Overview
After the gathering together of the church, the timeline runs in this order: rebellion and plagues, the wicked one revealed, Jesus Christ returning as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, a thousand year reign, the devil loosed and then cast into the lake of fire, the great white throne judgment, and finally new heavens and a new earth. In Part 2 of the Anchor of the Soul webinar series, Rev. Rico Magnelli walks that order through Revelation, Matthew 24, 2 Thessalonians 2, 2 Peter 3, John 5, Matthew 25 and Romans 2, showing why the first resurrection is not a judgment, why the white throne judges works rather than faith, and why the lake of fire means non-existence rather than torment.
Transcript
Revelation 1: Things Which Must Shortly Come to Pass
Please look at Revelation chapter one. Revelation chapter one. Let’s look a little bit deeper into this timeline to help us kind of frame these truths.
And again, some of these truths might be familiar to you and some might be new, but as you consider them, remember God has to show you and help you understand, open the eyes of your understanding because there’s nothing negative about your future. Nothing, that’s really encouraging. In the first verse of the book of Revelation, we see this noted, chapter one, verse one.
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him. So God gave this unto Jesus Christ to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. And he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant, John.
John was one of the apostles who wrote the book of Revelation, first, second and third John, also the gospel of John. Now, let me say a few comments about the book of Revelation. The book of Revelation certainly is a challenging book and it has much figurative language.
Figurative Language in the Book of Revelation
Some are more easily understood, like when Jesus Christ is referred to as the lamb, comes up many times in the book of Revelation. And that emphasizes his sacrificial kind of nonviolent nature as a lamb. And certainly why God must avenge him as one who offered his life without resistance, even though he had at his disposal 12 legions of angels.
So he’s referred to as a lamb. He’s not really a lamb, Jesus Christ. And in contrast to that in the book of Revelation, the wicked one or the antichrist as noted in 1 John 2:18, he’s referred to as a beast.
He isn’t really a beast, it’s a figure of speech. But this beast is in reference to and emphasizing him as a wild animal, like a beast of prey. In fact, in Revelation 13, he’s described as, it doesn’t mean he is, he’s described as like a leopard or a bear or a lion or a dragon.
But it’s all to help us understand that this individual, the wicked one, will be brutal, ferocious and savage. And he stands at odds and will be the choice for those that live after the gathering together of the church. He stands at odds to the lamb.
The Lamb and the Beast: A Choice People Will Have to Make
You got the lamb and you got the beast and people will have to choose. But God puts it in that figurative terminology to help us understand. Now, the book of Revelation has topics that are not always in chronological order.
They’re not. And they may summarize great truths and events in the past, some in the present and some in the future. The 12th chapter of the book of Revelation is a really good example of that.
How it summarizes and emphasizes all these different events. Following the gathering together of the church, the body of Christ, Jesus Christ begins more direct involvement in the affairs of earth, which can be seen in the first three chapters with how he addresses the issues of the seven churches. The references to the seven seals that no man can open.
They express the prophetic judgments of God, which are not able to be revealed without Jesus Christ because he’s the key. He’s the key to open and execute them on God’s behalf. There’s figurative references to the four beasts.
The Four Living Beings Around the Throne
These are not the same type of beasts. These are just living beings. That’s all they mean.
And these living beings are in the midst of the throne and round about the throne. And more than likely they represent the completion of the Messiah’s commissionings, his fourfold commission as king, like recorded in the book of Matthew, as a servant, as recorded in the book of Mark, as the son of man as recorded in Luke and as the son of God as recorded in John. It’s the same with the horses.
It’s prophetic judgments of God that Jesus Christ will execute and carry out. So there’s a lot of figurative language and they don’t necessarily always reflect a chronological step-by-step. That’s why we must understand who Jesus Christ is to begin to understand their meaning.
God Is Just and Must Reckon All Accounts
To understand Jesus Christ, one must start with God. God is just and must reckon all accounts. Look at Romans chapter 11, please.
God is just and because he’s just, all accounts have to be reckoned. And that’s specifically dealing with everyone that he has given the privilege of free will. The animals don’t have free will.
Man in the angelic realm has free will. So all these accounts with everyone that’s been given free will must be reckoned. God’s messianic plan involved Jesus Christ’s first coming to save man and then his second coming is to resolve all wrong and reward all right to judge man and angel accordingly.
Romans 11: How Unsearchable Are His Judgments
Here in Romans chapter 11 is an overarching truth to help us. Verse 33, oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments and his ways past finding out. For who has made known the mind of the Lord or who hath been his counselor? In other words, who does God ask for advice? Nobody.
Or who has first given to him and it shall be recompensed unto him again. In other words, who lent God anything? Who did God, who gave God something and then God’s gotta pay it back? No, everything begins with God and ends with God. Verse 36 is the great truth.
For of him, God, and through him, God, and to him, God are all things to whom be glory forever, amen. God must reconcile every one of these accounts. That’s right, for every one man in angelic realm that has been given free will because he’s just.
It may not happen in your timeframe or mine. Certainly we’d like to see things reckoned a lot quicker at times, right? Sure, but it’s according to God’s timetable. Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.
Key Truths and Events on the Timeline of Hope
But there’s where there’s a deep satisfaction when you see such injustice. This timeline of hope is something to consider because there’s key truths and events in our timeline of hope that help us understand. The first is the gathering together of the church of the body of Christ.
But it’s called the day of Christ. It’s called the return of Christ. Following this, the rebellion that man has been doing really gets heated up.
Many plagues are noted. And then the wicked one, the Antichrist, the one that will claim to be God is revealed. Jesus appears as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And he defeats the wicked one, throws him in the lake of fire, which isn’t literally a lake, it’s a final cleansing. Fire cleanses, water cleans the outside, fire dissolves completely. It’s the final cleansing.
The Thousand Year Reign and the Great White Throne
Then there’s a thousand year reign of Christ with those that had faith. The devil is released after the thousand years because he is bound for those thousand years. And then the devil is thrown in the lake of fire.
He is non-existent. Then comes the great white throne judgments of the future. And people will be judged according to their works, not by faith.
And Jesus Christ will execute that judgment. And the second death is after once someone has been resurrected for this great white throne judgment, that’s one of the options or life. And then comes the new heavens and the new earth.
Matthew 24: This Gospel of the Kingdom Preached in All the World
So let’s look at this a little bit. Matthew 24, please. Let’s look at the wicked one being revealed.
See, earthquakes and rumors of wars and wars and all these different things, pestilence and famines, and that’s been going on for a long time. But this is a key point right here that Jesus Christ makes as well as the apostle Paul. In Matthew 24, verse 14, and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.
And then shall the end come. Well, really what this is referring to is the next verse. And then shall the end come when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation.
Why the Abomination of Desolation Has Not Happened Yet
When the 666, the Antichrist is revealed, that’s when the end comes. He’s called the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, the prophet. Stand in the holy place who so readeth, let him understand.
And that has not happened yet. I know there are people in history that people say it fits the bill. No, no, no, it doesn’t.
There’s a lot of cruel and hateful and evil people over the years of the history of mankind without doubt, but they are not this one. This one will be so unlike anything else. This person, this evil one will dominate the entire world and control it.
2 Thessalonians 2: The Man of Sin Revealed
Second Thessalonians, we’re looking at the appearance of the wicked one. This is something that we read. These are definitive points.
Second Thessalonians, after the gathering together, the day of Christ, verse three of second Thessalonians, let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, the rebellion and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition. That’s the abomination of desolation that Jesus Christ referred to, who opposes and exalted himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showeth himself that he is God. Remember you not that when I was with you, I told you these things.
So he’s telling these new Christians this. Amazing. And now you know what withhold it or what’s holding this event down that he might be revealed in his time when God’s ready.
What Withholdeth the Mystery of Iniquity
For the mystery of iniquity does already work. There’s plenty of evil already working, but it hasn’t reached this level and it will not until after the church of the body has been gathered together. Only he who now holds it down, he who restrains it, the word let is restrained, will let until he be taken out of the way and then shall the wicked be revealed.
In 1 John 2:18, he’s referred to as the antichrist. There’s many antichrists, plural, but there’s only one antichrist that the Bible refers to. In revelation, he’s referred to as a beast, like I mentioned, emphasizing his brutal and ferocious and savage approach then when he is destroyed, you got the king of kings and Lord of lords.
During this time, the first resurrection, those that with faith shall be made alive and they will reign with Christ that thousand years. So we already went over that. But when Jesus comes back as king of kings and Lord of lords, in Revelation 19, look there, much has occurred up to this point.
Revelation 19: The King of Kings on a White Horse
There’s been rebellion and rejection of God all throughout this. And then there’s been people that have decided to believe God, even though to their own physical detriment in Revelation 19, Jesus Christ comes back on a white horse along with the armies of heaven on white horses and there’ll be battle. And in verse 19 of Revelation 19, I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army.
And the beast was taken with him, the false prophet that wrought miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire with brimstone. So again, the lake of fire is a cleansing, a final cleansing, because that’s what fire does.
God often uses physical things to explain a spiritual truth. And he uses this lake of fire to describe the final cleansing. Then comes the devil being bound for a thousand years in Revelation 20, verse two.
Revelation 20: The Devil Bound a Thousand Years
So during that thousand year period, we’ll read about it here in a second, the devil is not involved. All that evil has been removed for a time for that thousand years, amazing. In Revelation 20, verse two, and he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years.
So God, during this period of time is gonna allow the current heaven and earth and for people to live for that thousand years where Christ will rule and many will judge with him those people of faith without the devil’s involvement. That’s amazing. And many people will be born during that time, but they still have free will and it’ll be their choice what they do with it.
But those of faith, look at verse four. And I saw thrones and they sat upon them and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the word of God, which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands.
And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years and the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. The first resurrection is not a judgment.
Why the First Resurrection Is Not a Judgment
There’s no indication that it’s a judgment. It’s a resurrection. And it says, blessed and holy is he that is part of the first resurrection.
That’s a good thing. On such the second death have no power. The second death only occurs after the resurrection during the white throne judgments.
And it’s the finality, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. See, there’s no indication that books are open. There’s no indication that there’s any judgment.
White Raiment and the Twenty-Four Elders Around the Throne
It’s simply a resurrection of those who abided in faith from Abel all the way through the people that are living during this difficult time as recorded in the book of Revelation known as the day of the Lord. That’s right. And this first resurrection does not seem to be concentrated at one given time.
Like it all happens at once, but rather it’s spread out during the day of the Lord. And there’s many people noted having white robes or raiment. And that’s referring to that they have been spiritually cleansed and accepted into eternity.
That’s right. It’s fantastic. This would include the elders, those 24 elders that are around the throne clothed in white raiment.
More than likely they’re from the elders as recorded in Hebrews 11. So God reckons everything right. And for some reason, before God wants to move on to eternity he wants to restore things to its pristine aspects of original creation.
Satan Loosed to Deceive the Nations After the Thousand Years
Removal of the devil, all his children, kind of a start cleaning thing for a thousand years before he moves on. And he’s allowing people to have free will to choose. Then at the end of the thousand years, the devil is released again to deceive.
In Revelation 20 verse seven, and when a thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. There’s much speculation on what these two references mean. I’m not gonna get into all those details right now.
To gather them together to battle. So that means that he’s still gonna be able to convince people, even though Christ is ruling for a thousand years, he’s still gonna be able to convince people to war against our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and those that stand with him and for him. Isn’t that amazing? The number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Gog and Magog and the Fire That Came Down From Heaven
There’s a lot of people. They went up on the breadth of the earth and encompass the camp of the saints about the beloved city and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. God’s not putting up with this anymore.
The fire of God just cleanses the whole thing. And the devil, verse 10, that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Meaning they are gone from God’s presence.
They are gone from existence. They are cleansed. It’s over.
The Great White Throne and the Passing of Heaven and Earth
And I saw a great white throne. Now this is referring to judgment and him that sat on it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them. This is what happens to the second heaven and earth in which we now live.
Keep your finger here and look at second Peter. Second Peter describes it beautifully. See, God is not gonna take anything from this second heaven and earth to make the third heaven and earth.
He’s gonna create a new heavens and a new earth like Isaiah 65 says. And here in second Peter, it says in verse 10, that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in the night’s not in the Greek text, in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned.
2 Peter 3: A New Heavens and a New Earth Wherein Dwelleth Righteousness
God doesn’t want anything negative that ever happened on this earth to follow us into the third heaven and earth. Talk about justice. Talk about reckoning accounts.
He just wipes the whole thing out, dissolves it. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of person ought you to be? To be holy in conversation and godliness. Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat.
This is all after the thousand year reign, after the devil’s thrown in the lake of fire, right before the white throne judgments. Nevertheless, we according to his promise look for a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness. There’s the new heavens and the new earth.
The Books Were Opened: Judged According to Their Works
But then God executes judgment and it will really be Jesus Christ that administrates it. Here back in Revelation, and I saw the dead, small and great. Notice that it calls them the dead.
Interesting. Stand before God and the books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.
And the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their what? Not according to faith, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and the death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them. And they were judged every man according to their works.
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
John 5: All Judgment Committed Unto the Son
It’s not for torture or torment, it’s non-existence. Look at John five, please, we’ll be back. John five.
What’s so amazing is one of the aspects of Jesus Christ as the son of man is to judge his fellow man. God gives that to him. Amazing.
John chapter five, verse 19. Then answered Jesus and said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, the son can do nothing of himself. But what he seeth the father do, for what things soever that he doeth, these also doeth the son likewise.
For the father loveth the son and showeth him all things that himself doeth. And he will show him greater works than these that ye may marvel. And you’re probably marveling by now.
Authority to Execute Judgment Because He Is the Son of Man
For as the father raises up the dead and quickeneth them, even so the son quickeneth whom he will. For the father judges no man, look at this, but has committed all judgment unto the son. That’s right.
That all men should honor the son, even as they honor the father. He that honoreth not the son honoreth not the father, which has sent him. See, because they work in tandem, they work as one.
They’re not the same, but they work as one. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. See, if they just believe, they believe God, they pass unto life.
Verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming now. And now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the son of God, and they that hear shall live. For as a father hath life in himself, so hath he given the son to have life in himself and hath given him authority, look at this, to execute judgment also because he’s the son of man.
The Resurrection of Life and the Resurrection of Damnation
The son of God gives life, the son of man is to bring judgment. Marvel not at this, for the hour is coming which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth, they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation. I can of my own self do nothing.
As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just because I seek not my own will, but the will of the father which has sent me. How much confidence does God have in Jesus Christ to execute this judgment? Unbelievable. Look at Matthew, please.
But people sometimes think that this is referring to the Christian. It’s not, it’s not at all. It’s referring to those that have lived without faith.
Matthew 25: Separating the Sheep From the Goats
Matthew 25, notice carefully what it says. Matthew 25, in verse 31. When the son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.
And before him shall be gathered all nations. It doesn’t say Israel, it doesn’t say the Christian. It says all nations, that means all people.
And this is referring to those that lived without faith. And shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divided his sheep from the goats. This is the judgment.
And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. And then you continue to read here and you see how there’s works involved. Then the king shall say unto them on the right hand, come ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
I Was Hungered and You Gave Me Meat: The Works God Recognizes
For I was hungered and you gave me meat. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. And I was a stranger and you took me in.
Naked you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me and I was in prison and you came unto me. Look at how that’s all works. God recognizes those acts of kindness in people.
Sure he does. Then shall the righteous answer him saying, Lord, when saw we thee in hunger and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger and took thee in or naked and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick or in prison and came unto thee? And the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, in so much as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you’ve done it unto me. He’s the son of man.
Romans 2: God Renders to Every Man According to His Deeds
That’s right. And then the negative side follows. Look at Romans chapter two.
Romans chapter two, please. In Romans chapter two, in verse five, Paul is addressing the unbeliever. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.
He’s talking to the unbeliever, not the Christian who will render to every man according to his what? Deeds, works. To them who by patient continuance and well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality eternal life. But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew, the Israel first and also the Gentile.
So it doesn’t matter. But glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also the Gentile. So it’s not talking to the Christian for there’s no respect of persons with God, but he will reward every right and he will correct and resolve every wrong.
Judged Without the Law and Judged by the Law
For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law. And as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law. So their works will have a different standard for judgment.
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. So what about that person that’s never heard the word of God? Well, that’s where their works acceptable to God proved to be very significant. For when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves.
Wow. Which show the work of the law written in their hearts. That’s what God’s after.
The Work of the Law Written in Their Hearts
It’s those acceptable works before him in the heart of man. Their conscience also bearing witness in their thoughts, the mean while accusing or else excusing one another in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men through or by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. God will allow Jesus Christ as the son of man to separate the goats from the sheep.
Amazing. That’s not talking about the Christian and that’s not talking about those that through faith believed God throughout the ages. The first resurrection is not a judgment.
It’s a resurrection. Amazing. There’s so many great truths that are here that we will develop a little further in our next coming webinars.
Why the Timeline Is Given to Make Us Strong and Stable
And I’m sure that there may be questions that come up in your mind. I have them as well. And many of us would like to understand it better.
Not for any intellectual purpose or some sort of academic exercise to prove that we know more about this and about that. That means nothing to us that love God like you, but to help us be strong and stable, to encourage us and inspire us in this time of man’s judgment and continued, in-your-face rebellion against God. That’s right.
We need vision of hope. And that vision comes from God. He gives us the spiritual wisdom and revelation knowledge of him.
See, because the hope isn’t just a separate event. It’s to show us how he operates. It’s all about him.
Three Possible Ways to Get Eternal Life
Always been about him. We’ve seen the benefits and the expectations of hope. We’ve seen the deception against hope.
There’s plenty of it. And we’ve seen a basic timeline of hope to help us understand, to give us that encouragement that we need. There’s three possible ways to get eternal life through faith.
And people have been doing it since the children of Adam. They believed God and they got a good report from God. That means they had a good witness of their life because they looked to something further than this life.
We saw that. And then during the gospel period, you see when Jesus Christ is on earth, a man in his dying breath is going to Jesus. And Jesus says, you will be with me in paradise.
The man believed God. He called Jesus, my Lord. Then after the gathering together, those people that can choose whether or not to believe God or not, that’s up to them.
But through the faith of Jesus, they will also receive life eternal. So those without faith can still receive eternal life, but it will be, they’ll have to pass through the judgments. And that’s amazing.
Closing Thoughts: Live Free in Christ Jesus
Well, it’s been really a joy and a privilege. And let me leave you with a few thoughts. Our hope is about our future.
And we should have vision and positive expectations for it and not be short-sighted and lose ourselves to worldly influences and allow ourselves to be entangled with the affairs of this life. Don’t let it happen to you. Live free in Christ Jesus.
You know, our time on earth is brief. Only God can show you what you need to know about the future to provide you with stability in an unstable world. Anxious free anticipation about the future among the doomsday prognosticators and pundits.
They’re coming up with a new doomsday scenario every other minute. Only God can provide that comfort and encouragement in discouragement and tragedy, whether it’s cultural or even in a personal way in your own life. Only God can provide a fixed purpose and a firmness to labor in the Lord because he will reveal to you that that labor is not empty.
A New Value System and a Deep Satisfaction of Justice
It’s not void. It’s not in vain. You’re not wasting your time.
Only God can provide a newness of life in which you and I have a new value system. We don’t measure things according to the world’s standards anymore. We have a new value system that’s eternal and heavenly as opposed to anything earthly and temporal.
Only God can provide that renewed vigor to assemble together no matter what anybody says, no matter what anybody thinks, no matter what anybody does in order to promote love and good works among our brethren. And only God can provide a deep satisfaction of justice, knowing that God will reward every right and resolve every wrong without exception. No one, no one, man or angelic realm being will get away with anything.
Faith, Hope and Love: Choosing Hope Over Despair
In fact, there’s a place in the word that says that they will be judged by even their words. So comfort, stability, and encouragement, firm purpose of life and true value of life. We know that people have been reading the Bible for thousands of years in almost every language and they still miss those simple truths of faith, hope, and love.
In this installment of the Anchor of the Soul, we focused on hope. One of these three great truths in life that defeats its antagonistic counterpart in the world, that surrounds and endeavors to squelch it with pervasive and discouraging despair. No, no, that’s not for us.
Our challenge as well as our brethren of all Christian persuasion, every Christian alive today is to choose wisely and act with conviction on hope despite what others say, do or think. This truth will free us from the negative bondage being promulgated in today’s world. I’ll pray.
Closing Prayer
Most gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we come to you as your children with hearts that are open. And certainly we do have our inquiries and questions and we thank you for how you open the eyes of our understanding and continue to flood our hearts with light regarding the hope of your calling and the riches of glory of the inheritance in the saints. We pray for each and every individual listening, those that they will share with, that you can reach them with your heart of blessing and encouragement and strength and be an anchor to their soul through the hope that you’ve given to us.
That’s mighty and sure and steadfast. We pray for our country and for all countries and for those that are in positions of authority that eyes can be open and that your people have access to speak truth to these men and women and you continue to bring to pass deliverance for each and every person that seeks you out, rewarding them with your grace, your mercy, and your peace. And for this, we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our risen and returning Lord and Savior.
Amen. Well, God bless you. Thanks for joining us.
We’ll see you the next time.
Key Takeaways
- God is just, so every account has to be reckoned — for every man and every being in the angelic realm that was given free will. The second coming is where God resolves all wrong and rewards all right.
- The book of Revelation is not laid out in chronological order and uses heavy figurative language: the lamb pictures Christ’s sacrificial nature, the beast pictures the wicked one’s brutality, and the four beasts are simply living beings around the throne.
- The man of sin has still not been revealed. No cruel figure in history fits, because this one will dominate and control the entire world, and he cannot appear until the church of the body has been gathered together.
- The first resurrection is a resurrection, not a judgment. No books are opened, the second death has no power over those in it, and it appears to be spread out through the day of the Lord rather than happening all at once.
- The great white throne is where the dead are judged according to their works, not according to faith, and the lake of fire is a final cleansing that means non-existence — not torture or torment.
- God does not carry anything from this heaven and earth into the next. He dissolves them and creates a new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the order of events on the biblical timeline of hope?
First the gathering together of the church of the body of Christ, also called the day of Christ and the return of Christ. Then rebellion heats up and many plagues are noted. The wicked one, the Antichrist, is revealed. Jesus appears as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and defeats him. Then a thousand year reign of Christ, the devil released and cast into the lake of fire, the great white throne judgments, and then the new heavens and the new earth.
Is the first resurrection a judgment?
No. It is simply a resurrection of those who abided in faith, from Abel all the way through the people living during the day of the Lord. There is no indication that books are opened and no indication of any judgment. Revelation 20 calls those in it blessed and holy, and says the second death has no power over them. The second death only occurs after the resurrection during the white throne judgments.
Does the lake of fire mean eternal torture?
No. The lake of fire is not literally a lake, it is a final cleansing, because that is what fire does. Water cleans the outside, but fire dissolves completely. When the devil, the beast and the false prophet are said to be tormented day and night forever and ever, it means they are gone from God’s presence and gone from existence. It is not for torture or torment, it is non-existence.
Scripture References
Revelation 1:1; 1 John 2:18; Romans 11:33; Romans 11:36; Matthew 24:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; Revelation 19:19; Revelation 20:2; Revelation 20:4; Revelation 20:7; Revelation 20:10; 2 Peter 3:10; John 5:19; Matthew 25:31; Romans 2:5
This text was prepared from the teaching audio. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
