Earth's Best Days
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Take a moment and think about your best days ever. You have probably had several in your lifetime. If you are married that is probably one. If you have had children that is probably one. And I would certainly believe that the day you asked Jesus to come into your heart is at the top.
Last week we talked about the worst days that this earth will ever see in the history of time. So, today we want to look at the best days that the earth will ever see in the history of time. But first, let’s review.
The worst days will be a period known as the Tribulation. It will be a time of great distress. The second half of the 7 years will be far worse than the first. It will be unequaled like any we have ever seen.
But after those days are through, come the return of our king, and a 1,000 year period of His reign on the earth. Those are going to be really good days. And the Bible goes into great detail about them in Revelation 19 and 20, so if you have a Bible with you, go to Revelation 19.
Last week we learned that for 3 1/2 years, the unholy trinity of the dragon, the antichrist, and the false prophet will have significant influence on the events of our world.
They will deceive as many as they can, and they will persecute Christians and jews, and control the world’s banking system. The terrible time will come to a conclusion in the ultimate battle scene at the end of time, when the Euphrates River will dry up and an army of 200 million will march down the River and take up battle positions in the Valley of Armageddon, in northern Israel. These 200 million warriors will be flanked by all the armies of the earth.
And just as it is about to begin, a trumpet will sound and it will all be over, because Jesus the Messiah will return and slay His enemies with the word of His mouth.
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.
13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army.
20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
There are two events that will happen and will be the greatest events ever to happen on earth.
The Great Days that are Coming: 1. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and 2. His Millennial Reign
The Great Days that are Coming: 1. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ and 2. His Millennial Reign
Let’s look at each of them.
1. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
1. The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
The first time Jesus came back was when He was born of a Virgin. The Second Time Jesus comes back is when he will be riding a white horse at the Battle of Armageddon.
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.
This was be like battles of the past. Jesus will speak and destroy the enemies.
15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.
The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. Last week I told you that the Antichrist is the beast from the sea and the false prophet is the beast from the land. The Lake of Fire is eternal hell.
Right now, there is a temporary heaven, where all the saints who’ve died are abiding, and there’s a temporary hell, called “Hades.” The permanent hell is called “Gehenna,” in scripture. The antichrist and false prophet will be the first to enter Gehenna.
Gehenna is a lake of fire that constantly burns without consuming. It’s the eternal place of the absence of God. And since God is all-good, and all-loving, and all-joyful, and all-hopeful, when you remove those things absolutely, there is nothing but sorrow, and pain and loneliness and regret.
What happens when you take the light out of a room? That room goes completely in the dark. Also, what happens when there is no more beauty? There is only tragedy. That is why God has done so much to redeem as many as possible. He wants no one to experience His absence.
But, because He loved us enough to give us free will, He will not overpower our free will. Anyone who chooses to spend eternity without God will spend eternity without God and without all His accompanying attributes.
1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
We have read about the abyss before in scripture. In Luke 8, when Jesus casts the demons out of a man on the Sea of Galilee, they beg Him not to send them into the abyss. Theologians believe the abyss is a limitless pit, where it feels like you are perpetually falling, but never hit the ground.
3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
2. Jesus Christ’s Millennium Reign
2. Jesus Christ’s Millennium Reign
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This 1,000 year reign of Christ is sometimes called “the millennium,” meaning “a thousand years”.
Here are some things characteristics of this millennial reign:
It was predicted in the Old Testament
It was predicted in the Old Testament
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Remember what I just read to you in Revelation 20:3 that Satan will be bound and thrown into the Abyss for 1000 years.
Satan Bound and Thrown into the Abyss for 1,000 Years
Satan Bound and Thrown into the Abyss for 1,000 Years
Christ’s Reign will be shared with His Faithful Followers from Throughout the Church Age
Christ’s Reign will be shared with His Faithful Followers from Throughout the Church Age
Those people are those that made it in the rapture. Possibly the Old Testament followers of God and those who were killed for accepting Christ and remaining true to him during the tribulation.
There will be Tribulation Survivors and Those Born During the 1,000 Years
There will be Tribulation Survivors and Those Born During the 1,000 Years
20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
21 They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.
Those Reigning with Christ Will have a Place of Honor
Those Reigning with Christ Will have a Place of Honor
6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Christ’s Reign will Bring Drastic Changes Affecting Society.
Christ’s Reign will Bring Drastic Changes Affecting Society.
There will be peace and safety. There will be prosperity and justice. There will be righteousness and knowledge of God throughout the earth.
4 Everyone will sit under their own vine and under their own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken.
10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the warhorses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.
2 In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
3 Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the temple of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.” The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
Nature will also be Restored to its Original Order, Perfection and Beauty.
Nature will also be Restored to its Original Order, Perfection and Beauty.
11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.
8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half of it east to the Dead Sea and half of it west to the Mediterranean Sea, in summer and in winter.
Nations will be Privileged and Grateful to Follow Christ
Nations will be Privileged and Grateful to Follow Christ
Everyone will follow Christ during this time. They will all know who God is and they will worship the Lord. Jesus will be the ruler over the earth.
However, even under these conditions and without Satan’s influence, human nature will still cause some to choose a path of rebellion and disobedience which will lead to punishment.
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison
8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore.
9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
At the end of the Millennium Reign will come what is known as...
The Great White Throne Judgement
The Great White Throne Judgement
Jesus Christ is the judge. This judgment includes all the spiritually lost. Those who did not accept God’s gracious forgiveness and salvation and live by faith in him. And is everyone who ever lived for all time.
The lives of all who did not accept God’s forgiveness and entrust their lives to him will be completely exposed before God. Every selfish and defiant act and ungodly thought will be called into account. Even the “secret sins,” which it seemed no one knew about, will be brought to light and judged.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
At the End, Jesus will Turn the Kingdom Over to His Father
At the End, Jesus will Turn the Kingdom Over to His Father
This will take place at the end of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ. This will mark the end of time as we know it and the beginning of the final and eternal kingdom of God and the Lamb.
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
And next week, we will conclude this series by looking at the New Creation. You don’t want to miss this conclusion.
The New Creation is the New Heavens and the New Earth, which will replace our current Earth, and will become our eternal home.
Let me give you one final word from the book of Isaiah.
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
That is something that each of us can walk away from and know that God is by our side, walking with us and no matter how bad things may get here. My God will be with me each step of the way. And if you have not given your life over to Jesus, He wants to walk with you as well. Just give Him your heart today.