Just read this carefully - because you've never heard anything like this before:
Paul stated that the regeneration of the entire creation awaits the resurrection of the sons of God. Besides this, there is plenty in the Revelation and the New Testament that connects the commencement of the new heavens and new earth to the time immediately following the casting of the beast and false prophet alive into the lake of fire.
But there is also plenty that connects the commencement of the thousand years at the same time.
You need to replace the words forever and ever that you see more than once in the New Testament and in the Revelation with the more accurate phrase to the ages of the ages (which is what the Greek says).
Christ will begin to reign to the ages of the ages when the 7th trumpet sounds (it says so). That's when the ages of the ages begins.
The last three chapters of the Bible mirror the first three.
First three chapters: Beginning of time: God's creation (Genesis 1:1-31).
Last three chapters: Christ makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
First three chapters: Perfectly good (Genesis 1:31).
Last three chapters: Only righteousness dwells in it (Revelation 21:27).
First three chapters: Tree of life (Genesis 2:9, 16-17).
Last three chapters: Tree of life (Revelation 21:6; Revelation 22:1-2, 14, 17).
First three chapters: Adam given dominion (Genesis 1:26-28).
Last three chapters: The dominion of the last Adam (Revelation 20:4 - also see Revelation 3:21).
First three chapters: Satan's deception - even during the sabbath that began when God rested from His works of creation.
Last three chapters: Satan's final deception at the close of the thousand years.
First result: God prevented Adam and Eve from eating from the tree of life and living forever in that sinful state. Jesus would come and die for our sins, and rise again from the dead. He is the resurrection and the life. He is our life. Eternal life is in Christ.
Final result: "And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 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 to the ages of the ages." (Revelation 20:7-10).
In Mark 9:44 Jesus refers to gehennah as a place "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
The beast and false prophet were already cast alive into the lake of fire - and what Jesus said about gehennah was a general first-century Jewish belief - we know this because in his discourse to the Greeks concerning hades, Josephus says the exact same thing, saying that:
"In hades there is a certain place set apart, as a lake of unquenchable fire, whereinto we suppose no one hath hitherto been cast; but it is prepared for a day afore-determined by God, in which one righteous sentence shall deservedly be passed upon men."
Josephus wrote that this region "is the destiny of the unjust", to whom he writes "belong the unquenchable fire, and that without end, and a certain fiery worm, never dying, and not destroying the body, but continuing its eruption out of the body with never-ceasing grief."
The thousand years and the New Heavens and New Earth - the ages of the ages - will both commence when Christ has returned, at the sounding of the 7th trumpet. There will be no mortals in it. The rebels you read about at the close of the thousand years in Revelation 20 are those who belonged to Christ when He returned and were raised to life
- but like Adam and Eve, they will rebel against the Word of God and commandment of God when Satan is released at the close of the millennium. Fire will come down from God and devour them and they will be alive forever experiencing gehennah - "where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched".
"Fear not them which kill the body [soma], but are not able to kill the soul [psuche]: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul [psuche] and body [soma] in gehennah [G1067 geenna]." (Matthew 10:28).
Revelation 20:1-10 are parenthetic verses - the chapter divisions were only inserted into scripture in 1227 AD, in the wrong place in some chapters (and the verses were only added even later).
The Day of judgment mentioned at the close of (what since 1227 AD has been) Revelation "chapter 20" will have already occurred when - as Jesus said - death and hades will deliver the dead to be judged by Him - at the time of His return.
There is only one day of judgment mentioned in scripture when all the dead will be raised - when Christ returns - and Paul stated that the resurrection will fulfill the prophecy "death has been swallowed up in victory". There will be no more death. When Christ returns there will be a resurrection - either unto life, or unto condemnation.
There will be no mortals rebelling at the close of the millennium. They will be immortals - just as Adam and Eve were before they were prevented from eating of the tree of life and living forever in that fallen sinful state - but the rebels of Revelation 20:9 will not die. They will be judged by fire and remain alive forever in a state which is a.k.a 'gehennah', "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
The last three chapters of the Bible mirror the first three chapters - and there are only certain saints who scripture says will reign with Christ - over all the other resurrected, immortal saints - for a thousand years. The 2nd death will have no authority over them. The lake of fire and the 2nd death are the same.
