Rev 20:1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key
to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who
is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him
up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till
the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released
for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they
sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those
who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who
had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on
their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years. 5 But the rest of
the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the
first resurrection. 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. 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. 10
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone
where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be
tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then
I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before
God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is
the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the
things which were written in the books. 13 The sea
gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who
were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire.
This is the second death. 15 And
anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
There WILL be a new Heaven and a new Earth, but before
that there will be a redeemed Earth.
Jesus Christ returns to rule and reign for a thousand
years, and we come with Him. We, that is, who are born again.
The Bible makes it very clear that only those who have
been born twice shall live eternally, whereas those who are born only once
shall die eternally. (Just as from Spiritual life comes eternal life, from
Spiritual death comes eternal death.)
This is not a religious perspective, or a philosophical
viewpoint, it is life for life and death for death. Make no mistake about it,
we all DESERVE eternal death, but provision has been made for us to have
eternal life – through life in Christ.
Only those who receive the provision accept its benefits.
Those who refuse are rightly judged. The sin that kills eternally is unbelief,
the sin against the remedy.
-Pastor Bill
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