The New Universe, The New Planet, and the New City

"Then I saw a great white throne and the one who is seated on it. Before his face both earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. Another scroll was opened too; this is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged on the basis of what was written in the scrolls about what they had done. 14 Then Death and the Grave were thrown into the fiery lake. This, the fiery lake, is the second death. 15 Then anyone whose name wasn’t found written in the scroll of life was thrown into the fiery lake.  -Revelation 20:11-12, 14-15

We’ve been looking at the conclusion of history, and we’ve talked about many elements involved in that journey that is ahead of us. We’ve looked at the marriage supper of the lamb, and the millennial reign of Christ, and now we come to the conclusion of Earth history.  

The old Earth, the old universe, has passed away.  And everyone is alive, and standing before God. 

You’ve got everyone, billions and billions of people, and they all stand before God.  You’ve got average everyday people, farmers, waitresses, cooks, construction workers, and you’ve also got the wealthy, the elite, the powerful, people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, the Rockefellers, past presidents, and Wallstreet stock brokers.  You’ve got people from all across history, all over the world, people from Europe, from China, from India, from Pakistan, peoples from South Africa, Kenya, and Ethiopia. You’ve got the millions who died during the black death, and the millions who died during the world wars, you’ve got ancient peoples who saw Jesus with their own eyes, you’ve got people who saw Abraham and Moses.  You’ve got modern teenagers, you’ve got post-modern philosophers, you’ve got everybody.  Every single person who ever existed, standing before God’s throne.  This throne room is the place where God resides.  I imagine it’s quite amazing.  

And it says books were opened. Heaven keeps records of all that’s done on the Earth. True story.  Everything is written down. And it says each person was judged based on what was written in the books, which is based on what decisions each person made. 
What decisions did you make?  What did you do?  Did you serve yourself, or did you serve God?  All this will come to light on the last day. And what’s most important is, is your name written in the book of life.  That book belongs to who? The Lamb, that’s Jesus.  Did they have Jesus as savior?  If the answer is no, that person will be sent to the lake of fire, permanently.  Scary stuff, right?  

So I’m not sure how long this process will take.  To individually judge billions of people?  Well, I suppose God could take every case at the same time, because God is infinite.  And can be everywhere all at once. So I suppose it won’t take too long.  Maybe a few hours?  

But at this moment, it says that death and the grave are abolished forever.  No more dying, more putting people to rest in graves.  That stuff is over, it’s said it’s thrown into the lake of fire as well.  Very interesting. 

So you’ve got the great division between what Jesus called the sheep and the goats.  The sheep obeyed Jesus and listened to his voice, the goats did not obey Jesus and rejected Him.  Then we see the three new creations come. 

It says, Revelation 20:1-2: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”

Three new things.  You’ve got a new universe.  What does this mean?  Stars, planets, galaxies?  I don’t really know.  But no doubt it will be incredibly beautiful. Our current universe is very dark and barren, what would a holy universe look like?  Would all space be traversable?  Could you breath in space?  Faster than light travel? Gold colored?  Space creatures?  Maybe the entire universe would be filled with a liquid substance resembling grape jelly.  I don’t know.  But it’s a new, perfect universe.  A universe made right.

Second, a new Earth.  Again, I wonder what a new earth will look like?  Probably in many ways just like our current Earth.  Beautiful skies, trees, plants, animals, and various creatures.  But consider it without danger, without sin, without evil.  Animals wouldn’t run from us, as they do now, they would run to us.  No angry people in traffic driving too fast, or too slow.  No pollution, no violence, no wars, no lies and distortions.  

And 3rd, a new city.  A new Jerusalem.  Which Jerusalem means “City of Peace.” I would love to live in a city of peace. There is so much strife, division and pain on Earth.  I would love to live in this city of peace.  And I know that one day soon I will live in this city. 
Verses 3 and 4 say this: “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Rev 21;15-27, "The angel who spoke to me had a gold measuring rod with which to measure the city, its gates, and its wall. 16 Now the city was laid out as a square. Its length was the same as its width. He measured the city with the rod, and it was fifteen hundred miles.[a] Its length and width and height were equal. 17 He also measured the thickness of its wall. It was two hundred sixteen feet[b] thick, as a person—or rather, an angel—measures things. 18 The wall was built of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass. 19 The city wall’s foundations were decorated with every kind of jewel. The first foundation was jasper, the second was sapphire, the third was chalcedony, and the fourth was emerald. 20 The fifth was sardonyx, the sixth was carnelian, the seventh was chrysolite, and the eighth was beryl. The ninth was topaz, the tenth was chrysoprase, the eleventh was jacinth, and the twelfth was amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls; each one of the gates was made from a single pearl. And the city’s main street was pure gold, as transparent as glass.

22 I didn’t see a temple in the city, because its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb. 23 The city doesn’t need the sun or the moon to shine on it, because God’s glory is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day, and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. 27 Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is vile and deceitful, but only those who are registered in the Lamb’s scroll of life."

The Millennial Reign of Christ

A famous preacher of the past was near death. And he spoke about how he felt when he heard the news. He said, "I remember a year ago when a doctor told me, 'You have an illness from which you won't recover.' I walked out to where I live 5 miles from Portland, Oregon, and I looked across at that mountain that I love. I looked at the river in which I rejoice, and I looked at the stately trees that are always God's own poetry to my soul. Then in the evening I looked up into the great sky where God was lighting His lamps, and I said, ' I may not see you many more times, but Mountain, I shall be alive when you are gone; and River, I shall be alive when you cease running toward the sea; and Stars, I shall be alive when you have fallen from your sockets in the great down pulling of the material universe!' "-W. B. Hinson.

The great fact of the Christian life is that death is not the end, and we have a glorious future ahead of us. Look at the mountains, the fields, the roads, the businesses, even the moon, the sun and the stars, and realize you will exist long after they are gone. There is so much fear in our world. So much fear of the future, the past, and the present. So much fear of the virus, and fear of the economic downturn. Yet for us as followers of Jesus, we have no reason to fear this life, a virus, a downturn, or even death, because we know death is not the end.

Over the past month we’ve gone through a series of messages following Jesus from the moment he entered the city of Jerusalem, to his crucifixion, his resurrection, his ascension, and the wedding supper of Christ with the church.

Today we consider amazing, mysterious, and astonishing events depicted in the book of Revelation. Today we consider the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Remember that the book of Revelation is a book about the apocalypse, the end of the world and the birth of a new world. We’re dealing with complex concepts in Revelation, so put on your thinking caps.

We looked at how the end times will come, and there will be a time called the great tribulation, and we looked at how the church will be taken to heaven, and will enjoy a feast called the marriage supper of Jesus Christ. In this event we are made one with Christ, as we are one with Him today. He lives in us, and we live in Him. We have this love relationship with God. And I was just praying last night, and not talking as much as listening for God, and just reaching out with my emotions to feel His love for me. And it’s so beautiful how much God loves us. He cares about us so much. And we can feel His love when we pray to Him.

After this ceremony, at the conclusion of the great tribulation on the Earth, Jesus Christ will return. And it says that Jesus is coming with all his holy ones. That’s us. We’re returning with Christ on that day.

It says in Revelation 19:11-16 “11 Then I saw heaven open, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True; it is with justice that he judges and fights his battles. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and he wore many crowns on his head. He had a name written on him, but no one except himself knows what it is. 13 The robe he wore was covered with blood. His name is “The Word of God.” 14 The armies of heaven followed him, riding on white horses and dressed in clean white linen. 15 Out of his mouth came a sharp sword, with which he will defeat the nations. He will rule over them with a rod of iron, and he will trample out the wine in the wine press of the furious anger of the Almighty God. 16 On his robe and on his thigh was written the name: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”

So Jesus returns, and every eye sees Him. He returns with an army of his holy ones, in clean white linen, that’s representative of us, wearing the righteousness of Christ that has been transferred to us, in the great exchange, in which Jesus took our sin on the cross, and in exchange he gave us His righteousness. Isn’t that amazing? What an amazing trade off!

So what happens next? The anti-Christ gathers the nations to fight against Jesus and this holy army. And Christ defeats them, and they are sent to hell, forever.

This is actually referred to as a “feast” in revelation. You’ve got one dinner, us being united with Jesus, and another dinner, in which the anti-Christ and those who follow him, are receiving the result of their sinfulness, damnation.

How does Jesus defeat this evil army of the anti-christ? The Bible says it's the sword that comes from His mouth. Jesus simply speaks and they are defeated. God is so powerful that all he has to do is speak, and game over.

So then we turn to Revelation 20 and we see that the anti-christ, the false prophet, and now Satan, are removed from the Earth, and put into outer darkness.

Then it says that those who had lost their lives in the great tribulation, Christians who had died speaking up for Jesus in the end times, who refused to take something called the mark of the beast in the right hand or forehead, came back to life, and reigned with Christ for 1,000 years.

So this is our topic today, the Millennial Reign of Christ. Which millennial means 1000. So the 1000 year reign of Christ. Young Earth creationists believe that the world today is about 6,000 years old. And as we know, with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day. So some would see a symbolic indication in the 1,000 year reign of Christ. That we’ve toiled and worked and struggled for 6 days, 6000 years, over the history of humanity and Israel, and now this final 1000 years is a sort of sabbath rest period. A 7th day of rest. Very interesting.

So guys this is not the new heavens and new earth yet. We’re going to talk about that next week. This is a sort of end period, where Jesus Christ our king, our friend, our savior, is alive, reigning on Earth, from the city of Jerusalem. And Satan is locked away in hell, for 1,000 years.

I don’t know exactly what this will be like, actually. The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about what this will be like, aside from the fact that the tribulation saints, those who died proclaiming Jesus during the tribulation, will reign from Jerusalem with Jesus. I don’t know if that includes us, the church, or if it will just be the martyrs, those who gave their lives. It doesn’t say exactly.

But I’d like to make a few suppositions. These are just suppositions, so take these with a grain of salt, they aren’t strictly part of the biblical record. But I assume that during this time people will continue to marry, and have children. I suppose that lifespans would be greatly extended during this time period. There would be no temptations I assume, because Satan has been locked away, but would we still have a sin nature during this time? Probably not, I think. Then again I don’t really know.

In any case, this reign of Christ lasts for one thousand years. That’s a long time. A long time of rest, and goodness, and blessing on the Earth. And it says Christ rules over the nations with a rod of iron during this time. I don’t know exactly what that means. But it seems to me that it means Christ is completely in charge, no one else. And he apparently reigns over the nations during this time, and it sounds like his reign is total, and enforceable, and all powerful.

Imagine being one of Jesus’ lieutenants during that time, going into his throne room, bowing before him and receiving orders and instructions, go to this country, and visit this person and do this or that. Imagine simply standing there in the throne room watching Jesus talking with people, and giving orders, and organizing the world economy. It’s just really exciting, to be able to see Jesus everyday and talk with Him and serve Him. I would love to be able to participate in the millennial reign of Christ, but I don’t know that I will. We will see.

So we have this beautiful 1000 years of rest for the world, with Christ as king over the earth from Jerusalem. But it’s amazing, and shocking, and kind of scary what happens next. Remember how it says in Revelation 20 that Satan was bound for 1000 years? Well, Satan gets released again, at the end of the 1,000 years. One last time. And this I would suppose, is to see who is really loyal to Christ, and who is just pretending during this time. So it says that Satan is released, and he goes about the nations again, and he manages to turn billions of people against Christ AGAIN! And Satan builds this army, and they surround Jerusalem, the city where Christ has reigned for a thousand years. Isn’t that crazy? Even after seeing Jesus for a thousand years as king of the Earth, people still turn against him and follow Satan.

So it says that they surrounded Jerusalem, with so many people it was like the grains of sand on a beach. That’s a lot of people.

But guess what? Jesus Christ wins. God destroys this whole army, in a matter of seconds. And that is the end of history. God wins. Jesus Christ wins. And it says Satan was then taken, and sent to the lake of fire, forever, to never be released again. God wins, Satan loses. God’s people win, the evil people who reject God lose. That is the conclusion of history as we know it now. But as we’ll talk about next week, a new world is coming. And we’ll see how God then judges all people, at the great white throne judgment, and then how God remakes a new universe, and a new Earth, and a new city. How amazing, how glorious, how beautiful.

In conclusion today, you might be asking yourself why go so in depth right now into Revelation? Well, I think it’s a perfect time for us, during a time of stress, and strain and unrest, and economic turmoil, to look to the future, and to consider the great hope we have. We should never be afraid to crack open the book of Revelation and consider our future hope. It’s a glorious thing. During these tough times, we can turn our focus to God, and eternal life, and see how these temporary struggles are nothing compared to the glory to come. You may not fully understand all we’ve gone over today, and that’s OK. Trust in God. Trust that God will do what is right. Because He will. Jesus Christ is Lord. And He will reign over us all. Come Lord Jesus, be our king forever!

Top Ten Books of the Bible to Read Right Now

10. 1st Samuel 16-31 and 2nd Samuel - This is a great time to reflect on the trials, trails, tribulations, and amazing victories of David's journey from outcast to king of Israel. 

9. 1st Kings 17-22 - The saga of Elijah has been a draw for me recently. Elijah went through a lot and saw God move through him in amazing ways.

8. Esther - one woman can change the fate of hundreds of thousands of Jews in exile. So imagine what you can do?

7. The Song of Solomon - the beautiful poem of love between man and woman, but also shows us the beauty of love between God and us.

6. Nehemiah - The man who struggles with constant problems as he attempts lead the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. The prayer of repentance is beautiful.

5. Ezra - Another hero, attempting to rebuild the temple. Inspirational.

4. Jude - In a time of false teachers and milquetoast deism, read about how the problems haven't changed over 2,000 years. Boldness in action.

3. The Psalms - Go here again and again for real, raw, deep, emotive cries to God

2. Revelation - the 7th messages to the churches, the end of history, apocalypse, destruction, new hope, what's not to like?

1. Ecclesiastes - Reminds us just how meaninglessness everything is apart from God.  A great reminder for us today, who so often ignore God, and seek pleasure.  Everything is empty apart from Jesus. 

10 books I recommend for Excellent Reading during this Lockdown

10. A Tale of 3 Kings by Gene Edwards - I found this book randomly at a thrift store in South Carolina. Read it and was pleasantly surprised by some very deep thoughts about the saga of David and Saul, and considering David and Saul in reflection of experience of Christian leadership, and being hurt by poor leaders.

9. The Evidence Study Bible - Ray Comfort's study Bible is excellent, the articles are very engaging and relevant. NKJV isn't my favorite, but it's readable.

8. The Wesley Study Bible - it's very good, I love the CSB translation comes through very nicely and uniquely at times. Commentary is good, wish it was more direct quotes of Wesley, instead of others telling me general ideas of Wesley. Also, some of the book summaries reflect a lowered view of scripture sadly, which is endemic sadly in much of modern wesleyanism and methodism. Overall though, great study bible.

7. Apologetics Quotes by Charlie Campbell - tons and tons of apologetics quotes, and it doesn't disappoint. I love me some apologetics quotes.

6. Gems from the Greek - Rick Renner - A year round devotional in which each reading considers a word from the greek of the Bible and what it's deep meaning is. Very good, devotions are a bit too long though. Still fascinating. 

5. Rediscovering Americanism - Mark Levin - one of the deepest philosophical I've read about the political conflict between enlightenment philosophy and progressive philosophy.

4. Heaven is so Real - Choo Thomas - people like me, heady theologians often turn up our noses at supernatural testimonials, something I no longer do, I thoughtfully consider these books, this one was amazing. 

3. Grace for the Moment - Max Lucado - Though I find Max Lucado's feel good hyper grace Christianity a bit too soft and milquetoast for me, this devotional book is actually pretty good. Thoughtful and succinct.

2. Thus Saith the Lord? John Bevere - I found this at a goodwill store in SC, very good book, very heady, considering the concept of hearing from God through prophets, the good and the bad.

1. The Bible - if you haven't read the Bible, even from a historical or sociological context, you definitely owe it to yourself to do that. There are so many gems in this book, I can't help but read it over and over.