New Heaven, New Earth

Revelation 21 -- The New Jerusalem 

p 748 -- The burden of this chapter, commencing with verse 2, is the New Jerusalem; but before that is introduced, John tells us how the present heaven and earth and sea are to be disposed of, as follows:

VERSE 1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

New Heaven and New Earth. - By the first heaven and first earth, John unquestionably means the present heaven and earth, "the heavens and the earth which are now." 2 Peter 3:7. Some have supposed that when the Bible speaks of the third heaven, in which are paradise and the tree of life (2 Cor. 12:2; Rev. 2:7), it refers to the heaven which is yet future, and does not prove that there is a paradise and tree of life literally in existence in heaven at the present time. They base their view on the fact that Peter speaks of three heavens and earths,  - (1)  those before the flood,  (2)  the ones which now are, and  (3)  the ones which are to come. But that theory is completely overturned by the first verse of Revelation 21; for John here reckons but two heavens and earths. The ones which now are he calls the first, so that the future new heavens would, according to this count, be the second, and not the third, as Peter reckons. Hence it is certain that Peter did not design

p 749 -- to establish a numerical order, in accordance with which we should speak of one as the first, another as the second, and the last as the third. The object of his reasoning was simply to show that as a literal heaven and earth succeeded to the destruction of the earth by the flood, so a literal heaven and earth would result from the renovation of the present system by fire. There is no proof, therefore, that the Bible, when it speaks of the third heaven, refers simply to the third state of the present heavens and earth, for then all the Bible writers would uniformly have so reckoned it. Thus the arguments of those who would endeavor to disprove the idea of a literal paradise and tree of life in existence at the present time, fall to the ground. The Bible certainly recognizes three heavens in the present constitution of things; namely, the first, or atmospheric heaven, which the fowls of the air inhabit; the second, the planetary heaven, the region of the sun, moon, and stars; and the third, high above the others, where paradise and the tree of life are found (Rev. 2:7); where God has his residence and his throne (Rev. 22:1, 2); to which Paul was caught up in heavenly vision (2 Cor. 12:2); to which Christ ascended when he left the earth (Rev. 12:5); where he now, as priest-king, sits upon the throne with his Father (Zech. 6:13) ; and where the glorious city stands, awaiting the saints when they enter into life. Rev. 21:2.

Blessed be God that from that bright land intelligence has been brought to this far-off world of ours! and thanks be to his holy name that a way has been opened from the dark places of earth, which leads like a straight and shining path of light up to those blest abodes!

The Sea No More. - Because John says, "And there was no more sea," the question is sometimes asked, "Is there, then, to be no sea in the new earth?" It does not certainly follow from this text that there will be none; for John is speaking only of the present heaven and earth and sea. It might be translated thus: "For the first heaven and the first earth were passed away, and the sea [ouk estin eti] was no more;" that is, the old sea no longer appeared, any more than the old

p 750 -- heaven and old earth; and yet there may be a new sea as there is a new earth.

Dr. Clarke says on this passage:      "The sea no more appeared than did the first heaven and earth. All was made new; and probably the new sea occupied a different position, and was differently distributed, from that of the old sea." 

The river of life., of which we read in the following chapter, proceeding from the throne of God, and flowing through the broad street of the city, must find some place into which to discharge its waters; and what can that be but the new-earth sea? That there will be a sea, or seas, in the new earth, may be inferred from the prophecy which speaks of Christ's future reign as follows:   "And his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even to the ends of the earth." Zech. 9:10. But that three quarters of the globe will then, as now, be abandoned to a waste of waters, cannot be expected. The new world will have everything which will contribute to its, utility and beauty.

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Truth.

VERSE 1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

New.

We comprehend newness of things. Who doesn't like the shiny new thing in their life? Sure for some- in fact a lot of people- changing to new things isn't easy or welcomed, yet getting new things is often appreciated. We have birthdays, holidays of various sorts throughout the year that have us looking forward getting new things.  We do understand the enjoyment of new and improved.

A new world. We will have the honor of living in a brand new world.

A new world with new heavens.

I don't know about you but this leaves me shaking by head unable to comprehend how I could ever deserve to live in such a world. And then, well, then I realize I will NEVER deserve to live in the new world. My SAVIOR deserves to live in the new world, and by HIS grace He will save me, clothe me in His righteousness and allow me to live with Him forever and ever, eternally and ever more in the new world.

Please, Savior…please, save me. I do NOT and WILL NEVER deserve to be saved. Please, by Your grace! Please, by Your worthiness, through Your Love!

Please.

Amen.

First death, second death.

Revelation  20

VERSE 11. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.  12.   And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and 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 works.  13.   And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.  14.   And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.  15.   And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

With verse 11, John introduces another scene to take place in connection with the final doom of the ungodly. It is the great white throne of judgment, before which they are assembled to receive their awful sentence of condemnation and death. Before this throne the heavens and the earth flee away, so that no place is found for them. A moment's reflection on the changes which must then take place in the earth will bring out the great force of this language. The scene is that of Peter's

p 743 --

(picture omitted)

p 744 -- burning day, which is the "perdition of ungodly men," and in which even the "elements" melt with fervent heat. 2 Peter 3:7-13.

2Pe 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

2Pe 3:10  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the 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 up.

2Pe 3:11  Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

2Pe 3:12  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 fervent heat?

2Pe 3:13  Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

The city is then located upon the earth, the foundations of course extending under its whole area, so that it will not be affected by any changes that may take place, or any conditions which may exist, in the earth beneath it. Fire comes down from God out of heaven.

First, the works that are in the world are burned up; and by the poisonous gases evolved, and the flames, the wicked are destroyed; this is the fire of Gehenna, which contains all the elements necessary to consume utterly every mortal being that comes under its power (Mark 9:43-48)

Mar 9:43  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mar 9:44  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Mar 9:45  And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:

Mar 9:46  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

Mar 9:47  And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:

Mar 9:48  Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

; and then will be fulfilled Isa. 66:24: "And they [the righteous] shall go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh."

Secondly, the heat is raised till all the material of which, this globe is composed, is fused like the ores in a smelter's furnace, and the whole earth becomes a fluid, fiery, molten mass. Upon this the city floats, as the ark of Noah floated upon the waters of the flood. Then will be fulfilled Isa. 33:14: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" The answer, in the following verses, shows it to be the righteous, and this must be the time when it will be fulfilled. 

Thirdly, there is one stage more to be reached. It is well known that with a sufficient degree of heat, any substance on this earth can be reduced to the condition of gas, and thus become invisible. So will it be then with this whole earth. The heat being raised to a sufficient degree of intensity, would not the whole earth be converted into gas, and become invisible, and thus appear most literally to flee away, so that no place is found for it? The city would then seem to be, as virtually it would be, suspended in mid-heaven.

But the elements are not destroyed. They are only, by that process, purged from the last and minutest taint of sin, and every token of the curse. The almighty fiat again goes

p 745 -- forth, "Behold, I make all things new. ... It is done" (Rev. 21:5, 6), and the particles combine again to compose a new world; and there, beneath the wondering and admiring gaze of all the redeemed and the angelic host, the work of creation is gone through with again.

At the first creation, tho morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Job 38:7. At this new creation, that song and shout will be augmented by the glad voices of the redeemed. So will this earth, wrenched for a time, by sin, from its intended orbit of joy and peace, be brought back, renewed, into harmony with a loyal universe, to be the everlasting home of the saved.

The Books of Record. - Men are judged out of the things written in the books, from which we learn the solemn fact that a record of all our deeds is kept on high. A faithful and unerring record is made by the angelic secretaries. The wicked cannot conceal from them any of their deeds of darkness. They cannot bribe them to pass over in their record any of their unlawful acts. They must meet them all again, and be judged accordingly.

The Execution of the Sentence. - The wicked are to be punished according to their works. The Scriptures declare that they shall be rewarded according to their deeds. There are, then, to be degrees in the punishment of the wicked; and it may be asked how this can be harmonized with the view that death is the punishment for sin, and comes upon all alike. Let us ask believers in eternal misery how they will maintain degrees in their system. They tell us the intensity of the pain endured will be in each case proportioned to the guilt of the sufferer. But how can this be? Are not the flames of hell equally severe in all parts? and will they not equally affect all the immaterial souls cast therein? But God can interpose, it is answered, to produce the effect desired. Very well, then, we reply, cannot he also interpose, if necessary, and graduate the pain which will attend the infliction of death upon the sinner as the climax of his penalty? So, then, our view is equal with the common one in this respect, while it possesses great advantages over it in another; for while that has to find its degrees

p 746 -- of punishment in intensity of pain alone, the duration in all cases being the same, this may not only have degrees in pain, but in duration also; inasmuch as some may perish in a short space of time, and the weary sufferings of others be long drawn out. But yet we apprehend that the bodily suffering will be but an unnoticed trifle compared with the mental agony, that keen anguish which will rack their souls as they get a view of their incomparable loss, each according to his capacity of appreciation. The youth who had but little more than reached the years of accountability, being less able to comprehend his situation and his loss, will of course feel it less; to him of older years, more capacity, and consequently a deeper experience in sin, the burden of his fate will be proportionately greater; while the man of giant intellect and almost boundless comprehension, - who hence possessed greater influence for evil, and so was the more guilty for devoting his powers to the service of that evil, - being able to understand his situation fully, comprehend his fate, and realize his loss, will feel it most keenly of all. Into his soul the iron will indeed enter most intolerably deep. And thus, by an established law of mind, the sufferings of each may be most accurately adjusted to the magnitude of his guilt.

That the degree of suffering which each one is to endure is taken into the account as a part of the punishment of his crimes, is evident from Rom. 2:6-10. Paul, here speaking of the future "judgment of God," says:   -

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality [he will render], eternal life; but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness [he will render], indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile."

The Book of Life. - Why, it may be asked, is the book of life brought forth on this occasion, when all who have part in the second resurrection, beyond which this scene is located, are already forejudged to the second death? At least one apparent reason is, that it may be seen that none of the names of all

p 747 -- the multitude who die the second death are in the book of life, and why they are not there; and if the names have ever been there, why they were not retained; that all the intelligences of the universe may see that God acts with strict justice and impartiality.

"And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." This is the final epitaph of all the forces that have risen up, from first to last, to oppose the will and work of the Lord Almighty. Satan originated and led out in this nefarious work. A portion of heaven's angels joined him in his false position and murderous work; and for him and them the everlasting fire was prepared. Matt. 25:41.

Men become involved therein only because they join him in his rebellion. But here the controversy closes. The fire is to them everlasting because it allows of no escape. The second death is their punishment, and it is "everlasting punishment " (Matt. 25:46) because they never find release from its dread embrace. "The wages of sin is death."

"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Reader, is your name written in the book of life? Are you striving to avert in your own case the fearful doom that awaits the ungodly? Rest not till you have reason to believe that your name is registered in the list of those who are to share at last in the blessings of eternal life. 

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For the last few days we've been talking about the end and our part in that end. Too many do not want to contemplate their end. We call it morbid, senseless, and yet our Savior would have us contemplate our end. Our Savior wants us to know about what awaits us. Our Savior would have us know our choices-  heaven or the lake of fire.  He does not want us ignorant concerning our end.  Trusting in our Savior to do just that- be our Savior, living in that trust, that faith that He will do all that He says He will do, this will lead us to life everlasting, to heaven eternally. If we do not choose to have faith, to believe in our Savior we will not be saved. We condemn ourselves. And what we are condemning ourselves to is a very painful, eternal end.

Reread the above. Is all of it true, the interpretations? I don't know, not 100 percent. I do know that the truth is here, the truth in God's word.  The details may be skewed but the truth is revealed nonetheless. 

Life and death.

While we may all (but the very elect) face the first death, we will not all face the second, permanent death.

Truth. God's word - truth.

By His grace may we comprehend ALL we need so that we may be found in our Savior's grace, saved by Him, completely and utterly saved by Jesus Christ alone!

In His love now and forever.

Amen.

Heed or don't heed, be blessed or cursed, you decide.

Revelation-VERSE 7. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,  8.   And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.  9.   And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.  10.   And the devil 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.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

The Perdition of Ungodly Men. - At the end of the one thousand years, the holy city, the New Jerusalem, in which the saints have dwelt in heaven during that period, comes down, and is located upon the earth, and becomes the camp of the saints, around which the resurrected wicked come up, numberless

p 740 -- as the sand of the sea. The devil deceives them, and thus brings them up to this battle. They are induced to commence an impious warfare upon the holy city, in prospect of some advantage to be gained by fighting against the saints. Satan doubtless persuades them that they can overcome the saints, dispossess them of their city, and still hold possession of the earth. But fire comes down from God out of heaven, and devours them. The word here rendered devoured, Professor Stuart admits is "intensive," and signifies "to eat up, devour, so that it denotes utter excision." (Hudson's Christ our Life, p. 146.) This is the time of the perdition of ungodly men, - the time when the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and when the works that are in the earth shall be burned up. 2 Peter 3:7, 10. In the light of these scriptures, we can see how the wicked are to receive their recompense in the earth (Prov. 11:31); we can see also that this recompense is not eternal life in misery, but an "utter excision," entire and complete destruction. 

The Wicked Never Tred the New Earth. - Two views deserve a passing notice at this point.

The first is that the earth is renewed at the second coming of Christ, and is the habitation of the saints during the thousand years; the other is that when Christ appears the second time, he sets up his kingdom in Palestine, and performs, in connection with his saints, a work of conquest over the nations left on the earth during the thousand years, and subdues them to himself.

One among many objections to the first view is that it makes the wicked, in their resurrection, come up, with the devil at their head, and tread with their unhallowed feet upon the purified and holy earth, and the saints, who have held possession for a thousand years, are obliged to yield the ground, and flee into the city. But we cannot believe that the saints' inheritance will ever be thus marred, or that the fair plains of the earth made new will ever be soiled with the polluting tread of the resuscitated wicked; for besides outraging all ideas of propriety, there is no scripture from which even an inference can be drawn to support it.

And as to the second view, one among many of its absurdities

p 741 -- is that notwithstanding Christ and his saints have conquered the earth during the thousand years, at the end of this period the wicked get the upper hand of them, they lose their territory, the work of a thousand years is undone, and they are compelled to beat an ignominious retreat into the city for shelter, leaving the earth to the undisputed sway of their foes. Those who wish, may rack their brains in trying to harmonize the inconsistencies and absurdities of such theories, or may endeavor to draw consolation from the dubious prospect. For ourselves, we prefer better employment and a brighter hope.

A Thousand Years In Heaven. - In contrast with these theories, there is a beautiful harmony in the view herein presented; namely, that the saints are with Christ in heaven during the thousand years while the earth lies desolate; that the saints and the city come down, and the wicked dead are raised and come up against it; that the latter there receive their judgment; and that from the purifying fires which destroy them come forth the new heavens and the new earth, to be the abode of the righteous throughout endless ages.

The Subjects of Torment. - From verse 10, some have argued that the devil alone was to be tormented day and night; but the testimony of this verse is more extensive than that. The verb "shall be tormented" is in the plural, and agrees with the beast and false prophet; whereas it would be in the singular number if it referred to the devil alone. It will be noticed that in the expression, "where the beast and the false prophet are," are is a supplied word. It would be more proper to supply the words were cast, answering to what was spoken of the devil just before. The sentence would then read, "The devil was cast into the lake of fire, where the beast and false prophet were cast." The beast and false prophet were cast in there, and destroyed, at the commencement of the thousand years. Rev. 19:20. The individuals of whom those organizations were then composed, now come up in the second resurrection, and a similar and final destruction is visited upon them, under the names Gog and Magog. 

The Lake of Fire. - Some reader may be inclined to ask for a definition of the lake of fire. As a comprehensive definition,

p 742 -- may it not be called a symbol of the agencies which God employs to close up his controversy with the living wicked at the beginning of the thousand years, and with all the hosts of the ungodly at the end of that period? Literal fire will of course be largely employed in this work. We can better describe its effects than the thing itself. At the second coming of Christ, it is the flaming fire in which the Lord Jesus is revealed; it is the spirit of his mouth and brightness of his coming, by which the man of sin is to be consumed; it is the fire in which great Babylon shall be utterly burned. Rev. 18:8. At the end of the thousand years, it is the day that shall burn as an oven (Mal. 4:1); it is the fervent heat that shall melt the elements and the earth, and burn up the works that are therein; it is the fire of het "prepared for the king" (the devil and his angels, Matt. 25:41), the pile whereof is deep and large, and which "the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle." Isa. 30:33. It is the fire that comes down from God out of heaven. (On the expression, "tormented day and night forever and ever," see on chapter 14:11.)

********

The lake of fire is REAL.

Does it exist right now?  No.

Will it exist? Yes.

As the earth is left desolate the horrors of its destruction are unlike anything we've ever witnessed.  On a small scale we might know devastations - tornados, earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes, yes we know the horrors they bring but only on a small scale, not worldwide.

Our tragedies where thousands, hundreds of thousands are killed, will be nothing compared to the billions who will perish in the worldwide travesty of the last days to come. As the saints are raised to heaven- the living and the dead- to live with Christ their Savior for 1000 years, the wicked will be perishing, every last one of them. The evil angels and Satan alone will be left chained to the earth in all its desolation without a single human to deceive.  And for 1000 years it will be like that and only after that 1000 years will the new Jerusalem- the heavenly city where Jesus and God the Father are the temple within, will descend to earth.

Rev_21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

This will happen! This all will happen and if you are reading this, you do not have to believe it, nothing can force you to believe it, nothing. This is prophetic truth that we have been given and we can either heed it or dismiss it entirely. May God bless us and help us to heed all that He would have us heed! May we be blessed as promised a blessing upon reading and keeping the word of this book, all by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, now and forever and ever. AMEN.

Hell fire and damnation, truth or a lie?

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

Revelation  VERSE 4. 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, and 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.  5.   But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.  6.   Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The Exaltation of the Saints. - From the devil in his gloomy confinement, John now directs our attention to the saints in victory and glory, - the saints reigning with Christ - their employment being to assign to the wicked dead the punishment due their evil deeds. From that general assembly John then selects two classes as worthy of especial attention:   first, the martyrs, those who had been beheaded for the witness of Jesus; and secondly, those who had not worshiped the beast and his image. This class, the ones who refuse the mark of the beast and his image, are of course the ones who hear and obey the third message of Revelation 14; but these are not the ones who are beheaded for the witness of Jesus, as some who

p 738 -- claim that the last generation of saints are all to be slain, would have us believe. The word rendered which, in the expression, "and which had not worshiped the beast," etc., shows that there is another class introduced. The word is the compound relative, ostiV (hostis), not merely the simple relative oV, and is defined by Liddell and Scott, "Whosoever; whichsoever; any one who; anything which;" and by Robinson, "One who; some one who; whosoever; whatsoever." As one class, John saw the martyrs, and as another, he saw those who had not worshiped the beast and his image. 

It is true that ostiV is sometimes used as a simple relative, as in 2 Cor. 3:14; Eph. 1:23, but never in such constructions as this, preceded by the conjunction kai.

Lest any one should say that if we render the passage "and whosoever had not worshiped the beast," we thereby include millions of heathen and sinners who have not worshiped the beast, and promise them a reign with Christ of a thousand years, we would call attention to the fact that the preceding chapter states that the wicked had all been slain, and the seal of death had been set upon them for a thousand years; and John is viewing only the righteous company who have part in the first resurrection.

To avoid the doctrine of two resurrections, some claim that the passage, "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished," is an interpolation, not found in the original, and hence not genuine. Even if this were so, it would not disprove the main proposition that the righteous dead are raised by themselves, in a "first resurrection," and that there is a second resurrection a thousand years later, in which all the wicked are brought from their graves. But the criticism is not true. All scholarship is against it. The Revised Version retains the passage.

Two Resurrections. - "The rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished." Whatever may be said to the contrary, no language could more plainly prove two resurrections; the first, a resurrection of the righteous at the commencement of the thousand years; and the second, that of the wicked at the end of that period. On such as have part in

p 739 -- the first resurrection, the second death will have no power. They can pass unharmed through the elements which destroy the wicked like chaff. They will be able to dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnings (Isa. 33:14, 15); they will be able to go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men who have transgressed against the Lord, as the quenchless fire and undying worm are preying upon them. Isa. 66:24. The difference between the righteous and the wicked in this respect is seen again in the fact that while God is to the latter a consuming fire, he is to his people both a sun and a shield.

The Wicked Raised to Life.. - The wicked who are raised at the end of the thousand years as really live again as they have once lived on the earth. To deny this is to do violence to this scripture. In what physical condition they will be raised, we are not informed. It is usual to say on this point that what we have lost unconditionally in Adam, is restored unconditionally in Christ. With respect to physical condition, this should not perhaps be taken in an unlimited sense; for we have lost greatly in stature and vital force, which need not be restored to the wicked. If they are brought back to the average mental and physical condition which they enjoyed during life, or the period of their probation, that would certainly be sufficient to enable them to receive at last understandingly the reward due them for all their deeds.

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Truth!

We cannot deny this is truth!

I amend that, we can deny it and to deny it is death.

Hellfire and brimstone, this is what I'm preaching - so to speak, and it's truth! Hellfire and brimstone isn't preached enough anymore.

Death awaits the unrepentant wicked.  Eternal death. 

The world would have us believe that when we die we automatically enter a new way of living. The world soothes us with this lie so we don't worry about repenting of our sins and surrendering our lives to Christ, the only One who can give us life after death upon His return to earth.

You say you have given your life to Christ, that He will save you even if you believe the lies told? You say your heart is in the right place and Jesus knows this?  I tell you that Jesus abhors lying and those who believe lies after they've been told the truth and given an opportunity to know truth.

Joh_8:44  Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Psa_32:2  Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

The Lamb and the 144,000

…4These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. 5And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.

Cross References

Psalm 32:2

Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.

Zephaniah 3:13

They will do no wrong; they will tell no lies. A deceitful tongue will not be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie down and no one will make them afraid."

Malachi 2:6

True instruction was in his mouth and nothing false was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and turned many from sin.

John 1:47

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, "Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit."

Hebrews 9:14

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

1 Peter 1:19

but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 2:22

"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

Jude 1:24

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy--

Treasury of Scripture

From <http://biblehub.com/revelation/14-5.htm>

NO LYING! NO DECEIT! We cannot tell our Savior that we are innocent because we loved the lies we cherish. We cannot tell our Savior that we are His followers when we choose to follow lies that come from the father of lies. 

The end is coming, and either we will be with the saints in heaven with Christ for a 1000 years, or we will be dead upon the earth left to rot, not off in some spirit form living. We will be dead only to be raised at the end of the 1000 years to face our punishment that will lead to our eternal, everlasting destruction.  One place or the other, these are our only two options!

Yes, hellfire and damnation awaits, but most assuredly, heaven awaits as well! We must believe the truth and NOTHING but the truth!

Please, Father….please.

In the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, now and forever, amen!

Killed by the brightness of Christ's return

REVELATION CHAPTER -- 20 --

VERSE 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  2.   And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  3.   And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

2.   The Key and Chain. - It cannot be supposed that the key and chain are literal; they are rather used merely as symbols of the power and authority with which this angel is clothed upon this occasion.

3. The Bottomless Pit. - The original word signifies an abyss, bottomless, deep, profound. Its use seems to be such as to show that the word denotes any place of darkness, desolation, and death.

Thus in Rev. 9:1, 2, it is applied to the barren wastes of the Arabian desert, and in Rom. 10:7, to the grave; but the passage which specially throws light upon the meaning of the word here is Gen. 1:2, where we read that "darkness was upon the face of the deep."

The word there rendered deep is the same word that is here rendered bottomless pit; so that passage might have been translated, "Darkness was upon the face of the abyss, or bottomless pit."

But we all know what is meant by the word deep as there used; it is applied to this earth in its chaotic state. Precisely this it must mean in this third verse of Revelation 20. At this time, let it be borne in mind, the earth is a vast charnel-house of desolation and death.

The voice of God has shaken it to its foundations; the islands and mountains have been moved out of their places; the great earthquake has leveled to the earth the mightiest 

p 736 -- works of man; the seven last plagues have left their all-desolating footprints over the earth; the burning glory attending the coming of the Son of man has borne its part in accomplishing the general desolation; the wicked have been given to the slaughter, and their putrefying flesh and bleaching bones lie unburied, ungathered, and unlamented from one end of the earth to the other end thereof.

Thus is the earth made empty and waste, and turned upside down. Isa. 24:1. Thus is it brought back again, partially at least, to its original state of confusion and chaos. (See Jer. 4:19-26, especially verse 23.)

Jer 4:19  My bowels, my bowels! I am pained at my very heart; my heart maketh a noise in me; I cannot hold my peace, because thou hast heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

Jer 4:20  Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled, and my curtains in a moment.

Jer 4:21  How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?

Jer 4:22  For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

Jer 4:23  I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

Jer 4:24  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly.

Jer 4:25  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

Jer 4:26  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger.

And what better term could be used to describe the earth thus rolling on in its course of darkness and desolation for a thousand years than that of the abyss, or bottomless pit? Here Satan will be confined during this time, amid the ruins which indirectly his own hands have wrought, unable to flee from his habitation of woe, or to repair in the least degree its hideous ruin. 

4. The Binding of Satan. -

We well know that Satan, in order to work, must have subjects upon whom to work. Without these, he can do nothing. But during the thousand years of his confinement to this earth, all the saints are in heaven, beyond the power of his temptations; and all the wicked are in their graves, beyond his power to deceive.

His sphere of action is circumscribed, he being at this time confined to this earth; and thus is he bound, being condemned throughout this period to a state of hopeless inactivity. This, to a mind that has been so busy as his has been for the past six thousand years in deceiving the world, must be a punishment of the most intense severity.

According to this exposition, the "binding" of Satan means simply the placing beyond his reach of the subjects upon whom he works, and his being "loosed" means their being brought again, by a resurrection, to a position where he can again exercise his power upon them. Over this exposition some assume to grow merry, telling us that we have mistaken the parties, and have the wicked bound, not the devil. Yet how often do we hear, in the daily transactions of life, such expressions as these:   My way was completely hedged up; my hands were

p 737 -- completely tied, etc. But do we understand, when persons use such expressions, that some insurmountable obstacle was literally thrown across the path they were traveling, or that their hands were literally confined with ropes or cords? - No; but simply that a combination of circumstances rendered it impossible for them to act.

Just so here; and why will not people grant to the Bible the same liberty of speech that they give, without question and without ridicule, to their fellow men in the common intercourse of life?

But more than this, there is here a great limitation of Satan's power, which may well be called a "binding." He no longer has the power of traversing space, and visiting other worlds; but like man he is confined to this earth, which he nevermore leaves. The place of the ruin he has wrought now becomes his gloomy prison-house, till he is led out to execution, at the end of the thousand years.

*******

Truth.

Satan will be bound to a desolate earth for a thousand years.  There will be NO one to deceive, no one at all. Truly we will be in heaven for a thousand years with our Savior, by HIS grace! And all the wicked will be dead. Remember this--

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

We which are ALIVE and REMAIN shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the LORD.

This is truth!

We are given a choice.

We are ALL given an opportunity.

If we do NOT receive the love of the TRUTH so we can be saved, we will believe LIES and we will be damned!

People laugh, people scoff and you know what…

2Pe 3:3  Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,

Mat 24:39  And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

People are going to ignore the truth because they only want lies soothing to their ears.  And everyone who wants the lies will be caught by surprise when the plagues start falling, when the world as they know it starts to disappear, and when our Savor returns- they like those in the days of Noah, will be perish.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

We must live for our SAVIOR who lives for US! He died for us! He wants us to belong to Him, to know Him and He know us!

Please, Savior, please know us!

Father in heaven, holy You are! We want Your kingdom to come! We want YOUR will to be done right now on earth just as it is in heaven! Please! Give us today all the sustenance we need- spiritually, physically, in all ways. Forgive us our many, many sins! Help us to forgive those sinning against us! Please Father, please don't lead us to despair because that is where temptation leads us, but DELIEVER US, SAVE US from ALL EVIL! Father, Yours IS the KINGDOM, Father, Yours IS the GLORY, Yours IS the POWER, Yours IS the HONOR forever and ever and ever!!!!!!!

Amen! 

Whose end shall be according to their works.

REVELATION CHAPTER -- 20 --

p 732 -- VERSE 1. And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  2.   And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  3.   And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

(Excerpt taken from Daniel and Revelation by Uriah Smith 1897-1911 Editions)

The event with which this chapter opens seems to follow, in chronological order, the events of the preceding chapter. The inquiries that here arise are, Who is the angel that comes down from heaven? what are the key and chain which he has in his hand? what is the bottomless pit? and what is meant by binding Satan a thousand years?

  1. The Angel. - Is this angel Christ, as some suppose? Evidently not. A bright ray of light is thrown from the old typical service directly upon this passage. Thus, Christ is the great High Priest of this dispensation. On the day of atonement, anciently, two goats were taken by the priest, upon which lots were cast, one for the Lord, and the other for the scapegoat. The one upon which the Lord's lot fell, was then slain, and his blood carried into the sanctuary to make an

p 733 -- atonement for the children of Israel, after which the sins of the people were confessed upon the head of the other, or scapegoat, and he was sent away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness, or a place not inhabited. Now, as Christ is the priest of this dispensation, so by arguments, a few of which we here introduce, Satan is shown to be the antitypical scapegoat.

   (1)   The Hebrew word for scapegoat, as given in the margin of Lev. 16:8, is Azazel. On this verse, Jenks, in his Comprehensive Commentary, remarks:       "Scapegoat. (See diff. opin. in Bochart.) Spencer, after the oldest opinion of the Hebrews and Christians, thinks Azazel is the name of the devil; and so Rosenmuller, whom see. The Syriac has Azzail, the angel (strong one) who revolted."       The devil is here evidently pointed out. Thus we have the definition of the Scripture term in two ancient langnages, with the oldest opinion of the Christians, in favor of the view that the scapegoat is a type of Satan.

Charles Beecher, in Redeemer and Redeemed, pp. 67, 68, says:      "What goes to confirm this is that the most ancient paraphrases and translations treat Azazel as a proper name. The Chaldee paraphrase and the targums of Onkelos and Jonathan would certainly have translated it if it was not a proper name, but they do not.

 The Septuagint, or oldest Greek version, renders it by apopompaioV (apopompaios), a word applied by the Greeks to a malign deity sometimes appeased by sacrifices.

 Another confirmation is found in the book of Enoch, where the name Azalzel, evidently a corruption of Azazel, is given to one of the fallen angels, thus plainly showing what was the prevalent understanding of the Jews at that day.

"Still another evidence is found in the Arabic, where Azazel is employed as the name of the evil spirit.

 In addition to these, we have the evidence of the Jewish work Zohar, and of the Cabalistic and Rabbinical writers. They tell us that the following proverb was current among the Jews:   'On the day of atonement, a gift to Sammael.' Hence Moses Gerundinensis feels called to say that it is not a sacrifice, but only done because commanded by God. 

p 734 -- "Another step in the evidence is when we find this same opinion passing from the Jewish to the early Christian church. Origen was the most learned of the Fathers, and on such a point as this, the meaning of a Hebrew word, his testimony is reliable. Origen says, 'He who is called in the Septuagint apopompaioV, and in the Hebrew Azazel, is no other than the devil.'

"In view, then, of the difficulties attending any other meaning, and the accumulated evidence in favor of this, Hengstenberg affirms with great confidence that Azazel cannot be anything else than another name for Satan."

  (2)   In the common acceptation of the word, the term scapegoat is applied to anyone who has become obnoxious to the claims of justice; and while it is revolting to all our conceptions of the character and glory of Christ to apply this term to him, it must strike every one as a very appropriate designation of the devil, who is styled in Scripture the accuser, adversary, angel of the bottomless pit, Beelzebub, Belial, dragon, enemy, evil spirit, father of lies, murderer, prince of devils, serpent, tempter, etc., etc.

  (3)   The third reason for this position is the very striking manner in which it harmonizes with the events to transpire in connection with the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary, as far as revealed to us in the Scriptures of truth.

We behold in the type,

(a) the sin of the transgressor transferred to the victim;

(b) we see that sin borne by the ministration of the priest and the blood of the offering into the sanctuary;

(c) on the tenth day of the seventh month we see the priest, with the blood of the sin-offering for the people, remove all their sins from the sanctuary, and lay them upon the head of the scapegoat; and (d) the goat bears them away into a land not inhabited. Lev. 1:1-4; 4:3-6; 16:5-10, 15, 16, 20-22.

Answering to these events in the type, we behold in the antitype,

(a) the great offering for the world made on Calvary;

(b) the sins of all those who avail themselves of the merits of Christ's shed blood by faith in him, borne, by the ministration of Christ while pleading his own blood, into the new-covenant

p 735 -- sanctuary;

(c) after Christ, the minister of the true tabernacle (Heb. 8:2), has finished his ministration, he will remove the sins of his people from the sanctuary, and lay them upon the head of their author, the antitypical scapegoat, the devil; and

(d) the devil will be sent away with them into a land not inhabited.

This we believe to be the very event described in the verses under notice. The sanctuary service is, at the time here specified, closed.

Christ lays upon the head of the devil the sins which have been transferred to the sanctuary, and which are imputed to the saints no more, and the devil is sent away, not by the hand of the High Priest, but by the hand of another person, according to the type, into a place here called the bottomless pit. Hence this angel is not Christ. For a full exposition of this subject, see the work Looking Unto Jesus; or Christ In Type and Antitype.

*******

Satan will be defeated.

All those who revel in serving Satan will be defeated as well.

Satan is NOT in control.  Satan does NOT have all the power. Contrary to so many movies and such that depict Satan as a powerful force able to defeat our God, that is all fiction perpetuated by Satan himself.

Yes, there are tv shows with people portraying themselves as the devil, as angels, and all sorts of creatures.  Fictionalizing satan in very deceptive ways,  as well as angels, in turn fictionalizes God and our Savior.  Revealing satan as one in need of sympathy is twisted. Calling upon compassion for the unrepentant author of evil is just another ploy of his to steer people down the wrong path. Appearing as a harmless creature, and even as a helpful being, in turn deceives even more. Remember this--

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Whose end shall be according to their works!  Their very deceptive works.

There is NO changing Satan or his evil angels, NONE.  They chose their path, knowing the path was one they could never turn back from. So for Satan to try and illicit sympathy, for Satan to portray himself as helpful- these are LIES meant to DECEIVE! And they WILL deceive, they will.  The multitudes will be deceived, choosing evil disguised as good when all they needed to do was seek the truth and yes, nothing but the truth. Confronted by truth -evil laughs it off, denies it, shuns it, and uses it to its advantage any way it can. Evil will take one of your cherished lies and make you love it all the more. Truth will take one of your cherished lies and confront you with its unreality, with its falsehood and you can either accept that something you cherish is a lie, or deny the truth so you don't have to painfully give up something you love.  Do you want the truth? Can you handle the truth? Most will not.  Most will believe the many, many lies satan has given them throughout the years.

The truth, Lord, we would know only Your truth! Help us, Lord, Save us from ourselves, from the deceptions we are prone to fall for, from the cherished lies we are loathed to give up. Please, Lord, please, all through our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord, our Advocate, by the Holy Spirit, please… please.

In Your love!

Amen.

May we keep from darkness, may we keep from evil.

Joh 3:19  And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Joh 3:20  For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Joh 3:21  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

*******

We've been studying from the book Daniel and Revelation for quite some time now. The information in it is astounding, but it's so incredibly much to absorb. I'd be lying if I said I knew it all by heart. I won't lie, I have to study and study and study over and over again, endlessly. There is just so much there to comprehend. We are almost to the end of the book of Revelation and the revealings prophesized are many. We know a lot of things have come to pass and a lot of things have yet to come to pass. 

We have to realize that men love darkness, they LOVE darkness!  They LOVE darkness because their deeds are evil- this is TRUTH!  Whenever any of us do deliberate evil, whenever any of us do anything against our God, against love, we choose evil over good.  We don't want our evil known, so we hide it in darkness. Or…

…. We try to convince ourselves that our evil is light, but it is NOT and never will be!

Men don't want this truth! People don't want to study this truth, they don't want to know the prophecies and the reality of the future and the fact that there will be an end to evil.

Isa_5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 

We must pray that our God reveals any evil in our lives to us so we can forsake that evil! We must seek light, truth!  So much evil is hidden under society's acceptable standards. May God bless us, and keep us in Him, in His truth! Help us, Lord! Please, help us.  Be all that we can't be for ourselves. Be our salvation, be our righteousness!

Help us forsake darkness, forsake evil.

By Your GRACE, YOUR MERCY, YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, YOUR EVERLASTING LIFE!

In the name of our Savior, now and forever, in His most holy name, Jesus Christ our Savior, the only begotten of the Father!

Amen.