God's Work with Planet Earth

You’ll notice I won’t be able to use many pictures in coming posts. Why? Because now that we’re looking forward to the 4th Stage of God’s Work with Planet Earth, there are many unknowns. Up until our time now, we can look back and see that the prophecies in the Bible became history over time. But now we’re looking forward to things that have not happened yet.

Besides that, AI is incapable of rendering images that match Revelation’s descriptions, even with careful prompting. Neither humans nor AI can imagine what the New Jerusalem will look like. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

We find the Biblical concept of the Millenium in Revelation 20, where it is simply called the “1,000 years”.

When is the Millennium?

Because Jesus stated multiple times that no one can know when He will return, we can’t know exactly when the Millennium will start. But we can gather clues from other Bible passages to establish a sequence of events.

Revelation 20:4 says that the people who remained loyal to God will be “with Christ a thousand years.” If they’re physically with Christ, then the Millennium must start after this event:

“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 4:16-17

While we can be close to God spiritually now, at Jesus’ Second Coming, it will be a literal and physical closeness.

Where is the Millennium?

Jesus speaking to His disciples in John 14:2-3:

• Many dwellings in His Father’s house (Heaven)
• He was going there to prepare a place for His followers
• “I will come again and receive you to Myself”
• Purpose: so that “where I am (Heaven), you may be also”

So we can see clearly that Jesus will take His people out of this world to meet Him in the clouds above the earth, and then take them to Heaven. This must be where they “live and reign with Him” for “a thousand years”. (Revelation 20:6)

Heaven versus Earth, during the Millenium

But the conditions on Earth and in Heaven will be quite opposite during those 1,000 years. While Heaven will be full of glorified humans rejoicing and being initiated into the heavenly family of God, the Earth will be desolate and lifeless.

The Seventh Plague right before Jesus comes, in Revelation 16:

• “voices, thunders and lightenings” and “a great earthquake”
• “the cities of the nations fell”
• “every island fled away” and “the mountains were not found”
• A great hailstorm with hailstones weighing a talent (between 75 to 100 pounds)

The prophet Jeremiah had a vision of the Earth after these events:

“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

No humans, no birds, no light… Even the beautiful places of the Earth that survived or were rejuvenated after the Flood will be decimated by the last plagues we see in Revelation 16.

Fate of the Wicked

At the time Jesus brings His people home, what will happen to the unbelievers and the wicked?

“…He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4

This matches up with Paul’s prediction:

“And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8

As far as the Millennium time period is concerned:

“the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished…” Revelation 20:5

“the rest of the dead” means those not resurrected and taken to Heaven. In other words, the wicked. The Bible makes it clear that God’s people will be given eternal life, while the wicked experience destruction and death.

In this post we are talking mostly about the beginning of the Millennium, but the Bible describes events on either end of this time period.

Two Resurrections

Both the prophet Daniel and Jesus Himself described two resurrections:

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Daniel 12:2

“Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth–those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” John 5:28-29

These statements, made thousands of years ago, make it sound like both resurrections could happen at the same time. This could be confusing, because we just read that the wicked who have died throughout the history of the world, and those who are alive at Jesus’ Second Coming, will remain dead during the 1,000 years (Revelation 20:5). But if we keep reading Revelation chapter 20, we find that second resurrection of the wicked.

“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.” Revelation 20:13

This second resurrection will happen “when the thousand years have expired” (Revelation 20:7), or at the end of the Millennium.

But let’s pull back and remember the first resurrection at the beginning of the Millennium:

“…the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

Jesus will resurrect His people and take them to Heaven at the beginning of the Millennium, and the wicked will “sleep in the dust” until the end of the Millennium, when the time for their judgement comes.

Two Deaths

The first death is simply when every person, whether they have chosen God or not, comes to the end of this life and dies.

“…it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” Hebrews 9:27

After this first death, for both righteous and wicked, there is a resurrection. It’s just a question of whether it will be at the beginning or the end of the Millennium, in what Jesus called “the resurrection of life”, and “the resurrection of condemnation”.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

But while both the righteous and the wicked experience the first death, the second death is only for the wicked, and there is no resurrection or coming back from the second death.

“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power…” Revelation 20:6

“Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.” Revelation 20:14

“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 21:8

“Death and Hades” (death and the grave) being thrown into a lake of fire? This is symbolic, and it means that after the second death, there will be no more death at all, only life.

The difference between the two deaths is that the first death is temporary because a resurrection is coming. The second death by contrast is permanent and everlasting. It is eternal.

Where is the Devil/Satan in all of this?

In Revelation 20:1-3, John saw a mighty angel come down from Heaven.

“He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;” Revelation 20:2

During this 1,000 years, Satan will not be free to move elsewhere in the Universe, and with all the wicked sleeping in the dust, and Jesus’ people in Heaven, he will have no one to tempt, harass, or possess. All he will be able to do is observe the lifeless and desolated Earth for a thousand years. This is the result of his work for 6,000 years to pervert and counterfeit every good thing God made.

Sequence of Events

In future posts we’ll get more into the events at the end of the Millennium, but for now let’s summarize the beginning.

• Seven last plagues make the Earth desolate (Revelation 16)
• Jesus appears in the clouds and resurrects the righteous from their graves (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
• Jesus takes His people to Heaven (John 14:2-3)
• The living wicked die at Jesus’ Coming (Isaiah 11:4, 2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Now let me line up the Deaths and Resurrections

• First Death – when each person in this life dies (Hebrews 9:27)
• First Resurrection – Only the righteous at Jesus’ Second Coming and the beginning of the Millennium
• Second Resurrection – Only the wicked, at the end of the Millennium, so they can be judged (shown why they were not saved)
• Second Death – happens to the wicked at the end of the Millennium, after their judgement (Revelation 20:14-15) This means they cease to exist forever (Psalms 37:10)

This time period we’re living in, which is almost over, is a time of sin rebellion. And yet God gives each person life, a time to live, observe, and choose. In the end, He will honor the choice of each person, but when you reject the Source of all life, there is no life at all.