Bible Prophecy and Christianity

Sequence of Future Events

Events That Will Soon Begin To Take Place On Earth

Rapture of the Church

1Thes 4:16-18 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The rapture of the church is the next prophetic event to take place, an event that will soon take place. At the time of the rapture, the Lord will not return to the earth, but He will return to the heavens above the earth and call us up to meet Him in the clouds. All who have died believing in Jesus Christ will be resurrected; they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Immediately following the resurrection of the dead believers, all living believers will also be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There is great comfort in knowing that all our loved ones who have died believing in the Lord Jesus Christ will be resurrected before us and that we will see them when we are raptured from this earth. Furthermore, there is great comfort in knowing that the Lord has a wonderful and glorious future for all those who believe in Him.

1 Cor 15:51-58 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

All who believe in Jesus Christ will be changed; In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, our mortal bodies will be changed into immortal bodies. This will be preceded with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God. The trumpet is used for the calling of the assembly of all true Christians, all those who believe in Jesus Christ during this Church age. Everyone who ever believed in Jesus Christ will at that time hear the call of the Lord, no one will be deaf to the call, not one believer will be left behind. We will have total and complete victory over death; we will have new glorified bodies that will live forever. Our hope of eternal life and our hope of having new immortal bodies motivates us to live for the Lord, motivates us to serve the Lord in our present bodies.

I Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

All who believe in Jesus Christ are sons of God. When we are raptured, we will see Jesus Christ in His new glorified body; and we will be made to be like Him; we will be given new glorified bodies, bodies that will live forever with no sickness, no hunger, no pain, and no sorrow. Furthermore, we will finally be made holy as He is holy; we will be set free from this body of sin and death. We will never again sin; therefore, we will never die.

Rev 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

Jesus Christ has promised that He will keep us from the hour of temptation, from the seven year long tribulation. Therefore, we know we will be raptured before the seven year long tribulation comes upon the earth. The tribulation will come upon all the earth and upon all who live on the earth. There will be no place on the earth that will escape the tribulation; there will be no place to hide. Therefore, in order to be kept from the tribulation, we must be removed from the earth before the great tribulation begins.

Gog and His Allies Attack Israel - Ezek 38&39

Ezek 38:3-9 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.

When studying Bible prophecy we should keep in mind that many Bible prophecies have a double reference; that is, they refer to more than one fulfillment, usually a partial fulfillment followed by a complete fulfillment at a later time. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 is a prophecy with a double reference. It refers to a war that will take place immediately after the rapture of the Church, and it also refers to an event that will take place after the thousand year reign of Christ.

Rev 20:7-9 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. 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.

2 Pet 3:10 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.

Just as the Lord destroyed the earth by the flood and renewed it again, the Lord will again destroy the earth with intense heat and renew it again. God will cleanse the earth of the works of man, everything that man has accomplished upon the earth since the flood. Almost everything man has made including all the satellites and space probes that surround the earth, in the heavens, will be destroyed. Furthermore, there will be a full and complete cleansing of the water, air, and land. The pollution that will occur upon the earth during the Great Tribulation will be so severe that life upon the earth would be almost impossible if cleansing does not occur. The only things that will survive the cleansing will be the few personal possessions of those who enter into the thousand year reign of Christ. Therefore, the technology we have today will not be available during the thousand year reign of Christ. People will be using horses instead of motorized vehicles, that is why the description is given of the armies riding horses, and why there is no reference to the weapons and vehicles of modern warfare in Ezekiel’s description.

The enemies of Israel will attack Israel immediately after the rapture of the Church takes place. When the rapture takes place, the United States will be in turmoil over the sudden loss of many of its people. The rapture will result in a great disaster for the United States with millions missing, and millions dead and injured as an aftermath of the sudden disappearance of so many. This will result in a great opportunity for the enemies of Israel to attack her, unopposed by the United States.

Ezek 39:1-8 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel: And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD. So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

We have been given God’s sure word concerning the enemies of Israel. Just as we can be sure that the enemies of Israel will attack Israel, we can be sure that God will defend Israel, and destroy the enemies of Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD. It is a done deal; we can count on it; it will happen just as the word of God says. God has a plan for Israel and all the armies of the world will never destroy the nation of Israel.

The Anti-Christ Begins His Seven Year Reign

II Th 2:1-12 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Because the Thessalonians were experiencing tribulation, in the form of persecution, they believed they had missed the rapture and that they were experiencing the great tribulation. The apostle Paul wrote to them to reassure them that they had not missed the rapture, and that they were not in the great tribulation.

Before the great tribulation begins, we will be gathered together unto Jesus Christ; we will be raptured. Immediately following the rapture of the church, the anti-christ, the man of sin, the son of perdition, will be revealed. The anti-christ will not be free to take control of the revived Roman Empire until after Christians are taken out of the way, until after we are raptured. The anti-christ will be a liar and a deceiver, just as the devil is a liar and a deceiver; and because Christians are not deceived by the devil, they must be taken out of the way before the anti-christ can be revealed. The anti-christ will begin his reign of power as an elected official who assumes control of the revived Roman Empire with the approval of the populace. Christians would never approve of him; therefore, we must be removed before he can take control.

When the rapture takes place and millions of Christians disappear from planet earth, the anti-christ and his false prophet will come up with a lie to explain our disappearance. All those who believe the lie will lend their support to the anti-christ; they will worship him, they will take the mark of the beast, and they will be damned to eternity in hell.

Rev 13:1-8 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The beast is the last great world empire that will have dominion over the nation of Israel. The beast will have seven heads and ten horns, but it will be controlled by another little horn, an eleventh horn. Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. The beast is the revived Roman Empire; it will be ruled by the anti-christ who will receive his authority from the devil. The beast is under the total control of the anti-christ; therefore, when the bible refers to the beast, it is referring to the revived Roman Empire as well as the anti-christ. We can say that the beast is the anti-christ and that the beast is the revived Roman Empire.

During the first half of the seven-year tribulation, the anti-christ will be hard at work securing his position of authority over the revived Roman Empire. Rev 13:16-17 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Once everyone within his dominion has received the mark, he will have total control over all those who receive the mark; no one who has the mark will be able to oppose him. After three and one half years, he will begin to exhibit boldness toward everyone who would oppose him, including the Jews who refuse to worship him. During the last three and one half years of the seven-year tribulation, the anti-christ will attempt to destroy all those who refuse to take the mark, all those who refuse to worship him.

Making of the Seven Year Covenant

The Rebuilding of The Temple

There is no Jewish temple in Jerusalem today; nevertheless, there will be a temple during the seven year tribulation; therefore, we know the temple will be rebuilt. The temple will be rebuilt during the first three and one-half years of the tribulation. Israel will be free to rebuild the temple because the anti-christ will guarantee Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem during that time.

Desecration of the Temple

Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

After the temple is rebuilt, the anti-christ will enter the temple and demand to be worshiped. Israel will refuse to worship the anti-christ; therefore, the anti-christ will become enraged at Israel and attempt to destroy Israel.

II Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Just as the rulers of the ancient Roman Empire demanded to be worshiped, the anti-christ, the ruler of the revived Roman Empire, will demand to be worshiped as God. He will declare himself to be God. The nation of Israel will find itself in the same relationship with the revived Roman Empire as it experienced with the Roman Empire during the time of Jesus Christ.

The Great Tribulation - Jacobs Trouble

Jer 30:4-7 And these are the words that the LORD spake concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus saith the LORD; We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.

The second half of the seven-year tribulation is the great tribulation; it is the time of Jacob’s trouble; it is a time when the anti-christ will try to destroy the nation of Israel. Despite the efforts of the anti-christ to destroy Israel, the Lord will deliver a remnant of the nation of Israel from the anti-christ.

Matt 24:15-22 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

The Jews are warned to flee into the mountains when they see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. When the anti-christ stands in the rebuilt temple and demands to be worshiped, the Jews will refuse to worship him. He will become enraged and set out to destroy all Jews. This will mark the beginning of the time of Jacob’s trouble, the great tribulation. The great tribulation will encompass the entire world and everyone in it; no one living on earth at the time will escape the trials of the great tribulation. The great tribulation will be so severe that it will be necessary for the Lord to shorten those days in order to save the lives of His elect.

Zech 13:8-9 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

The end result of the great tribulation will be the salvation of one third of all Jews living upon the earth when the tribulation begins. Their trials and tribulations will bring them to a place where they will finally recognize Jesus Christ as their true Messiah.

The Return of Christ

Matt 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

When Jesus Christ returns to this earth, everyone living on the earth will see Him. His return will not be secret, it will be known to all.

Matt 24:29-30 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: 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.

When the great tribulation finally comes to an end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give any light, the stars will fall, and there will be many strange disturbances in the heavens. The gloom of the tribulation will be followed by darkness and total despair. Just when it seems that all hope is lost, the Lord will return with power and great glory. When the world is in total darkness, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will bring light and hope to all who believe in Him.

Rev 19:11-16 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

The first time Jesus Christ came to this earth, he came as a helpless child; and He came to suffer and die in the place of sinners, to make atonement for all our sins. The next time the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this earth, He will come as a warrior, a judge, and a ruler; He will return as KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Rev 19:17-21 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshiped his image. These both were cast alive into a 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.

When the Lord returns, the anti-christ and the false prophet will be cast alive into the lake of fire. The Lord will destroy all unbelievers upon the earth by simply speaking a command. All the powers of the world will not be able, to even begin, to resist the power of the Lord. The combined military might of the entire world will be as nothing in the presence of the Lord.

Rev 20:1-3 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.

The Devil is a deceiver, a liar, and the father of liars; therefore, he will be confined to the bottomless pit, a prison designed by God just for him. He will be imprisoned for one thousand years; so that, he will not be able to tempt anyone during the thousand year reign of Christ upon the earth. Everyone will know the truth about God and no one will be deceived during the thousand year reign of Christ.

The Restoration of Israel

Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

When the Lord returns, the surviving remnant of Israel will recognize their true Messiah, and they will mourn because they crucified Him and rejected Him for so long. Even though they have rejected Him for so long, the Lord will bring them back into fellowship with Himself as a demonstration of His redeeming grace. No matter how long we reject the Lord, He always stands ready to forgive us, if we will only believe in Him and accept Him as our savior and Lord.

Jer 32:38-41 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

God’s word is sure, He does not lie. God has promised to restore Israel and to keep them forever. After Israel has been restored they will never again turn away from God because He will give them a heart to fear Him. We can be sure that God will keep Israel and do good for them forever because it is His eternal purpose to do so.

The Thousand Year Reign of Christ

Jer 3:17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.

During the thousand year reign of Christ, all the nations of the world will know the Lord and they will go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord. There will not be any kind of false religion upon the earth in those days; everyone will worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

Zech 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.

The Lord will be king over all the earth. The Lord Jesus Christ will be sovereign over all the earth; and there will finally be true peace on earth.. There will never again be any false gods and false religion upon the earth. Everyone will worship the same Lord.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The church, the body of Christ, will live and reign with Christ, but we will not be sovereign. We will be totally submitted to the Lord, and we will seek to do His will, and we will glorify Him.

Rev 20:4 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.

All those who reject the anti-christ and die for there faith in Jesus Christ will become judges and rulers upon the earth during the thousand year reign of Christ. Those who refuse to reign with anti-christ will reign with Christ.

The Final Judgment

Rev 20:5-9 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. 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. 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.

After Christ rules and reigns upon the earth for one thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison. He will tempt the nations one final time and many will follow him in rebellion against God. After having experienced the justice and righteousness of the kingdom of Christ, men will rebel against God, desiring to be independent and free of all law and authority. The rebels will be consumed by fire from God Almighty. The end result will prove that man is totally depraved and that God is righteous, just, merciful, and gracious. Satan is a loser and all those who follow him are losers. No one can ever oppose God and succeed.

Rev 20:10 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.

The devil will finally be thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet have already been for more than one thousand years. The devil will not rule in hell, he will be tormented for ever and ever just like everyone in hell; only his torment will be much worse.

Rev 20:11-15 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. 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. 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.

Everyone who has their name written in the book of life will not be judged. Everyone who does not have his or her name written in the book of life will be judged and will be thrown into the lake of fire. John 3:18 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. No one who believes in Jesus will ever be judged, but everyone who does not believe in Jesus Christ will be judged. No one who believes in Jesus Christ has any guilt before God because Jesus Christ had taken all our guilt upon Himself when He died for us in our place, for our sins. All unbelievers must be judged because their sins are unforgiven, and because they rejected God’s gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. God’s judgment upon all unbelievers will be just and no unbeliever will escape judgment.

The New Heavens and New Earth

Rev 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.

God will create a new heaven, a heaven that will continue to declare the glory of God, a heaven that will not have any man made objects moving through it. God will also create a new earth, a perfect earth that will be without any works of man to blemish its magnificence. The surface of the earth as we know it today is three-fifths water. The new earth will not have any sea; therefore, its surface will be mostly land and not water.

Rev 21:2-3 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.

God will live on the new earth, in the new Jerusalem, in eternity future. The new Jerusalem will be the earth’s greatest city; it will be created by God Himself.

Rev 21:16 And the city is laid out as a square, and its length is as great as the width; and he measured the city with the rod, fifteen hundred miles; its length and width and height are equal.

The new Jerusalem will be shaped as a cube; it will be fifteen hundred miles long, wide, and high. If the new earth is going to rotate as all heavenly bodies do today, the new earth will need to be much larger than the present earth in order to maintain a balance. Therefore, we can conclude that the new earth will be much larger than today’s earth, and it will be capable of supporting an untold number of people.

Rev 21:4 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.

Death, sorrow, crying, and pain are all the result of sin. There will be no more sin for all eternity; therefore, there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, and pain, for all eternity. We will not remember any of those things that bring sorrow today. Furthermore, we will not remember those loved ones who are damned to hell for all eternity.

Rev 21:22-23 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.

We will worship God in His presence; and we will not have any form of religion in our worship. We will see God; and we will know Him as He is; we will worship Him in Spirit and in truth. The glory of God and of the Lamb will give light to the new Jerusalem. The Lamb of God will be in the new Jerusalem; therefore, we will always be aware of the grace of God towards us. We will never forget all that Jesus Christ has done for us. We will praise God forever for His grace toward us.

Rev 22:1-5 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.

I cannot fully comprehend all that awaits us in the new Jerusalem on the new earth, but I know it will be glorious beyond all that we could ever imagine.

Eternal Life For All Who Believe In Jesus Christ

John 3:16 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.

The person who believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life. If you believe in Jesus Christ, you already have eternal life. That is all there is to it. If you believe, you are already saved; there is nothing else for you to do, in order to be saved. God knows your heart, He know whether or not you truly believe.

John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ has eternal life simply because they believe in Him.

John 6:37-40 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jesus Christ will accept everyone who comes to Him, He will not reject anyone who believes in Him. He will not fail to save everyone who believes in Him. We can count on His faithfulness and His power to save us and to raise up on resurrection day.

Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The apostles proclaimed that the only requirement for salvation is faith in Jesus Christ.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Your salvation is a free gift, to you, from God. You do not deserve it, and you can not do anything to earn it, not even a prayer is required in order to receive the gift of salvation. You only need to believe; and, God knows your heart.

I Jn 5:10-13 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

According to the authority of the word of God, if you truly believe in Jesus Christ, you have eternal life.

John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

Jesus Christ told His disciples that He would be in them, that He would not leave them alone, that He would come to them. We have the Holy Spirit of God living in us; that means, Jesus Christ is in us. We receive Christ by believing in Him, and He comes to live in us when we believe in Him.

Phil 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

God began to do a good work in you when He gave you faith to believe in Jesus Christ. He will continue to work in you until you see Jesus; at which time, you will be like Him, you will be perfect as He is perfect.
Our future is in the hands of God. If we believe in Jesus Christ, we can be sure that we will escape the great tribulation and the eternal hell. Furthermore, we have a glorious future in the presence of God, a future that will last forever.

All Scripture taken from King James Bible

* Bible Studies by Max Swan
Thus says the LORD, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD. (NAS) Jer 9:23-24

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