of Christ and His Saints
• Satan’s Release, Final Condemnation, and Torment
• Great White Throne Judgment
• Creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth
• Description of the New Jerusalem

We summarized these events a couple of sessions ago, but today I want to focus on the scriptures that describe in detail what is to come.

1,000-Year Reign of Christ and His Saints

Revelation 20:

 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I [saw] the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.

 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

Verse 4 teaches that the saints will sit upon thrones and be given judgment, meaning we will help administrate the rule of Christ during the 1,000-year reign.  Verse 4 also addresses those who accept Christ after the Rapture.  They will be beheaded for their refusal to worship the antichrist and receive his mark, but they will be resurrected at the first resurrection (verse 6) and will also reign with Jesus for 1,000 years.  Verse 5 refers to the rest of the dead (non-believers) who will be resurrected for their judgement day at the end of the 1,000 years.  The important thing to remember here from verse 6 is that the saints will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  The antichrist will no longer rule.  Jesus and His saints will rule the earth.

Satan’s Release, Final Condemnation, and Torment

Revelation 20:

 7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison,

 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.

 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

At the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ, Satan will be released, and he again will deceive the nations and gather them for battle, but verse 9 tells us it is not much of a fight because fire will come down from Heaven and devour them.  Satan will then be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where he will be tormented forever, along with the antichrist and the false prophet.  Satan and all forms of evil are gone.

Great White Throne Judgment

Revelation 20:

 11 ¶ And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them.

 12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.

 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one [of them] according to their deeds.

 14 And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire.

 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (NASB)

And so, the main takeaway here is that the Great White Throne Judgment is for non-believers, i.e., those whose names are not written in the book of life.  When we accept Jesus in our heart, our names get written in the book.  Verse 12 tells us the dead will stand before the throne and be judged according to their deeds.  Anyone not listed in the book of life will be thrown into the like of fire.

Let me emphasize here that it is not our good deeds that spare us from this judgment.  We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.  The difference is: we confess our sin, humbly repent, and ask Jesus into our heart to change us.  Further, we confess Him as Lord, and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead.  We are not subject to the Great White Throne Judgment because of the love and mercy of Jesus, His sacrificial death on the cross, and His great Resurrection from the dead.  On the day of the Great White Throne Judgment, we will realize and see the bitter torment we were saved from on the day Jesus drew us to Himself and we submitted.

Creation of the New Heaven and the New Earth

And so, now that all evil has been judged and thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, we can focus on the new Heaven and the new Earth that the Bible promises.

Revelation 21:

 1 ¶ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer [any] sea.

 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them,

 4 and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be [any] death; there shall no longer be [any] mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

 5 And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He *said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.”

 6 And He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.

 7 “He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

 8 “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part [will be] in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

John was given a vision of the new Heaven and the new Earth, as well as the new Jerusalem coming out of Heaven.  Remember Jesus said “…learn the parable from the fig tree…”  The new Jerusalem is the tabernacle; it will house the presence of God on the new Earth.  I love the promises of verses 4 and 5 – He will wipe away every tear, there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain.  All that has passed away and He is making all things new!  Get all that into your spirit!  Verse 7 calls this our inheritance, and verse 8 seals the fate of unbelieving sinners.

Description of New Jerusalem

The Spirit of God provided John with tremendous detail in describing the city of God, the new Jerusalem.

Revelation 21:

 9 ¶ And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

 11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.

 12 It had a great and high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names [were] written on them, which are [those] of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel.

 13 [There were] three gates on the east and three gates on the north and three gates on the south and three gates on the west.

 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them [were] the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

 15 And the one who spoke with me had a gold measuring rod to measure the city, and its gates and its wall.

Note in the following verses the detailed dimensions of the city and how beautiful it will be:

Revelation 21:

 16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

 17 And he measured its wall, seventy-two yards, [according to] human measurements, which are [also] angelic [measurements.]

 18 And the material of the wall was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.

Jasper is described as a gem, such as crystalized quartz.  The wall around Jerusalem will be strong as stone and at the same time beautiful.  The city will be pure gold.

Revelation 21:

21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was a single pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.

 22 And I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God, the Almighty, and the Lamb, are its temple.

 23 And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp [is] the Lamb.

Get the imagery of verse 21 – streets of gold like transparent glass.  No temple is needed because Almighty God and Jesus are the Temple.  Note also in verse 23 there will be no need for the sun or the moon, no need for solar power.  The glory of God and the Lamb will illumine the earth.

Revelation 21:

 27 and nothing unclean and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (NASB)

Revelation 22:

 1 ¶ And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb,

 2 in the middle of its street. And on either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve [kinds of] fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

 3 And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him;

 4 and they shall see His face, and His name [shall be] on their foreheads.

 5 And there shall no longer be [any] night; and they shall not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God shall illumine them; and they shall reign forever and ever.

Notice in Revelation 22:1 that the river of the water of life is clear as crystal and comes directly from the throne of God.  This is significant because the new Heaven and new Earth have no seas (Revelation 21:1).  The old heaven and the old earth have passed away, including the seas.  Our water will not need filtered and tested because it flows from and is purified by God.

The tree of life will yield new fruit every month, and the leaves of that tree will be for the healing of the nations.  There will no longer be sickness requiring the medical industry because the leaves of the tree of life bring healing.  We will live forever into eternity in our re-constituted bodies.  There will be no more curses, no more nighttime, no need for lamps or the light of the sun because the Lord God will illumine us.  Praise Jesus!

The re-appearance of the tree of life is interesting at this point of our existence.  This is the same tree from the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3 that Adam and Eve were prevented from accessing after they sinned.

Genesis 3:

 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

So, we have come full circle in our relationship with Almighty God.  The tree of life provides eternal life, and once they sinned, Adam and Eve no longer qualified for eternal life, so their access (and our access) to the tree was blocked by cherubim and the flaming sword.  Thanks to Jesus, that access is restored to us in the new city of God.

Conclusion

Revelation 22 concludes all this for us.

Revelation 22:

 6 ¶ And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.

 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.”

Revelation 22:

10 And he *said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

 11 “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”

 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward [is] with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.

 13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Revelation 22:

 16 “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.”

 17 And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

We are to have a heart that yearns for Jesus to come quickly.

Revelation 22:

18 I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book;

 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

 20 ¶ He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. (NASB)

John closes with an admonishment to neither add to nor detract from the words of the prophecy of this book.  We have talked in recent weeks about the importance of respecting the word of God, because it is under attack in our world today.  People are discounting the written word as inapplicable to today’s discussion of what sin is and what it is not.  We are warned at the end of the Bible to honor the words of the prophecy of this book.

Let us pray.    

Father God, thank You for the vision You gave John in the Book of Revelation, which now becomes our vision.  Thank You for the hope of Your Word, and the promises in this book.  Thank You that we may rest assured that Your angels will do Your will, and Your Son will defeat evil and establish Your Kingdom on earth, as it now is in Heaven.  We praise You and thank You that Jesus is coming quickly.  And we pray in Jesus’ name for many more to receive Him, that they, like us, may be spared the torment of the Tribulation and eternal condemnation, and instead experience the peace, righteousness, joy, and beauty of Your Kingdom forever. Amen.