Revelation 21:18-27

So to recap, God had to take John far away from the city of New Jerusalem up on a high mountain just so that he would be able to see the entire city b/c this thing was huge. He said the city looked like it was made of a sort flawless diamond type of jewel or giant crystal. God’s glory illuminates the city like light shoot through a crystal giving out multicolored lights. The city is equal on all sides, 1380 miles long, wide and tall so it will be a perfect cube, this this is about the size of the moon. We said last week that this city would be able to hold 20 billion people, each having their own 75 acre cube/mansion to live in with our glorified bodies. The city would still have 75% of the city free to use for whatever else He wanted. This city’s walls will be about 216 feet thick. Both New Testament and Old Testament saints will live in the city.

Revelation 21:18 “The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.” So this massive wall is like one huge solid diamond but the city is made of transparent gold.

Revelation 21:19-20 “The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones: the first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth sardonyx, the sixth sardius, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst.” This is the city that made by God, not man. Hebrews 11:10 “for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” This is the city that God has promised us so let’s take a look at some of these precious stones the city is made of. I read that the jasper stone was a gem of various colors that were precious and clear as crystal. Sapphire is a deep blue gem. Chalcedony is a gem composed of microscopic crystals often milky or grayish in color yet still translucent. Emerald is a transparent green colored gem. Sardonyx is a gem that is reddish-brown and white parallel bands or stripes. Sardius is an orange, red, or brown gem. These are only half of the stones God used to build the walls but can you just imagine a 1380 mile high, 216 feet thick and translucent wall made up of all these precious stones yet all giving out nothing but multi-colored lights shooting everywhere from the Lord’s glory? Wow, it is going to be absolutely gorgeous.

Revelation 21:21 “The twelve gates were twelve pearls: each individual gate was of one pearl. And the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.” Now there will be 12 gates all made of one huge pearl and they may even be the same height as the walls themselves, 1380 miles high. The streets are made of such a pure gold that you can see straight through it. We haven’t seen anything close to this yet, only 24 carrots. This gold sounds like it is 100+ carrots, incredibly pure gold.

Revelation 21:22 “But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” So there will not be a temple or any churches built in this city. Solomon built the 1st temple and it was spectacular. It was destroyed and rebuilt but the rebuilt temple was nowhere near as beautiful as Solomon’s temple so they refurbished that rebuilt temple. Jesus came and said not one stone will be left standing in that temple and that’s exactly what its fate was, literally. Now there is coming one more temple that will be built during the Great Tribulation and Israel are already making plans to begin building that today. They’ve started recruiting and training the priests in sacrificial practices. They even created a museum institute for it but the only thing preventing them from building it right now is the Muslim have that golden dome building that they all go to and pray at in the spot where the temple is supposed to be built. And everybody knows if that is touched, the Jews will have a global war on their hands and soon they will. But this New Jerusalem doesn’t have a temple in it because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The whole point of the temple is for us to fellowship with God so we won’t need one because the entire city will be the Holy of Holies.

Revelation 21:23 “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. The Lamb is its light.” 1 John 1:5 “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” Jesus said in John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” 1 Timothy 6:16 “who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light.” This doesn’t mean that there will be no more sun moon or stars completely though. Psalms 148:3, 6 “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 6 He also established them forever and ever; He made a decree which shall not pass away.” So in the new heavens and new earth we will still have the new sun moon and stars but they won’t be needed to light up the earth b/c God’s glory will do that. Check out what is says about New Jerusalem in Isaiah 60:18-22 “Violence shall no longer be heard in your land, Neither wasting nor destruction within your borders; But you shall call your walls Salvation, And your gates Praise. 19 “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, Nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; But the LORD will be to you an everlasting light, And your God your glory. 20 Your sun shall no longer go down, Nor shall your moon withdraw itself; For the LORD will be your everlasting light, And the days of your mourning shall be ended. 21 Also your people shall all be righteous; They shall inherit the land forever, The branch of My planting, The work of My hands, That I may be glorified. 22 A little one shall become a thousand, And a small one a strong nation. I, the LORD, will hasten it in its time.”

Revelation 21:24 “And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it.” There will be nations on the new earth. Now we don’t know for sure who these nations will be but we do not that the New Jerusalem is not their home because they will be making pilgrimages to it. Don’t get me wrong, they are saved but they will be living in others parts of the new earth outside of New Jerusalem. Some of them are kings so these may be those whom were the most faithful and were persecuted during the Tribulation period so they may be given positions of authority but we really don’t know.

Revelation 21:25 “Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).” This doesn’t necessarily mean that there will be no night in other places around the world, there just won’t be any night in the New Jerusalem b/c the Lord will forever be there.

Revelation 21:26-27 “And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. 27 But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” The pearly gates to this city never close b/c there will be no more need for closed gates. Remember there is no more sin on the New Earth. So this is saying that once God has judged the earth and mankind is separated. Unbelievers will be thrown into the Lake of Fire, maybe some dark star forever. The believers into the New Earth so it’s impossible for any defilement or abomination to into it. We are all just one breath away from eternity that’s why it is soooo important to get it right with Jesus today b/c tomorrow’s not promised. There is still time so today is always the day of salvation. We may not make it through the night. You must make a decision for Jesus Christ b/c if you die without Him as Lord over your life, and it’s possible that you will never have another chance. Choose life by choosing Christ.

Love You Saints

Revelation 21:5-18

Revelation 21:5 “Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” So the Lord says from this point on everything is going to remain young, fresh, and new for eternity. The reason things grow old and die today b/c we are under the curse of sin right now. The curse won’t be completely lifted in the millennial kingdom but it will be here when we’ve moved from time into eternity. Now we would have already, by this time, been made brand new at the Rapture so He’s speaking of everything else. We will receive our glorified bodies when we are raptured so we will be made perfect and brand new. Romans 8:18-25 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” So our spirits have already been made perfect but it’s not until this time that our physical bodies will be made perfect when He comes back but the creation will still be groaning. Sin affected and infected the entire universe. So John was allowed to see this vision on the Island of Patmos and he was told to write all of these things down, not just for his time but for all those after him.

Revelation 21:6 “And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts.” Jesus said it was finished at the cross but here it says it is done. Now there are different levels to our salvation. First we have been saved from the penalty of sin (Hell) and that was due to the work that Jesus accomplished at the cross, hence “It is finished”. Second, we are being saved from the power of sin every day. This is the power of sanctification but this daily process won’t be complete until the Rapture. When we finally see Him we will be like Him with our glorified bodies. Philippians 1:6 “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;” 1 John 3:2 “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.” This is the Rapture. And thirdly, we will finally be saved from the presence of sin and this is the “It is done” here in this verse. This is Jesus speaking here b/c He is the beginning and the end. Jesus said this in Isaiah 41:4 “Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first;”. Isaiah 44:6 ““Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.” Jesus went on to say He will give the fountain of life to the person who thirsts. Remember the woman at the well? John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Jesus used a physical thirst to show a spiritual truth, He is so awesome. When you are stranded and dying of thirst, the only thing you can think about is water, not bills money etc., only water. We all were created with that thirst for Christ in us but the problem is, some ignore that thirst for pure water or try to satisfy it with other substitutions like pop. People will put their trust, faith, and hope into anything and everything else except Christ. They do this b/c they don’t want Him or anybody else controlling their lives except themselves.

Revelation 21:7 “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” Both women and men will be a son of God. And anyone who puts their faith in Christ will be an overcomer.

Revelation 21:8 “But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” Now we’ve all lied and done other things on this list. But this is not a list of sins individually, these are actually categories of sinners. Sinners produce sin but the “called out” ones are a new creation so we now produce new fruits of Christ’s righteousness. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” So these are those who choose to live the life of a sinner even though at any time they were able to repent. They practice sin and these are the one who will be separated from God for an eternity. They choose to turn their backs on the offer of life. They choose to live self-centered lives. Many Americans are being snared in this self-centered trap today. The definition of self-centered is concerned solely or chiefly with one’s own interests, welfare, etc.; engrossed in self; selfish; egotistical, independent. This is one of the main gospels of America today but Jesus wants us to refocus our attention from ourselves and place it back on Him.

Revelation 21:9 “Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” So John sees that same angel that was in chapter 16 which was 1000 years ago but since he’s outside of time it’s like he just saw him. The city is not the bride here but it is being described and identified by the ones whom dwell within it which are the bride.

Revelation 21:10-11 “And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal.” This city is so big that God had to take John far away on top of a mountain just to be able to fully see and appreciate the beauty and size of New Jerusalem. Once John sees it he then begins describing it. The 1st thing John notices about the city is its light so this thing must have been brilliantly bright. But back up, he says “having the glory of God” then goes right into “Her light” so this city must somehow be absorbing His glory, then turning around and radiating it outward into the world. Remember how Moses came down from the mountain after being in the presence of God’s glory and he was literally shining, well this must be what’s happening with the city. So this really is another testament, example and description of the glory of God. John said this city was one big crystal or flawless diamond type of stone. Have you ever seen light shine through a crystal, it’s like a prism and just shoots colors of like everywhere that must be the appearance of this city illuminating light. So John tried to describe this city as best he could. This is going to be the most spectacular sight that the human eye has ever seen.

Revelation 21:12-13 “Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: 13 three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west.” Even though is the bride’s city, she won’t be the only one living in it. The Old Testament saints and also the Tribulation saints will also dwell in the new city. The Jews will live here in this city, not b/c they are Jews but b/c of God’s promise to bring them back to Him.

Revelation 21:14 “Now the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” I believe this just signifies those that dwell in the city. In verse 12 is speaks of the twelve tribes of Israel and here it speaks of the twelve apostles of the Lamb so I believe this shows both Old Testament and New Testament saints will be living here in this city.

Revelation 21:15-16 “And he who talked with me had a gold reed to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 The city is laid out as a square; its length is as great as its breadth. And he measured the city with the reed: twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height are equal.” This shows us that this is a very real city and not symbolic because God does into detail on the measurements of the city. He didn’t want us spiritualizing this city, it is literal. John says “Its length, breadth, and height are equal” so this not just a square on the ground like today’s cities, it is a cube with all equal sides horizontally and vertically. It is said that the city’s walls are 1380 miles high and long cube. Can you imagine that? Remember now, we will have our glorified bodies living in this city so we will be like the angels, no longer limited by gravity so we’re going to be traveling by zipping up and down through this city. This is a humongous city. Think about all the people who have ever lived since Adam and maybe that’s about 100 billion people, give or take 1 or 2. 20% of those people were saved b/c narrow is the Gate, right? That means that around 20 billion people will be living in the city of New Jerusalem. What?!?! How will they fit? Well I’m so glad you asked. It is said that if God gave to every one of those people a 75 acre cube/mansion to live in, that would only take up 25% of this city with 75% left for whatever else God will place in the city so this will be an incredible place.

Revelation 21:17 “Then he measured its wall: one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.” Now here the angel seems to be measuring the wall’s thickness which is 144 cubits. A cubit was considered the distance from the elbow to the tip of your hand. Unfortunately, that varied from person to person but the average is about 18 inches. 18X144=2592 inches=216 feet thick walls. Once again, this is not spiritual, this is literal. John shows us this by saying “according to the measure of a man, that is, of an angel.” Meaning whether this is being measured by a man or an angel, 1 foot is 1 foot.

Revelation 21:18 “The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass.” This gold is so pure that the city is made of that it’s translucent. This is the hope that we’ve been waiting on. This is going to be far beyond anything that we could ever imagine. What John saw was way beyond his ability to describe but he did as best he could. So as you are going through your trials, tribulations, and storms today just keep your eyes on the finish line. Just remember that in the end it is more than worth it. Finish your race well and keep your mind set on Christ through all things in your life. And when you near the end of this test/life just know that now your true life will begin. Having this mindset will cause you to not slow down near the end of your race due to exhaustion but to speed up and run faster. And then once we finally take that last breath and cross that finish line, waiting there with open arms and a huge proud parent smile will be Jesus Christ saying “Well done My faithful servant.”

Love You Saints

Spiritual Warfare 101 (Know your enemy)

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Remember the Disciples couldn’t heal the boy possessed by an impure spirit and they asked Jesus why? Jesus said in Mark 9:29 “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.” Why did he say this kind? He had to have been speaking of certain types of different spirits and this happened to be one of the more stronger ones. So I went to look up some of the definitions of these kinds of spirits that we are at war with.

1.) Kind- a group of people or things that belong together or have some shared quality : a group united by common traits or interests.
2.) Spirit- a supernatural being or essence.
3.) Rulers- a person (such as a king or queen) who rules a country, area, group, etc.
4.) Authorities: the power to give orders or make decisions: the power or right to direct or control someone or something: power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior.
5.) Powers- a political unit (as a nation or state) powerful enough to affect the entire world by its influence or actions.
6.) Forces- violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing.

Wow so let’s put it all together to see exactly who our enemies are.

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Humans), but against the rulers (High ranked supernatural beings who rule over countries, areas, groups, etc.) , against the authorities (High ranked supernatural beings with the power to give orders, make decisions, direct or control someone or something: power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior) against the powers (Very powerful supernatural beings over political units (as a nation or state) powerful enough to affect the entire world by its influence or actions) of this dark world and against the spiritual forces (Strong supernatural beings that use violence, compulsion, or constraint exerted upon or against a person or thing) of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Wow, we are truly in a war and we would be fools to underestimate the power of our enemies. But that God He promised me that greater in is me than he that is in this dark world. So if you want to learn how to fight these demons/fallen angels continue reading all of Ephesians 6. It’s time to spiritually knuckle-up Saints.

Revelation 21:1-4 (New Heaven and New Earth, AKA the Finish line)

This is a long one but it’s well worth it. We don’t hear much about Heaven anymore, not even from our pulpits b/c the main message has now become about blessings now here on earth. But it’s time for each one of us individually to redirect our attention and focus back to the finish line. What is it all for? All of the hurt, pain, trials and tribulations that we experience today has to be for something and this is why we must refocus our attention. It’s difficult to know where you’re at if you’re not clear of where you’re headed. It’s refreshing to know that there’s a light at the end of this dark tunnel and I believe someone needs to know that so let’s get to it. So last time we spoke about Hell but this chapter will be about Heaven.

Revelation 21:1 “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.” This is why God told us Not to love this world nor the things in it b/c they’re all passing away. James 4:4 “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” It doesn’t make sense spending all your time chasing cars, houses, fame, and money if you’re only going to lose them in the end. We Christians have gotten way too friendly with the world. These things are not important b/c they come and go and are temporal. But we should be spending our time chasing after Christ and His righteousness which are eternal. So here it says that John saw a new heaven and new earth b/c the old one had passed away. In this chapter we have now moved from time into eternity, after the 1000 year Millennium. So all of judgments for both believers, unbelievers, Satan and his followers are now over and we are finally have finally crossed the finish line. All of sin has been from the entire universe and everything has been made brand stankin new. God is going to recreate a new heaven and earth. Isaiah 65:17-18 ““For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness.” So this shows that by the time we enter into eternity, God is going to wipe away any memory we have of this present world. He’s actually going to wipe our memory banks clean. He’s going to create which only He can, meaning making an entire new thing out of nothing. But how is this going to happen? 2 Peter 3:10-13 “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. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Dissolve means to undo (a tie or bond); break up (a connection, union, etc.). It means to break up a connection or bond. That brings us to Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” Consist means to be comprised or contained. So all things are held together by Jesus, both visible and invisible. This includes the atoms in which everything in made up of. In science class we learned that the atom is made up of neutrons, protons, and electrons. Electrons have a negative charge. Neutrons and protons are positively charged particles. We learn from placing magnets together that likes repel and opposites attract. Line up the positive side with the positive and the negative with the negative and they push away from each other right. Line up the negative with the positive and it pulls together. Have you ever thought about why don’t all of the positively charged protons in the atom push away from one another which would cause the atom to split? When an atom is split a huge amount of energy is released. The amount of atomic material used in the Atom Bomb was only about the size of a dime so there’s a lot of power in an atom. Scientists still to this day cannot figure out what is holding the atom together and why the protons aren’t repelling like they naturally should. But we know because God told us. The bible says Jesus holds all things together by the word of His power. But some day He is going to just let go. Then all of the atoms that make up the universe are going to do what they should naturally be doing and split. It will be an atomic explosion the size of the entire universe and ALL things existing will literally be vaporized. Everything will be melted and dissolve in an instant and this is exactly what Peter was explaining. 2 Peter 3:10-13 “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. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” Can you now begin to see the power of Jesus? WOW!!!
John also said he saw a new heaven. In the bible we learn of 3 heavens. The 1st is the atmospheric heaven consisting of the air we breathe where the birds fly. The 2nd heaven the outer space that consist of the sun, moon, stars and planets. And the 3rd heaven is the Heaven of heavens where God Himself dwells and this one is beyond the 2nd heaven. It’s not a concept or metaphor, it’s a real literal place. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:2 “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” Lol, he couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive b/c it was unlike anything he had ever heard. It seems like he wasn’t even allowed to open his eyes. But here John talks about a new heaven so this has to be a new 1st and new 2nd heaven because the 3rd Heaven where God dwells is already perfect. Then John says at the end of verse 1 that there will be no more sea. I don’t know why God is going to get rid of the ocean and seas but I tell the truth I will miss them. I love being on the water, on it not in it. I guess the earth today needs water which is why it cover 70% of the earth but when He destroys this one and creates a new perfect earth, the reason we needed it before will cease to exist. But that doesn’t mean there will be absolutely no more water b/c there will but the new earth will no longer be covered with it.

Revelation 21:2 “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Now the new heavens and the new earth will be spectacular things to see but they dwarf to the glorious sight of this New Jerusalem John sees coming down from heaven and touchdown on the new earth. It is the only city that ever existed that will be truly holy but right now that’s not the case for any city including Jerusalem. This New Jerusalem is not heaven but it is heaven’s capital on the new earth. John says it was “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Everyone knows the bride is the absolute main attraction of all weddings. Everybody is there to see the bride wrapped up in all her beauty as she makes her entrance, all heads turn. That’s exactly how this entry moment of this city will be. This city has been prepared which is exactly the word Jesus used when He said “I go to prepare a place for you”. So this city is the fulfillment of the promise Jesus gave us over 2000 years ago. If God made this present earth in 6 days, can you imagine the sight of this new city that He’s been working on for 2000 years? It’s going to be awesome! Hebrews 11:16 “But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.” And even when God first called Abraham, this city was promised to him in Hebrews 11:8-10 “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Abraham had his heart set on, not any city on this earth, but the new city which is to come and all Christians should be the same. The earth is no longer our home even though we currently reside here.

Revelation 21:3 “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.” The most important thing about this new city is not its beauty, even though that will be like nothing ever seen before, but the fact that God will live there. What are you looking forward to seeing when you go to heaven? Is it looking forward to spending an eternity with all of your saved family members you lost? Is it the new city made up of prescious jewels? Are you looking forward to being to travel across the galaxy with just a thought and then you’re there? Or is it simply being next to God? If it’s anything other than the last option then you and I really need to refocus on the one thing truly matters, Jesus. We need to ask ourselves if God wasn’t there but heaven was just as beautiful, would it bother me? Have you ever asked yourself this question b/c I did and I became instantly convicted? I had to ask God to purge that out of my heart b/c I wanted to fall madly back in love with Him. And if you can honestly say that you don’t think it would bother you that much then you also need to ask Him to change you. I hear people speak about heaven and hear a lot of reasons why they look forward to going but rarely to I here to spend an eternity with God. It’s time to refocus saints and go back to our first love. God will dwell with His people. He did it in the Garden of Eden and also later on with His people at the tabernacle. Then He did it later at the Temple with the Shekinah glory. And finally when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, Jesus Christ. So God dwells with us in a very real way and will do it literally in this new city. He loves to fellowship with His people. He loves it when we spend time with Him.

Revelation 21:4 “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.” Psalms 56:8 “You number my wanderings; Put my tears into Your bottle; Are they not in Your book?” God records every single tear we shed because He cares.” There may still be tears in the Millennium due to our stubborn family members but tears will be no more in eternity which are the new heaven and the new earth. No more pain, heartache, or anything negative. We will finally have the fullness of joy. I CAN’T WAIT. 

Revelation 20:11-15 (Judgment Day for Unbelievers)

Revelation 20:11 “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” In these 5 verses we will be dealing with the reality of Hell. Today, Hell is not preached too much in our churches because it’s not a popular topic like blessings or money. It doesn’t build congregations but it’s something the Church must get back to. Jesus said in John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” So we learn from Christ that there is going to be 2 big resurrections. One is the resurrection of life which is for believers and the other will be the resurrection of condemnation and that’s for unbelievers. Remember it said these two were separated by at least 1000 years in Revelation 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.” 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” But one day all unbelievers will have to stand before Jesus for their sentencing and this is called the Great White Throne judgment. Most people believe they are good people so they think they will make it into Heaven based off of their “goodness” but they’re so wrong. Here we see this great white throne and we are looking at the Supreme Court of the entire world here. This judgment is not for believers who will be judged for their works and given gifts/rewards accordingly and this happens at the Rapture. But for unbelievers, their judgment will take place 1000 years later and it will be them paying for their own sins. It’s called the great throne b/c its supreme and there is no higher authority. It’s called the white throne b/c of the fair and perfect judgments that comes from it. Finally an honest Judge, lol. Then it says “Him who sat on it” and this is none other than Jesus Christ. We learn this in John 5:22,27 “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son. 27 and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man.” Then John goes on to say “from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.” He’s basically showing us that this present heaven and earth will one day all pass away literally, they vanish.

Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” We only see a Judge but no jury nor any lawyers here at this Supreme Court. That’s because this is not a trial, it’s a sentencing. They have already been found guilty. These are all in their natural bodies again and are literally standing in front of Christ. When the bible talks about a person dying it always says “sleep” but that’s speaking of their physical bodies being asleep until they are raised here at the Judgment. John says he saw both small and great and this is speaking of their prior earthly status. Both the kings/presidents and the homeless/slaves will stand before Him. All of those who lived their lives like the song, “I did it my way” are standing here. These are all who rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ which could have saved them from this sentencing. They are standing before the One who loved them and gave Himself for them just so they could be saved and now are being are standing before that same One who offered them the only way out but was rejected.

Revelation 20:13 “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works.” Death is the physical grave that the body is buried in to (sleep) and Hades is the place where the soul (fully conscious/all senses) goes until this resurrection and here the two are united again. Lots of people’s bodies have been burned up or dissolved at sea but this is no problem for God b/c we’re made up of adams so He just has to put our adams back together again. It says Jesus Christ will judge these unsaved people based off of their works which are written in books. I believe one of these books is the bible, the word of God. Jesus said in John 12:48 “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.” The bible is God’s righteous standard and a lot of people will be standing before Him because they were hearers of the word but not doers. Yes they went to church every week, and even did great things all in the name of Christ but the problem was they did it to exalt themselves in man’s eye instead of doing it to exalt Christ. Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day (this judgment day), ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” They are judgment not about their knowledge of the Truth but their lifestyles of the Truth. Everybody has the knowledge of God through His creation (testimony of His existence) and our conscious(law written on our hearts, morality) so there is no excuse no matter what part of the world you live in, we all will have a choice to make even if you never see one bible in your life. Another book may be those things we find in Colossians 2:14 “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” So this book is a record that has all of the charges against them throughout their lifetime. Every thought word and action that’s a sin against God must be paid for and they’re all written in this book. Thank God the debt has already been paid for believers by the same One they will be judged by, Jesus Christ. They will stand before God and watch each sin on the big screen in front of them and for all to see. People say they will be able to plead their case on this day but they fail to realize their case was already declared guilty in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. We all were born sinners. Jesus didn’t come for the good people but He came for all of those who were pronounced guilty. We, as believers, were given a pardon for this judgment day here. Today Jesus is our righteous Savior but tomorrow He will be their righteous Judge. They have already been found guilty so the purpose for this great white throne judgment is to determine their degree of punishment in Hell. Same as believers will be judged by our degree of rewards in Heaven based off of our good works in this life but there are degrees of punishment in Hell. Jesus said in Matthew 11:20-24 “Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 22 But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. 24 But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.” So those who have more exposure to the Truth but still rejected Him will be punished more severely than those whom had less exposure. Luke 12:47-48 ‘And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. 48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” This is the degree of punishment that unbelievers will receive for an eternity in Hell.

Revelation 20:14-15 “Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” So this is the 3rd Book that unbelievers will be judged by, the Book of Life. Every person’s name that has ever been born on this earth has been written into the Book of Life. Now if they go through their whole life refusing to accept Christ then their name is blotted out. Now God already knew about the redeemed (those accepting Christ as their Savior) before we were ever born, even before the foundation of the world never to be blotted out. Jesus said in Luke 10:20 “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” We’re now citizens of Heaven. But these standing at the great white throne judgment all names have been blotted out of the Book of Life and now their sentence is about to be carried out. The bible calls this the 2nd death, the 1st being their physical bodies and the 2nd being thrown eternally into the Lake of Fire, both body and soul. The Lake of Fire is what we call Hell and it lasts forever with no hope of ever getting out. Jesus said in Matthew 22:13 “Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Jude 1:13 “raging waves of the sea (unbelievers), foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Now we don’t know exactly where this place is located only that it is in the outer darkness and this could actually be another planet or star of fire, we don’t know. Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” So after you’ve heard the Gospel, and you reject and go on living in sin then there is nothing left for you. There is no other possible way for you to be saved and all that’s left is judgment. If this is you, ask Jesus to come into your heat and forgive you of your sins. Repent and turn from your wicked ways. Ask Him to be your Savior and then begin living your life for Him. Please, I beg you, accept Christ while you still have time!!! The time of the Kingdom is always now.

Love you Saints

Revelation 20:7-10

Revelation 20:7 “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison”. So once again we see here that after Jesus’s 1000 reign here on the earth, Satan will be released from the bottomless pit. But why on earth will Jesus release Satan from Prison? Because God is love and love requires a choice. Last time we showed how there will be people entering the Millennium still with their original bodies and they have kids, then those kids have kids and so on. The conditions of the will be restored to Garden of Eden type and Satan and his demons will be in prison so these kids will have never experienced temptation or hardship like their parents. They never had the option of choosing God and that’s a must for every man and woman. So I believe the Lord releases Satan to tempt these millennial kids who’ve never been tempted nor tested so they never had a chance to exercise their free will. Remember lifespan will be restored to 900-1000 years again and there will be a great population explosion in these perfect conditions so we’re talking millions and maybe even billions of kids being born. God will never force anybody into Heaven so this is God’s last time giving unbelievers a chance to choose Him. These children will be born with a fallen nature so they won’t enter the Millennium with their glorified bodies like the 3 groups of saints. They will finally be given the choice to continue bowing their knee to Jesus or will they now choose to rebel after Satan tempts them. Many of these people will not receive or choose Jesus Christ when they are finally given the chance. These are the last unsaved people just before the world’s eternal state called Heaven.

Revelation 20:8 “and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.” Now this Gog and Magog is not the same as the one in Ezekiel 38 and 39 so don’t confuse them. Ezekiel 38:2 ““Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him”. Here in Ezekiel Gog is the leader of this land of Magog. Magog were the descendants of Noah’s grandson. These people are the ancestors of today’s Russian people. So Gog is the leader of Russia. Right after the Rapture and right before the Tribulation, Gog will lead his Russian army along with several Muslim nations in a war against Israel. There will be nuclear exchange, the Antichrist will then step on the scene and bring peace then the world will flock to him. Now the Gog and Magog here in Revelation 20 is a totally different battle. The one in Ezekiel involve the armies from the north but this one includes the armies of all nations from every direction, a total world war. The armies of Ezekiel 39 are destroyed in the mountains but the armies here in Revelation 20 are destroyed in a broad plain. The battle in Ezekiel takes place prior to the Tribulation period and the battle in Revelation takes place at the end of the Millennial kingdom. I believe the Ezekial battle is a foreshadowing of the final battle where God directs our attention to something much greater that’s headed our way, like He does throughout the bible and this is why He used the terms Gog and Magog again. Also it could be a reference to the same spiritual demonic forces that lead the battle in Ezekiel are the same demonic forces that lead the battle in Revelation 20.

Revelation 20:9 “They went up on the breadth of the earth (that great plain) and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.” This beloved city is the city of Jerusalem and one day it will be the center of the universe b/c it will be where the Lord’s throne is. This is where all of his saints will also dwell. Some of them surround Him and worship Him and at the same time the enemy is gathering the largest army ever known to mankind together to go and do war against the Lord. Then all of a sudden they attack! But it’s not a battle at all b/c the Lord reigns down fire from Heaven and just disintegrates them. Their souls will go into Hades, that temporary holding place of torment, where all unbelievers currently go when they die.

Revelation 20:10 “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” So this was Satan’s last hoorah overthrow the Lord. I’m really not sure why he thought he could actually defeat the Creator of all things or if he even believed he actually had a chance. Maybe it is just a case of misery loves company so he’s gathering as many as he can to go down with him, I’m not sure. He’s a super intelligent being but this logic here is just as dumb as you can get. This guy really has a god-complex. But he’s going to be thrown straight into the lake of fire and brimstone, this is the place we call Hell. Satan won’t be ruling in Hell like some believe, but he will be tormented like everybody else. But notice how it said Satan got cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the Antichrist and false prophet already are. Those two guys are already there at that point. This shows there is no such thing as annihilationism, meaning Hell is not eternal but instead as soon as you hit the lake of fire you instantly cease to exist. But this shows these two guys have already been in there for at least 1000 years. Hell is real folks just as Heaven is real and they are both eternal.

Are we serving a true gospel and the Real Jesus today or are we serving a false gospel and worshipping a false Christ?

Are we serving a true gospel and the Real Jesus today or are we serving a false gospel and worshipping a false Christ?

1 Timothy 6:3-5 “If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, 4 he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.”

Acts 20:25-31 “And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”

We are living in a day and age when a majority of Christians believe in a false gospel. I know it’s hard to believe this statement and you may even disagree with it but it is true. Majority of today’s Christians believe in a false gospel, a different Jesus than the One in the bible, and a different spirit other than the Holy Spirit. They believe God is only love and that He’s a God that doesn’t judge nor brings His wrath to sinners. They say things like “It doesn’t matter what I do b/c my God always forgives me, I don’t have to do true and holy repentance. My God wants above all for me to have fun and enjoyment. And as a matter of fact, He gives me health and wealth so that I can enjoy the things of this present life.”

Lots of Christians believe that a person becomes Christian by just deciding to accept the facts about Jesus in the Bible. But if salvation was depended on knowledge of Him, wouldn’t Satan make it in to Heaven also? I mean, didn’t he know Him before the earth was even created? Doesn’t he go to Him constantly to ask permission to put us through tribulations? This is simply foolishness and it’s just an excuse for people to continue living in their sins. They don’t have to produce any fruit of the Holy Spirit. So they say “Once saved always saved” so they sin even more than they did before they came into this knowledge. But you have to seriously question rather you were ever saved from the beginning. These are carnal Christians. Majority of Christians say Carnal Christians are truly saved and are going to Heaven. They can enjoy the pleasures of many sins here on earth and the pleasures of eternal life in Heaven. They can live like the rich man here and still have the good life of Lazarus in Heaven. They say that it doesn’t matter because we’re coved by grace regardless. The carnal Christian says, “Let me sin more so that grace may abound.” The God of a carnal Christian is an imaginary and made-up God. Their God never says no to their requests. But continuing in this mindset and lifestyle will eventually cause you to deny Hell and eternal judgment.

Pleasure is their main focus so doing whatever it is that would make them happy is what you would usually hear from them. They say things like, “Work hard to make more money to buy more things and to feel happier. Let us eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we will die!” But we see these types of False Gospels throughout the bible. In Genesis 3:2 the serpent challenged Eve: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Then he told her the different false gospel: “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said her. ‘For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil'” Adam and Eve were both deceived by this false gospel and they lost their glory that God gave to them. It resulted in us becoming naked, afraid, miserable, in pain, tired from now having to work the grounds, pests, diseases, death, and Hell. This is what results from Christians believing in a different Jesus, a different gospel, and a different spirit. The real Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Another example is in Exodus 32:1-8 when the people said “Come, let us make gods who will go before us” so they made up a golden calf and worshipped it calling it God. The next morning they got up and offered burnt offering to it then later on began to take part in sexual acts and immortality.

This is the same today, people like a different Jesus and a different gospel b/c they want the freedom to enjoy the pleasures of any and every sin. These people were out of control and so are today’s carnal Christians. Another example was Solomon who was a great man of wisdom that was given to him by the Holy Spirit. He was led astray by his wives to worship other gods. He abandoned the word of God and took on the belief of multiple gods and beliefs along with the true living God. This is spiritual adultery, fornication, and all out spiritual orgy against the true living God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We can’t live like hell Monday through Saturday then live like heaven Sunday morning. Noooo, it doesn’t work that way. The living true God is a very jealous God and has commanded us to be and live lifestyles of holiness b/c He Himself is holy. We as individual Christians collectively are the Church. And the time of the lukewarm Church is over. It’s time for true sound doctrine to enter back into our churches. It’s time for us to set aside creating false Christs and false teachings just to have our itching ears scratched. Stop believing what the world teaches about the living God and open up the bible and learn about yourself. Playtime is over. It’s time for the Church to stop using God as a tool to serve your true God, Mammon. It’s time for the Church to stop using God as a tool to serve your true God, Self. It’s time for the Church to stop building our own kingdoms and start building His. It’s time for the Church to stop begging for blessings and start figuring out how we can instead bless Him. The hour is near and the time is now saints. But in order to get things changed it must first start individually with both you and I. It’s time us to take a look in that mirror.

James 1:23-25 “For if anyone only listens to the Word without obeying it and being a doer of it, he is like a man who looks carefully at his [own] natural face in a mirror; 24 For he thoughtfully observes himself, and then goes off and promptly forgets what he was like. 25 But he who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).”

Luke 18:8 “ I tell you, He will defend and protect and avenge them speedily. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find persistence in] faith on the earth?”

Revelation 20:3-5

Revelation 20:2-3 “And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.” This bottomless pit that Satan is going to be thrown into is so horrific but it is not Hell. It is the same place where a group of the worst fallen angels are locked up in right now. This place is also called the Abyss. The only place in the earth where there can be a bottomless pit would have to be in the very center of the earth b/c in the center every direction is up. Now in chapter 9 we learned that there was a shaft that led from this pit to the surface of the earth. So Satan is going to be bound here for 1000 years then it says but after the 1000 years are finished Satan will be released once again. You have to ask yourself, “Why in the world would the God let him go free?” The answer is b/c he is still serving the purposes of God, even though Satan doesn’t know it but he’s being used for our greater good. But not only will Satan be cast into this bottomless pit for 1000 years but all of his minions and fallen angels will be locked too. Isaiah 24:21-22 “On that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. 22 They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.”

Revelation 20:4 “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” So let’s start with these thrones that John saw. Who is it that is seated on these thrones in the position of authority? In the Millennium there will be three different groups of people. 1.) The Old Testament saints. Daniel 7:18, 22, 27 “But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.’ 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints (OT Saints) possessed the kingdom. And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’ 2.) The Church Saints which are all of us. Matthew 19:28 “Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” So the 12 Apostles will sit on the throne but not just them. 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 “Or do you not know that the saints (NT Saints) will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels (fallen angels)? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” Revelation 20:6 “Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 2:26-27 “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father.” So Jesus makes it clear that we are going to rule with Him. Jesus also says in Revelation 3:21 “To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.” So Christians now in this Church age will one day rule with the Lord in His Millennial Kingdom. 3.) The 3rd group is the Tribulation saints. Revelation 20:4 “Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life (all 3 groups) and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” Jesus will be the King of kings Who will rule over everybody. But if we’ve been faithful in this life He will make us rulers over cities and reigning over the people of the earth. Think about this, when the Kingdom age first begins there won’t be any unbelievers on the face of the earth. This is b/c when He returns He cast all unbelievers into Hades. But a lot of people who are still alive when He returns, Christians who converted back to Him after the Rapture, will make enter into the Millennium. During the Millennium they will marry and have kids and their kids will have kids. Plus lifespan will be restored back to the days when man was living to be 900-1000 years old. Sickness will be almost none existent. It will be like the Garden of Eden days all over again. There will be a population explosion on the earth. Majority of them will have been born during the Millennium so they will not have experienced life without Christ as the absolute Ruler. They will have never experienced life during the Great Tribulation as their parents did nor will they have experienced life before the Tribulation as we are. They will have only known the best conditions and living environment ever on this earth. It sort of remind me of when you see these spoiled kids on television whose parents are filthy rich and they’ve never experienced a day of struggle in their lives. There will be no more wars, injustice crime, or evil. We who are with Christ, the 3 different groups of saints, will be given authority by Him to make sure things remain that way and we will reign over this very large population.

Revelation 20:5 “But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.” This 1st resurrection relates back to verse 4 where it said all 3 groups of saints were brought back to life and lived and reigned with Christ for 1000 years. Now if the bible says “this is the first resurrection” then there has to be at least a second one. Jesus taught this in John 5:28-29 “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” These 2 resurrections are separated by at least 1000 years as we just learned here in verse 5. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (Believers) 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming.” So the “rest of the dead” are the unbelievers who will be a part of the 2nd resurrection after the Millennium. Until next time.

Love you saints

Revelation 20:1-2

Revelation 20:1-2 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,” Well you can’t have a perfect environment or a perfect kingdom with Satan still running around on earth so here the Lord has an angel to bound Satan with some type of chain that he’s not able to escape from. He is then cast into the bottomless pit for 1000 years. This is the first time Satan actually gets bound. Now we pray lots of times by saying “Satan I bind you in the name of Jesus” but there’s no way we could ever bind Satan and the won’t actually happen until the Millennial Kingdom gets established. Now what we should be praying instead is for the Lord to protect us from Satan and his oppression and persecution. Also we should pray for the Lord to use us to spread His gospel so that we could take territory away from Satan by winning souls but it’s just simply not possible for us to bind Satan. If you don’t agree with me just check out what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul couldn’t bind Satan, he could only ask the Lord 3 times to handle the situation for him. Satan can’t do anything unless he gets God’s permission first and He allows it to show that in our weaknesses He makes us strong so it’s only to strengthen us. He also allows it b/c it keeps us on our knees, not depending on our own strength but depending on His. Paul says in Romans 8:28-29 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” So He also allows Satan to attack us b/c it conforms us more and more into the image of Jesus. Satan is serving the purposes of God and don’t even realize it, he’s being used. The Lord didn’t make us as robots so He gave us free will, the freedom to choose. Satan has become one of the two options that we can freely choose from. We will either choose Jesus or we can choose the devil but that choice is ours to make. Satan just wants to attack us but God allows these attacks to teach us how to persevere under pressure and to look more like His Son. So if it were possible for us to bind Satan and God’s the One allowing these attacks to build us then we would be going against His purposes. We don’t just submit to Satan either. 1 Peter 5:8-10 “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him (Not bind him), firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” So Peter says not to bind the devil but resist him by puuting on the whole armor of God every day, spending time in prayer and the word every day. If we could bind the devil then why in the world does he keep getting loose? We need some better chains or something lol. So where does this binding of Satan comes from? Matthew 12:29 “Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house.” They say Satan is the strong man therefore we must bind him. But if we look closer to the text it’s actually Jesus Who binds the strong man, not us. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 12:30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Now Christ bound the devil in part at Calvary but Satan won’t be ultimately bound until the Millennium Kingdom. Another scripture for the basis of binding Satan that’s used is in Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you, you are Peter, and (on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” So they say this shows us that we have the power to bound Satan and loose the blessings of God. So He’s telling Peter He’s giving him the keys to the Kingdom right? Let’s just say I decide to go away on vacation and I decide to give my friend the keys to my house. I tell my friend I have a repair man coming over in a couple of days while I’m gone so could he please let him in for me. Now it should go w/o saying that he is only to let the repair man in and no one else but I give him the authority to do so. Binding used to mean rejecting and loosing meant accepting. So it meant when you go forth with the gospel whoever receives it then you have loosed them and they’ve been accepted into the Kingdom. Jesus gives us the authority to go out into the world and preach His word and whoever receives it will be accepted into His kingdom, they are loose. But whoever rejects His word then they are bound and they cannot enter into His kingdom. This is what this scripture really means. Also Jesus said in Luke 10:19 “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Now I don’t believe Jesus meant this literally b/c there have been many missionaries and Christians who have been killed for their faith and there will be many more. What I think He was saying to us was that nothing will hurt us in the sense of eternal. They can kill the body but they could never kill your soul so they can’t take your eternal life from you but this is not binding Satan. So what is this authority to trample on scorpions? Jesus says in Matthew 28:18-20 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” So Jesus bound the strong man at the cross then began gathering a great harvest of souls by spreading His gospel. He then turned to His Church and said I’m going back to My Father so I’m now giving you this authority to go out and preach His gospel. Whoever receives your words will be loosed from the devil’s power and accepted into My kingdom. Whoever rejects it will be bound and kept out of the kingdom. We trample on serpents and destroying the works of the devil by spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that’s our authority. Spiritual warfare is not about words that you say to bind Satan, a quick fix, it’s about our daily walk. Walk with God everyday, putting on the whole armor of God, and staying prayed up. We’ve been promised victory but you can’t have victory without a fight. We have to be soldiers but it will cost us some things. There has to be sacrifice, training and fighting until the victory is won. Too many of us want victory w/o the fight, we don’t want to put the effort in. This is not about a verbal formula that we can just say to win, it’s not biblical. Satan is a powerful opponent but he’s nothing compared to the Lord and greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. God has already promised us that if we draw close to Him and resist the devil then he will flee like he did Jesus in the wilderness. Stay strong in the faith saints.

Love

Introduction to Revelation 20

Most churches today aren’t teaching about the these verses of the bible in Revelation 20 anymore but today we’re going to touch on the Millennium which is the 1000 year reign of Christ here on this earth, literally. But this one will be sort of an introduction to chapter 20. There are 3 major views on the Millennial Kingdom of Christ. 1.) Amillennialism- means no millennium. This view is held by the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, and the Reformed Church so it’s a widely held view by a large part of the Church. Those who have this view don’t believe the 1000 years is a literal time but moreso symbolic. So they will back it up with scriptures like Psalms 90:4 “For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.” And 2 Peter 3:8 “But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” The writer here is not taking these words symbolically. They are simply saying that a thousand years to the Lord is not like a thousand years to us because He’s outside of time. But they this is more spiritual so they say we are in the Millennial Kingdom right now. They say that the binding of Satan is spiritually what Jesus did at the cross. Satan is not bound yet b/c he walks around seeking whom he can devour. Yes he’s was defeated at the cross but he has not received his sentence yet and that will come at the 2nd Coming. But if they’re view point is true and we’re in the Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom now and this is as good as it get, Lord help us. The bible uses this 1000 year term 6 times b/c it’s exactly what God meant, 1000 years literally. 2.) Post-Millennialism- is the belief that the 1000 years is a literal period of time but they believe Jesus will return at the End of the 1000 years. This is what “Kingdom Now” or Dominion Theology” is today. They believe that Christians need to take over positions of power and government so that we can change the laws and Christianize the world. They believe we are going to clean up this world for Christ and then He will come back. 3.) Pre-Millennialism- belief that the 1000 years is a literal period of time that will began almost immediately after the 2nd Coming of Jesus to the earth. The view believes that it is Jesus and not the Church that will bring the Millennial Kingdom to the earth. And when He comes He will reign over and on the earth for 1000 years and Satan will be locked up, literally bound the entire 1000 year period. I believe this is the correct view on chapter 20, so I am Pre-Tribulational (Rapture before the 7 year Trib) and I am Pre-Millennial. So let’s recap a little. Now we have to remember that when these books of the bible were written they weren’t separated by chapters and verses, they were all just one continuous flow so is good for us to read the last chapter before the chapters we really want to read just so that we could get a better understanding. So if we remember last time in chapter 19 Jesus had come back and the Antichrist had gathered all of the armies of the world to literally do battle against Jesus in the Valley of Megiddo which is called Battle of Armageddon. There really is no battle b/c He just speaks a word (the same word He used to speak this world into existence) and they literally just blow up and there is blood everywhere. After this there will still be 100s of thousands, maybe even millions of people still left here on the earth. So He will they send out His angels to go and gather the rest of the people together for a mandatory meeting. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 13:47-50 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. 48 When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” And ofcourse we know the righteous will be allowed to enter the Millennium Kingdom. This judgment is going to take a little time before the kingdom age can officially begin. Daniel 12:11 “And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.” God gave Daniel this prophecy. So from the time that the AC will come into the temple and demands to be worshiped as God to him stopping the sacrifices to the Almighty God will be 1290 days before the Lord returns. The lasts half of the Tribulation is called a “time, times, and half a time” with means 3 ½ years. It’s also called in Revelation 11:2 as “42 months” and a prophetic biblical month is always 30 days. So in Revelation 11:3 the Lord multiplies the 42 months by the 30 days an says this period of time will be 1290 days but 42X30=1260 days. Where did the extra 30 days come from? So you got 1260 days from when the AC goes into the Holy of Holies and demands to be worshipped to the end of the Tribulation but Daniel talks about 1290 days and then he says there’s a blessing for the one who makes it to the 1335th day, so this is an additional 45 days added on to the 1290 days. How do we explain the extra 75 days? Daniel doesn’t tell us why so we have to kind of speculate where these two extra time periods come from (30+45 extra days). This is why I believe when Jesus comes it will take a little while for Him to tie a few loose ends up. There will be a couple of judgments that have to take place before His Millennial Kingdom age begins and this come and this could be the reason for the extra 75 days here. Matthew 25:31-46 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ 41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” So this would definitely explain the time extra 75 day period before the Millennium Kingdom officially begins. So next time we will go ahead and dive right into Revelation 20 but I really just wanted to sort of give a sort of background to it first just so that we could have a clearer understanding of what’s going on once we began this chapter. Love You Saints