Most people who read the Bible know that in the end, righteous people will inherit eternal life and go to Heaven but the wicked people will not get either gift. The future of the wicked is not good. However, there are many different ideas on what will happen, especially to the wicked. But if we look at what might be the most famous verse in the Bible, we can see that it clearly indicates what is going to happen to both the righteous and the wicked in the end.

15. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

From this famous verse, we can see that the two outcomes are clear. People will either perish and no longer exist, or they will live forever! There is no other outcome mentioned in the Bible. On this page, we will look at this 1000 year period following the second coming of Jesus from the Bible, and we will see that these same two options are clearly described throughout the Bible and with greater detail.

So, let us look at the Bible to see what specifically happens to the people of the world. We will do this in three stages: First we will see what reward God gives the righteous; Secondly, we will look at the fate of the wicked; Finally, we will look at how the righteous will inherit the earth after the wicked are completely destroyed at the end of the 1000 years.

It is the meek, those who are blessed who wait on the Lord; They are the ones who will inherit the earth.

9. For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.
10. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, But it shall be no more.
11. But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

22. For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, But those cursed by Him shall be cut off. Psalm 37:9-11,22.

Yes, the righteous will inherit the earth! But the wicked will be cut off. They will be no more and if you look very carefully you will still find no wicked left because they are gone!

So, only the righteous will be on the earth to inherit the world. But, if we compare the various promises of the Bible about the reward of the righteous, we will find that God's people will inherit the earth only after the wicked are fully destroyed and sin is completely wiped out.

In the Bible we will find that the righteous will be going to heaven before they come back down to inherit the earth. Lets look at the Bible to see the evidence.

When Jesus was on earth he said that His kingdom was not of this world:

33. Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
34. Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"
35. Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"
36. Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." John 18:33-36.

Pilate had asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. After a few things were spoken, Jesus then said that His kingdom is not of this world. He was not an earthly king but His kingdom was not from this world.

Notice the qualifier that Jesus adds to His answer. He says "but now" My kingdom is not from here.

So, Jesus is essentially saying that at that time His kingdom is not of this world. This suggests that at some later time, this world will indeed become His world. This point agrees with what we already saw written about the righteous, that the meek shall inherit the earth. We will see more evidence on this subject later on this page.

But for the present time Jesus has another message that He gives to His followers:

20. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

Jesus tells His followers not about the earth but about the kingdom of heaven!

21. Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Matthew 7:21

When Jesus was on earth He did not say anything about a kingdom of the earth. Jesus talks about the kingdom of heaven in all His promises.

3. and said, Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:3

Jesus speaks about the righteous entering into the kindom of Heaven!

23. Then Jesus said to His disciples, Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
24. And again I say to you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:23-24

The Kindom of God is the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus takes His Saints to heaven, there will be a big supper where all will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

11. And I say to you that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 8:11

I believe that Jesus was speaking of the marriage supper of the Lamb when He talked of sitting down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The marriage supper is mentioned in Revelation 19:9.

9. And he said to me, Write, Blessed are those who have been called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said to me, These are the true sayings of God. Revelation 19:9

We are to rejoice because of our reward which is in Heaven.

12. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12

I want to have treasure in Heaven rather than on earth where nothing is secure.

19. Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.
20. But lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:19-20

Our hope is tied to heaven!

5. for the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven, of which you heard before in the Word of the truth of the gospel, Colossians 1:5

There is an inheritance that is reserved for us in Heaven.

3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4. to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in Heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4

As we keep looking in the Bible we will see that Heaven plays a large part in the reward for the righteous.

What does Jesus say He will do for His Saints who follow Him? Lets look into where He is and what He says He will do.

When Jesus was in our world, He said that He came from the Father in heaven and He also said that afterwards He will again go back to the Father which is in heaven.

28. I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world. Again I leave the world and go to the Father. John 16:28.

So, Jesus is now in Heaven. Jesus has left the world because He is not of this world:

16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:16.

It makes sense that Jesus' place would be with His Father in heaven because He is not of this world. Now Jesus is saying that the righteous are also not of this world. So, it should not surprise us if we were to find that Jesus is also preparing places for the righteous to live with Him in heaven. Lets look to see what He says.

In a discussion with His disciples, Jesus helps to confirm that very idea; Jesus tells them that He will be leaving them and they would not be able to follow Him at that time. But they would follow Him a little later. Then Jesus told them that He will come back to take them all home with them to His Father's house where there are many mansions. Then they will all be together again:

33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

36. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
37. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
38. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 13:33,36-14:3

So, Jesus tells His disciples that, yes, He is leaving them and they can not follow Him just then. But then He specifically says that He will prepare places in His Father's mansions so that when He comes again, He will be able to take them with Him to heaven to live. That way they will always be together.

The places in His Father's house are in Heaven, not on earth. Nowhere in the Bible does it says that the Father's house or the mansions are on the earth. Also, we must remember that Jesus Himself said that He is not of this world and that He would return to His Father in heaven. So, those who will follow Jesus, whom He also says "are not of this world," they will also be taken to Heaven to be with Him.

As we will see later on this page, there is nothing on earth for the saints at this point. Because the earth itself will be broken up. So, Jesus will be taking His saints to Heaven, to His Father's house, when He comes again.

When Jesus comes at the end of the world to collect His Saints, He gathers them together from all the parts of the earth. Here we have two parallel accounts of what Jesus told His disciples about His second coming. I have placed them side-by-side so you can more easily compare them:

When Jesus comes with power and glory, just after the tribulation, the wicked will be extremely anxious, perplexed, and they will be fearful of what is to happen to them. The righteous, on the other hand, will look up to see their redemption come. At that time, the righteous will be scattered over all the face of the earth. So His angels will gather His elect and bring them together when the trumpet sounds. (Elect means: His chosen ones)

So, the living righteous will be brought together, but what about those who are dead? Below, Paul comforts the Christians in Thessalonica who were concerned that people were starting to die who had expected to see Jesus come in their life-time.

13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

So, Paul tells the Thessalonians that God will not forget those who have died. If we believe that Jesus has risen from the dead, we can believe that God will bring them with Him.

Now, what does Paul mean when he says: those "which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him"? There are two possible choices:

1. Does he mean that Jesus is taking the dead back from heaven when He comes? This would mean that the dead are already with Jesus when He comes in the clouds of glory. This would also mean that dead people are already in heaven before His second coming. (People would go to heaven when they die. They would not sleep in the grave.)

2. Or does it mean that Jesus will take those, who have fallen asleep, back to heaven with Him? This would mean that Jesus would raise the dead from their graves when He comes again and not before. Then He would bring both those who have died and also those who were yet living, back to heaven at the same time. Both groups would be going to heaven for the first time. (People would not go to heaven when they die; but rather, they would be raised up in the resurrection at Christ' second coming. People will sleep in the grave until Jesus comes.)

Scripture is clear showing that Jesus will raise the righteous dead when He comes again, at His second coming, at the trump of God. Then He will take both groups back to heaven:

15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

Concentrating on verses 16 and 17, we see that Jesus Himself comes down from heaven at His second coming. This is the big event at the end of the world when Jesus comes to get His people and take them back with Him. Then, with a shout of the archangel's voice and the trumpet of God, the dead in Christ rise up first. Then, all who are still alive in Christ, are brought up together with those who had died in the clouds and they meet the Lord in the air to be always with Him.

It is at the second coming of Jesus, the time of the end, when both those who died and those who are yet alive, will be taken up into heaven together. So, it is clear in verse 14, that Paul is saying the dead in Christ, even those who sleep in Jesus will God take back to heaven with Him and so will we ever be with the Lord!

There is another point to consider. Lets look at verse 17:

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. 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Paul does not say they get together on the earth. But instead, He says they will be caught up together in the clouds! This is additional evidence showing that they are going to heaven; Not the earth. They are meeting the Lord in the air!

Looking at 1 Corinthians, we find that Paul is consistent. Jesus is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep in Jesus and here again Paul says that the dead in Christ will be raised at the time of His coming:

20. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23

All who have died in Christ, shall be made alive at Christ's second coming. It doesn't happen before His coming at all. So, Jesus must be taking both the saints who were dead and those who were still alive to heaven for the first time.

Now we must reason this out. Jesus has just raised up the dead who have fallen asleep at His second coming, so Jesus has to be taking them back to heaven with Him for the very first time! They were all asleep before His second coming and Jesus then raised them up at the last day!

39. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:39-40.

So, it looks like Jesus is taking all His people back to be with Himself, because there are places for His saints to live and He wants us to be with Him. This most likely is the beloved city, the New Jerusalem. We know that the New Jerusalem does not come out of heaven until after the 1000 years. The very last part of the book of Revelation speaks of the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to the New Earth. We will see that later on this page.

God has very definite plans for the righteous. In the Bible there are many clues showing what these plans are. In Romans and 2 Timothy, we find interesting bits of information. I have placed these two texts side-by-side so you can compare what is said.

The righteous have now become the children of God by adoption. They were led by the Spirit of God and were able to obtain their salvation through Jesus. So now, they can call God their father or daddy because they have become adopted into the family of God!

In addition, God has allowed His chosen ones to be covered in eternal glory and to live with Him. They will become joint-heirs with Christ and they will actually be glorified together with Christ.

In this amazing experience, the righteous will actually reign with Christ! In 1 Corinthians, we see that the righteous will even act as judges:

2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

The righteous will judge the wicked, both those who lived on the earth and also the evil angels that had tempted people to go against God.

In Revelation 20, we find that it is during the 1000 years that the righteous live and reign with Christ. It is during this 1000 years that judgment is given into the hands of the righteous. So, it is at this time that they will judge both the wicked angels and people:

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 worshipped 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. Revelation 20:4-6.

So, the righteous live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. They judge the wicked and they will be priests of God and of Christ. They are blessed and holy because they were raised in the first resurrection. This is the resurrection of the righteous when Jesus came. The wicked will not be resurrected until the 1000 years are finished. That is when the wicked will be judged and they will experience the second death from which they will never live again. They will cease to exist.

The righteous, as it says in verse six, will never experience the second death. The second death is only for the wicked, not the righteous. All through the Bible, the first death is described as a sleep because God will resurrect all people from the grave. Click on: "What happens when people die?" to better understand the first death that almost all people will experience. Only those who are living when Jesus comes will never see death.

As we will soon see, it is the wicked, who will not only die the first time, but they will be raised up at the end of the 1000 years to receive judgement and then they will die the second death from which there is no returning. They will cease to exist. But the second death has no power against those who took part in the first resurrection at Christ's second coming, at the beginning of the 1000 years.

At the end of the 1000 years, the wicked will be judged. We will study this subject out much more thoroughly when we look at the reward of the wicked. Right now, we want to concentrate on the righteous while the wicked are destroyed.

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. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Revelation 20:7-9

As we will see, when we look at what happens to the wicked, Satan is let loose from his prison and he then goes out to deceive all those who were raised up at the end of the thousand years. And Satan convinces them to attack the beloved city of Jerusalem, where the righteous are located. But as they surround the city, fire comes down from God and devours them.

At this time, the righteous are in the New Jerusalem, the beloved city. Look at the following two Scripture concerning the New Jerusalem and the righteous:

So, we see that the new Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven and it is only the righteous who have the right to enter the gates of the city. The only ones that are left outside are those who are wicked. As we saw earlier, the wicked surround the people of God and the city and then fire comes out of heaven to destroy them. All the righteous are safely inside the city.

For the 1000 years, we have seen that the righteous live and reign with Jesus. This must be a healing time for them because God waits for a 1000 years in order to judge the wicked. This is a long time. It must be for the righteous that God waits so long.

We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, that during the 1000 years, God puts the righteous at the very heart of the judgement: Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? . . . Know ye not that we shall judge angels? God actually gives the judgement of the wicked to the righteous!

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 worshipped 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. Revelation 20:4.

So, it looks very likely that God gives the righteous the judgment of the wicked to help them heal. What better way to show the new sons and daughters of God about the righteousness of God, and that all things that He does is righteous? During this 1000 years, the righteous will judge the wicked, and they will live and reign with Jesus; They will be where God is! What better way to learn of God than to be with God personally?

Once the wicked are destroyed, God makes new heavens and a new earth and all weeping will be no more.

17. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind .
18. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. Isaiah 65:17-19

God has now put all the questions that the righteous might have had, out of their minds, because they have all been answered during the 1000 years. There is no longer any reason for any of the righteous to question God or to wonder why He does things the way that He does, because, God Himself has laid Himself open, showing what He has done so that the righteous can judge the wicked.

Now, the righteous see the wisdom in the complete destruction of the wicked at that time. After all, they took part in the judgement themselves! So, with their complete trust in God, having seen how God has conducted the whole proceedings, they are able to praise God for His victory and for the destruction of the wicked. And now, God will wipe away all tears from their eyes and the former things will not be remembered nor come to mind any longer. They are completely healed of the heartache they went through.

2. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. Malachi 4:2.

After we look at the reward of the wicked, we will then look at the verses of the Bible that show us what the new world will be like after the wicked people are destroyed.

Later, after the 1000 years are finished, the rest of the dead will be brought back to life. These are the wicked dead, who do not live again until after the thousand years are ended. This is the second resurrection, the resurrection of damnation which occurs a thousand years after the righteous are raised.

10. Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11. It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:
12. If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: 2 Timothy 2:10-12.

I am not sure what all this means, but the righteous become the children of God by adoption and they actually become joint-heirs with Christ?! And to be glorified together with Jesus?! I do not think it is possible to imagine the degree in which God and Jesus will honor the righteous. It will be that they will be able to call God their father or daddy because they have become adopted into the family of God!

In this amazing description of the righteous' experience, the righteous will actually reign with Christ! Not only do they become joint heirs with Jesus and glorified together, but they are also allowed to reign with Him as well. In 1 Corinthians, we see that the righteous will even act as judges:

2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

The righteous judge not only the wicked but also the wicked angels.

In Revelation 20:4-6 below, we see that the righteous live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. They judge the wicked and they will be priests of God and of Christ. They are blessed and holy because they were raised in the first resurrection. This is the resurrection of the righteous when Jesus came. The wicked will not be resurrected until the 1000 years are finished. That is when the wicked will be judged and they will experience the second death from which they will never live again. They will cease to exist.

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 worshipped 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. Revelation 20:4-6.

Yes, it is true that God knows who is righteous and who is wicked; He has already separated the righteous from the wicked. But remember, it says in Revelation 20:4 that "judgment was given unto them:" Remember, God is allowing the righteous to be joint-heirs with Christ! He is allowing them to be glorified together with Christ! So, God is giving this special privilege to the righteous, to judge the wicked.

Lets not forget that it is after the 1000 years that the wicked will be raised to life again. This is when they will be judged.

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. Revelation 20:13-15

So, just as soon as the 1000 years are finished and the righteous are finished with their judgement, then the wicked are raised to life, only to be destroyed by the fire according to their judgement. They will be judged according to the judgement of the righteous at that time.

So, there is a special judgment that occurs to the wicked. Since the wicked are judged according to their works at this time, it looks like the righteous themselves will determine the amount of suffering that is metered out when the wicked are placed in the lake of fire which is their second death.

The point is this: while you may presently wonder whether Hitler and Stalin will sufficiently pay for their crimes; At that time, you will personally be able to look into their judgement to check for yourself whether it is sufficient and just. You may personally take part in the judgement of them yourself. Obviously we don't know the specifics of how it will be done.

But this process does suggest that God will be opening Himself to us in such a way so that we will more fully understand the reasons why God has done what He has done. I think it possibly that this whole process will be a way to help us become healed. Lets face it, we are all sick and damaged individuals. In addition, we might have friends and family who are among the wicked. How will we be able to face the reality of the situation and know that God was always fair?

But God will help us take a 1000 years to consider all these things so that when all the wicked are raised up again to receive their final punishment; The righteous will be able to say with a much fuller understanding and knowledge: "Just and true are your ways oh LORD"!

The fact that God actually takes 1000 years to allow the righteous to see and judge everything for themselves, shows the value that God places upon the righteous and their understanding of God and the whole process of judging the wicked.

How could the righteous ever be happy if they were to watch the wicked being destroyed while still having serious moral questions about their destruction? Could they truly say with honesty: "Just and true are your ways oh LORD"?

The righteous will not be forced to say things in heaven. Force is what happens in today's world where satanic powers try to force conscience against their will. No, But rather, the righteous will be able to talk about God from their personal experience.

This time, I believe, will be the beginning of the fulfillment of the New Covenant that Jeremiah spoke about in Jeremiah 31:31-34 (See also Hebrews 8:7-13), where God will write His law in their hearts!

31. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
32. "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33. "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34. "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34

There will never be a better fulfillment of this prophecy than when the righteous will be in heaven (and later in the new earth).

When the righteous go to heaven, the Lord will have forgiven their sins and He will remember their sin no more. At that time no one will teach his neighbor and brother to "know the LORD"; Because, God's law will be fully in their minds and written in their hearts. They will be the children of God!

God will write His law on the righteous' hearts and minds because their God opens to them the reality of who He is and what He has done for them. They will know the LORD. Not one of the righteous will be left out.

So, with their complete trust in God, having seen how God has conducted the whole proceedings, they are able to praise God for His victory and for the destruction of the wicked. And now, God will wipe away all tears from their eyes and the former things will not be remembered nor come to mind any longer. They are completely healed of the heartache they went through.

2. But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves. Malachi 4:2.

The phrase "Their work does not die, and the fire is not quenched" is repeated several times. Also it is mentioned that the fire will never be quenched:

43. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched--
44. "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
45. "And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame, rather than having two feet, to be cast into hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched--
46. "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
47. "And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire--
48. "where 'Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'
49. "For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
50. "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another." Mark 9:43-50

The "hell" is translated from the Greek word "gehenna." This is identified as the valley of Hinnom which is just outside the walls of Jerusalem. Garbage was thrown into the fire and what was not destroyed by the fire was eaten by maggots (worms). So gehenna symbolizes hell which is a place of total destruction.

In this verse, Jesus is saying that the fires of hell cannot be quenched or put out by anyone. The phrase "Their worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched.'" obviously comes from Isaiah 66:24 which says:

23. And it shall come to pass That from one New Moon to another, And from one Sabbath to another, All flesh shall come to worship before Me," says the LORD.
24. "And they shall go forth and look Upon the corpses of the men Who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, And their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh." Isaiah 66:23-24

If they are looking at the dead corpses of the wicked, then the wicked are actually dead! They are looking at the dead bodies of men! This means that the worm that does not die, must not refer to the wicked themselves. The wicked cannot both be dead and continually alive!

So it must be that the worm, that does not die, refers to the actual worms that eat the bodies. The two activities that destroy the trash in gehenna, which are the fire and worms, do not stop until the trash and bodies are completely destroyed. Historically, since the trash is continually added to gehenna outside of Jerusalem, the process never ends. So the worms do not die and the fire is not quenched.

However when the wicked are fully destroyed at the end, they will be destroyed all together in one place, all at the same time:

38. But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. Psalm 37: 38.

So the worm will not stop doing its eating and the fire will not stop consuming until everything is completely destroyed.

Here is another verse that refers to the wicked as being eaten by both moths and worms:

7. "Listen to Me, you who know righteousness, You people in whose heart is My law: Do not fear the reproach of men, Nor be afraid of their insults.
8. For the moth will eat them up like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool; But My righteousness will be forever, And My salvation from generation to generation." Isaiah 51:7-8

I think this relates to what Isaiah said:

14. Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before! Isaiah 47:14.

The wicked will not be able to deliver themselves from the fire that destroys them. However, then Isaiah is quick to say that there will not be a coal to be warmed at nor a fire to sit before. So, the fire will not be quenched while the wicked are yet burning but it will go out only when there is nothing left to consume.

It is a fire that is not quenched. I am also reminded that Jeremiah said Jerusalem will be burned with a fire that will not be quenched:

7. "But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."'" Jeremiah 17:27

Yet we know that the city was totally destroyed just as Jeremiah said it would:

19. Then they burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious possessions.
20. And those who escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia,
21. to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. 2 Chronicles 36:19-21.

That fire was not stopped, it was not quenched, but instead; the fire was allowed to finish its job. Only then did the fire go out on its own. So, the fire was never quenched by anyone or put out; But rather it was allowed to naturally go out when all the fuel was consumed. Thus the city was fully burned with fire.

So when Jesus says that the fire will never be quenched He means just that. The fire will not be put out, so the wicked will be fully destroyed. It is only when there is nothing left to burn will the fire go out. Then the fire will go out naturally. But the fire will never be quenched before it does its job.

This issue reminds me of another text of Scripture that relates to what "forever" can mean:

11. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Revelation 14:11

"The smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever", from Revelation 14:11 obviously comes from Isaiah 34:10. It is the description of the destruction and desolation of Edom. Most of the book Revelation actually is connected with the Old Testament.

11. It shall not be quenched night or day; Its smoke shall ascend forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; No one shall pass through it forever and ever. Isaiah 34:10

It is clear that Isaiah was not saying that the smoke would be ascending forever since he also says in the very next few verses that the land would then become a waste for generations. He says that it would be a place that only wild animals would inhabit. The animals would take over the land:

11. But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it, Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it. And He shall stretch out over it The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.
12. They shall call its nobles to the kingdom, But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.
13. And thorns shall come up in its palaces, Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A courtyard for ostriches.
14. The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion; Also the night creature shall rest there, And find for herself a place of rest.
15. There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs And hatch, and gather them under her shadow; There also shall the hawks be gathered, Every one with her mate. Isaiah 34:11-15

The description of the smoke, is only a temporary action. Once the smoke is gone, then the animals take over. So, this text really speaks of complete destruction, not that the smoke would be forever rising, but that it would become a wasteland. The fire would do its job and then nothing would be left. If the area would be forever burning and smokey, the wild animals would never inhabit the area. Animals run away from smoke and fire.

The destruction of Edom matches the destruction of the wicked at the end. They will also vanish away once the fire does its job of destroying the wicked.

11. But the wicked shall perish; And the enemies of the LORD, Like the splendor of the meadows, shall vanish. Into smoke they shall vanish away. Psalm 37: 20.

The fire will not be quenched and everything is burned up into smoke which vanishes away.

I have another web page that looks at this very problem in more detail. Click to see: Are we tormented day and night for ever and ever?

If we just look at verses 19 to 21, it would seem that you are right. However if we include verses 17 & 18 to our study, we will see right away that the remnant is the flesh of all people:

17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18. "that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:17-21.

It says: "the flesh of all people" Thus the remnant that is slain includes the flesh of all people, both "free and slave, both small and great".

In verses 17 and 18, the birds are told to come and eat. They are to eat the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses, then the flesh of all people is included, free and slave, both small and great. So, the birds are promised the flesh of all people!

Now in verses 19 - 21, God provides the flesh to the birds. The beast, the kings, and their armies are all captured. Once the beast and false prophet are thrown into the fire, all the rest, which are the remnant, were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse.

Now, in verse 21, we see that all the fowls are filled with their flesh. So, since the birds are promised the flesh of all people in verse 18, "the remnant" has to include the flesh of all people.

Everyone on the earth is killed except the righteous. Since the birds are promised the flesh of all the people on the earth, it makes sense that the righteous are no longer on the earth at this time. They are with Jesus from this point on and are taken to heaven as many verses indicate.

Here is another verse of Scripture that describe the destruction of the wicked:

8. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming.
9. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
10. and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 2 Thess 2:8-10 NIV.

Those who are deceived by Satan will perish. See who it is who is perishing; It is those who refuse to love the truth! Again we see that it is the wicked who are destroyed.

So, when Jesus comes again all the wicked are destroyed!

15. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16. And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17. For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? Revelation 6:15-17.

In Revelation 6 we see all the wicked were reduced to the same level. Not only were every bondman and free man hiding but also the human army that said they were going to make war against God (as described in Revelation 19 above). Now they are all hiding in the caves and rocks as God approaches asking for the mountains and rocks to fall on them. They cannot stand even to look at the face of God, the Father nor can they look into the face of Jesus, the Lamb of God. They are asking to be killed before they are forced to see God!

We need to look at all of Scripture in order to find the truth of what is to happen. We cannot use a few texts of Scripture in a way that makes it go against other very prominent verses. We must work to understand what Scripture says until we find that it is true; All Scripture does indeed agree with each other.

Lets review a few major points about the 1000 years.

17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18. "that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:17-21.

Revelation 19 describes the second coming of Jesus in terms of the destruction of the wicked. We find that all the wicked are killed by the brightness of His coming at the second coming of Jesus. A sword proceeds out of Jesus' mouth and the remnant were slain. So, the flesh of all people were given to the fowls in the midst of heaven.

33. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Jeremiah 25:33.

Jeremiah describes what the condition of the wicked will be during the 1000 years. Their dead bodies will be laying from one end of the earth to the other and there will be no one to bury them at all.

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. Revelation 20:1-3.

We also find that Satan is bound for the 1000 years. But after the 1000 years he will be released so he can tempt the wicked who will be raised at the end of the 1000 years:

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 worshipped 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 the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6.

We know the wicked are dead during the 1000 years because it says that the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the wicked!

Revelation 10:4-6 is really talking about the righteous. They are the ones who experience the first resurrection! They are risen up when Jesus comes as we saw in 1 Thessalonians 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:
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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

The righteous meet the Lord in the air, in the clouds to go to heaven with Jesus:

33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

36. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.

2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 13:33,36;14:2-3

20. For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

In Revelation 10:6 we find that the second death will have no power over the righteous. It is only the wicked that will experience the second death.

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. Revelation 20:13-15

When the wicked are raised up in the second resurrection following the 1000 years as is described in Revelation 20:13-15, we see that they are judged and then thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death. the death for which they will never awake again.

So, how can the righteous people judge people who are already dead? And why would the righteous judge the dead who are already deemed wicked by God?

Lets begin by looking how God treats the righteous.

14. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17. And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. Romans 8:14-17.

The righteous become sons of God. They are adopted! They receive a gift from God that would never be theirs if Jesus didn't give it to them. Through Jesus, the righteous become joint-heirs with Christ! and they will be glorified together with Jesus! And so, Jesus gives judgement to the saints.

2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

The righteous judge not only the wicked but also the wicked angels.

Yes, it is true that God knows who is righteous and who is wicked. But remember, it says in Revelation 20:4 that "judgment was given unto them:" Remember, God is allowing the righteous to be joint-heirs with Christ! He is allowing them to be glorified together with Christ! So, God is giving this special privilege to the righteous, to judge the wicked.

Lets not forget that it is after the 1000 years that the wicked will be raised to life again. This is when they will be judged.

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. Revelation 20:13-15

Just as soon as the 1000 years are finished and the righteous are finished with their judgement, then the wicked are raised to life, only to be destroyed by the fire according to their judgement.

So there is a special judgment that occurs to the wicked. Since the wicked are judged according to their works at this time, it looks like the righteous will determine the amount of suffering that is metered out when the wicked are placed in the lake of fire which is their second death.

No, the wicked do not have a second chance to live. The wicked have already rejected God and God brought them up in the second resurrection. The righteous have already judged these people and there is no second chance. The Bible says nothing about a second chance, only that all who are raised in the first resurrection will not experience the second death. That means the wicked are the ones who will experience the second death. That means all who are raised in the second resurrection, who are outside the city are thrown into the lake of fire.

They have already rejected God and they have no real love for God. They might know that all is lost. So, when they are tempted by Satan, one last time, to try to attack God; They might reason that there really is no alternative.

But another possibility is that Satan will not identify himself as Satan. He might claim to be the prince who is the rightful owner of the world and whose inheritance has been unlawfully taken from him. Satan might even tell the wicked that it was he who raised them to life so that they could be victorious in their attack against the city.

At this point the wicked are Satan's captives. they have already rejected Christ and they no longer have a conscience. The Holy Spirit is no longer working on their soul and there is no good angel telling them to do what is right. They only have Satan and all the evil angels telling them in their mind that they can do it.

Look at these texts:

11. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. Revelation 2:11.

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 worshipped 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 the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. Revelation 20:4-6.

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. Revelation 20:13-15

7. "He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
8. "But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." Revelation 21:7-8.

There is no second chance. These are the wicked who are cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and liars. Even now, they choose to attack God! They have become enemies against God just as Satan is an enemy of God There is nothing in common with God on the outside of the city!

So, who is the righteous going to rule over if the wicked are all dead during the 1000 years?

How are Jesus and His saints going to rule over the wicked. Lets study into it a little bit.

When we see the word "rule", we somehow pickup the idea that He will rule over the wicked, meaning that the wicked will be alive and they will be governed by Him. This is what many think of when they think of Jesus as ruling over the wicked, or even the righteous people of God as ruling over the wicked. However, Scripture says that Jesus will rule over the nations of the world with a rod of iron. Why would He use an iron rod if it wasn't for some violent act?

The rod of iron actually means He will destroy the wicked! look at the next part of that verse: It says: He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The wicked will receive the wrath of God in that they will be utterly destroyed. That is how He will rule the wicked.

Sure enough, if we continue reading in Revelaton 19 we find that all the wicked are destroyed in verse 21:

Now, let's look at the next verse which refer to God's righteous people who will rule with Jesus:

Again we find that they will also rule with a rod of iron, and the wicked will be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels.

So, to rule over the wicked with a rod of iron means to utterly destroy the wicked! This is definitly NOT depicting a quiet rule where the wicked are living under the rule of the righteous.

This rod of iron idea matches with other verses that we have already seen, such as 1 Corinthians, where the righteous will act as judges:

2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

In Revelation 20, we also saw that during the 1000 years that judgment is given into the hands of the righteous. So, it is at this time that they will judge both the wicked angels and people:

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 worshipped 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.
Revelation 20:4.

So, the righteous live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. They judge the wicked with an ion rod and they will be priests of God and of Christ. So, when the wicked will be judged, at the end of the 1000 years, they will experience the second death from which they will never live again. They will cease to exist.

The wicked dead, which we know from the previous questions, are resurrected after the 1000 years. So they are no longer dead. They are alive but they are outside the city. They are tempted to attack the city so they surround the saints and the city.

7. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8. and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.
9. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Revelation 20:7-9

Only the righteous had the right to "enter through the gates into the city."

14. Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.
15. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Revelation 22:14-15

It is after they surround the saints and the city that the wicked are destroyed:

9. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. Revelation 20:9

If we look at Revelation 22, we see that the first five verses is a continuation of the discussion of the New Jerusalem and the river of life. This is a description of the new world!

But starting with verse 6, we have a recap of warnings. Jesus starts repeating the important warnings that we need to hear.

7 Behold, I am coming quickly! . . .
11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still . . . he who is holy, let him be holy still
12 And behold, I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me . . .
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments. . . .
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and . . .

So we can see that these are general statements of warning. The wicked will not always be outside the walls of the city. As we saw before, the wicked outside the city are destroyed and they experience the second death.

It is only after all sin is destroyed that the whole earth is made new. It is then that the righteous will inherit the earth!

I am a firm believer in studying all of the Bible to know what the Bible says on a particular topic. We need to look at all of Scripture in order to find the truth of what is to happen.

Also, we cannot use a few texts of Scripture in a way that makes it go against other very prominent verses of the Bible! We must work to understand what Scripture says until we find that all the Scripture does indeed agree with each other.

I have tried to do that on this web page. However there are some people who use a very different set of Scripture and they use it in such a way that make it go against very plain Biblical statements such as is found in Daniel and Revelation which are devoted to the last days!

I have not used many of these other text of Scripture because I did not think they were as clear as the ones I have already used. However, I do think we need to look at each one of these Scripture to see what they say.

Can we find a way for all these Scripture to agree with each other or are we doomed with the idea that the Bible does not even agree with itself?

If the Bible actually disagreed with itself, then we would always disagree with each other because we use a different part of Scripture!

But I believe we can find an answer! I believe that all Scripture does agree with itself!

Here is the list of verses we will look at:

Lets tackle one verse at a time:

It is true that Jesus is coming back in a similar manner: Jesus was taken up into Heaven and He was taken up through a cloud.

9. And saying these things, as they watched, He was taken up. And a cloud received Him out of their sight. Acts 1:9.

When Jesus comes back He will be coming with clouds:

7. Behold, He is coming with clouds. . . Revelation 1:7 First Part.

But it will not be exactly the same. When Jesus comes back, instead of being by Himself, He will be surrounded by His angels and He will have all the glory of His Father. Also, instead of having a small group see Him go up, the whole world will see Him come the next time. When He left, only a small group even knew that He was leaving; However, when Jesus comes back every eye will see Him!

7. Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. Revelation 1:7.

Another thing to consider is that none of the second coming descriptions actually describe Jesus as touching the earth at the second coming. Only that He will be coming down through the clouds.

29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:29-31.

15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

These verses show us that the angels will gather together God's people from the four winds, from all over the earth and they will be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

So, instead of having Jesus touch down on earth to stay, the righteous actually come up to meet the Lord in the air. Nothing is said about Jesus being on the ground.

This text cannot be used to say that Jesus will be on the ground. While Jesus return is similar, there is also so much that will be different.

So, lets look at the next verse from the question:

When we look at a lone verse of Scripture, we must not make it say something that would go against the rest of Scripture. Instead, what works best is when we look at all the verses on a subject and then we can put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

It is true that God did not create the earth in vain, He formed our world to be inhabited. However, This verse does not say that the earth has to be inhabited during the thousand years. It only says that the world was made to be inhabited and that it was not created in vain.

God definitely did not create the earth in vain! Mankind will inherit the earth for all of eternity, but only after God makes all things new. It will be after the wicked are fully destroyed that man will inhabit the world. Thus the wicked will be ashes under the soles of the saint's feet when they inherit the earth.

Lets look at a simple outline that takes into account all the verses on this subject. This outline shows where God's people will be and what they will be doing during the 1000 years, as discussed on this web page.

1. God's people, who are the saints, will be taken to heaven when Jesus comes. The wicked, on the other hand, are destroyed by the brightness of His coming.
2. The Saints will live and rule, under Christ, in GodÕs kingdom in heaven for 1000 years. During this time they will judge the wicked dead for their final punishment that will occur at the end of the 1000 years.
3. Then after the 1000 years, Jesus and the righteous come back down to the Earth. The wicked are now brought back to life in the second resurrection to face their final judgement. In the mean time, the wicked are tempted to attack the city, so they surround the city. But almost immediately they are destroyed in judgement. Once they are destroyed for the last time, the earth will be made new.
4. Then the righteous will inherit the earth. The righteous will rule under Christ and live on the earth for the rest of eternity.

One point to realize when we look at this outline; The righteous will not stay in heaven forever because God will "make all things new" Revelation 22:5. They will inherit the Earth but only after the thousand years are finished. This is when all sin will be done away with. So, the righteous will live in heaven for the thousand years, then they will inherit a new earth.

1. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Revelation 21:1

In our world made new, the righteous people will live with Christ on the earth. This is after the thousand years and after the wicked are fully destroyed (The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. Psalm 145:20. You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this," Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 4:3).

Now, lets look at Revelation 2:25-27:

To figure out what it means to rule with a rod of ion lets look at Revelation 19:15. In fact, let's look at verses 15 to 21. Revelation 19 describes the second coming of Jesus, but instead of describing how Jesus saves His own people; It describes how He will come to destroy the wicked. The beast and false prophet are burned and all the rest of the wicked are killed.

15. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17. Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, "Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,
18. "that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great."
19. And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. Revelation 19:15-21.

When we see the word "rule", we somehow pickup the idea that Jesus will rule over the wicked that are alive, or that the righteous people of God will also rule over the wicked who are still alive.

However, Revelation 19:15 says that Jesus will rule over the nations of the world with a rod of iron. Why would He use an iron rod if it wasn't for some violent act?

The rod of iron means He will actually destroy the wicked! look at the next part of that verse: It says: He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. The wicked will receive the wrath of God in that they will be killed when He comes. That is how He will rule the wicked.

This point can clearly be seen in the rest of the text: The supper of the great God will include "the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great"! The beast and false prophet are thrown into the fire and the rest were killed outright.

So, Instead of ruling over a living wicked, we find from the text itself, that Jesus is exercising the wrath of God against the wicked. When Jesus comes, He will kill all the wicked!

Now, let's go back to our text in question. Revelation 2 refers to God's righteous people who will rule with Jesus:

25. "But hold fast what you have till I come.
26. "And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--
27. 'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter's vessels' --as I also have received from My Father; Revelation 2:25-27.

Jesus now promises that all who overcome, keeping Christ's works until the end, Jesus will give power over the nations.

So, now it is the righteous person who shall rule the wicked with a rod of iron! Then the wicked will be destroyed like potter's vessels. Again, rulling with a rod of iron is connected with the destruction of the wicked!

Jesus gives us an additional clue of what is to happen. He says that in the same way that He has received from His Father, the righteous will also have power over the wicked to destroy them. This is amazing!

So, how will the righteous have power to destroy the wicked? Let's look at 1 Corinthians 6:

2. Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 1 Corinthians 6:2-3.

The righteous will act as judges to determine how the wicked will be destroyed. Jesus has given judgement into the righteous' hands!

We are now ready to look at Revelation 20:6:

I want to add verse four to help give us a better perspective:

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 worshipped 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.

6. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Revelation 20:4,6

Earlier, we saw in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, that the righteous will judge the wicked. Now in Revelation 20:4 we have the description of the righteous sitting on thrones and having the power of judgment given to them.

So, the righteous will reign with Jesus a thousand years. Their reign is that of judgment. Judgement is given into their hand and they will sit on thrones and pronounce judgment on the wicked. They judge the wicked with an ion rod and they will be priests of God and of Christ and their reign will result in the complete destruction of the wicked and they will indeed judge with a rod of iron.

At the end of the 1000 years the wicked will be raised to life to receive their judgement. When the wicked do receive their judgement, they will then experience the second death from which they will never live again. They will cease to exist.

Revelation 20:6 talks about the fact that the wicked who are part of the second resurrection will experience the second death. They will never live again. But Blessed and holy is he who is raised in the first resurrection. He will never experience the second death and they will reign with Jesus for a thousand years. As we have learned from the other verses, they will take part in the judgement of the wicked.

Lets look at Isaiah 11.

This Scripture is said to say that the Saints will rule the earth under Christ during the 1000 years. However nothing is said about the 1000 years at all. Instead, we see that Jesus who is from the stem of Jesse and also called a Branch, is called a Rod. In verse 4, Jesus is described as destroying the wicked. From the other verses we have already looked at we know that He will rule with a rod of iron!

After the wicked and all wickedness is destroyed it is then that the wolf and lamb will live together and all the other descriptions that describe the new world. These descriptions are in Isaiah 11:6-8. From all the other verses that we have seen, the wicked and all wickedness will not be destroyed until the 1000 years are done.

So Isaiah 11 is a description of Jesus who fully destroys the wicked so that the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the young goat and all the others can all live harmoniously together. Jesus says that there will be none that hurt nor destroy because the whole earth will be full in the knowledge of the Lord. This could only be true once the wicked are destroyed. Then and only then will all live harmoniously together because it is only the righteous that can live harmoniously!

Now we are ready to look at Isaiah 24:6

It is said that Isaiah 24:6 cannot be used to "prove" that all the wicked will be destroyed on the earth when Jesus comes, and that the earth will be desolate during the millennium.

Sure enough, after saying that the earth is cursed and the inhabitants of the earth are burned, the Scriptures say that few men are left. This is different from saying that no man was left as we see in Jeremiah 4:25:

23. I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.
24. I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth.
25. I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.
26. I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, And all its cities were broken down At the presence of the LORD, By His fierce anger. Jeremiah 4:23-26.

Also, in Jeremiah 25 we again see that the wicked are fully destroyed:

29. . . . Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.
30. Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The LORD shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth.
31. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD.
32. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.
33. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground. Jeremiah 25:29-33.

Jeremiah 25:31 says that He will kill the wicked with the sword and in verse 33 we find that the slain of the Lord is all over the earth. And there is no one to lament over them nor bury them. This is during the 1000 years. So both Jeremiah 4 and 25 are very definite that all the wicked are completely destroyed

So, why would one or more texst say no one was left and other one say few men are left?

Jeremiah 4:23-26 looks at the earth after God has kills the wicked. No man is left since the righteous are all in heaven at that time. But Isaiah 24 describes the actual destruction of the wicked:

Lets look at Isaiah 24:6 more closely: we can see that the wicked are not really mentioned, only that the inhabitants of the earth are burned:

6. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left. Isaiah 24:6

It does not say that a few of the wicked are left; But rather, it says that a few of the men are left. This is different from saying that a few of the wicked are left.

Since the righteous are just a few when compared to the wicked. The saving of the righteous could easily be equated with a few men being left.

Lets look at the whole chapter of Isaiah 24. I know its a lot to look at. Please note the parts highlighted in Red, showing that God destroys the wicked utterly; Orange, showing a few men are left possibly the righteous; Green, Fear, the pit and the snare are to destroy the wicked.; and Blue, in the world made new God will reign on the earth.

1. Behold, the LORD makes the earth empty and makes it waste, Distorts its surface And scatters abroad its inhabitants.
2. And it shall be: As with the people, so with the priest; As with the servant, so with his master; As with the maid, so with her mistress; As with the buyer, so with the seller; As with the lender, so with the borrower; As with the creditor, so with the debtor.
3. The land shall be entirely emptied and utterly plundered, For the LORD has spoken this word.
4. The earth mourns and fades away, The world languishes and fades away; The haughty people of the earth languish.
5. The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, Because they have transgressed the laws, Changed the ordinance, Broken the everlasting covenant.
6. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.
7. The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh.
8. The mirth of the tambourine ceases, The noise of the jubilant ends, The joy of the harp ceases.
9. They shall not drink wine with a song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it.
10. The city of confusion is broken down; Every house is shut up, so that none may go in.
11. There is a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.
12. In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction.
13. ¦ When it shall be thus in the midst of the land among the people, It shall be like the shaking of an olive tree, Like the gleaning of grapes when the vintage is done.
14. They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing; For the majesty of the LORD They shall cry aloud from the sea.
15. Therefore glorify the LORD in the dawning light, The name of the LORD God of Israel in the coastlands of the sea.
16. ¦ From the ends of the earth we have heard songs: ÒGlory to the righteous!Ó But I said, ÒI am ruined, ruined! Woe to me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, Indeed, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.Ó
17. Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.
18. And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.
19. The earth is violently broken, The earth is split open, The earth is shaken exceedingly.
20. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.
21. It shall come to pass in that day That the LORD will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth.
22. They will be gathered together, As prisoners are gathered in the pit, And will be shut up in the prison; After many days they will be punished.
23. Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously. Isaiah 24:1-23.

In verse 1, 3, and 6 we see that God makes the earth empty and makes it a waste. The land will be entirely emptied and utterly plundered and the inhabitants of the earth are burned. these follow the descriptions of the other Scripture that we have just looked at.

But we also have the earth split open and shaken like a drunkard. In verse 21, it says that God will punish the exalted ones and also the kings of the earth. This could be where the wicked leaders and possibly evil angels are punished.

Verse 22 says they will be gathered together and put in the pit to be shut up in prison. It is after some time that they will be punished.

This matches what we saw described in Revelation where Satan is put in the pit for 1000 years before he and all those who follow him will be destroyed.

It is only following the description of the final punishment is the description that God will reign in Jerusalem. It is placed following the destruction of the wicked!

Now, if we were to say that verse 6 said that not all the wicked were to be burned, then we would make verse 6 go against even the chapter it is in. Verses 1, 3, the first part of 6, and 19-23 all describe the utter destruction of the wicked.

So, Isaiah 24 does indeed agree with the other Scripture we have looked at on this web page. Because the few men that are left are actually the righteous! Because of what verse 1, 3, 6, 22, etc. says, it is clear that all the wicked will be destroyed. So verse 6 must be referring to the righteous who are saved.

Now lets look at Revelation 5:10.

If we read this verse alone we may get the idea that the righteous will rule on earth for the thousand years. However, this verse is not talking about the thousand years at all. Nor is it talking about the righteous who inherit the earth.

This verse is talking about another group that is in the throne room of heaven. Let's look at a few more verses to get a better understanding of what is happening.

The colors will help us identify what we need to find. Red - refers to Jesus Christ Green - refers to the 24 elders Orange - helps identify who the 24 elders are, in the throne room in heaven.

6. And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
7. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
8. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9. And they sang a new song, saying: ÒYou are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10. And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Revelation 5:10

In the throne room Jesus the lamb takes the scroll out of the right hand of the Father. At this point the four living creatures and the 24 elders start exclaiming that Jesus is worthy.

Within the speech, the elders say something that helps us know who this group is. "You have redeemed us . . out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation". These 24 elders seem to be special representatives from the earth, they are human.

Now something very interesting, they say that they have been made kings and priests to God and that at some future date they will reign on the earth.

This could easily be referring to the time after the 1000 years, not the 1000 years itself. They are already kings and priests but they are not yet reigning on the earth.

The 24 elders are not "all the righteous of God", as the other Scripture text that we have looked at. This is a special group. It is possible that since these 24 have represented us in heaven, they may become kings and leaders over God's people on earth, but under Christ.

Isaiah 2:2-4 will be studied in the sixth question and Zechariah 14 will be studied in the seventh question. Zechariah 14 has been addressed by at least four people (Question 5, 6, 7 and 8). It is definitely an important text to look at, probably the most important of all the text. Make sure you look at both the seventh and eighth questions below:

Here is the list of verses we will look at:

In the last two questions, and pretty much this whole web page, all the Scripture that we have studied has been specifically talking about the end times, the end of the world.

But now, we have Scripture that seems to relate to what has happened in Old Testament times, yet there are elements that seem to relate to the end of the world as well.

In addition, we find that it is not always easy to determine what is past and what is future.

We have especially seen this in some of the prophecies concerning Jesus. One famous example is:

1. My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?
2. O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; And in the night season, and am not silent. Psalm 22:1-2

If you read Psalm 22 you might find that most of the chapter applies to David because this is a psalm of David. Maybe all of the psalm is about David. However, some parts of this psalm definitly applies to Jesus in a specific way. Only by reading can you then start judging which parts describe Jesus and which parts do not.

Now lets look at Joel 3:1-21.

1. "For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2. I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
3. They have cast lots for My people, Have given a boy as payment for a harlot, And sold a girl for wine, that they may drink.
4. "Indeed, what have you to do with Me, O Tyre and Sidon, and all the coasts of Philistia? Will you retaliate against Me? But if you retaliate against Me, Swiftly and speedily I will return your retaliation upon your own head;
5. Because you have taken My silver and My gold, And have carried into your temples My prized possessions.
6. Also the people of Judah and the people of Jerusalem You have sold to the Greeks, That you may remove them far from their borders.
7. "Behold, I will raise them Out of the place to which you have sold them, And will return your retaliation upon your own head.
8. I will sell your sons and your daughters Into the hand of the people of Judah, And they will sell them to the Sabeans, To a people far off; For the LORD has spoken.Ó
9. Proclaim this among the nations: ÒPrepare for war! Wake up the mighty men, Let all the men of war draw near, Let them come up.
10. Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, ÔI am strong.ÕÓ
11. Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O LORD.
12. "Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations.
13. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow--For their wickedness is great.Ó
14. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
15. The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness.
16. The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake; But the LORD will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
17. "So you shall know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion My holy mountain. Then Jerusalem shall be holy, And no aliens shall ever pass through her again.Ó
18. And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.
19. "Egypt shall be a desolation, And Edom a desolate wilderness, Because of violence against the people of Judah, For they have shed innocent blood in their land.
20. But Judah shall abide forever, And Jerusalem from generation to generation.
21. "For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted; For the LORD dwells in Zion." Joel 3:1-21

35. "So they will say, 'This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden; and the wasted, desolate, and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.'
36. "Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt the ruined places and planted what was desolate. I, the LORD, have spoken it, and I will do it."
37. 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "I will also let the house of Israel inquire of Me to do this for them: I will increase their men like a flock.
38. "Like a flock offered as holy sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem on its feast days, so shall the ruined cities be filled with flocks of men. Then they shall know that I am the LORD."'" Ezekiel 36:35-38

1. The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
2. It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, Even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, The excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, The excellency of our God.
3. Strengthen the weak hands, And make firm the feeble knees.
4. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ÒBe strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God; He will come and save you.Ó
5. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, And streams in the desert.
7. The parched ground shall become a pool, And the thirsty land springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where each lay, There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.
8. A highway shall be there, and a road, And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean shall not pass over it, But it shall be for others. Whoever walks the road, although a fool, Shall not go astray.
9. No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it; It shall not be found there. But the redeemed shall walk there,
10. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, And come to Zion with singing, With everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Isaiah 35:1-10

Now lets look at Isaiah 2:2-4.

Initially, when I look at Isaiah 2:2-4, I am reminded of the new covenant as described in Jeremiah 31:31-34:

31. "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
32. "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33. "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34. "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34

In Jeremiah's description of the new covenant, we see a time when where God will write His law in their hearts and minds! There will not be anyone who does not know God and He will forgive their iniquity, never to remember their sin any more.

When is this to happen? Certainly not now on this sinful world. It can only happen after Jesus comes when God kills all the wicked! It is only then that all the specifics of this prophecy will be fulfilled:

When the righteous go to heaven and later when the righteous inhabit the world again: the Lord will have forgiven their sins and He will remember their sin no more. At that time no one will teach his neighbor and brother to "know the LORD"; Because, God's law will be fully in their minds and written in their hearts. They will be the children of God!

This certainly makes sense when we compare all the Scripture together. Most of Isaiah 2:2-4 agrees with Jeremiah 31 and the rest of Scripture very nicely; However, verse four is a problem. Is God going to rebuke people so that they will change their ways after the second coming of Christ? No, that does not make sense. Not when we fit all the Bible together.

It may surprise some but Micah also wrote almost the same words. These two prophets were contemporaries.

Let's compare what they wrote side-by-side:

Actually, Isaiah 2:2-4 relates somewhat to the past.

1. Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of the LORD'S house Shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.
2. Many nations shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion the law shall go forth, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3. He shall judge between many peoples, And rebuke strong nations afar off; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
4. But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.
5. For all people walk each in the name of his god, But we will walk in the name of the LORD our God Forever and ever.
6. "In that day," says the LORD, "I will assemble the lame, I will gather the outcast And those whom I have afflicted;
7. I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcast a strong nation; So the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.
8. And you, O tower of the flock, The stronghold of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come, Even the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem."
9. Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in your midst? Has your counselor perished? For pangs have seized you like a woman in labor.
10. Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in birth pangs. For now you shall go forth from the city, You shall dwell in the field, And to Babylon you shall go. There you shall be delivered; There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies.
11. Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, ÒLet her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion."
12. But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13. "Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hooves bronze; You shall beat in pieces many peoples; I will consecrate their gain to the LORD, And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth." Micah 4:1-13

Let's look at the promise in John 14 to see what Jesus' promise is about.

1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 14:1-3

This promise centers on the fact that Jesus will come again and take God's people with Him to the place of His Fathers House where there are mansions just waiting for them. So, Jesus says that He will keep His promise when He comes, not before. Because He says that when He comes, He will receive us unto Himself.

So, when does Jesus come for His people? Is is when His people die? Or is it at the Second Coming, at the end of the world, the last day? Let's look more closely at the verses which clearly show when Jesus will raise His righteous ones from the grave:

39. "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
40. "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."

43. Jesus therefore answered and said to them, "Do not murmur among yourselves.
44. "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

53. Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
54. "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. John 6:39-40, 43-44, 53-54.

Many times Jesus has said that He will raise his people up on the last day. So it should not be surprising to see that Martha repeats what Jesus says when Jesus says to her: "your brother will rise again."

23. Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."
24. Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." John 11:23-24.

The righteous will rise in the resurrecton at the last day and it will be Jesus who raises them.

In the book of John, there is a discussion that Jesus had with His disciples about His leaving them. In that discussion, Jesus told them that they could not go with Him then, but that they would be able to follow Him later. Jesus specifically tells them that He will personally come back to take them back with Him to His Father's house:

33. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

36. Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
37. Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
38. Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. John 13:33,36-14:3

Jesus was going to heaven. So He told them that they could not go with Him at that time, but that they would follow Him at a later time. Finally in verse 3 of John 14 He says that He will come again to receive them unto Himself.

This promise centers on the fact that Jesus will come again and take God's people with Him to the place of His Fathers House where there are mansions just waiting for them. So, Jesus tells us that He will keep His promise when He comes, not before. Because He says that when He comes, He will receive us unto Himself.

Let's look more closely at other verses which clearly show when Jesus will raise His righteous ones from the grave:

20. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

In verses 21 and 23 we see that Jesus is the firstfruits of those who slept in the grave. Jesus rose from the dead. Now in verse 23 we see that the righteous will be made alive at his coming.

Now, lets look at Thessalonians 4 where Paul describes with more detail how Jesus will wake up His people when He comes:

15. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
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:
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. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

In verse 16 we see that Jesus descends from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. The very first thing that now happens is that all those who were dead in Christ are brought to life.

If everyone wakes up from the dead when they die, they would all wake up at different times since people die at different times. But that is NOT how it happens in verse 16. All the dead wake up at the same time! So it is when Jesus descends from heaven with a shout that the dead rise, not when they die.

Then in verse 17 the very next thing that happens is that all the rest of the righteous, the ones still living at that time, they are brought up together into the clouds. So all those who are dead in Christ and also all those who are yet alive, they are all brought up together in the air at the same time and in the same event, when Jesus comes!

The rising of the dead in Christ does not happen when God's people die. It happens only at the end of the world when Jesus comes to pick up all His people at the same time, both the dead and those who are yet alive.

This was wonderful news to those in the Thessalonian church because they were crying for the dead as if they had no hope of the future!

Now, lets look at the verse that many people think says that Jesus will bring the dead in Christ back with Him from Heaven to the earth when He comes:

13. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
14. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

Clearly, verse 14 is saying that even those who sleep in Jesus will God take back with Him to heaven. Paul did not mean that Jesus would be bringing the dead people from heaven because Jesus comes at His second coming in order to wake up the dead and bring them with Him back to heaven. We have just looked at these things in verses 16 and 17 above.

Near the beginning of this page we also saw that Jesus preached that the Saints will enter the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is part of our reward. Here is a quick list of the verse that we covered:

. . ."My kingdom is not of this world. John 18:33-36

. . .unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:20

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Matthew 7:21

. . . Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:3

. . .Truly I say to you that a rich man will with great difficulty enter into the kingdom of Heaven.. . . It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:23-24

. . . many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 8:11

. . . your reward in Heaven is great. For so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matthew 5:12

. . . lay up treasures in Heaven for yourselves, where neither moth nor rust corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:20

So, Scripture clearly shows that the righteous will enter heaven. Also, Scripture clearly shows that at the end of the world, the second coming of Christ; That Jesus will come with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then God's people that are alive will be taken up into the clouds to be with the Lord in the air with those who had died.

We are not being gathered on the earth but rather in the air to be taken to heaven where Jesus says: In my Father's house are many mansions. Jesus has prepared a place for us so that He could take us with Him.

So, Scripture shows us that we go to heaven when Jesus comes again, not when we die. Everyone is taken to heaven at the same time to receive their reward.

To answer your question: God cannot start an earthly kingdom and take us all to heaven at the same time. Jesus spoke of heaven as being our reward over and over again. He did not speak of an earthly kingdom.

These points of Scripture add up to one important point: Zechariah 14 must be talking about another time, not during the 1000 years after Jesus comes because the Bible is clear that Jesus takes His chosen people to heaven when He comes.

On the other hand, the Bible is also clear that God's people will inherit the earth after the 1000 years. So, Zechariah 14 could be referring to the time following the 1000 years.

In the next question we will look into Zechariah 14 in more detail.

1. Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.
2. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, The houses rifled, And the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, But the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3. Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations, As He fights in the day of battle.
4. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
5. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, And all the saints with You.
6. It shall come to pass in that day That there will be no light; The lights will diminish.
7. It shall be one day Which is known to the LORD--Neither day nor night. But at evening time it shall happen That it will be light.
8. ¦ And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem, Half of them toward the eastern sea And half of them toward the western sea; In both summer and winter it shall occur.
9. And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be--ÒThe LORD is one,Ó And His name one.
10. All the land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. Jerusalem shall be raised up and inhabited in her place from BenjaminÕs Gate to the place of the First Gate and the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananeel to the kingÕs winepresses.
11. The people shall dwell in it; And no longer shall there be utter destruction, But Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
12. And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, Their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, And their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.
13. It shall come to pass in that day That a great panic from the LORD will be among them. Everyone will seize the hand of his neighbor, And raise his hand against his neighborÕs hand;
14. Judah also will fight at Jerusalem. And the wealth of all the surrounding nations Shall be gathered together: Gold, silver, and apparel in great abundance.
15. Such also shall be the plague On the horse and the mule, On the camel and the donkey, And on all the cattle that will be in those camps. So shall this plague be.
16. ¦ And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
17. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, on them there will be no rain.
18. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the LORD strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
19. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
20. In that day ÒHOLINESS TO THE LORDÓ shall be engraved on the bells of the horses. The pots in the LORDÕS house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21. Yes, every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be holiness to the LORD of hosts. Everyone who sacrifices shall come and take them and cook in them. In that day there shall no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 14:1-21.