Shalom, guysmith.
guysmith said:
afaithfulone4y and Retrobyter,
Let me try this from a different perspective. Please bare with me. Basically it is a function of the New Jerusalem.
During the Millennial reign of Christ, He will be ruling "with a rod of Iron." He will not have to rule the saints "with a rod of
Iron," but rather He will rule those "nonbelievers" which survive into the Millennium. Zechariah 14:16-19
So, here is the scenario. The New Jerusalem, the sanctuary of God, comes down from Heaven at the beginning of the
Millennium.
The unbeliever will be gathered up and cast to “the outside” where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Revelation 22:15 Matthew 15:30
The believers will have access to the Sanctuary. Revelation 21:26, 27 Revelation 22:14,19
The only place where life will be sustainable will be along the "river of life" which will flow from the sanctuary that will flow to the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea (which will be healed). Ezekiel 47:1-10
The world at that time is not going to be pleasant. The affects of the "vials of wrath" will be present "outside" the sanctuary during the Millennium. Ezekiel 47:11
The trees, which grow along the river, will provide food and medicine. This medicine will be for the nonbelievers because the saints will have immortal bodies and will not be in need for medicine. Ezekiel 47:12
Then, toward the end of the Millennium, Satan will be released. He will deceive the nations of unbelievers into attacking the New Jerusalem. Revelation 20: 7-9 The attack will be futile.
Then, the white throne judgement and the Millennial rule ends. Revelation 20:11-15
So, during the Millennium, the New Jerusalem will be a sanctuary (for the believers) from the affects of the vials of wrath. Outside the sanctuary, the unbelievers will have to endure along the "river of life."
Revelation 19-22 must also harmonize with 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 as well as 2 Peter 3:3-13. There ARE contextual clues that tie the three passages together, and when they are so harmonized, the process removes several misunderstandings. Ideally, these should be harmonized in the Greek first and THEN translated into English, but one can do quite a bit if he takes the English alone.
First, understand that Paul was writing a convincing argument for the literal resurrection of the human body in 1 Corinthians 15. As such, some of his statements are a little out of the normal chronological order, but this is also typical of Hebrew literature.
Second, understand that chapter divisions and even verse divisions are later additions to the text of the Bible, both in the Tanakh (the OT) and the B'rit Chadashah (the NT). They are for OUR benefit, but there is nothing "inspired" about the chapter or verse divisions.
Let's look at this passage:
1 Corinthians 15:20-28
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.
Here, he is saying that everyone will indeed by raised from the dead through the Messiah, just as everyone was introduced to death through Adam.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
He specifies THREE times when such are raised to life: The first time, the "wave offering" if you will, of the resurrection was Yeshua`s resurrection that first Easter morning. The next resurrection is at Christ's coming. This is a time when those who are Christ's are brought back to life. The third time is at "the End." This is the time when the Kingdom of God changes hands from Yeshua` to God the Father. Notice at this point what constitutes the end: It is at the time "when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."
Now, he went back a bit to explain:
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith, all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
KJV
So, He reigns BETWEEN His coming and His delivery of the Kingdom to God the Father. He must reign until He has put all of His enemies "under His feet." This is a direct quote from Psalm 2, which may also be investigated in the process of piecing together this harmony.
Revelation 19 talks about Yeshua`s coming with His saints and the "great supper of God" for all the birds (and the animals, too, according to Ezeki'el).
Revelation 20 then talks about the incarceration of haSatan when the Original Snake is locked away in "the unsounded pit" (
freatos tees abussou found in Revelation 9:1 just "
tees abussou" in Revelation 20:1, meaning "the unsounded," or more literally, "the no-bottom"). This corresponds to one of the FIRST things that the Messiah accomplishes as He begins "putting all enemies under His feet."
Revelation 20 reveals that this is a 1000-year sentence on haSatan. During this time, is when we read,
Revelation 20:1-8
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.
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.
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.
KJV
So, while the Messiah is reigning between His coming (when haSatan is locked up) and the freeing of haSatan just before the final battle with Gogue of Magogue (pronounced like "rogue"), at least some of those who have a part in the first resurrection (that of His saints) shall be reigning together
with Him.
Now, what is often confusing to many Christians who have not been taught how this works is when we tie in 2 Peter 3:3-13:
2 Peter 3:3-13
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation (the uniformitarianism of modern evolution).
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
This is the FIRST "heaven and earth" or the FIRST "sky and ground." The "heavens" (Greek: ouranoi) are the "skies" of the antediluvian world, and the "earth" (Greek:
gee, spelled gamma-eta and pronounced "gay") was the ground of that world. That ground was standing between the waters of the seas under the skies and the the waters above the skies.
6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
By these waters above AND BELOW the skies, that world-system - that society - perished, being overwhelmed by the water of Noach's Flood.
7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, ...
This is the SECOND "heaven and earth" or the SECOND "sky and ground" in which we live now. Things have changed significantly on the surface of this planet between the antediluvian society and our current societies, although the planet itself has not changed in mass. Things were just ... twisted quite a bit from their original state.
... by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,
12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
This corresponds to the following section of Revelation 20:
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 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
KJV
This is the promise of a coming Day of the Lord, or the Day of God, or the Day of Judgment and Perdition (we'd say "Trial and Sentencing"), and a Fire on that Day, which we are told can be a THOUSAND YEARS long. How is that possible? The answer is to be found in the GLOW of the Messiah! Just as He was transfigured and as He was described in Revelation 1, He is also called the "Sun of Righteousness" (Malachi 4:2)! While He is present, the "Sun" never sets! It is one VERY long Day! The thing one must remember is that the "Sun" rises when He comes, and it lasts all the while He is reigning, and He NEVER SLEEPS in His new body! (We won't need it, either.)
Also, all that the verses tell us about the "Trial and Sentencing of disrespectful men" and "the Fire" is that they occur SOMETIME on that very long Day! They do NOT have to occur at the BEGINNING of that Day, as some assume! They can also be on that very long Day at the END of that Day! And, that interpretation matches how Revelation 20 portrays them occurring - AFTER the 1000 years when haSatan is loosed.
Then will occur the time of "Trial and Sentencing of disrespectful men" called the "Great White Throne" in Revelation 20:
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.
KJV
Notice that it is at THIS time that "death and hell were cast into the lake of fire." This is when "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."
Finally, the last verse of 2 Peter 3:3-13:
13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
KJV
This is the THIRD "heaven and earth" or the THIRD "sky and ground." I believe this is the "third heaven" to which Paul referred in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4. As is typical for a prophet of God, he is shown a vision where he is whisked away to the future and sees things about the future. In this explanation, Paul doesn't go UP to "paradise" but FORWARD IN TIME to "paradise," the "Park of God!" This verse 13 corresponds to Revelation 21 and 22:
Revelation 21:1-4, 22:1-5
21:1 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.
3 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.
4 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.
...
22:1 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.
2 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.
3 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:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 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.
KJV
Hope this helps.
