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What happens when we die? Do we go to Heaven or Hell right away when we die? What does Jesus mean by sleep?

Hell Fire, Does it last forever? Is Satan in charge of Hell? Do people really moan and groan forever in agony and pain?

Are the Wicked Tormented Day and Night for Ever and Ever as mentioned in Revelation? What then is the second death?

What Happens During the 1000 Years Following Jesus' Second Coming?

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.

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.

Reward for the Righteous, Eternal Life

God's People will Inherit the Earth

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

For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.

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.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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 still will 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.

Since Christ's kingdom is not of this world
The Saints Enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Jesus said that His kingdom was not of this world:

Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, called Jesus, and said to Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"

Jesus answered him, "Are you speaking for yourself about this, or did others tell you this concerning Me?"

Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the chief priests have delivered You to me. What have You done?"

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 18:36.

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:

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!

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.

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

The Kindom of God is the Kingdom of Heaven.

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.

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

When Jesus takes His Saints to heaven, there will be a big supper where all will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

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.

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.

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.

Do not lay up treasures on earth for yourselves, where moth and rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.

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!

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.

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,

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.

In My Father's House are Many Mansions

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 after He lived on earth, He then went back to the Father:

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:

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:

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.

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.

Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.

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.

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

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.

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. 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.

Jesus Gathers His Elect and Brings Them With Him

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:

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.

24. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25. And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Mark 13:26-27.

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.

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.

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:

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.)

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:

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.

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:

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. 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:

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:

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

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, 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 and 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.

The Righteous Reign with Christ a Thousand Years

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.

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.

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.

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:

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?

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:

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.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

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 God's People Come down in the New Jerusalem to Earth

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.

And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

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:

1. And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:1-2	13. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 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 22:13-15

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!

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.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind .

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.

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.

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.

Reward for the Wicked, They will Perish

All The Wicked are Destroyed by the Brightness of His Coming

When Jesus comes to pick up His righteous people, at the beginning of the 1000 years, all the wicked people who are alive at the time when He comes, His Second Coming, They will all be killed by the brightness of His coming. So, during the thousand years following the second coming, there is no one left alive on the earth. All the wicked will be killed when Jesus comes.

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,

"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."

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.

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.

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.

When Jesus comes again, we see that the beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire. We also see that the kings of the earth, its army and all people will be slain from Jesus who sits on the horse having his sword proceeding out of His mouth. All the wicked are destroyed!

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;

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:

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 that the human army that said they were going to make war against God (as described in Revelation 19 above), are actually hiding in the caves and rocks as God approaches asking for the mountains and rocks to fall on them. They cannot stand to even 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!

In addition to the army, we can see that every bondmand and every free man are calling for the rocks to fall on them. This includes all people!

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.

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,

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. Again, the wicked are destroyed.

. . . Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the LORD of hosts.

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.

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.

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.

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.

At the second coming of Jesus, He will kill the wicked. At that time, the slain of the LORD will be from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth and there will be no one left to lament over them. No one will be left to bury them and they will be left to lay on the ground. All will be dead. There will be no one left!

No Person is Left Alive on the Earth in the Thousand Years

Jeremiah also helps to show that there will be no one left on the earth after Jesus comes. It is interesting that he uses the same words used in the book of Genesis to describe the Earth. The Earth was without form and void.

I beheld the earth, and indeed it was without form, and void; And the heavens, they had no light.

I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled, And all the hills moved back and forth.

I beheld, and indeed there was no man, And all the birds of the heavens had fled.

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.

All there is left are broken down cities, and dead people are left to lay on the ground from one end of the earth to the other. The ground is extremely unstable and trembles. Even the hills move back and forth. There is no man left! This is the result of God's fierce anger, and at the presence of the Lord, all this was done to the earth!

Satan will be Under Lock and Key.

When Jesus comes, we saw that the righteous were taken to Heaven to be with Him. We also saw that all the wicked were killed by the brightness of His coming, and we saw that the earth was also destroyed to the extent that Jeremiah said the Earth was without form and void. No man is left alive on the earth. In fact, the dead bodies of the wicked are found over the whole surface of the earth. Of course there is no one to bury them because no one is left alive.

Now, we see that Satan is put into a bottomless pit and is bound for a thousand years.

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

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.

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Jude 1:6

Some believe that the righteous people will reign with Jesus on earth during this time, so they think Satan must be somewhere else. However, it is very clear from the Bible that no one will be left alive on the earth during the thousand year period. There is no one that Satan could deceive or tempt. So the earth could very well be the pit that Satan is placed in. It would be a fitting place for Satan to view the destruction of cities and man and think what he has done.

The Wicked Experience the Second Death! at the End of the 1000 Years

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.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. Revelation 20:5 (first part).

Since the wicked experience the second death, they will be killed by the judgement of God. However the righteous will never again experience death. Those who are raised in the first resurrection of the righteous, the second death has no power!

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.

The second death is only for the wicked. Those who overcometh will not be hurt at all.

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.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

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.

Also, if we look at verse 6, above, we see that all those who were taken by Jesus, all those who were raised by Jesus in the first resurrection would never experience death again. They will not experience the second death. Only the wicked who were either killed by the brightness of Jesus' coming or who were already dead (they did not experience the first resurrection) will eventually experience the second death.

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.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15

Notice that the second death is connected with the wicked being put in the lake of fire. The wicked cannot be tormented day and night for ever and ever if it is suppose to be when they die the second death.

"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

"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.

Below are four parallel accounts of what will happen when the wicked are judged and experience the second death. These accounts are color-coordinated, showing how the four accounts relate to each other.

Green - The thousand years
Orange - Satan released from the bottomless pit
Blue - The second resurrection, the resurrection of the wicked.
Dark Blue - Satan tempting the wicked.
Red - If any man follows Satan. . .

Blue/Green - The New Jerusalem, the beloved city, coming down from God out of heaven.
Light Blue - The resurrected wicked surrounding the saints in the beloved city.

Pink - God Judging the wicked
Brown - The second death
Purple - The lake of fire and brimstone
Grey/Blue - Tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Gold - The beast and the false prophet

Revelation 20:11-15

11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 20:7-10

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.

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 14:9-11

9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,

10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

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 21

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Revelation 22

11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

Tormented Day and Night for Ever and Ever

Notice that some parts of Revelation say that the wicked will suffer torment for ever and ever while other portions of Revelation say that the wicked experience the second death.

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

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 20:6

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. Revelation 20:14

Jesus Himself says we should fear God who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell, when the wicked are destroyed!

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28

If the wicked are destroyed, both soul and body, as Jesus says, they cannot be tormented for ever and ever.

Over and over again, The Bible says that the wicked are destroyed. They will perish. They will be burned up until they will be ashes under the soles of your feet. They will be no more. They will cease to exist, etc. If you click on the following link: Hell Fire, does it last forever? You will see the Bible evidence showing that the wicked will be destroyed.

So, which is it? Are the wicked destroyed or will they burn for ever and ever? Another important question is this: Does Scripture disagree with itself?

No, Scripture does not disagree with itself. The answer to the problem lies in our understanding of the word forever. Click to see: tormented day and night for ever and ever where forever and ever is explained Biblically.

After the Wicked are Burned Up
The Wicked will be Completely Burned to Ashes

There are many Bible texts which show that the wicked will be completely destroyed and burned to ashes. The simple Bible verse that we started with on this page is a good verse to begin with:

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

This simple verse agrees with each one of the following verses by saying that our options are either the everlasting life of the righteous or to perish with the wicked.

The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. Psalm 145:20.

The LORD preserves all who love Him by giving them everlasting life, but all the wicked He will destroy and they will perish.

For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.

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.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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: 9-11, 20.

But the transgressors shall be destroyed together; The future of the wicked shall be cut off. Psalm 37: 9-11, 20, 38.

All the enemies of the LORD will vanish into smoke. They will be destroyed all together and they will be no more. They will dissapear off the face of the earth. But of couse, the righteous, who are meek and wait on the LORD, they will inherit the earth.

May sinners be consumed from the earth, And the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD! Psalm 104:35.

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.

For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, Says the LORD of hosts, That will leave them neither root nor branch.

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.

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 4:1-3.

So the wicked will be fully consumed and be no more. They will be as stubble or ash and even the warmth of the fire will go away. So the wicked will literally be ashes under the soles of the righteous' feet!

The Righteous Inherit the Earth!

The Earth is Completely Made New

Now we will see the reward of the righteous!

For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.

But the meek shall inherit the earth, And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

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

It is the righteous who will inherit the Earth and they will be delighted with the peace that has finally come to them. now that all evil has been destroyed!

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.

For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

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.

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

With descriptions like being calves growing fat and having Jesus with healing in His wings, it is no wonder that there will no longer be a reason to weep for any cause. The old things will not be remembered anymore.

Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:13

The very last part of the book of Revelation speaks of the New Jerusalem coming down from Heaven to the New Earth:

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

And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. Revelation 21:1-5.

With everything being new with the things that the God of Heaven can provide, it no wonder that the following verse is a true description of the wonders planned for us!

But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

A Description of the New Jerusalem

The rest of Revelation describes the New Jerusalem and encourages us with the things of God!

And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolyte; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

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

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. Reverlation 21:9-27

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Revelation 22:1-5

God Encourages us to be with him, He wants us with Him!

And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. Revelation 21:6-8

And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Revelation 21:6-20

Difficult Bible Passages About the 1000 Years Explained.

We are not immortal now, but does it not say in 1 Corinthians 15:22 that all people will be made alive?

Let's look at the verse:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:22.

It does seem like the verse says that Jesus shall raise all people! However, let's look at more of the surrounding verses:

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming.

Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23.

If we look at verse 23, we see that it tells who the "all" are. All will be made alive, first Jesus, who is the firstfruits, then those who are Christ's at His coming. It is only those who belong to Jesus, they alone will be raised to life and be made immortal.

So, all sons of Adam will die, but all those who are Christ's at His coming will be made alive!

The second question:

I'm confused please help.

If all the people other than the righteous are dead, the righteous are in heaven with Christ in the New Jerusalem, whom or what are they judging or reigning over during the 1000 yrs. ???

You say the righteous judges the wicked
But I thought that you said that the wicked are dead. How can they judge people who are dead and already deemed wicked by God ???

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 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. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie." Revelation 22:13-15

How can there be an outside with wicked people, if they are dead or creation has been made new with no wickedness ???

"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."

So does this mean that the wicked have a chance to escape the second death, if they are not deceived ??

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 prominant 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.

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,

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.

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.

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.

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

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:

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

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.

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:

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:

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 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 let's answer a question: You say the righteous judges the wicked But I thought that you said that the wicked are dead. How can they judge people who are dead and already deemed wicked by God ???

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.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

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.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

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.

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?

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.

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.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. 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.

Now the next question:
"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."

So does this mean that the wicked have a chance to escape the second death, if they are not deceived ???

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:

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.

But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

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.

And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:13-15

"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.

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!

Now the other half of the question: If all the people other than the righteous are dead, the righteous are in heaven with Christ in the New Jerusalem, whom or what are they reigning over during the 1000 yrs. ???

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.

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. Revelation 19:15.

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

"But hold fast what you have till I come.

"And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations--

'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.

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. This is definitly NOT depicting a quiet rule where the wicked are living under the rule of the righteous.

The rule over the wicked with a rod of iron means to utterly destroy the wicked.

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

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?

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:

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.

Now the last question:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." 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. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Revelation 22:13-15"

How can there be an outside with wicked people, if they are dead or creation has been made new with no wickedness ???

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.

Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison

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.

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."

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.

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:

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.

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Copyright � 2006 - 2010 by Michael Brown all rights reserved
Officially posted December 2, 2006
last revised January 1, 2010