Welcome back! In this piece we continue to look at the “6 legs” in our prophetic relay race to the end of time as we know it. Today, we study the “3rd leg” of the race, which is the actual event of the SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST.
I call my each of my pieces a devotional/commentary for a specific reason! Devotions are usually designed to inspire and edify. Commentaries are usually designed to inform, explain, and instruct.
The concept of the 2nd coming of Christ can arouse the strongest of emotions in both believers and unbelievers, because it will be such a huge worldwide event that affects every person living in the world at that time.
As a devotion, the 2nd coming is exiting and intriguing for Christians. For unbelievers, the 2nd coming can arouse anything from fear to down-right despite. As a commentary, the 2nd coming is probably the most fascinating event in human history, that elicits a lot of comments and explanations. Therefore, I appeal to you to actually read each Scripture verse listed and consider what it says in general and what it says to you...right now...at this time in your life. FAITH COMES BY HEARING AND HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD (Romans 10:17). When you read Scriptures carefully and prayerfully, you will be hearing it, as you read it.
As a high school senior on the track team, I had the displeasure of running in the mile relay race, in the April/May heat and humidity of deep South Texas. Each of us four runners on our team had to sprint as fast as we could possibly pump those legs for our quarter mile section of the one mile race (which is one lap around the track) and then hand the baton to the next runner to sprint his quarter mile of the race.
So, the baton was handed off 3 times before the one mile race was completed. All four runners were equally important in how fast we ran and how well we handed off the baton to the next runner. In review, here are the “6 legs” in our prophetic relay race to the end of time as we know it, as one time frame (period) finishes up and hands the baton off to the next time frame (period).
- The End-Times leading up to and including the rapture itself.
- The 7 Year Tribulation period following the rapture.
- The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (today’s focus) at the end of the 7 year tribulation period.
- The One-Thousand Year Millennial reign of Jesus Christ on this earth in person.
- The Great White Throne Judgement.
- The beginning of what we call “Eternity Future”. In a biblical context, we see:
- Eternity Past: What God did before He created anything.
- Eternity Present: What played out and continues to play out during the course of history, that we each experience while we live out our lives (the present time for each generation).
- Eternity Future: What God will do after time is no more. History is finished. There will only be the eternal God-Head (Father-Son-Holy Spirit) and His people that He redeemed throughout history.
Below you will see a graphic of the Lord Jesus coming back on His white horse, accompanied by all of His holy ones...all of the righteous angels along with all of the believers who have been in heaven with Him. He does not need any help, but brings all of us along to watch His righteous actions, so we can glory in His power and authority and worship Him. Below the graphic are the bible verses the graphic is based upon.
Revelation 19:11-16: I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows, but He himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of His mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”.
In our last piece, we studied the 7 year great tribulation period, which came right after the rapture. We saw how the tribulation period started out peacefully, but how the Satan-empowered antichrist convinced the nations of the world to believe he could bring about global/international peace.
People will believe him, but he eventually shows his true colors and ambitions, which were to replace Christ and become the god of this world. His evil ambitions culminate in the Battle of Armageddon, when he gathers the nations of the world to come and fight against tiny Israel and destroy it once and for all (wipe it off the map).
Keep the demographics below in mind, as we continue to focus on the Lord Jesus coming back to save Israel from annihilation. Consider how much land the Arab nations of the world own today compared to Israel.
The Arab world: Consists of 22 countries located in Western Asia, Northern Africa, the Maghreb, the Horn of Africa, and the Indian Ocean. It covers a combined area of 5 million square miles. It extends from Morocco in the west, southward to the Comoros, eastward to Somalia, and northward to Iraq.
Israel: The total area of the State of Israel is 8,630 square miles, which not all of which is actual dry land. Israel is about the size of New Jersey. It is 290 miles north-to-south and 85 miles east-to-west, at its widest point.
Therefore, if Israel comprises only 0.1% of the land mass of the Middle East, why is it asked to give up territory? Israel is surrounded by 22 Arab and/or Muslim Nations.
- Israel has about 7 million Jewish residents and they are surrounded by 300 million Arabs —many of whom are hostile to Jews and Israel.
- There are more than 1.2 million Palestinian-Arabs living inside of Israel as full Israeli citizens. They serve in Israel’s parliament, diplomatic corps, and on the Supreme Court.
Why the Arab/Muslim nations want Israel’s land makes no sense! They don’t need it for themselves and the 1.2 million Palestinian-Arabs living in Israel right now don’t need it. They could easily assimilate in with any of 22 other Arab nations and live with their own people. But, they won’t. They refuse to move. And they demand Israel’s one little piece of land that God gave them on this earth. Why is this so? It is nothing but Satanic hatred for God and His people.
Hence, the 2nd coming is the time when Jesus will clear this up once and for all. The United Nations will not be consulted!!! There will not be any more peace talks or a two state solution. God will restore to Israel every inch of the promised land, that He promised to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 15:18-21. The nation of Israel will get to possess and enjoy their land during the entire 1,000 year millennial kingdom of Christ on earth (which is a part of our next study).
Isaiah 9:6-7 reveals how the Lord Jesus will finally sit down on the human throne of King David in Jerusalem (presumably in the Rebuilt Temple), as the promised Messiah and King of the Jews, after all of those centuries the Jewish people waited for their true Messiah. He then will begin to rule over all the nations of the earth for 1,000 years of peace. Isaiah 9:6-7 is a favorite passage for Christians to use in our Christmas celebrations (which it is), but think how special this prophecy will be to the Jewish nation at this time.
Isaiah 9:6-7: For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.
The nation of Israel will possess and enjoy their land during the entire 1,000 year millennial kingdom of Christ on earth. Here is a review of all of the land that God promised to Abraham and his descendants in Genesis 15:18-21.
'Unto your seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates; the Kenite, and the Kenizzite, and the Kadmonite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Rephaim, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Girgashite, and the Jebusite.' (Genesis 15:18-21).
In other words, the promised land extended from the Nile until the Euphrates, covering much of the connecting land within the so-called Fertile Crescent. The Land of Israel and the Levant form a "bridge" between three continents: Europe, Asia and Africa. This is a unique geographical disposition on Earth. (From: https://www.albert-tours-israel.com/single post/borders#:~:text=Later%2C%20God%20gives%20him%20more,and%20the%20Girgashite%2C%20and%20the)
The promised land extends from the Nile all the way to Iraq.
At the very moment the antichrist and his armies make their move against Israel, the Lord Jesus comes back and interrupts the party...you talk about raining on someone’s party! This is known as the official 2nd coming of Christ, as opposed to His first coming, when He was born in a manager in Bethlehem to the Virgin Mary. What a difference in His two comings!
In Acts 1:9-11, the Lord Jesus had His last conversation with His disciples on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem before He arose into the 3rd heaven to reunite with His Father and take His place on His throne. In this conversation below, you will notice two things.
Before we state those two things, consider what the 3 heavens are. The 3rd heaven is God’s home. Paul says he was caught up to the 3rd heaven where God (the Trinity) and His heavenly creatures live.
2 Corinthians 12:-13: I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. I know a man in Christ (referring to himself) who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell.
The 1st heaven
*The 1st heaven is the troposphere (our atmosphere). It extends about twenty miles above the earth.
Psalm 104:12: The birds of the sky (1st heaven) nest by the waters and they sing among the branches.
Isaiah 55:10: As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater.
The 2nd heaven
*The 2nd heaven is outer space or the stellar heaven. It includes the sun, moon, and all the stars.
Psalm 8:3-4: When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
Isaiah 13:10: The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
The 3rd heaven
*The 3rd heaven is the spiritual heaven where God lives.
Deuteronomy 10:14: Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it.
1 Kings 8:27: But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house (temple) that I have built?
Psalm 33:13-15: From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind from His dwelling place. He watches all who live on earth—He who forms the hearts of all and who considers everything they do.
Isaiah 66:1-2: This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? Where will My resting place be? Has not My hand made all these things and so they came into being?”...declares the Lord.
Matthew 6:9-10: Here is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Revelation 11:19: Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within His temple was seen the ark of His covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
Now back to Acts 1:9-11, where Jesus had His last conversation with His disciples on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem before He arose into the 3rd heaven. In this conversation below, you will notice two things.
First: This took place on the Mount of Olives.
Second: The angels who then appeared to talk with the disciples told them that when Jesus came back, He would come back to this same place...the Mount of Olives and that He would come back down through the clouds as He descended and landed on the Mount of Olives.
Acts 1:9-11: After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”
This is so fascinating to see how the angels tied in His return to the 3rd heaven, in resurrected form, with His 2nd coming in power and glory and majesty. So, what we are discussing in this piece is classified in theological terms as a major part of “Eschatology”. Eschatology is simply the doctrine of/or study of the last things or last times. Isaiah 66:15-16 and Jeremiah 25:30-33 describe Christ’s 2nd coming like this:
Isaiah 66:15-16: See, the Lord is coming with fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind. He will bring down His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with His sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people and many will be those slain by the Lord.
Jeremiah 25:30-33: The Lord will roar from on high. He will thunder from His holy dwelling and roar mightily against His land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes and shout against all who live on the earth. The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations. He will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword, declares the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation and a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth”. At that time those slain by the Lord will be everywhere—from one end of the earth to the other. They will not be mourned or gathered up or buried, but will be like dung lying on the ground.
What a scene that will be! The apostle John described this same event and time in Revelation 1:7-8 and the consistency is simply miraculous, especially when you consider that these three descriptions from Isaiah and Jeremiah and the Apostle John were expressed by men who lived about 750 to 850 years apart.
- Isaiah’s life spanned from the 8th century BC down into the 7th century BC.
- Jeremiah’s life spanned from 650 BC down to 570 BC.
- The Apostle John lived from 6 AD up to between 100 AD and 120 AD.
The Bible is so perfectly consistent!
Revelation 1:7-8: Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him and all peoples on earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty”.
I want to provide for you here a list of additional Scriptures that provide biblical evidence for the 2nd coming, so you can see how dominant the theme is throughout the Bible. God wants people to know this is real!!!
Daniel 7:13-14: In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Matthew 16:27: For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.
Matthew 24:30: Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
Matthew 26:64: You have said so, Jesus replied...But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.
Mark 13:26: At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
Luke 21:27: At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
1 John 2:28: And now, dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
Hebrews 9:28: So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
1 Peter 1:13: Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at His coming.
2 Peter 1:16: For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
In the same spirit of confirming the 2nd coming, let me share with you a few interesting biblical statistics that Dr. David Jeremiah identified, as he was preparing his own series of messages on the 2nd coming for his church in El Cajon, California (the San Diego area).
Dr. David Jeremiah’s stats and facts confirming the 2nd coming!
*References to the Second Coming outnumber references to the First Coming by a factor of 8 to 1.
*Scholars have identified 1,845 different biblical references to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
*In the Old Testament, Christ’s return is emphasized in no less than 17 books.
*In the New Testament, Christ’s return is emphasized in 23 of the 27 books.
*The New Testament mentions His return in 7 out of every 10 chapters.
*Therefore, 1 out of every 30 verses in the New Testament proclaims that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth (in person).
*The Lord Himself referred to His 2nd coming 21 times.
*The 2nd coming is even prophesied in the Book of Genesis. In the Book of Jude 1:14-15 it records how Enoch (7th generation from Adam) predicted the 2nd coming of Christ.
Enoch was an interesting character as we consider the Second Coming of Christ for the following reasons.
...Noah's lineage consists of a long line of notable patriarchs that include 10 generations back to Adam.
...Noah’s father was Lamech, his grandfather was Methuselah, and his great-grandfather was Enoch.
...The patriarchal line continued back through Jared, Mahalaleel, Cainan, Enos, Seth, and finally to Adam.
...The Book of Genesis says Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken to heaven alive by God (an illustration of what the Rapture would be like). The text reads that Enoch "walked with God and he was no more, for God took him" (Genesis 5:21–24).
...Hebrews 11:5 confirms this: By faith (that pleased God) Enoch was caught up to heaven, so that he would not have a glimpse of death. And Enoch was not found anywhere on the earth, because God had taken him. For even before he was taken to heaven, he received this testimony, which is still on record...that he had walked with God and pleased God.
So...what actually happens at the 2nd coming?
The First Act
Jesus descends from the 3rd Heaven (from His throne).
Jesus descends from the 3rd Heaven (where His throne is) down through the stellar heaven (outer space) and down through the atmospheric heaven (our sky) back down to the earth to land on the Mount of Olives, right outside of Jerusalem. This descension can happen in moments of time. It won’t take Him long. He will at least go slow enough that everyone will be aware of it.
The heavens are disrupted as Jesus Christ descends down through them and lets a mighty angel blow the trumpet alerting all that He is on the way.
Matthew 24:29-35: And immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. The stars shall fall from the heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory. He shall send his messengers with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His chosen from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens unto the ends thereof. (Young's Literal Translation)
Note: The chosen that are gathered to gather from around the world right before His landing could refer to those who got saved sometime during the 7 year tribulation period. The Lord Jesus would be mercifully gathering them together to protect them from being killed during His judgement activities. They would survive His punishments upon the wicked of the world and would then be left to resume their lives on the earth as the 1,000 year period of peace begins. They would be the ones who begin repopulating the earth, so that untold millions or billions or even a trillion people could be born and grow up during this 1,000 year period under the reign of Christ, where sin is not openly allowed and people live very long lives again...similar to the long ages people lived before Noah’s flood (from Adam to Noah). As they live long lives in an environment of peace, they can have lots of children and grandchildren and descendants as seen in the Isaiah passage below.
The One Trillion Principle
How many ancestors do we have? One day I started to count.
I was not prepared for the answer or its implications.
We each have 2 parents, mine: Aegidius and Maria,
My 4 grandparents, Johanna Quirina, Petrus Gerardus, Petrus Jacobus, and Petronilla,
8 great-grandparents, 16 great-great-grandparents, 32, 64, 128, 256,
512 great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents,
1,024 2,048 4,092 8,184 16,368
Fifteen generations ago 32,736 great, great..... grandparents.
Counting back, every generation twice as many ancestors as the generation of descendants.
Given 25 years per generation, 40 generations occur in 1000 years.
We each have one trillion ancestors in the last 1000 years,
and double that every 25 years more. Millions and billions, trillions...
https://www.jqjacobs.net/anthro/ancestors.html
Isaiah 65:20: Never again will there be in it an infant who lives, but a few days or an old man who does not live out his years. The one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child. The one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them. They will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people. My chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands. They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune, for they will be a people blessed by the Lord...they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer and while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together and the lion will eat straw like the ox and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.
The Second Act
The 2nd coming of Jesus Christ revealed to everyone in the world alive at that time.
Matthew 24:27 and Revelation 1:7-8 tells us that His coming down will be like a worldwide lightning strike that comes down from the east and is visible in the west. Everyone in the world can see it. No one will miss it, nor will they miss the mighty company of angels and believers with Him. How would you feel if you were on the earth then and you see Jesus and His group coming down? Oh my!!!
Matthew 24:27: For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
Revelation 1:7-8: Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.
The Book of Zechariah also shows us this happening and those who come with Him.
Zechariah 1:1-5: A day of the Lord is coming, Jerusalem, when your possessions will be plundered and divided up within your very walls. I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights on a day of battle. On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
You have to stop and think about this moment to appreciate it. Here is the Lord and Savior Himself (the Jewish Messiah, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and the Prince of Peace) coming down through the clouds to a very specific landing spot on top of the Mount of Olives. I have visited the Mount of Olives twice and it is so fascinating to visualize this, but consider Jesus’s remembrances of this place as He descends.
The Garden of Gethsemane is located at the base of the Mount of Olives on the outskirts of Jerusalem, with a grove of Jerusalem type olive trees on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley from the Old City walls in Jerusalem. It overlooks the city, the Dead Sea, and the famous road to Jericho. It rises over 2,264 feet above sea level and gives breathtaking views of Jerusalem and beyond. Abundant olive groves once dotted its slopes.
Important experiences Jesus had In the Garden of Gethsemane:
*Jesus taught the Olivet Discourse there in Matthew 24-25.
*He rested there.
*He wept over the city of Jerusalem there.
*This is where Judas led officials the night of His arrest.
*This is where He came to accept His coming betrayal by Judas.
*This is where Jesus had His last prayer time before His arrest among the ancient olive trees.
... Mark 14:32: They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray”. He took Peter, James, and John with Him and He became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death”.
*This is where He agonized in prayer to the point of sweating blood, as He prepared His soul for the crucifixion and for the unfathomable suffering of being separated from His Father (for the first time in eternity) to be punished for our sinfulness and depravity.
*This is the place where He won the battle and surrendered to His Father’s plan...nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.
Note: If you ever get to go there, you can walk right up to one of the Olive trees, kneel down, and also pray. It would be an awesome place to pray and to surrender your will to your heavenly Father’s plan...as Jesus did...but you don’t have to be there to do that.
So...you might say He is very familiar with this place that He comes back to and it holds a very special place in His mind and heart. But as He comes down on it at this time, He will be disrupting the Mount. At the touch of His sovereign feet, the Mount of Olives splits in two from the east to the west.
The Third Act
The Lord Jesus begins His holy and awesome judgements.
In the small one-chapter Book of Jude, right before the Book of Revelation, Jude explains how the godly descendant of Adam named Enoch (7th generation from Adam in the Book of Genesis) prophesied about the Lord Jesus coming back to the earth and one of the major things He would do when He gets here...execute vengeance and judgement upon His enemies.
Jude 14-15: Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
In Jude’s prophesy are some of the strongest words in the entire Bible of condemnation against evil people who hate God. Notice the descriptive terms.
*Ungodly acts
*Ungodliness
*Defiant
*Ungodly sinners
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10: All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. God is just! He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
The Fourth Act
The Lord Jesus tells one of His angels to throw Satan and his demons into the Abyss.
Revelation 20: And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
The Fifth Act
The clock starts on the last specific time frame in human history...THE MILLENIAL KINGDOM OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Jesus allows the 1,000 years of peace to begin, which is absolutely guaranteed by Him. What a blessing as seen in these last three passages verses!
Isaiah 2-4: This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Micah 4:4: Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
Jeremiah 23:5-8: The days are coming (at this point those days have arrived), declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: “The Lord (Jesus) Our Righteous Savior”. So then, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when people will no longer say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt”, but they will say, “As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the descendants of Israel up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where He had banished them”. Then they will live in their own land.
My last thought is how we should pray for our children, grandchildren, and all of our coming descendants. The Lord prompted me some time ago to begin praying for the salvation of all of my offspring (descendants) down through the end of the Millennial Kingdom. Each one will need to commit themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, as they trust Him for their personal salvation.
At the end of the Millennial Kingdom will be the “Great White Throne Judgment”, which will be God’s final judgment of each person, whose name is not found recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The only way anyone gets their name recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life is be born-again by the Spirit of God into the family of God, because of their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Revelation 20:11-15: 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. 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. 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. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
I dare say, none of us will want to see any of our loved ones cast into the Lake of Fire forever and ever. WHAT A DREADFUL THOUGHT! We must pray for their salvation now, while we are still alive and can pray. We can pray and then die, but our prayers don’t die, and will always be in the mind and heart of God. Down through the ages, God has answered multitudes of prayers, that were prayed before the “praying person” died, but answered after they died. There is no shelve life or expiration date to prayers. So, pray, pray, pray!
Thanks for your precious time. In the next piece, we will study the “4th leg” of our prophetic race, which is “Life during the 1,000 year Millennial Kingdom of Peace under Jesus Christ”.
See you then!
Gene
Do you have some thoughts, feelings, or questions about what you read today in this specific devotional/commentary?
If you will submit those using the form below, Gene can read them, study them, and reply to them just as soon as possible.
Gene,
I am very thankful for your endorsement of the Biblical view of Last Things!
Paige the Aged
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Dr. Paige Patterson served as the fifth president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., from 1992 to 2003, as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) from 1998 to 2000, and as the eighth president of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, from 2003 to 2018. He played a major role in the Southern Baptist “conservative resurgence”, called “Fundamentalist Takeover”.
Gene, thank you for your dedication to our Lord! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the end times. My wife and l visited Israel about 5 years ago. On the tour one of the tour guides said the huge olive trees displayed in your pictures did not start to grow again until 1948. They were just huge trunks with no life. Other folks doubted that. Didn’t know if you had heard that or not. You are so right about prayer! Our grandkids are now teenagers (both Love the Lord and are saved), but we need to pray for their decedents as well. I never thought of that. Thanks again for your emails. YbiC, Dwain Fuller