God's Work with Planet Earth

The Apostle John was shown visions like movie clips, and he wrote them down as he saw them. As a result, Revelation chapter 20 is non-linear. The events described in its verses are not in sequence order.

For example: The resurrected wicked surround “the camp of the saints and the beloved city” in Revelation 20:9. However, the resurrection of the wicked is described in verse 13, so the event in verse 9 must come after verse 13.

Also, it’s not until the next chapter (Revelation 21:2) that we see “the holy city” coming down out of Heaven to the Earth. So how could the wicked surround a city that hasn’t come down yet, before they are resurrected?

However, Revelation chapter 20 is about the Millennium, while chapter 21 is about the New Earth and New Jerusalem on Earth. So these chapters are in order, just not some of the details.

Coinciding Events

At the beginning of the Millennium, we see that a mighty angel will bind Satan “for a thousand years”. But during that same time period, God’s people will be with Jesus as we discussed in depth in the post “During the Millennium”.

• Satan bound, unable to deceive, during the 1,000 years. (Revelation 20:1-3)
• Those who were faithful to God will “live and reign with Christ for a thousand years“. (Revelation 20:4-6)
• The wicked dead “did not live again until the thousand years were finished” (Revelation 20:5)

These three things are described as happening during the same 1,000-year period.

“when the thousand years have expired”

In verse 7 of Revelation 20, there is a shift from during the 1,000 years to the end of the 1,000 years. Then things start to show up in a non-linear order, so here’s a logical sequence. These are the events leading up to Stage 5 of God’s Work with Planet Earth.

Heaven comes to Earth

“Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Revelation 21:2

Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to Heaven, “My Father’s House”, to prepare a place for them.

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:3

The saints have been with Christ, in Heaven, for 1,000 years, and now they come back to Earth safely inside the New Jerusalem, which has been their heavenly home.

Second Resurrection

“The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them…” Revelation 20:13

The “rest of the dead” who “did not live until the thousand years were finished” (verse 5) are now resurrected.

Satan Released

“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.” Revelation 20:3

The bottomless pit represents a desolate and lifeless Earth. The Earth was made lifeless and desolate in Revelation 16:17-21 with the seventh and last plague as Jesus returns. The prophet Jeremiah saw a vision of the earth at this time (Jeremiah 4:23-26). No humans, no birds, no light. The only time period this could fit into is between the Old Earth and the New Earth, during the Millennium.

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 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.” Revelation 20:7-8

The Devil has had 1,000 years to think about the destruction his work has brought on the world, but what does he do when released from being bound? He sees the nations of resurrected wicked and goes out to deceive them again.

The wicked who followed the broad road to destruction are more numerous than the righteous who followed the narrow path to eternal life (Matthew 7:13-14). He will convince them that they can take God’s holy city by force. His character has not changed and he has not repented.

The Holy City surrounded

“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.” Revelation 20:9

This verse is like a summary, but here’s the event order:

• Wicked are resurrected
• Satan deceives them once again
• They surround the holy city
• There is a judgement involving books/records
• The wicked are destroyed by fire (Revelation 20:9, 15)

All through the history of the world there has been “enmity” (Genesis 3:15) between God’s people and Satan’s people, who have persecuted and killed God’s people, starting with Cain and Able (Genesis 4).

“But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” Galatians 4:19

But while this has been a pattern of the wicked, God’s pattern has been to use their evil schemes for His own purpose. Joseph’s brothers hated him and sold him into slavery, but he became the second ruler of Egypt, after the pharaoh, and God used him to save the lives of many people from famine. “…you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good…” (Genesis 50:20

Three Hebrew administrators were thrown into a fiery furnace in Babylon because they would not bow to a false god. Christ came and walked with them in the fire, saved them, and caused the most powerful pagan king in the world at that time to praise the God of heaven to his whole empire. (Daniel 3:28-30)

In the same way, as the wicked are surrounding the holy city with the evil intent to take it and destroy the saints inside, God is using their evil intent to gather them to their own judgement.

White Throne Judgement

“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. 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.” Revelation 20:11-12

There are heavenly records being kept of everything that goes on in this world, and in the judgement those records and evidence will be used in a judgement which shows why the wicked cannot be saved.

The saints have already been judged, covered by Jesus’ righteousness, justified, and their names written in the Book of Life before the Millennium started.

This is important to understand: We all start as condemned sinners (Romans 3:23, 6:23), and nobody can earn salvation by keeping God’s law. You can’t get to Heaven by good works, but you can be judged and destroyed by evil works.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:31

“For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Romans 4:3

We must believe God and trust Him by faith, then He can “cleanse us from all unrighteousness”, so that the destructive power of sin is removed from our hearts. We can be forgiven and freed from sin and the second death.

The Second Death

This destruction by fire was prophesied all through the Bible, with a local, small-scale example being given.

“and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly;” 2 Peter 2:6

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 by “fire and brimstone” falling from heaven is the same thing that will happen on a global scale in Revelation 20:9.

“which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death” Revelation 21:8

“… This is the second death” Revelation 20:14

This isn’t the only place in the Bible where the second death is described. In the Old Testament, the phrase “cut off” is often used. Here’s an example:

“In that day the deaf shall hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness. The humble also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nothing, the scornful one is consumed, and all who watch for iniquity are cut off–” Isaiah 29:18-20

“Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.” Psalms 37:34

• This verse in Psalms alludes to the end of the Stage 4 (judgement and destruction of the wicked), and beginning of Stage 5 (new heavens, new earth, land given to God’s people)

The kind of people outside the holy city

So Satan will convince the resurrected wicked to surround the New Jerusalem (Revelation 20:9). Here are some verses describing what kind of people they are:

“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

“But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” Revelation 22:15

These people insist on breaking God’s law, because His Ten Commandments are against lying, idolatry, sexual immorality, murder. By contrast, God instructs against these things. .

“The remnant … shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth…” Zephaniah 3:13

“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;” 1 Thessalonians 4:3

“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.” 1 Corinthians 10:14

God’s Purpose

This destruction of the earth at the beginning of the Millennium, and destruction of the wicked by fire at the end of the Millennium is the part of God’s plan where He removes sin and restores a perfect world that existed when it was originally created.

But the main purpose is to reconcile people/humans back to Himself, and to remove the “enmity” that began in Genesis 3:15. This is God’s ultimate goal:

“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4