Content:
- The Millennial Kingdom
- The Great White Throne Judgement
The Millennial Kingdom
After Jesus has returned and defeated Antichrist and his armies, the millennial
kingdom begins (Dan 2:41–45, Zechariah 14:9, Rev 11:15). It will last for 1000 years with Jesus Jesus ruling the Earth (Rev 20:6). Jerusalem will be the capital of the world (Isaiah 60:14). King David will then rule over Israel, also from Jerusalem (Ezekiel 34:23–24, 37:24–25, Jer 30:9, Hos 3:5), see the end of The Valley of Dry Bones. One reason to this event may be to show what life can be like when it's governed in righteousness. The Christian believers with their resurrected immortal bodies will judge the world during this time (Rev 2:26, 3:21, 20:4, 6, 1 Cor 6:1–3).
The people of the first resurrection who will be part of the millennial kingdom include those who participated in The Rapture, but also those who afterwards died for Christ (Rev 20:5b–6a). These people have been given immortal resurrected bodies. They will no longer have their sinful nature, see time 26:16–28:05 in September 2024 Bible Q&A.
The unbelievers who have died before Jesus returned, or died during the battle when Jesus returned, will be in Hell (Rev 19:21, 20:5a). Antichrist and the false prophet have been cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Rev 19:20). See Hell and Lake of Fire in What Does the Bible Say about Hell?
Satan is locked in the Abyss, preventing him from deceiving anyone during these 1000 years (Rev 20:1–3), see Abyss in What Does the Bible Say about Hell?
There will also be mortal people at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.
They are part of the people who lived and survived when Jesus returned, see
The Sheep and the Goats. These people will have children and die during this time. They will be able to learn what life on Earth is like with Jesus in charge, but they will still have their sinful nature (Zechariah 14:16–17), see time 29:11–31:57 in
Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │February 2024.
The immortal people have received their resurrected bodies, see The Rapture, and will have the old sinful nature no more. These resurrected bodies will then look like they are described in The Resurrection of Jesus. These immortals will execute
judgements, see time 15:54–18:06 in Bible Q & A With Pastor Paul │ January 2024.
For information about who will populate the Earth during the millennial kingdom,
see also time 18:43–19:27 in Bible Q&A with Pastor Paul │ November 2023.
The Millennial Kingdom in The Prophecies of Isaiah.
When the 1000 years are over, Satan will be released and come out to deceive
many of the mortals to gather them to battle (Rev 20:7–8). The reason Satan is released is that following Jesus most be a free choice. It will be a test to see who wants to follow Jesus. The desire to sin and rebel against God will cause some mortals to follow Satan (Rom 7:21–25a, Jer 17:9, Psalm 51:5 (7 in some translations)). They will attack Israel, but fire will come down from heaven and consume them (Rev 20:9). Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire to be punished forever (Rev 20:10). Watch also time 22:28–29:09 in
Isaiah 65-66 – Our Ultimate Destiny: Worship or the Worm?
The purposes of the millennial kingdom are as follows:
- To fulfill God's promises to the Jewish nation. Israel will then
have the borders that God promised Abraham, see The Life of Abraham. - Another promise is that Jesus as Messiah would rule on Earth.
God is faithful in fulfilling his promises. - To show that mankind will rebel against God even if they live in a perfect kingdom, to test man in such an environment. It removes all excuses we have. See this explained further at 32:14–39:07 in Revelation 19-20.
The Great White Throne Judgement
After the millennial kingdom, there will be a judgement at the Great White Throne (Rev 20:11–13, 2 Cor 5:10–11a, 1 Pet 3:15). It's Jesus who passes the judgement
(John 5:22–29), see time 10:25–11:50 in John 5:19-47 – Opposed by Unbelief. Jesus is therefore on this throne, see God's Throne in Heaven. The born again believers who participated in The Rapture and those who received Jesus as their Lord and Savior afterward won't be judged at the Great White Throne because their sins have already been judged. Jesus took their sins on the cross.
All dead people who didn't know Jesus, who are in Hell without bodies, will be judged. All those who haven't surrendered their lives to Jesus then stand before the judgement at the Great White Throne. The people who reject God, reject Jesus, are at this throne for judgement and condemnation. They are judged according to what they have done (Rev 20:13). They are thrown into the Lake of Fire
(Rev 20:14, 21:8, 22:15). All whose names aren't written in the Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:15), see the importance of Sanctification.
See also The Parables of the Talents and the Ten Minas.
Jesus loves all people and doesn't want anyone to go to Hell or to the Lake of Fire (John 3:16, 2 Pet 3:9b), see Salvation. But he is also a holy and just God, see
God's Attributes, and therefore sin must be punished. He can't go against his nature. God is a gentleman and respects our choices, even if we reject him. People who reject Jesus or ignore him will be lost forever. People often refuse to repent because they don't see themselves as sinners (Rom 3:23, 1 John 1:8–10). God therefore gives them what they have chosen, it's a life without God, without Jesus, an eternal life without all attributes that are found in God, see God's Attributes.
Jesus said that all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to him
(Mat 28:18, John 16:15a). Then comes the end when he hands the kingdom over to God the Father. There will be no more death (1 Cor 15:26, Isaiah 25:8a). When Jesus has done this, he will submit to God the Father who has put all things under him. (1 Cor 15:24–28). See The Order between Jesus and the Father in the Trinity.
See also The Book of Revelation.
