The American Wisdom Series

Pamphlet #7171

Who is going to be part of the 1st resurrection to eternal life? And, Who is not? When does the 1st resurrection to eternal life take place? When does the 2nd resurrection to eternal life take place? And, What are the requirements, to qualify for eternal life (be awarded a immortal soul) at either one?

In Matthew 22 Christ is still teaching concerning the plan of God and so He continues speaking in parables those things which concern the kingdom of heaven, like who is going to be part of the first resurrection and who is not. He begins by explaining that there could have been a wedding take place at the first advent had those who were bidden, even those He is addressing, heeded the call and come to the wedding feast! But alas, they would not come and so they themselves are rejected and the wedding will take place at the second advent and "whosoever will" heed the bidding shall take their place!

Matthew 22:1-22 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said, [2] The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king (God), which made a marriage for his son (Jesus),

Remember from our study of the Parable of the Tares in chapter 13 that parables are teaching tools that work to the extreme ends of both understanding and misunderstanding, meaning they both reveal and make things clear to some while at the same time hiding and protecting that which is being taught from others. In other words, if the imagery and symbols used in a parable are understood by the person receiving it, then the picture the parable paints in his or her mind makes clear and simple that which is being taught. However, if the symbology is not understood then the parable becomes an enigma to that person. Such is the difference between those who are wise from studying our Father's Word, those with eyes to see and ears to hear to whom the understanding of the parables is given (Mat. 13:11), and those who are foolish and choose to follow the traditions of men instead of hearing His voice.

Here then is another parable, an analogy, a painted picture, an "is like", giving us more insight into the plan of salvation and the kingdom of heaven.

Let us lay a little groundwork for the parable we are about to "hear"! Make no mistake about it, there is going to be a marriage take place... for the king (God) has determined it to be so! Do you remember back a few chapters ago (19) when Christ discussed the reason that God created both male and female and ordained that the "two shall become one flesh"? That flesh union is symbolic of the spiritual union between Christ and His church and when He returns He is expecting to marry a virgin bride all dressed in white linen. Paul talks about this in his second letter to the Corinthians:

 2 Cor. 11:2-4 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

If Jesus Christ returns and finds that His bride-to-be has been (spiritually) sleeping with another man (the Instead-of-Jesus/Satan) and has even become (spiritually) impregnated by him, it goes without saying that He is not going to be very happy! We will discuss this more a few chapters hence when Christ says "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days (Matthew 24:19)!" Christ is speaking in the spiritual sense, not about women literally having babies!

[2 Cor. 11:3] But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Eve was seduced and impregnated in the fig grove by that sleazy lowlife snake (a character description of the very charming and charismatic Satan) and brought forth his child, the very first murderer, Cain! Paul is using that physical ensample (1 Cor. 10:11) to warn us of the spiritual seduction that takes place in these last days as a result of the other Jesus, the traditional one, being taught to the multitudes by the many false preachers and ministers who come in the name of Christ, i.e. as Christian preachers, etc. You "see", they come and deceive our brothers and sisters with their form of praise and worship, churchianity, but do not "feed them" as in educate them in His Word of God book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, whereby they can remain as virgins (Mat. 24:4-5).To wit, many are taught that their Jesus is going to come and "rapture" them away before the great tribulation of Satan, who is to be the false-christ. Too bad they are spiritually impregnated with that "theory" because is it not scriptural and cannot be documented.

[2 Cor. 11:4] For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

If you accept a spirit, which means "wind of doctrine", i.e. teaching, and you have not "received it", which means you have not "assayed" it by checking it out thoroughly in the Word of God, then you are in grave danger of being seduced, my proclaiming Christian friend!

John warns us all in 1 Jn. 4 to "try every spirit (wind of doctrine)"! Why? Because of all the false teachers that Christ warned about! 1 John 4:1 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." That is precisely why we insist that you do not believe anyone, including us, without checking out what you are being taught in the Word of God, and in doing so be willing to cast aside the "preconceived" ideas you may already have in your forehead that influence your ability to understand the truth! Else, you have not the desire to sincerely seek the truth, only the desire to confirm what you already believe. "Preconceived" is a compound word made from "pre" meaning "before" and "conceived" meaning "impregnated".

So a marriage is definitely going to take place and you can read about it in Rev. 19.

Rev. 19:7-9 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.

Note: Those who fully understand "election", those who were "chosen before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4) whom we discussed back in Matthew chapter 20, understand the wife of Christ, i.e. the one He already has. If you do not understand that, just give it a rest for awhile and if you continue to study His Word, it will one day return with clarity.

[Rev. 19:8] And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

The fine linen, clean and white, which makes up the righteousness of the saints is the works of the saints, their equitable deeds, or you could even say the fruit they produced while laboring in the vineyard, i.e. their righteous acts.

righteousness, dikaioma, dik-ah'-yo-mah, Greek 1345; from Greek 1344 (dikaioo); an equitable deed; by implication a statute or decision :- judgment, justification, ordinance, righteousness.

[Rev. 19:9] And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.

Have you been called unto the wedding feast of the Lamb? That is what the parable Christ is teaching us here in Matthew 22 is all about. There is going to be a wedding for the son and the king has prepared a wedding feast to find a bride.

Matthew 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.

Those who received the bidding to the wedding feast would not come when His servants called them.

[Matthew 22:4] Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.

What does one do at a wedding feast? He or she eats! In other words, the "feasting", the wedding feast, must take place before the marriage can take place. Have you done any feasting lately? What is it that we are to feast on? The Bread of Life, His Word, the Bible, of course! And His table is filled up in Christ, even all the feast days if you have understanding of the "shadows", and therefore "all things are ready"! You "see", the marriage could have taken place at the first advent, but "they that were bidden to the wedding were not worthy" (vs. 8).

[Matthew 22:5] But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:

There were just too many other things that took priority in their lives. One had his own farm he was plowing and didn't have time to work in the householder's farm or vineyard! The other was too busy with his own business to "be about His Father's business". Then too, when one applies this same analogy of the "farm and merchandise" to "men of the cloth", those who say they go labor in His field, the motive becomes not that of mere neglect but that of rejection. Dr. Luke gives us a more detailed look at the excuses:

Luke 14:18-20 And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

[Luke 14:19] And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

Though business and technology are subject to change, the excuse is exactly the same today as it was yesterday. Do you have an excuse for not feasting at the table the Lord has prepared?

 [Luke 14:20] And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Hey, this one was already married and couldn't come! How about that!

 Matthew 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.

The remnant are the murderers (next verse) of the house of Cain who took his servants and slew them.

 [Matthew 22:7] But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Who are the murderers? They are the tares we learned about in Matthew chapter 13 and you know what happens to them... they are to be burned up! Their city is not our city! Their temple is not our temple! For nothing they build is established upon the Rock of our salvation, which is Jesus Christ, the Word of God.

 [Matthew 22:8] Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.

They were unrepentant sinners.

 a little side trip to

Let’s take a little side trip to hear what Paul had to say about the salvation of your soul to prepare yourself for “The 1st Resurrection to Eternal Life”.

What did Jesus, coming to earth in the flesh, accomplish for our eternal destiny?
Through Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who came to earth, in the flesh and lived a perfect life while here, we can be forgiven of our sins, reconciled to God, and made ready for heaven!

Forgiveness
The only thing that separates us from God is sin. So sin must be removed from our heart to reconcile us to God. Think of your human heart as a pane of glass in a window. When it gets a crack it can't be made perfect again. Such is the case, in removing sin from the human heart. Once that crack (sin) is there it separates us from God.

The point is, TO GET TO HEAVEN a person must be perfect! Each or us has a crack (sin), in fact many cracks (sins) in our window pane (heart).  There is no way you, as a individual, can un-sin!  It is there, they are there, and they separate us from God.  YOUR SINS MUST BE FORGIVEN! There must be a new you!

Regeneration
You must be made new...un-cracked, and this can only be accomplished by believing in Jesus, repenting of your sins, and receiving Him as your personal savior.  John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

When we place our faith is Christ, our old self is mysteriously crucified with Christ. Galatians 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live, in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Because Christ lived a perfect sin free life, was crucified, shedding His perfect blood, and was raised from the dead, thereby defeating death, we can through belief in Him have our sins removed/forgiven, Romans 6:6  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. so that we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

When you truly believe and invite Christ into your life/heart you are begotten by His holy Spirit. John 4:24  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Paul says , "there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus" Romans 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. The glass has been replaced. The old window removed and a new un-cracked spirit put in.

That is how you get to heaven. Through the work that Jesus did, not anything you do. The only work for you to do is to truly believe in Jesus.  John 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Jesus did the work. We believe and receive. God does the rest.

Jesus was/is both God and man. Only someone who is both God and man could do what Christ did, and could affect what He did.

If He was not man. He could not have died on the cross, for the sins of  humanity. If He was not God, it wouldn't have mattered that He did.

Justification 
Jesus provided a way for our sins to be forgiven and forgotten, for when our sins were forgiven we are justified; that means, declared righteous by God. God actually credits the righteousness achieved by Jesus Christ to us. More than being forgiven, more than being declared innocent, justification means that God clothes us in the positive righteousness of Jesus Christ, and He sees us as righteous, because of Jesus, for evermore.
 
Does this mean  that after you accept Christ into your life you will never sin again? No, it does not. Because your old self, is still in this flesh body with all the temptations of the flesh. Why doesn't further sin cause a need for reconciliation again?  How can God still declare us righteous if we sin? This is a very sticky problem. But, lets be clear. If you truly believe in him, and have repented of your sins, He accepts the responsibility to change your heart to make your soul acceptable to Him, for all eternity.  God does, declare us righteous if we truly believe in Christ, repent and accept Him into our heart. Romans 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

How are we Justified? Paul tells us in Romans 4:2  "For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath something to boast about, but not before God  3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." We see from this passage, that justification brings about righteous.  "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness" We are justified , and all God's children up to this point in time, have always been justified by faith.

When we are begotten by the Holy Spirit, we become a piece of work that will be accomplished by The Holy Spirit, Himself. He will change our hearts, to make us Holy and acceptable to God.

How does He do that? With guidance and with discipline administered by The Holy Spirit, when necessary, as He sees fit.

When does He do that? He does it according to His schedule depending on the amount of changing needed, at a particular time. At His return, He knows whether you have studied your Bible to show yourself approved. He knows if you've been rightly dividing the word of truth. He knows whether or not you worshiped Satan when Satan appeared on earth, to test you, five months ahead of His own return (Christ's return). If you did not study your Bible, he will know you did not really believe and repent! In plain words He knows if you truly believed in Him, and repented of your sins.

If, for the above or any other reason, your heart has not been completely changed and made acceptable by the time of His return, you will miss out on "The First Resurrection" to eternal life; But you still have a chance to be awarded eternal life at "The Second Resurrection", so all is not yet lost. Some will say; But that is giving you a second chance. No it is not! Because of the "Famine of these end time", which was caused by the Kenites (Satan's grand-children through Cain from Satan's sexual encounter with Eve in the Garden of Eden).

Live Link to->>> The Famine

Therefore; since most churches are not teaching the BIBLE BOOK by BOOK, CHAPTER by CHAPTER, and VERSE by VERSE, you never really had a first chance. The "Millennium" will start now, that Christ has returned, and He will see to it, in the discipline and discernment classes you'll be going through for the next 1000 years, that you will really learn to tell the difference between what is holy (He/Christ) and what is profane (Satan/the anti-christ).  And hopefully, will not worship Satan again when he is released for a short time at the end of those 1000 years.

If you have truly, by this time, learned to tell the difference between what is holy (Jesus) and what is profane (Satan) you will be granted eternal life at the "Great White Throne of Judgment", and be granted eternal life then, at "The Second Resurrection to Eternal Life", but no longer by faith in Christ, because He will now have been here for all to see and know, for the past 1000 years. Your salvation will, now be determined by your works during "The Millennium".  Still by Christ's shed blood, to cover your sins; But by your works during the 1000 years, no longer by your faith. One of those works being; Not worshiping Satan again when he is released this time.

Here is your documentation of that:

[Revelation 20:12] 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.

Now back to this flesh age: Remember, Jesus is the "Bread of Life". Are you eating "The Word of God" daily? If you are not, expect discipline in your life. Do you recognize discipline when you receive it? Or do you believe you just have bad luck sometimes? Or blame your punishment on whatever you can think may have caused it, at the time, but don't recognize it as God's discipline?

Our regenerated spirit is created, by God, in His likeness, created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Ephesians 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness  Paul calls this the "inner man" and refuses to attribute any sin to it.   In  Romans 7:1  Paul writes, "Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) how that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth? 2  For the woman which hath an husband is bound by the law to her husband so long as he liveth; but if the husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband. 3  So then if, while her husband liveth, she be married to another man, she shall be called an adulteress: but if her husband be dead, she is free from that law; so that she is no adulteress, though she be married to another man. 4  Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. 5  For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. 6  But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter. 7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. 8  But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead. 9  For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. 10  And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. 11  For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. 12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me."

Romans 7:20  "Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me."  This inner man, this regenerated spirit, is righteous. It is not the regenerated spirit, that sins (again Romans 7). Paul says that we eagerly await the completion of our adoption as sons, namely the redemption of our bodies.  In Romans 8:23  Paul writes, "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body".

Our redemption has two stages:
In the first stage our spirit is redeemed and begotten by the Holy Spirit in righteous.
In the second stage our body isn't yet redeemed (that will happen after we die in the flesh or if still living in the flesh at Christ's return, when we are changed, "born again", in to our new celestial body, as Jesus explained to us in John chapter 3). so it is not holy and righteous, but it is to be governed by our newly generated spirit, which is itself led by God's Holy Spirit.

This exceeds our wisdom and understanding of scripture. A civil war wages within a person between his newly begotten "inner man" and his yet resisting flesh.
 
The Christian is a new creation living in a filthy coat....in which the new regenerated spirit dwells. That old man continues to hinder and contaminate the Christian's life. The Christian is no longer the old man corrupted, but is now the new man created in righteousness and holiness, awaiting full salvation when he is reborn in a new celestial body. Romans 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Again Romans 7 does not attribute sin to the inner man, the newly created spirit begotten by true belief in Jesus. again see Romans 7 goes out of the way to distinguish between the regenerated inner man and the flesh, and places sin at the doorstep of the flesh. Therefore, God does not slyly look the other way when we sin. Rather He is looking at our spiritual self, which is the 'INNER MAN', which has been redeemed, regenerated, and begotten in righteousness. He is well aware that "if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me"  Romans 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

While my total self is still accountable for sin Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? . Just as the inner man had to die and be begotten by the Holy Spirit before it could be made fit for heaven, so our bodies will,  and we will be given a new celestial one, untouched and untainted by sin. Romans 8:23  And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, that is, the redemption of our body  God looks now at our inner man, already redeemed, looks forward to the redemption of our body, and will, in the end, declare us truly righteous in Christ.

What happens when we are justified during this flesh and blood existence? We have peace with God  Romans 5:1  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

We are saved from God's wrath through Christ  Romans 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

We are glorified Romans 8:30  Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.  We become heirs, having the hope of eternal life Titus 3:7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Nothing we can do will make us righteous before God. As we learn in Galatians, a man, during this flesh age, is not justified by the works of the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ  Galatians 2:16  Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.  Also Titus 3:5  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (also see Titus3:5-7 in NASB) He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our savior, that being justified by His grace we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

We are justified by faith, that is, declared righteous, because we are righteous in Christ.

But, what if we did not truly repent and really invite Christ into our heart during this flesh age, but only called ourselves Christians?

We will still be reborn into a new body (everyone will be, both the good and the bad), but only those of us who truly believed, truly repented of our sins, and truly invited Christ into our heart will receive the status of immorality at His return, the rest of us will receive celestial bodies, but will have a still mortal soul); If not yet justified, Christ will use those discernment and discipline classes in the "Millennium" to get our act together, teaching us once and for all time, to tell the difference between what is holy, Him, and what is profane, Satan, and we will then be judged by works, no longer by faith.

Here is your documentation of that, at the great White Throne of Judgment after the Millennium:

[Revelation 20:12] 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.

Take note, once you are reborn into your new celestial body, your memory of the first earth age is restored!

Now, back to Christ's return and His teaching from this flesh age in John chapter 3:

Romans 13:11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. When a Christian dies, or at Christ's return, which ever happens first, he is reborn in a new celestial body.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

You must use your eyes to see and understand what Jesus teaches in  John chapter 3, especially in verse 3! 

If you do not understand, go to John 3:3 and go over it again until you do! You need to understand this!

Now we are going to read some of the most quoted verses in all the Bible. And you know what?  Most people who read them believe they say something which they don't.  Ironically, what they believe one of them says is actually a true statement, though that verse doesn't actually speak of it. The second one is in direct conflict with one of the traditional beliefs of mainstream Christianity, but in full accord with the rest of the scriptures.

So before we begin, let's think about the magnitude of what was just said, and in doing so consider an excerpt from one of the great Christian scholars of all time, E.W. Bullinger, from his book titled, "How to Enjoy the Bible", American Christian Press, Knoxville, OH.

    "If any think they know all, or that they have exhausted the Divine Word; or that what they set out to learn is only to be in addition to what they already know, instead of sometimes substitution for it, then we shall be of little service to them: and they need not follow us any further.

    When we come to ask ourselves, and say, "Where did I learn this?" it is astonishing to find how much we have imbibed from man, and from tradition; and not directly and for ourselves, from the Word of God.

    All that we have learned from our youth up must be tested and proved by the Word of God. Where we find it is true we must learn it over again, from God. And where it will not stand the test of His Word we must be not only content, but thankful to give it up; and receive Divine revelation in the place of man's imagination. ("How to Enjoy the Bible", E. W. Bullinger, pg.6)

John 3:1
There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

The word "Pharisees" means a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious.

And the name "Nicodemus" means "victorious among his people". He was a wealthy ruler in the Sanhedrin and a friend of the shipping magnate, Joseph of Arimathaea, Jesus' Uncle. It would be this Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea who would be Jesus' legal defense team at the illegally held trial of the council preceding the crucifixion, and they would be victorious in obtaining His acquittal.

[John 3:2] The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Nicodemus had no doubts whatsoever that Jesus was a teacher sent from God. You see, the witnessing of divine miracles by a person with common sense is conclusive evidence itself of the presence of God.

For the benefit of those who haven't studied with us long let's do a little recapping:

In order to fully understand the next few verses one must be familiar with the 3 World Ages (II Pet. 3) and the overall plan of salvation. We read at beginning of this Gospel of John about the Light that came into the world of darkness, a world that had been destroyed and made tohu va bohu (Gen 1:2) because of the rebellion of Satan and his drawing away from God one third of His sons (Rev. 12:4). God held judgment for Satan at that time and sentenced him to "perish", but suspended the judgment of the rest of His sons until the plan to "salvage" [save] them and bring them back to Him is completed. The actual perishing of all that are wicked, including Satan, will occur at the lake of fire following the Final Judgment of the rest of the sons of God. And so it is written they will be either sentenced to "perish" or receive eternal life.

There is, however, one exception. There were 7,000 sons of God who came to earth in the days of Noah and took to wife the daughters of Adam. You can read about them in the 6th chapter of Genesis. The union between these "fallen angels", who Jude records as having left their first estate, i.e. their abode in heaven, and the daughters of Adam produced giants, who roamed the earth, the evidence of which can easily be found. So pervasive were these supernatural beings, angels, that all of Adams descendants except Noah and his family had corrupted their bloodline. You see, the Messiah would be born through the seed of Adam and Eve and it came down to only 8 people who were left in the land through which God's Word could be fulfilled. So God brought about the flood of Noah to destroy these giants.

Understand then that these fallen angels were not born of woman.They did not enter into the womb of woman, the bag of water, and become born of water, which is to say born in the flesh.They came directly to earth, bypassing the decree that all the sons of God should dwell in the flesh, for as it is written, it is given unto all the sons of God to die once [the first death, which is of the flesh] and then the judgment will occur which will determine whether or not they will die the "second death", the one in which their souls will "perish".Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:"

Yes, we were all with God before we came to earth to be placed in the embryo at conception, at our appointed time for the journey. To be born in the flesh is to be born innocent without any prior knowledge of the world that then was (II Pet. 3) and therefore with the opportunity to choose to love God or follow after Satan.

And once we die, or are changed instantly back into our spiritual bodies if we happen to be alive in the flesh at the second advent (I Cor. 50:51), we return to the Father from whence we came.

Eccles. 12:6
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

These are Hebrew expressions which have somewhat lost their "punch" in English, but they mean to die, just like we would say "Kick the Bucket".

[Eccles. 12:7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Cremated, buried, blown apart or vaporized by a nuclear bomb, even if aborted prior to your birth in the flesh, it doesn't matter. When you are through with the flesh body, you are through with it forever. For as Paul documents in I Cor. 15 there are two bodies, one is of flesh and one is of spirit. So when you die in the flesh you are raised, shall we even say born, into your spiritual body.

1 Cor. 15:44
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

He goes on to say that unless you are in your spiritual body, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

1 Cor. 15:50
Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

This same Paul would also make it crystal clear in 1 Thes. 4:13-17 that the dead are not sleeping in graves but rather they are with Jesus NOW! So when He returns they will come with Him. You can read those verses for yourself.

Now, remember the excerpt from "How to Enjoy the the Bible" that we just read?  Most of Christianity believes that in this next verse Jesus is merely telling Nicodemus that a person must be "begotten" by the Holy Spirit, else he cannot be saved. But is that really what He is saying?

Let's return to John and see what Jesus has to say to Nicodemus.

John 3:3
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Of course, flesh and blood cannot see the kingdom of God so you must first be born back into your celestial bodies when this flesh and blood life ends and we are no longer in our terrestrial bodies.

Look up the Greek word for "again". It is anothen, Strong's #509, and it means from above which is how it is most often translated. Dr. Moffat's translation of the Bible has it so:

John 3:3 Jesus replied, Truly, truly I tell you, no one can see God's Realm unless he is born from above. (Moffat)

You must first come down from heaven and be born of woman, in the sack of water.

However, either way you look at it, the next verse shows that Nicodemus is thinking about another birth.

[John 3:4] Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

Nicodemus was a smart man and he understood what "born" means, but he couldn't get his mind off the flesh and it is obvious by his reply that he didn't understand about the spiritual body (which Paul so simply explained to us).

[John 3:5] Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Unless you come down and be born of woman, and then go into, be born, into your spiritual body, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Got it? Bodies/ First of water, of flesh, and then of spirit. The fallen angels did not do this and so as it is written in Rev. 11, they shall perish at Christ's return at the 7th Trump.

And again, we've already documented that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom. You must be born of woman first and then be born in the spirit.

Note: This is not talking about being begotten by the Holy Spirit. Of course you must be begotten by the Holy Spirit to be saved. Some like to call that begettal being "born again". Call it what you like but that is not what is being discussed here.

As Paul said  "There is a natural body (terrestrial), and there is a spiritual body (celestial)." So when you are born in the flesh body you are flesh and when you die and are born into your spiritual body you are spirit. Let's continue with Christ's explanation to Nicodemus:

John 3:6
That (body) which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that (body) which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

If you've followed along to this point then this verse is really quite simple, though tradition struggles with it and the next few verses.

[John 3:7] Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Do you marvel at the Words of Christ? Here's Dr. Moffat's translation of this verse:

[John 3:7] Do not wonder at me telling you, "You must all be born from above."

There's no need to wonder. The next verse gives us some further detail about those who are born of the spirit:

John 3:8
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

This verse is a "no-brainer". Those who are in their spiritual bodies are not visible to those of us who are in the flesh, in this dimension (unless they choose to be). They are just like the wind, you cannot see them. So you can tell me you are "born again", and I will certainly understand that you are begotten of God and have received the Holy Spirit, but if I can see you, then you have not gotten to this point yet! And you haven't literally entered into the kingdom of God because you are still flesh and blood! I'll pinch you and prove it!

[John 3:9] Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

Yeah, how can these things be? Good question!

[John 3:10] Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things?

American Wisdom Series note: Allow us to try to make this clearer in your mind. When you truly repent of your sins and invite Jesus Christ into your heart; At that moment you receive a new "inner man", spiritual nature that dwells in your heart, although your old "inner man" still dwells in your flesh body. You now have life eternal, but still being alive in the flesh, you are still living in your terrestrial body. You also, still have your old nature living within in your flesh body, and may still sin from time to time. (For that reason you should confess our known sin and ask forgiveness for that sin in Jesus name.)

Now when Christ returns all of us who are still alive and living in terrestrial bodies, both the saved and the unsaved will instantly be changed (reborn) back into our celestial bodies, very similar to the body we had in the first earth age.

If you were saved (welcomed Christ into your life, repented of your sins, were begotten by the Holy Spirit) at some point during your flesh and blood life, (THIS PERIOD OF GRACE) you still needed some work done, by "The Holy Spirit" in your life, to make you perfect and acceptable to God before the Millennium, to be granted eternal life at  "The First Resurrection", during Christ's return. If you are not yet acceptable at Christ's return, but you truly did invite Christ into your heart He will surely make the necessary changes. It may just take a little longer!

This is only speculation on my part, but, I believe the reason for Christ's Millennial reign here on earth before He actually ends this earth age and prior to the "Great White Throne of Judgment" is to allow all of the non-believers an opportunity to rethink their position, while in their new non-corruptible bodies but with still mortal souls, having full knowledge of both earth ages and what Satan's ways result in.    

If you were one who entered the Millennium, not yet being awarded eternal life, you have now become "a real piece of work". After 1000 years of teaching and discipline, by our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, while back here on earth in person as "Lord of lords and King of kings", and with full memory restored, you will now be able to know and appreciate the difference between what is holy (Jesus) and what is profane (Satan). 

Satan will again be released from the pit to, test you, for a short while, at the end of these 1000 years, after which you be will judged by your works and may, also be granted eternal life at (The Second Resurrection), but by works, not by grace, although it will still be because of Christ's shed blood on the cross.


But, ALWAYS REMEMBER SATAN WILL COME TO EARTH FOR FIVE MONTHS PRIOR TO THE REAL CHRIST'S RETURN at the start of the Millennium, CLAIMING HE IS CHRIST!  When that happens, IF YOU ARE STILL IN YOUR FLESH AND BLOOD BODY, i.e. HAVE NOT BEEN REBORN INTO YOUR NEW SPIRITUAL BODY, (If you still bleed when pricked with a pin or if grandma still looks older than you.) it ain't the real Christ you're seeing! IT'S SATAN CLAIMING TO BE CHRIST!

Let's talk about The Millennium one more time. The true Jesus Christ has returned with great power and glory, bringing with Him His army of saints. (We'll take most of this discussion from Revelation chapter 20, "The Millennium Chapter") Babylon the Great, i.e. the one world political system and the great whore along with Satan's role as the false-christ, i.e. the spurious messiah, has been destroyed forever and ever. And as we learned earlier, ALL flesh has been "changed" and everyone, both the good and the bad are in their spiritual bodies.

So it is the first day of the Millennium and John, who you remember in Rev. 1:16 was taken there for an eye witness account, gives us another advanced news report, this time concerning the fate of Satan during the Millennium. Can't you just visualize the headlines?

THE MILLENNIUM PRESS
First Edition
      "SATAN IMPRISONED, BEGINS SERVING 1000 YEAR SENTENCE"          John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was present today as Michael came down from heaven and appeared on Satan's doorstep with a warrant from the King of kings for his arrest. Satan has been residing in the temple for the last 5 months (ever since Michael cast him from heaven) where he has been impersonating Jesus Christ and claiming he is the Messiah come. He also is being held responsible for orchestrating the murder of God's two witnesses, a despicable crime, which he has been actually celebrating with his cronies for the last 3 1/2 days. 

Here's John description of the first thing he saw:

Rev. 20:1 
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

It must have been pretty obvious to John when he saw the equipment, with the "BP" label on it, which the angel had with him, that Satan was about to be shackled and locked back up in the Bottomless Pit. 

John continues:

[Rev. 20:2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

It would seem that Michael needed no assistance as he apparently just grabbed the evil crook by the shoulders, threw him mercilessly up against the wall and shackled him with the binding chain. It has also been reported that because of the manhandling of Satan by this very powerful angel that some folks are referring to him as the "Pit Bull".

Also, we were not able to determine from John's report whether he was close enough to hear what the angel said to Satan, but we believe it was something like "OK chump, the party's over! Let's go!" John did not report that the angel read Satan his rights because having already been judged and sentenced to die, he has none.

John then gives this account of the actual incarceration: 

[Rev. 20:3] 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.

So as John reports, for the next 1000 years Satan will be imprisoned and not permitted to have any contact whatsoever, either by person or by spirit, with anyone outside his confines. However, we know from a related article submitted thousands of years ago by reporting agent Isaiah that Satan will be visible throughout the Millennium as a reminder to all of what can happen. Here's part of Isaiah's transcript concerning Satan's casting into the pit:

Isaiah 14:13 
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

[Isaiah 14:14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

[Isaiah 14:15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

[Isaiah 14:16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

And so it shall be that people will walk by the "pit" during the Millennium, on their way to Discipline Classes, and shake their heads in unbelief to think that this poor slob could have perpetrated worldwide religious deception and political control.

End of article.

Yes, it's fun to imagine how it might happen, but happen it will! We already knew who the dragon and that old serpent was. We also knew from 2 Pet. 3:8 that 1000 years to the Lord is a one day, so that the Day of the Lord is 1000 years.

But the one thing we didn't discuss is "why will Satan be released at the end of the Millennium"? I'm sure you realize if you've studied this Book of Revelation from the beginning that Satan is coming to this earth disguised as Jesus Christ (and I'll bet you know that he comes before the true Christ). This final generation then will be tested by the false messiah, right? Those who fail, who do not overcome and who don't partake of the first resurrection, will go through the Millennium and be taught of and with discipline for 1000 years, which is how much time they have to get their act together. After they have been taught there will be another test, a final exam if you will, which they must pass before they can receive their diploma of eternal life. That test is Satan's release once again upon the world, but this time without the political beast and the role of spurious messiah. And no, it is not a second chance because they never came to a full knowledge of the truth in this generation because of the "famine" (Amos 8:11), and as such never had a prayer of a first chance.

Live Link to->>> The Famine

Next we will learn what reward comes with being part of the first resurrection.

[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.

Thrones, you know, are where rulers, the ones who wear crowns, i.e. the ones in authority who exercise judgment, sit.  

And there are two groups in this verse who sit upon them.

(1) The first group are the martyrs down through the ages, those who have been beheaded, i.e. killed or executed for the (a) the witness of Jesus, and (b) for the Word of God. It would include the two witnesses also.

(2) The second group are those of this final generation who had the seal of God in their foreheads and who overcame the beast.

Note: In our previous studies we've covered in great detail the beast (Satan), his image (role as Jesus), his mark upon their foreheads(deception), and his mark in their hands (doing his work).

Now, did you read the last phrase in verse 4, "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years"?  What an honor and a privilege! If you ever are in want of some encouragement to continue to fight the good fight, then just refer to Rev. 20:4.  For if you are one of God's elect then you will be part of the first resurrection at His coming, and you will reign with Jesus Christ for the entire 1000 years during the Millennium.

[5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

But if you are not part of the first resurrection then you are part of "the remainder" who are called "the dead" and you must wait until the end of the Millennium. You will then be tested that short season by Satan who will be released temporarily, and then you will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment when the books are opened (vs. 12). Only then can you be part of the Second Resurrection and receive eternal life. Until then you are called "dead" because you are still subject to the second death, which is the destruction of your soul in the lake of fire (vs. 14).

 Here is Christ documenting that there are two deaths, one of the flesh, and one of the soul in the lake of fire:

Matthew 10:28 
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And of course to have your soul "destroyed" is to "perish", which is taught in the most quoted verse in God's Word, John 3:16.

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.

So you'll either receive eternal life at the first or second
resurrection,  or you'll suffer the second death, i.e. perish in the lake of fire and YOU WILL BE NO MORE!

Let's now go back to Rev. 20:5. Understand that we are now in the Millennium! There are no more flesh people! Everyone has been changed. And John is telling us what's going on! The first death (of the flesh) and the first resurrection (to eternal life) is over! So the "dead" (who are still alive in their spiritual bodies) in the Millennium means those who are "spiritually dead", i.e. still liable to die the second death (the death of their soul). To "live" then is to receive "eternal life". So the "dead" cannot "live" until the thousand years are finished, i.e. none of them can receive the gift of eternal life until judgment day following the Millennium, which is the second resurrection! If you don't quite understand yet, wait until we finish this and it should become clear in your mind regarding the "dead". 
 

Rev. 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6. 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.

To be part of that first resurrection is a truly an Unfathomable Blessing! If you have SEEN the PICTURES of heaven and of the glory of our Father and His throne described so far, and if you will follow with us to the end of this great Book of Revelation and SEE the beauty of the NEW JERUSALEM coming down out of heaven, then you still cannot fathom the blessing of being part of the first resurrection. Our feeble brains just cannot imagine how wonderful it is!

Now read again chapter 20 verse 6. Since eternal life is granted to those who are part of the First Resurrection, then the second death, the lake of fire, does not apply to them! Their souls cannot be destroyed because they have already received the gift of eternal life. And they shall be PRIESTS and REIGN with Christ throughout the Millennium

Next we will document from the Old Testament and see in greater detail the reign of these Priests of God and of Christ. But for now, just stop everything and take a deep breath and consider the following:

If you have eyes to see and ears to hear then you have been and will be reading about YOU, a participant in the first resurrection!
 And if you can only even briefly comprehend the enormous reality of all this, that it WILL HAPPEN TO YOU as it is written, then your faith will be greatly increased, your fears and anxieties will be greatly decreased, and you will be overcome with love and thankfulness for our Father who loves His children so much.

Now we continue in what is often called the Millennium Chapter, because the events that are being described are happening during and after the 1000 year reign of Christ and His saints which commences with the sound of the 7th Trump.

We learned in Rev. 20:6 that those who are part of the first resurrection will be Priests of God and shall reign with Christ during the 1000 years. But once again, as we have seen throughout Revelation, this is not new knowledge if you are familiar with all of God's Word. 
You see, the last 8 chapters of the Book of Ezekiel contain more information about the Millennium than does the Book of Revelation. And so we can read even more detail about the 1000 year reign of God's elect, who are called the "zadok" in Hebrew, which means the "just" or "justified ones" (Rom. 8).  
Here's Ezekiel's account in chapter 44 concerning the Priests during the Millennium:   

Live Links below

 to-  Ezekiel Chapters 40-44 Within The Millennial Temple 
and Ezekiel Chapters 45-48 Without The Millennial Temple

Ezekiel 44:23 
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Those being taught by priests and ministers obviously couldn't discern between the false messiah and the true Messiah, the profane and the holy, before the 7th Trump sounded, could they?

[Ezekiel 44:24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

AMAZING! We just read of this:

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

But here's some detail that we didn't learn of in Revelation. And it answers a very common question often asked: "Will we recognize our loved ones during the Millennium?" The answer is yes, of course. (After all,  we were created after the image of God and the angels, the host of heaven, the sons of God, i.e. ourselves. So we will all look like "ourselves" after which we were created in the image of.)

[Ezekiel 44:25] And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Again, how many times must we realize that these "dead" people are alive and going to discernment classes during the Millennium? 

They are "spiritually dead". 

Even your loved ones if you are unfortunate enough to have some who don't make the "first cut" at the 7th Trump, are called "dead", again, because they have still mortal souls and are still liable to die the second death. Even pro-claiming Christians who never really believed, or truly repented or invited Christ to come live in their heart.

You probably call some of them "dead beats" now, though hopefully not to their faces. Well...? Be nice.

Let's continue with chapter 20 of the Book of the Unveiling, the book that let's us SEE behind the VEIL!

We are now going to be taken behind that veil to the End of the Millennium, and we must "transport" our minds to that time with the understanding of those things which have been revealed to us thus so far. Remember, everyone is now in an incorruptible, spiritual body. Christ and His zadok have been reigning for the 1000 years during which time Satan has been imprisoned. Everyone now fully understands God's Word and they have been taught the "difference" and how to "discern" between the unclean (Satan's ways) and the clean (God's way). They have all seen many times the video replays of this flesh age and the results of following the unclean path.

So you would think that most everyone would SEE and desire in their hearts to follow God and love Him and live the clean way of life that produces happiness and joy. That is our Father's desire, but there is some sad news in the next two verses.

Rev. 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

It is soon time for the Great White Throne judgment of God. Christ now lets Satan loose to test those who followed after him before, in the flesh age.

[Rev. 20:8] 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 so Satan shall once again run "to and fro" and "up and down" in the earth gathering together all who will still follow him, although as you will recall he will not be afforded the one world political system or his former role as the false-christ. This beast and false prophet were destroyed for ever and ever (Rev. 19:20).

But as incredible as it may seem, and as sad as it is, the reality is that there will still be a lot of people who will still follow Satan, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. So this verse documents the justification and the reason for the release of Satan and the "testing". All one can say is that the heart of the wicked and the Kenite is a very hard thing to change.

The statements "in the four corners" and "Gog and Magog" simply mean all those nations outside the Holy City. Remember we are at the end of the Millennium and this Gog and Magog is not to be confused with the pre-millennial Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Here it means in both directions, East and West, from Jerusalem into all the earth, i.e. into all four corners. (For further documentation see notes in the Companion Bible on Rev. 20:8 and Ezek. 38:2)

[Rev. 20:9] 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.

When Satan has gathered all who will join him and they have compassed Jerusalem then it's lake of fire time for them. No need to even open up the book of works on these folks for they have totally and completely failed the final exam. 
They will not graduate into eternity.     Bye!

[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.

Here we come to the favorite verse of Dante, who gave us graphic descriptions, complete with illustrations, of an everlasting Burning Inferno, known as Dante's Inferno, where poor souls who didn't repent weep and wail and writhe in pain and agony and torment forever and ever while the saints sitting on the clouds with their harps look upon them and sing the refrain "Burn, suckers, burn, we told you so, we told you so"! 

Some concept of heaven, eh?

Well it ain't so!

 First of all, it is documented time after time after time in the Bible that the fate of the wicked is to PERISH, to die the second death, which is the DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUL! We've already quoted John 3:16 as well as Christ's own words in Mat. 10. 
But let's read again His words:

Matthew 10:28 
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And how about Satan's soul? Did we just read that Satan will be tormented for ever and ever? No we did not, because we read an idiom of another language translated into our English which completely lost the meaning. It would be like translating the English expression "She got cold feet", meaning "She lost her nerve" to do something, into French. But in the French language there is no such expression and so the best the readers of the expression can determine is that the actual temperature of her feet much approach that of ice!

The root of the word "torment" in verse 10 is the Greek word basanos from where we get our word "basis", and it means (through the notion of going to the bottom).  But the whole expression together simply means that Satan will be consumed, debased, gone, day and night (for all eternity), forever and ever (to be no more).

For further documentation, let's look at a second witness, another account of Satan's ultimate fate, found in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel. 

Here's how he DIES! He perishes by fire!

Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Always remember from the last verse in Hebrews chapter 12 that our Father is a consuming fire. He will destroy Satan and turn him into ashes forever and ever.

 

Does that mean he'll burn for ever and ever? Of course not.

[Ezekiel 28:19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Satan will BE NO MORE! You just read it! His very name in Greek is "Apollyon" which means PERISH. That is why he is called the "Son of Perdition", i.e. the son who will perish!

The same fate that awaits all of us who don't have part in the first nor the second resurrections.

Do you realize that Satan has succeeded in taking a few mistranslated verses and created an almost universally accepted Christian doctrine so heinous that it even defies the nature of human love. We have laws in human society against torturing both animals and people. Even a parent of a child who became a despicable evil murderer could not imagine nor accept and would certainly never decree that the child be heinously singed with fire, poked with hot coals, and roasted in an oven. What parent, brother or sister could look upon one of their own being treated as such? They could perhaps accept the humane execution of the child, to put him or her out their torment for ever and ever, for the protection and good of society. And guess what?  God says in Jer. 32:35 that He never ever thought of torturing children in fire! Such is the doctrine of Molech! NEVER EVER! And yet today it is a doctrine in most Christian churches. 

But it is a tradition of men like Dante 
and not of God's Word!

And as it is written, Death is exactly the punishment God decrees for the murderer in the flesh body, and as it is written, Death is also exactly the punishment God decrees for the wicked in the spirit body. 
And just as we don't have to put up with the evil (flesh) person anymore on earth when they are executed (the first death), so we will not have to put up with the wicked anymore for all eternity when they are executed (the second death).

Rev. 20:11 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.

This is the last day of this earth age (this earth age which ends after the Millennium), (NOT to be confused with the FLESH and BLOOD AGE - which ENDED AT CHRIST'S RETURN). Now the full God head comes to earth. You can read of it in detail in Revelation chapter 21. And this verse should remind us of that which we read in Rev. 6:14 "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." It is the end of this present heaven and earth age, the 2nd heaven and earth age, and the beginning of the 3rd which is for all eternity.

[Rev. 20:12] 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.

Do dead people stand? This is not talking about resurrection, this is the coming before the Judge! Stand up and approach the bench please!

Remember where we are? We are at the end of the Millennium. There are no people in flesh bodies nor are there any souls in the ground. The "dead" referred to here are the spiritually dead who are about to be judged from the books and receive their rewards according to their actions!  Even though many of them claimed to be Christians; Their last actions recorded in the books just before the Millennium were to worship the beast and his image! God will pick it up from there.

And so it is more than obvious that these books that are opened are the Books of Works. You see, Almighty God keeps perfect records of all His children's activities?  Thank God for this dispensation of grace and for repentance (provided our repentance was sincere) whereby we can have our "activities", our sins, deleted from the books. Also, remember that those of the first resurrection are not subject to the judgment of the second resurrection and/or the second death. 
We read that in verse 6.

Notice too that the Book of Life was also opened.  This book already has the names of God's elect in this generation written in it. In fact, their names were written in that Book of Life a long time ago, before the foundation of this world. Remember we read of it in Rev. 13:8? All those of this generation whose names are not written in it will worship Satan as Jesus.

Rev. 13:8 
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.

Let's return to the judgment.

Rev. 20:13 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.

This verse simply says what the last phrase makes obvious. That every single person on earth who is spiritually dead, i.e. has a mortal soul and is still subject to the judgment, will be brought forth and judged according to their works. There will be no "plea bargaining" and no "defense attorneys" will be permitted in the courtroom except when it is their turn to stand before the Judge to defend themselves! (That ought to be really something when they try to parse and redefine the Word). NEXT!

[Rev. 20:14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

That's right. It's all over, all death and dying, and all the evil rudiments and wicked people will be consumed by the consuming fire, and they will be gone forever and ever. As Paul would say:

1 Cor. 15:55 
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The only victory comes from having your name written in the Book of Life!

Rev. 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

They will be no more!
As for the rest of God's children whose names were written in the Book of Life?    They lived happily ever after!

The Millennium is over. The final period, the final time of salvation has come to an end. The great white throne judgment has been concluded and the books have been closed. Our Father has destroyed all evil rudiments and souls in the lake of fire and we shall begin the wonderful, peaceful eternity.

And so the question is often asked "Can anything or anyone rebel again as did Satan in the 1st earth age? In other words, how do we know there won't be another Satan?"  The answer is contained in understanding the plan of God itself. No, it can never happen again. Why? Because all freewill souls will have now exercised their freewill, i.e. made their decisions as to who they will follow, and will have been thoroughly tested to the point of irresponsibility. The wicked will have proven they won't repent and the saints will have proven to always be faithful. Have you not read of the testing of all the saints from Noah to Abraham to Christ Himself to You (well maybe you keep a diary)? So you now know why James says in chapter 1 verse 2 of his book, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations." 

 

Uh oh, Nicodemus was a teacher of Israel and he didn't know about these things?

You know what? We can say the same of many Christian ministers today, they do not know these things? I'm not bashing them. Many of them mean well, but the traditions of men have overridden the Word of God and have made it of non effect.

Now before Jesus puts the finishing touch on this precious knowledge He's giving to Nicodemus, and so to you and me, here's one more excerpt from "How to Enjoy the Bible":

"The cloud that now rests over its [God Word] intelligent study arises from the fact that it is with us to-day as with the Jews of old - "The Word of God has been made of none effect by the traditions of men" (Mat. 15:1-9).

Hence it is that on some of the most important questions... we are, still, in what the great Lord Bacon calls "a desert". He alludes to those "deserts" in history, where discovery or research comes to a stand-still, and we get school men instead of philosophers; and clerics instead of discoverers.

The Reformation came as an oasis after one of these deserts. Men were sent from the stagnant pools of tradition to the fountain-head of truth. But within two or three generations the Church entered the desert again; Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms took the place of the open Bible; the inductive method of study was abandoned, and to day it is scarcely understood." ("How to Enjoy the Bible", E.W. Bullinger, pg. xv.)

Come out of the desert and drink some of the new wine of truth.

[John 3:11] Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.

[John 3:12] If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?

If you can't believe the literal things, how can you believe that which is spiritual?

Now get this next verse.

John 3:13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

So no man [son of God] has ascended [or entered into] heaven [the kingdom] except he that came down from heaven [and was born of water]. Even Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of the Living God came down from heaven and was born of water!! IT'S THE GOOD NEWS!

Did you use your eyes to see and understand what Jesus just taught?
If not go back to John 3:3 and go over it again!
You need to understand this!

Next,  Jesus will tell us "WHY" He came down, even as required of all the sons of God, to dwell in the flesh, to tabernacle among men.

It's the most precious and important thing you'll ever read!

So far in John Chapter three we learned that just as all the children of God must come down and dwell in the flesh, so did the Son of man, the Word of God, who was from the beginning with God, for He was God (Jn. 1:1).

And there was a very special reason why the Son of God went through that  process of being born in the flesh. We read about in the opening chapter of this Gospel. It was to be the Lamb of God, the sacrificial Lamb Who would pay the price and atone for the sins of the world.

And just how difficult do you suppose it is to accept that sacrifice and be "saved" from death and receive eternal life?

Well, Jesus is about to give to us an example, a type set forth, of the Simple Salvation Message which will then be expressed in one famous verse in John 3:16. He draws the analogy to the serpent in the wilderness.

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

You should go back to Numbers and read the whole account of what happened. (We are expected by our Lord to know these scriptures.) The Children of Israel were murmuring and complaining and speaking against God, Who had provided for their safety and nourishment with numerous miracles in the wilderness. So much for the thought that seeing a miracle will give you the faith to keep you on track for the rest of your life. These folks saw multiple miracles!

So God sent a bunch of fiery serpents to the ungrateful Children of Israel to bite them! Ouch!

Numbers 21:6
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Assuming that you know a little bit about the Bible you should be able to draw the analogy to that old serpent, the devil, Satan. If you get bitten by him you will surely die!

So here we see in the wilderness [the world], that unless something is done to "save" the people, they will surely die. And there's no doubt about it, they were dying!

Numbers 21:7
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

The sinners make their plea for salvation from the fiery serpents. (Isn't it wonderful that today we have the Gospel Armor (Eph. 6) to protect us from the fiery darts of the serpent?)

[Numbers 21:8] And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

ALL THEY HAD TO DO was to look to the serpent on the pole and LIVE!

Note: Don't try to make any more out of this than the lesson Christ is teaching here in John. God could have put a frog or a door knob on the pole as the savior of the people. But the point is HE HIMSELF would become the One on the pole [cross] Who would ultimately be the SAVIOR. And all we have to do is look upon Him and believe!!

Let's continue in John now that we have filled in some of the details between John 3:14 and 3:15.

John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Seems simple enough, doesn't it?

And now for the most quoted verse in all the Bible which will explain WHY Jesus Chirst became the sacrificial Lamb.

[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.

It is Because God Loves His Children so much!

Yes, He loves you and me and all His precious children and desires so much in His heart that they would all turn to Him and love Him. And He showed forth His love by allowing His only begotten Son to be placed on the cross [by guess who?... the serpent], and as it was in the wilderness, all we have to do is BELIEVE in HIM and receive ETERNAL life.

It doesn't get any better than that! There is no greater love!

So the question is, "What must a person do to receive eternal life?" John 3:16 says it all.

Now for a couple of notes on this verse:

1.) The word "everlasting" in John 3:16 is the same word as "eternal" in the prior verse (15) and should be rendered as such, i.e. "eternal life" not "everlasting life".  There is a difference in the Greek between "eternal" and "everlasting". "Eternal" means "from the beginning", even continuous for ever and ever from the creation of your very soul in the first earth age.

2.) If you recall earlier we mentioned that one of the well known and often quoted verses we would be covering is misunderstood and conflicts with a main "tradition of men", which is an un scriptural doctrine of Christianity, of which there are many! And that verse happens to be John 3:16.

You see, the opposite of Eternal Life is Eternal Death. And the word "perish" in John 3:16 means just that, to cease existing, which is for ever and ever. Traditionalists teach that our Father is going to torture His unrepentant children in an everlasting burning hell fire, when He Himself said that hideous thought NEVER even crossed His mind.

It's amazing how that we have laws that protect even dumb animals from being tortured and yet we will allow someone who claims to be a representative of Christ and teach the love of God, tell us that our Father is going to torture His children for ever and ever. Don't allow it! Stick to and believe the Word of God.

Even the very fate of Satan, whose name by the way is also the "son of perdition", which means the "son who will perish", is well documented in Ezekiel 28. Read the entire chapter of how iniquity was found in this once beautiful son of God and how he will ultimately be "destroyed" and cease to exist. We pick it up in verse 18, speaking about Satan:

Ezekiel 28:18
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

God is a consuming fire as Hebrews 12:29 shows: "For our God is a consuming fire."

[Ezekiel 28:19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Note:That is what eternal death is. "never shalt thou be any more." Yes, you perish!

When Satan, whose name is also death [because he's as good as dead having been sentenced by God already] is cast into the lake of fire, he will cease to exist, perish, along with everyone else who is cast in with him. That is why the lake of fire is called the second death. It kills, destroys, the soul!

Rev. 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

Rev. 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Can your soul be killed, i.e. DESTROYED? Yes it can. Here are the very words of Jesus Christ:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

The first death is the death of your flesh. (Which Psalms 23 calls "the shadow of death") The second death is the killing of, the destruction of, the perishing of your soul. Only God can do that, because He is a consuming fire.

So the question is, "Do you believe in Jesus Christ?" Do you know Him? John has already gone to great lengths to document that He is the Word of God.

Then I've got great news! You will be raised to immortal status at Christ's second coming and therefore the second death doesn't even apply to you!

Rev. 20:6
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.

Is He good to us, or what?


"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" (John 3:16).

So you see, it was because of the love our Father has for His children that Christ was sent from above to dwell in the flesh, to pay the price once and for all for the sins of the world.

Now we are going to be given a little more detail and learn the status of those who choose not to believe in Jesus Christ, but rather prefer darkness.

John 3:17
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The word "condemn" is often translated "judge". Remember, Jesus came to pay the price as the Lamb of God, not to hold judgment which has been postponed until after the Millennium. Again, the reason Jesus was sent so that the world, through Him and through Him only, might be saved. There is no other way, as the next verse declares.

[John 3:18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

We just read that if you believe in Him then you will be in the "first resurrection", the first raising to eternal life, and therefore the "second death" does not apply to you. In other words you will not be judged at the great white throne judgment.You are exempt, having already received eternal life.

And since the only way to receive eternal life, and therefore not ultimately PERISH, is to believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, and since we have all broken the laws of God which condemn us as sinners, then "he that believeth not" is in Big Trouble, for he is as good as dead already.

Yet it is so simple to receive eternal life. Just as the serpents bit the children of Israel in the wilderness, and the deadly venom was injected into their bodies ready to kill them, all they had to do was look to the serpent on the pole and live.  And now that Jesus has paid the price, all we need to do is look to the son of God and believe in Him and receive Eternal Life!

But if you choose not to believe in Jesus Christ, you are a dead man (or woman).

[John 3:19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Christ is the Light and Satan is the darkness, and even though it is hard to imagine, the next verse speaks for itself.

[John 3:20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

Now here is a verse that could easily refer to the current political climate.

People always try to hide their evil deeds and keep the truth, the light, from exposing them.  Even the thief comes in darkness, which can easily be the ignorance of those victims who are being robbed even in the broad daylight (I speak of the hidden dynasty of the economy). Too bad they won't come to the Light, which is Jesus Christ, which is the Word of God and be reproved. If they just believed in Him they could receive eternal life. Then they could be doers of the Word!

Live Link to->>>   The Hidden Dynasty of the Economy

John 3:21
But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

And let it shine, baby!

Matthew 5:16
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

We hear a great deal today about one's "self esteem" and "self image". Well, each and every Christian is to be a reflection of the Light, and shine forth. Of course it goes without saying that we all sin and fall short of that Glory. But when we do, it is not our "self image" that needs to be improved.

You see, if we've never been to the Light, or if we move away from the Light, it won't matter how much we polish our self image and try to boost our self esteem. We will still be dimly lit. But when we come to the light or move back into the Light, that Light is so brilliant that you won't be able to even see those smudges and blemishes on your self image. So it's not one's "image of self" that improves their quality of life and brings peace of mind. It's their image of God.

[John 3:22] After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there He tarried with them, and baptized.

It was the disciples who were doing the baptizing. And of course old John the Baptist, he's still out there baptizing folks in Aenon, near to Salim, because there were a lot of natural springs and water pools there. John's motto was "Have Water, Will Baptize".

[John 3:23] And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.

Of course John hadn't been cast in prison yet for being politically incorrect.

[John 3:24] For John was not yet cast into prison.

You see, those who are in power who do immoral things, don't like the light of truth to shine on them. They certainly don't like the "right" imposing their moral values upon them. Here's how old John got himself tossed into the slammer:

Mark 6:17
For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

Attacking the accuser did not originate in the 21st century. Here we see that the Commander in Chief, Herod himself, laid hold of John and bound him in prison. Why? Here's what the man of God had the guts to say:

[Mark 6:18] For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

Of course Herod was above the law and would ultimately have John beheaded for bringing forth the truth.

Meanwhile, while John still had his head on, he was out there baptizing.

[John 3:25] Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying.

Note: If you have a Companion Bible you will notice that the Greek word "Iou" is used here and is singular meaning "a Jew", not "Jews" plural. Iou was also used as an abbreviation for Jesus. But either way there was a controversy which arose, an attempt by Satan to cause division, perhaps create a new denomination or two.

Here's their "dig" into John:

[John 3:26] And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him.

"Hey John", they goaded, "Jesus and His disciples got a bigger ministry going than you do you know?"

Of course John was just too smart for them. Remember, he ate locusts for lunch! (That's an inside pun for those who have studied the 9th chapter of Revelation and the book of Joel.)   Joel  &  Rev.9

John 3:27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.

[John 3:28] Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

"Of course, if you guys will recall, you've heard me say this before! Remember I specifically told you that I was not the Messiah, but that He would come after me! Perhaps you did not understand what I was saying, so here's a little analogy for you:"

[John 3:29] He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

John, like the best man and friend of the Bridegroom, helped make the preparations for the Bridegroom's entrance. He was that voice in the wilderness crying "Make ye ready".

You see, it is the bridegroom that weds the bride, not the best man who goes forth and helps make the preparations. And once the bridegroom comes the best man stands by His side and rejoices greatly as the Bridegroom makes a New Covenant with His bride.

[John 3:30] He must increase, but I must decrease.

So at this point John the Baptist has basically fulfilled his commission, his ministry, as one the who cried in the wilderness saying, "Get ready, here He comes"!

[John 3:31] He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

The Greek word for "above" in "He that cometh [down] from above" is anothen, exactly the same word translated "again" used in verse 7, "ye must be born again", meaning "from above". To be "born again" means to be born from above as in "cometh [down] from above".

Now, what John the Baptist is saying is that Christ, Who came from above [heaven,] is above all that is earthly in that He speaks the words directly from heaven, directly from God (verse 34 coming up), for He is God.

[John 3:32] And what he hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.

Not only has no man seen or heard the revelations that Christ has seen and heard and testifies to, but even though His testimony is directly from God, the world will not receive it.

[John 3:33] He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.

But he that does receive His testimony "sets to his seal" that God is true, and that God is true to His Word. Now isn't it interesting that in this generation of the fig tree you must have the "seal of God" in your forehead, else you have the seal [mark] of Satan [the beast] in your forehead.

So which will it be, the Light or the Darkness, the Truth or Deception, the Word of God or the words of man [traditions of men], the True Jesus or the Instead of Jesus [Satan as the spurious messiah]?  Are you familiar with the 7 seals given in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and the book of Revelation?

John 3:34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

This verse should read "For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God, for the Spirit gives not (the Words of God) by measure unto Him.

And the Father has given Him everything!

[John 3:35] The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.

Everything!

That is why He is the ONLY WAY and there is no other. This same John, who wrote this Gospel of John also wrote the three epistles of John, and he documents several times that if you don't have the Son you don't have the Father either!

1 John 2:23
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

That's right! If you don't have the Son you don't have the Father either! And John will say the same thing again when we get to chapter 5.

John 5:23
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Is their another path to Eternal Life other than through Jesus Christ? There is not!

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.

This verse says the same thing as John 3:16. If you believe in Jesus Christ then you will receive eternal life.  But if you don't believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, you shall NOT see LIFE! Why? Because you will PERISH in the lake of fire and be gone forever and ever. The choice is yours.   

Sorry for the long side trip. Now let's return to Matthew 22:

The wedding was ready but it did not take place at the first advent because those who were bidden were not worthy. Luke 14:24 "For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper." 

In other words, the "feast" was right there and available to those who were bidden but they did not come partake of that feast. No feast, no wedding! The point is, one can go to church every Sunday and cry "Lord, Lord" all he wants all day long, but if one does not "feast", on His Word that one is not getting married! In fact, he or she is going to show up at the wedding completely naked and ashamed (Rev. 16:15)!

 [Matthew 22:9] Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.

The wedding to take place is yet future so this looks forward to our day, the time just before the second advent, the time when many shall be eating and drinking (feasting) and marrying and giving in marriage to another Jesus (Mat. 24:38), the false messiah, the one we read about in 2 Cor. 11.

 You can read more concerning the blind, lame, etc., who are bid to the marriage in a similar parable in Luke 14, but let us suffice it to say that salvation is now open to "whosoever will" heed the call, as in "hear His voice", i.e. believe in Him (John 3:15-16)!

 Matthew 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

Christ died on the cross and now salvation is open to all peoples of all races, colors, and creed. This is what Christianity is all about. The publicans and the harlots and even the kenites can repent and heed the call and say "Yes Father, I will now go labor in the vineyard" and put on some righteous garments! Thus they are bad no more! But alas, some will try to enter in without a wedding garment and here is what happens to them:

At Christ's return some will try to attend the wedding
who have not repented of their sins nor invited Him to live in and clean their heart.

 

 [Matthew 22:11] And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:

Remember from Rev. 19:8 what the fine linen, clean and white, is symbolic of... the righteousness or righteous acts of the saints. If one comes in who claims he or she has labored for Him and yet has not on a wedding garment, it will be spiritually obvious that that person has not done his Father's will as He asked and he or she is in for a big surprise! This should bring to mind that which we learned in chapter 7 concerning those who claim to have done wonderful works which they think are righteous acts and pleasing to God, but they did not do according to His will.

 Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

[Matthew 7:22] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

[Matthew 7:23]And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

They followed the iniquitous traditions of men they were fed week after week (they went to church that did not teach the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter, and verse by verse, and did all their churches dos and don’ts), but never feasted  with the Son, i.e. studied their Bible, to get to know Him.  Do you think Christ is going to marry a complete stranger! Would you?

 Matthew 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

 No wedding garment... then no attending the marriage! He came without any righteous acts and when asked why, he was simply speechless, dumb! In other words, he was without excuse as to why he was spiritually naked for there was no one to blame but himself. Not only that, his preacher wasn't there to help him and therefore he had to give direct answer to the king! So you see, while it is true that all are born innocent and naked into this flesh age, such will not be the case in the spiritual birth. Some will have on clean white linen garments and the others shall be spiritually naked.

Here is what shall happen to those who do not make it to the wedding with a wedding garment on, which means that they will not be chosen to participate in the first resurrection when Christ returns and ushers in the Millennium.

They missed the cut at the 1st resurrection
and will need to attend discipline and discernment classes during the Millennium.

[Matthew 22:13] Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

 To be bound hand and foot means they will no longer be able to carry on the iniquitous works that got them cast into darkness (i.e. cast with the rest of those in whom there is found no light of truth) in the first place.

You see, the Millennium will not be a bed of roses for those who did not heed the call to the wedding feast. There shall be weeping and gnashing (grinding) of teeth, i.e. spiritual shame and pain as they are spiritually squeezed and crushed in His winepress so that hopefully they will get their act together before the great white throne judgment at the end of the Millennium when the real death (the perishing of the soul) takes place for those who refused to believe in Him. As it is written, the Millennial reign of Christ shall be with a rod of iron , which means with firm discipline in adhering to His Word, and the just ones, the Zadok, i.e. God's elect, shall be the disciplinarians (enforcers) thereof.

 Rev. 2:26-27
And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: [27] And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

Rev. 19:14-15 And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. [15] 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.

Ezek-i-el (God is Strong) gives us the details of how His people shall be taught by "they" (the Zadok) the difference between the two Jesus', the Holy One and the profane one, and cause them to be "discern" between the unclean and the clean. It is sure obvious that the majority cannot do so, i.e. discern between the clean and unclean, in the generation in which we now live.

 Ezekiel 44:23-24 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. [24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

Many who are called and claim to follow Jesus Christ in these last days are going to have a rough time in the Millennium. Take heed to the call to the wedding feast while it is still today for when the cup of His wrath is filled up, i.e. He has had it up to here with the idolatry of His people, then its over and too late to fill your lamp with oil and put on clean white linen garments.

 [Matthew 22:14] For many are called, but few are chosen.

How will you appear at the wedding? You can start feasting right now, you know, for His table is ready and filled to the full and there is never a want, never a famine, for those who heed the call! And study it. You have His Word, the Bible!

For those of us who do not make the cut. (do not qualify and are not chosen to be part of the 1st resurrection to eternal life when Christ returns (did not accept God’s offer of salvation by His grace during this earth age), they did not believe Jesus was the Son of God, did not claim His free gift, by repenting of their sins and inviting Him to come and live in their heart to change it and make it righteous; They will have to spend the next 1000 years attending discernment and disclipine classes to learn the difference between what is Holy (Jesus) and what is profane (Satan).

At the end of the 1000 years there will be another test.

Then at the end of 1000 years when Satan is released from the pit, where he has been held for the entire Millennium, he will be released for a short time to again try to convince them to still follow his ways and they will be judged either worthy, or not worthy, to receive eternal life based on what they do at that time. If judged worthy they will receive immortal souls at the Great White Throne of Judgment (this is the 2nd resurrection to eternal life. If still found not worthy we will also be cast into the Lake of Fire, just like Satan is; TO BE NO MORE! Not even a memory to our loved ones!

Here is your documentation that Satan shall be bound in the pit for the thousand years while the humble servants of the Most High reign with Christ.

 Rev. 20:1-4  And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

That angel would be Michael who has Satan bound even now (Rev. 12:7-9) but who will soon cast him to this earth for a short time before he lays hold on him again and slams him back in the pit!

[Rev. 20:2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

[Rev. 20:3] 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.

Satan has already been sentenced to perish so there is only one reason that he should be released from the pit at the end of the Millennium for a little season; That would be, to again test our brothers and sisters to see if he can still get them to follow him. After 1000 years of discipline and discernment classes, DO THEY NOW KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS HOLY (JESUS) AND WHAT IS PROFANE (SATAN)!

[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.

DO NOT DO or BELIEVE what any preacher or teacher says you should, unless you have FIRST OBSERVED it to be HOLY [of GOD] and NOT PROFANE [of Satan]!

 
Let’s take some time to talk about The Millennium again to further prepare you for “The 2nd Resurrection to Eternal Life”.

Now let’s talk about the Millennium at which point the 7th Trump has sounded and the true Jesus Christ has returned with great power and glory, bringing with Him His army of saints. Babylon the Great, i.e. the one world political system and the great whore along with Satan's role as the false-christ, i.e. the spurious messiah, has been destroyed forever and ever. And as we learned in our chapter 19, ALL flesh has been "changed" and everyone, both the good and the bad are in their spiritual bodies.

So it is the first day of the Millennium and John, who you remember in Rev. 1:16 was taken there for an eye witness account, gives us another advanced news report, this time concerning the fate of Satan during the Millennium. Can't you just visualize the headlines?

THE MILLENNIUM PRESS
First Edition
      "SATAN IMPRISONED, BEGINS SERVING 1000 YEAR SENTENCE"          John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was present today as Michael came down from heaven and appeared on Satan's doorstep with a warrant from the King of kings for his arrest. Satan has been residing in the temple for the last 5 months (ever since Michael cast him from heaven) where he has been impersonating Jesus Christ and claiming he is the Messiah come. He also is being held responsible for orchestrating the murder of God's two witnesses, a despicable crime, which he has been actually celebrating with his cronies for the last 3 1/2 days. 

Here's John description of the first thing he saw:

Rev. 20:1
And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

It must have been pretty obvious to John when he saw the equipment, with the "BP" label on it, which the angel had with him, that Satan was about to be shackled and locked back up in the Bottomless Pit.

John continues:

[Rev. 20:2] And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years

It would seem that Michael needed no assistance as he apparently just grabbed the evil crook by the shoulders, threw him mercilessly up against the wall and shackled him with the binding chain. It has also been reported that because of the manhandling of Satan by this very powerful angel that some folks are referring to him as the "Pit Bull".

Also, we were not able to determine from John's report whether he was close enough to hear what the angel said to Satan, but we believe it was something like "OK chump, the party's over! Let's go!" John did not report that the angel read Satan his rights because having already been judged and sentenced to die, he has none.

John then gives this account of the actual incarceration: 

[Rev. 20:3] 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.

So as John reports, for the next 1000 years Satan will be imprisoned and not permitted to have any contact whatsoever, either by person or by spirit, with anyone outside his confines. However, we know from a related article submitted thousands of years ago by reporting agent Isaiah that Satan will be visible throughout the Millennium as a reminder to all of what can happen. Here's part of Isaiah's transcript concerning Satan's casting into the pit:

Isaiah 14:13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

[Isaiah 14:14] I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

[Isaiah 14:15] Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

[Isaiah 14:16] They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

And so it shall be that people will walk by the "pit" during the Millennium, on their way to Discipline Classes, and shake their heads in unbelief to think that this poor slob could have perpetrated worldwide religious deception and political control.

End of article.

Yes, it's fun to imagine how it might happen, but happen it will! We already knew who the dragon and that old serpent was. We also knew from 2 Pet. 3:8 that 1000 years to the Lord is a one day, so that the Day of the Lord is 1000 years.

But the one thing we didn't discuss is "why will Satan be released at the end of the Millennium"? I'm sure you realize if you've studied this Book of Revelation from the beginning with us that Satan is coming to this earth disguised as Jesus Christ (and I'll bet you know that he comes before the true Christ). This final generation then will be tested by the false messiah, right? Those who fail, who do not overcome and who don't partake of the first resurrection, will go through the Millennium and be taught of and with discipline for 1000 years, which is how much time they have to get their act together. After they have been taught there will be another test, a final exam if you will, which they must pass before they can receive their diploma of eternal life. That test is Satan's release once again upon the world, but this time without the political beast and the role of spurious messiah. And no, it is not a second chance because they never came to a full knowledge of the truth in this generation because of the "famine" (Amos 8:11), and as such never had a prayer of a first chance.

Next we will learn what reward comes with being part of the first resurrection.

[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.

Thrones, you know, are where rulers, the ones who wear crowns, i.e. the ones in authority who exercise judgment, sit. 

And there are two groups in this verse who sit upon them.

(1) The first group are the martyrs down through the ages, those who have been beheaded, i.e. killed or executed for the (a) the witness of Jesus, and (b) for the Word of God. It would include the two witnesses also.

(2) The second group are those of this final generation who had the seal of God in their foreheads and who overcame the beast.

Note: In our previous studies we've covered in great detail the beast (Satan), his image (role as Jesus), his mark upon their foreheads (deception), and his mark in their hands (doing his work).

Now, did you read the last phrase in verse 4, "and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years"?  What an honor and a privilege! If you ever are in want of some encouragement to continue to fight the good fight, then just refer to Rev. 20:4.  For if you are one of God's elect then you will be part of the first resurrection at His coming, and you will reign with Jesus Christ for the entire 1000 years during the Millennium.

[Rev. 20:5] But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

But if you are not part of the first resurrection then you are part of "the remainder" who are called "the dead" and you must wait until the end of the Millennium. You will then be tested that short season by Satan who will be released temporarily, and then you will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment when the books are opened (vs. 12). Only then can you be part of the Second Resurrection and receive eternal life. Until then you are called "dead" because you are still subject to the second death, which is the destruction of your soul in the lake of fire (vs. 14).

 Here is Christ documenting that there are two deaths, one of the flesh, and one of the soul in the lake of fire:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And of course to have your soul "destroyed" is to "perish", which is taught in the most quoted verse in God's Word, John 3:16.

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.

So you'll either receive eternal life at the first or second resurrection, or you'll suffer the second death, i.e. perish in the lake of fire and YOU WILL BE NO MORE!

Let's now go back to Rev. 20:5. Understand that we are now in the Millennium! There are no more flesh people! Everyone has been changed. And John is telling us what's going on! The first death (of the flesh) and the first resurrection (to eternal life) is over! So the "dead" (who are still alive in their spiritual bodies) in the Millennium means those who are "spiritually dead", i.e. still liable to die the second death (the death of their soul). To "live" then is to receive "eternal life". So the "dead" cannot "live" until the thousand years are finished, i.e. none of them can receive the gift of eternal life until judgment day following the Millennium, which is the second resurrection! If you don't quite understand yet, wait until we finish this chapter and it should become clear in your mind regarding the "dead".
 

Rev. 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Rev. 20:6. 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.

To be part of that first resurrection is a truly an Unfathomable Blessing! If you have SEEN the PICTURES of heaven and of the glory of our Father and His throne described so far, and if you will follow with us to the end of this great Book of Revelation and SEE the beauty of the NEW JERUSALEM coming down out of heaven, then you still cannot fathom the blessing of being part of the first resurrection. Our feeble brains just cannot imagine how wonderful it is!

Now read again chapter 20 verse 6. Since eternal life is granted to those who are part of the First Resurrection, then the second death, the lake of fire, does not apply to them! Their souls cannot be destroyed because they have already received the gift of eternal life. And they shall be PRIESTS and REIGN with Christ throughout the Millennium

Next we will document from the Old Testament and see in greater detail the reign of these Priests of God and of Christ. But for now, just stop everything and take a deep breath and consider the following:

If you have eyes to see and ears to hear then you have been and will be reading about YOU, a participant in the first resurrection!
 And if you can only even briefly comprehend the enormous reality of all this, that it WILL HAPPEN TO YOU as it is written, then your faith will be greatly increased, your fears and anxieties will be greatly decreased, and you will be overcome with love and thankfulness for our Father who loves His children so much.

Now we continue in what is often called the Millennium Chapter, because the events that are being described are happening during and after the 1000 year reign of Christ and His saints which commences with the sound of the 7th Trump.

We learned in Rev. 20:6 that those who are part of the first resurrection will be Priests of God and shall reign with Christ during the 1000 years. But once again, as we have seen throughout Revelation, this is not new knowledge if you are familiar with all of God's Word.
You see, the last 8 chapters of the Book of Ezekiel contain more information about the Millennium than does the Book of Revelation. And so we can read even more detail about the 1000 year reign of God's elect, who are called the "zadok" in Hebrew, which means the "just" or "justified ones" (Rom. 8).  
Here's Ezekiel's account in chapter 44 concerning the Priests during the Millennium:  

Live Links below

 to-  Ezekiel Chapters 40-44 Within The Millennial Temple
and Ezekiel Chapters 45-48 Without The Millennial Temple

Ezekiel 44:23
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Those being taught by these priests obviously couldn't discern between the false messiah and the true Messiah, the profane and the holy, before the 7th Trump sounded, could they?

[Ezekiel 44:24] And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to my judgments: and they shall keep my laws and my statutes in all mine assemblies; and they shall hallow my sabbaths.

AMAZING! We just read of this:

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

But here's some detail that we didn't learn of in Revelation. And it answers a very common question often asked: "Will we recognize our loved ones during the Millenium?" The answer is yes, of course. (After all, we were created after the image of God and the angels, the host of heaven, the sons of God, i.e. ourselves. So we will all look like "ourselves" after which we were created in the image of.)

[Ezekiel 44:25] And they shall come at no dead person to defile themselves: but for father, or for mother, or for son, or for daughter, for brother, or for sister that hath had no husband, they may defile themselves.

Again, how many times must we realize that these "dead" people are alive and going to discernment classes during the Millennium?

They are "spiritually dead".

Even your loved ones if you are unfortunate enough to have some who don't make the "first cut" at the 7th Trump, are called "dead", again, because they have still mortal souls and are still liable to die the second death.
You probably call some of them "dead beats" now, though hopefully not to their faces. Well...? Be nice.

Let's continue with chapter 20 of the Book of the Unveiling, the book that let's us SEE behind the VEIL!

We are now going to be taken behind that veil to the End of the Millennium, and we must "transport" our minds to that time with the understanding of those things which have been revealed to us thus far. Remember, everyone is now in an incorruptible, spiritual body. Christ and His zadok have been reigning for the 1000 years during which time Satan has been imprisoned. Everyone now fully understands God's Word and they have been taught the "difference" and how to "discern" between the unclean (Satan's ways) and the clean (God's way). They have all seen many times the video replays of this flesh age and the results of following the unclean path.

So you would think that most everyone would SEE and desire in their hearts to follow God and love Him and live the clean way of life that produces happiness and joy. That is our Father's desire, but there is some sad news in the next two verses.

Rev. 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

It is soon time for the Great White Throne judgment of God. Christ now lets Satan loose to test those who followed after him before.

[Rev. 20:8] 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 so Satan shall once again run "to and fro" and "up and down" in the earth gathering together all who will still follow him, although as you will recall he will not be afforded the one world political system or his former role as the false-christ. This beast and false prophet were destroyed for ever and ever (Rev. 19:20).

But as incredible as it may seem, and as sad as it is, the reality is that there will still be a lot of people who will follow Satan, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. So this verse documents the justification and the reason for the release of Satan and the "testing". All one can say is that the heart of the wicked and the Kenite is a very hard thing to change.

The statements "in the four corners" and "Gog and Magog" simply mean all those nations outside the Holy City. Remember we are at the end of the Millennium and this Gog and Magog is not to be confused with the pre-millennial Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. Here it means in both directions, East and West, from Jerusalem into all the earth, i.e. into all four corners. (For further documentation see notes in the Companion Bible on Rev. 20:8 and Ezek. 38:2)

[Rev. 20:9] 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.

When Satan has gathered all who will join him and they have compassed Jerusalem then it's lake of fire time for them. No need to even open up the book of works on these folks for they have totally and completely failed the final exam.
They will not graduate into eternity.     Bye!

[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.

Here we come to the favorite verse of Dante, who gave us graphic descriptions, complete with illustrations, of an everlasting Burning Inferno, known as Dante's Inferno, where poor souls who didn't repent weep and wail and writhe in pain and agony and torment forever and ever while the saints sitting on the clouds with their harps look upon them and sing the refrain "Burn, suckers, burn, we told you so, we told you so"!

Some concept of heaven, eh?

Well it ain't so!

 First of all, it is documented time after time after time in the Bible that the fate of the wicked is to PERISH, to die the second death, which is the DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUL! We've already quoted John 3:16 in the last study as well as Christ's own words in Mat. 10.
But let's read again His words:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

And how about Satan's soul? Did we just read that Satan will be tormented for ever and ever? No we did not, because we read an idiom of another language translated into our English which completely lost the meaning. It would be like translating the English expression "She got cold feet", meaning "She lost her nerve" to do something, into French. But in the French language there is no such expression and so the best the readers of the expression can determine is that the actual temperature of her feet much approach that of ice!

The root of the word "torment" in verse 10 is the Greek word basanos from where we get our word "basis", and it means (through the notion of going to the bottom). But the whole expression together simply means that Satan will be consumed, debased, gone, day and night (for all eternity), forever and ever (to be no more).

For further documentation, let's look at a second witness, another account of Satan's ultimate fate, found in the 28th chapter of Ezekiel.

Here's how he DIES! He perishes by fire!

Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.

Always remember from the last verse in Hebrews chapter 12 that our Father is a consuming fire. He will destroy Satan and turn him into ashes forever and ever.

 

Does that mean he'll burn for ever and ever? Of course not.

[Ezekiel 28:19] All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

Satan will BE NO MORE! You just read it! His very name in Greek is "Apollyon" which means PERISH. That is why he is called the "Son of Perdition", i.e. the son who will perish!

The same fate that awaits all of us who don't have part in the first nor the second resurrections.

Do you realize that Satan has succeeded in taking a few mistranslated verses and created an almost universally accepted Christian doctrine so heinous that it even defies the nature of human love. We have laws in human society against torturing both animals and people. Even a parent of a child who became a despicable evil murderer could not imagine nor accept and would certainly never decree that the child be heinously singed with fire, poked with hot coals, and roasted in an oven. What parent, brother or sister could look upon one of their own being treated as such? They could perhaps accept the humane execution of the child, to put him or her out their torment for ever and ever, for the protection and good of society. And guess what?  God says in Jer. 32:35 that He never ever thought of torturing children in fire! Such is the doctrine of Molech! NEVER EVER! And yet today it is a doctrine in most Christian churches.

But it is a tradition of men like Dante
and not of God's Word!

And as it is written, Death is exactly the punishment God decrees for the murderer in the flesh body, and as it is written, Death is also exactly the punishment God decrees for the wicked in the spirit body.
And just as we don't have to put up with the evil (flesh) person anymore on earth when they are executed (the first death), so we will not have to put up with the wicked anymore for all eternity when they are executed (the second death).

Rev. 20:11 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.

This is the last day of this earth age (this earth age which ends after the Millennium), (NOT to be confused with the FLESH and BLOOD AGE - which ENDED AT CHRIST'S RETURN). Now the full God head comes to earth. We'll read of it in detail in the next chapter. And this verse should remind us of that which we read in Rev. 6:14 "And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." It is the end of this present heaven and earth age, the 2nd heaven and earth age, and the beginning of the 3rd which is for all eternity.

[Rev. 20:12] 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.

Do dead people stand? This is not talking about resurrection, this is the coming before the Judge! Stand up and approach the bench please!

Remember where we are? We are at the end of the Millennium. There are no people in flesh bodies nor are there any souls in the ground. The "dead" referred to here are the spiritually dead who are about to be judged from the books and receive their rewards according to their actions! Even though many of them claimed to be Christians; Their last actions recorded in the books just before the Millennium were to worship the beast and his image! God will pick it up from there.

And so it is more than obvious that these books that are opened are the Books of Works. You see, Almighty God keeps perfect records of all His children's activities?  Thank God for this dispensation of grace and for repentance (provided our repentance was sincere) whereby we can have our "activities", our sins, deleted from the books. Also, remember that those of the first resurrection are not subject to the judgment of the second resurrection and/or the second death. 
We read that in verse 6.

Notice too that the Book of Life was also opened.  This book already has the names of God's elect in this generation written in it. In fact, their names were written in that Book of Life a long time ago, before the foundation of this world. Remember we read of it in Rev. 13:8? All those of this generation whose names are not written in it will worship Satan as Jesus.

Rev. 13:8
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.

Let's return to the judgment.

Rev. 20:13 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.

This verse simply says what the last phrase makes obvious. That every single person on earth who is spiritually dead, i.e. has a mortal soul and is subject to the judgment, will be brought forth and judged according to their works. There will be no "plea bargaining" and no "defense attorneys" will be permitted in the courtroom except when it is their turn to stand before the Judge to defend themselves! (That ought to be really something when they try to parse and redefine the Word). NEXT!

[Rev. 20:14] And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

That's right. It's all over, all death and dying, and all the evil rudiments and wicked people will be consumed by the consuming fire, and they will be gone forever and ever. As Paul would say:

1 Cor. 15:55
O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The only victory comes from having your name written in the Book of Life!

Rev. 20:15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

They will be no more!
---------

As for the rest of God's children whose names were written in the Book of Life?    They lived happily ever after!

The Millennium is over. The final period, the final time of salvation has come to an end. The great white throne judgment has been concluded and the books have been closed. Our Father has destroyed all evil rudiments and souls in the lake of fire and we shall begin the wonderful, peaceful eternity.

And so the question is often asked "Can anything or anyone rebel again as did Satan in the 1st earth age? In other words, how do we know there won't be another Satan?"  The answer is contained in understanding the plan of God itself. No, it can never happen again. Why? Because all freewill souls will have now exercised their freewill, i.e. made their decisions as to who they will follow, and will have been thoroughly tested to the point of irreversibility. The wicked will have proven they won't repent and the saints will have proven to always be faithful. Have you not read of the testing of all the saints from Noah to Abraham to Christ Himself to You (well maybe you keep a diary)? So you now know why James says in chapter 1 verse 2 of his book, "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations."
Hey, now you get to "ace" another pop quiz!

Now we'll learn of the new 3rd. heaven age and the new 3rd. earth age.

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.

The word "first" used here is the Greek word "protos" and is the same word translated "former" in verse 4. So the heaven and earth that pass away in this verse is the one prior to the "new" one which now comes into existence "after" the lake of fire, i.e. the present earth age that we are in now, the 2nd earth age.

We know from 2 Pet. 3 that there are three heaven and earth ages. It is the same earth but three different "ages" because the earth itself "abideth forever" (Eccles. 1:4).

The "world that then was" (Gen 1:2), prior to the foundation of this earth age, was totally destroyed, as in made unlivable.
 It perished at the overthrow of Satan.

This one will perish at his destruction!

 

And so the 3rd earth age will be for all eternity. The planet itself will be set back on its proper axis and correct orbital path. The actual seas will be dried up and the water will return to the canopy from whence it came. The earth will once again be the most beautiful paradise in the universe.

And our Father along with us/we who have been granted
eternal life will call it Home!

Note: We flesh human beings get all excited when the thought crosses our minds that we might not have boating and fishing, or golf courses, or have sex in the next dimension. Just remember that our Father doesn't take anything away that He doesn't replace ten fold.  So did you know that the entire universe awaits for the perfection of the Sons of God? 

Talk about a fishing expedition!

See commentary on verse 7.

[Rev. 21:2] And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

There's nothing more beautiful to an husband than his adorned bride!

[Rev. 21:3] 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 promised to dwell with man as part of His everlasting, unbreakable covenant a long time ago. He purposed it even from the beginning, for the desire of His heart is to be with and among His children for ever and ever, world without end.

Here is the promised fulfilled in Rev. 21:3, i.e. the tabernacle IS with men, promised by our Father to Israel in Ezekiel 37:

Ezekiel 37:26
Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.

[Ezekiel 37:27] My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

And do you know what? That glorious holy city, the New Jerusalem, from that day forth, from the day it comes down out of heaven throughout all eternity, will be known and recognized as the Headquarters of the Universe, also referred to as "Heaven", for it will bear the name of God Himself, Yahaveh Shamma, which interpreted means "The LORD is there".

These are the very last words of the Book of Ezekiel concerning the new city:

Ezekiel 48:35
It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

What will it be like living there
with our Father?

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.

Can you even begin to imagine such a society? No more pain and suffering, no more disease and war and death and dying, no more pesky telemarketers interrupting your dinner trying to sell you something you don't want or need.

Yes, heaven on earth!

All the former things, all the evil spirits, all the wicked people, all corruptible flesh are passed away, GONE!
 

[Rev. 21:5] And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And He said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Guess who's talking to John now!
"John, you tell My children that they can count on My Words coming to pass exactly as I have spoken them."

So if it sounds too utopian for the skeptic, or it sounds too good to be true, it isn't. In fact the words of man cannot even begin to describe the beauty and wonder, and yes, even the excitement of all that our Father has planned for His children. Man's words cannot describe it because man's mind cannot imagine it. 

This we know for it also is written and is true and faithful:

1 Cor. 2:9

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

Now here comes a great opportunity. Would you like to hear God speak to you?  He just told John to write His true and faithful words down for you and me. Here's what He has to say to us.
 
He is speaking to us:

Rev. 21:6 And He said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Here's how the N.E.B. translation has this verse: "Indeed', He said, 'they are already fulfilled. For I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end..."

Our Father tells us if we thirst for Him, (Amos 8:11 ...not a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:), He will provide us with all of the purest water of life that we could ever want.

And if we become DOERS and not just HEARERS, i.e. if we overcome, you won't believe the reward He has in store for us!

[Rev. 21:7] He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Living with our Father! Imagine that!


Now imagine inheriting ALL things:

Our Father OWNS, lock, stock, and barrel as they say, the Entire Universe. And when He says we will inherit ALL THINGS, that's infinitely more than all the wealth on earth! So if you are an overcomer, next time you're outside at night standing next to someone, you can look up and point to the stars and say "You see this vast universe? My family owns it all!" (Just be very careful who you say that to. Use wisdom and common sense.)


In contrast, just so you can SEE THE DIFFERENCE, here's the inheritance of the wicked:

[Rev. 21:8] But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

But the faithless, and the non-believers, and the disgusting lowlifes, and murderers, and sexual perverts, and drug pushers, and lovers of everything other than that which is holy, and all liars (including unrepentant politicians and attorneys), they shall inherit the Lake of Fire.
In other words, all the "wicked" will be consumed away, burned up in the lake of fire, which means they will DIE eternally, gone forever, PERISH.


We spent considerable time on the last part of this study, but we must understand that the lake of fire is the second death, the DESTRUCTION of the wicked souls!
 Remember we read of it in Rev. 20:14 "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." God is going to destroy the souls of the incorrigibly wicked along with everything evil. He can do it, and He will! His words are "true and faithful". Remember once again what Christ said:

Matthew 10:28
And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

So you say you understand? You've done well!  It is now time for dessert, a special treat from the sweet hidden manna from the Book of Psalms.

Note: You have seen us make reference to the Companion Bible many times in our studies. If ever there was a reason to obtain one it is to have access to the "gems" contained in the original manuscripts that are not brought forth (and therefore hidden) to the ordinary English reader. That which follows, along with all the richness contained in the Massorah, is found within its pages. It is the most comprehensive Bible available to the English reader. The Companion Bible is published by Kregel Publishers and can be ordered from most bookstores.

or

you can

Download a Companion Bible free at: http://www.companionbiblecondensed.com/  When you open site click unto and download one book at a time unto your disk or hard drive.

and the appendix at: http://www.markfoster.net/rn/companion_bible_appendices.pdf

Speaking the of Psalms  The 37th Psalm is an "Acrostic" Psalm. An acrostic is where sets of letters taken in order form a word or a special sequence. For instance the word SUN is an acrostic found in the word (restaurant) reStaUraNt, or LOCUST is an acrostic found in the word hoLOCaUST

In the 37th Psalm each of the 22 quatrains, i.e. sets of four lines, begin with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet, except that the 4th, 11th, and 19th letters each have a triplet assigned to them, i.e. only three lines, instead of a quatrain.  These three triplet verses occur in perfect order within the 37th Psalm and when taken together, as a separate set, they form an acrostic.

This acrostic will reveal the second death, the ultimate fate of the wicked who sometimes seem to have it made with lots of money, big mansions and fancy cars, beautiful babes, etc., all derived from wicked devices like those we just read of in Revelation, i.e. drug pushing, prostitution, extortion, theft and deceptive business practices such as fixed markets and underhanded commodities trading.

The other amazing discovery is that these three verses parallel precisely the three verses we just finished reading in Revelation 21. Here is the acrostic of the 37th Psalm.

Psalm 37:7
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Be patient, thirst for righteousness, and don't be envious of the wicked who seem to prosper. Here's why:

Psalm 37:20
But the wicked shall perish, and the enemies of the LORD shall be as the fat of lambs: they shall consume; into smoke shall they consume away.

The wicked shall PERISH, not fry "unconsumed" in Dante's Inferno for ever and ever! You just read it, they shall CONSUME AWAY!  It will be like a dripping drop of fat that splatters onto the hot burning coals of fire and is vaporized into smoke! This is the second death and a great analogy of it! SEE it in your Mind's Eye!

Psalm 37:34
Wait on the LORD, and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.

So be patient and wait on the LORD and you shall be exalted, receive a crown and a throne, and INHERIT all that our Father has promised to those that keep His way and overcome. I know it boggles the minds of those who love our Father to think that anyone could choose not to follow Him. But the wicked shall not and as verse 34 says "they are cut off" (from all inheritance) and you shall witness their execution in the lake of fire and that will be the end of it!


They are all gone, so let's get on with eternity!

Rev. 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

Here comes one of those angels from chapter 16 again. Do you think it was the same one who came and talked with John in verse 1 of chapter 17?  Perhaps, but it could just as well be one of the other six who gives this magnificent tour. And so the angel told John, who as far I know hasn't taken a lunch break yet, to come and he will show him the beautiful bride, the Lamb's wife.

[Rev. 21:10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Next we will read about the beauty and splendor of this great city, the holy Jerusalem. And since Almighty God dwells there, guess what? We will be reading about HEAVEN!

It's coming here!

We are now in the eternity. The Millennium is over. All that which offends has been consumed away for ever and ever in the lake of fire, to be remembered no more. And our Father has prepared a great and beautiful city which He now brings to earth and places squarely on the spot He picked out to be the headquarters of the universe for all eternity, Jerusalem (read Ezek. 16).

Live Link to- Ezekiel 16

Earlier we saw John being carried away in the spirit by one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues to be given a grand tour of the Eternal City, New Jerusalem.

[Rev. 21:10] And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Do you look forward to this great city? Our forefathers did! Yes, they were well aware of the Eternal City and the very vision of it increased their faith.

Abraham looked forward to it:

Hebrews 11:10
For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

And not only Abraham, but Enoch and Noah and all the patriarchs desired that heavenly city.

Hebrews 11:16
But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for He hath prepared for them a city.

And now we are privileged to be given a first hand description of some of the beauty and details of that great city. Of course its number one attribute is that our Father will be there.

Rev. 21:11 Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

The glory of God is that beautiful multicolored sparkling rainbow, the "shekinah" glory, that surrounds our Father. Do you remember we read of that glory and the jasper, etc. in the 4th chapter when John described God's throne and He that sat on it?

 

Rev. 4:3
And He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.

       

And so it is written that our Father will be with the beautiful new city descending out of heaven.

Rev. 21:12 And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

We are reading the actual description of the eternal city.

Think about it! It is so easy for us to read parts of the Bible such as this as if it was story, and miss the reality of what is written. This is for real. It shall descend from heaven and contain twelve gates, one for each of the 12 Tribes of Israel. And the rest of the nations will be there also as we shall see in verse 24.

[Rev. 21:13] On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

All that Revelation tells us is that there will be twelve gates, three on each of the four sides, and they will contain the names of the tribes of Israel. If we want more details all we have to do is read the rest of the Bible, it's all there. Ezekiel, for example, tells us whose name is on which gate:

Ezekiel 48:31-35
And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. [32] And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan. [33] And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun. [34] At the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali.

And the name of the entire city for all of eternity is
"The LORD is there", Yahveh Shamma.

[Ezekiel 48:35] It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there.

Let's continue with the description of the city.

Rev. 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

We just read of the 12 Patriarch's names being written on the twelve gates and now the 12 Apostle's names are written on the twelve foundations.

Note:  Do you remember in chapter 7 of Revelation that two of the tribes of Israel were left out of the sealing of the 144,000? Well, if you notice carefully in Ezekiel's description of the gates of the city that all 12 original tribes are represented, or shall we say restored. Does it not follow that the 12 Apostles written on the foundations will also be the original twelve, i.e. restored?  It is written that Judas repented for that which he had done and was then murdered by the kenites so that he wouldn't expose them. Jesus said that the Father gave all 12 disciples to Him, including the one who would fulfill the role of betraying Christ, just as it was written. One thing is for certain, however, and that is that we are not the judge.

Rev. 21:15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

This golden reed, like a plant stem or yardstick, is to measure length, height and width for dimensional purposes only.  It is not the same as the reed we read of in chapter 11 that was "like unto a rod", which means it was to measure for the purpose of destruction.

[Rev. 21:16] And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

Amazing, isn't it? The city is foursquare and about 1500 miles wide and 1500 miles high. Of course if it were centered in Jerusalem, 750 miles west would be in the Mediterranean Sea, but you will recall in verse 1 of this chapter, there are no more seas at this time. The waters have returned to the canopy in the firmament above the earth.

[Rev. 21:17] And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

A cubit is the length from the elbow to the tip of the fingers, usually of the ruler at that time of history. Since this is a perfect city, then the cubit that this angel used would be of He who is perfect and rules that great city, even Christ.

[Rev. 21:18] And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.

How else could John describe the materials of another dimension? Brilliant translucent stones and transparent glass-like gold really only give us a glimpse, for we see only darkly behind the veil.

[Rev. 21:19] And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

[Rev. 21:20] The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

These twelve stones are the same stones that the Levitical priests wore in their breastplates, each one representing one of the 12 Tribes of Israel.  We find them listed in Exodus 28:17-21 "And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. [18] And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. [19] And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. [20] And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. [21] And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes".

Rev. 21:21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

Ah, the famous Pearly Gates of Heaven (now on earth), mentioned thousands of times each day in jokes about people who have died and are waiting at the Pearly Gates where they are greeted by St. Peter. Hmmm... we read earlier whose names were on these gates and guess what?
St. Peter's name wasn't there. Now that's funny!

[Rev. 21:22] And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

We knew that. Christ said He was the temple:

John 2:19-21
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. [20] Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? [21] But he spake of the temple of his body.

Rev. 21:23 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.

That is correct, Jesus Christ is the light of the world. And when the brilliant "shekinah glory" emanating from God bounces off the water canopy 1500 miles above the earth, the entire earth will be illuminated from within.


This thought always brings to mind the awesome experience of the "Aurora Borealis", the northern lights, also called the "northern dawn", which I was so privileged to witness some years ago while traveling north in Canada. As breathtakingly beautiful as they are, I can only imagine that they are but a dim view of the emanations of the "shekinah glory" to come.

[Rev. 21:24] And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

Yes, there are the different "races" present in the eternity and this verse documents that fact. The Greek word translated "nations" used here is "ethnos", meaning the ethnic peoples of the world, who are all those races who are not of the 12 tribed House of Israel.

It is too bad that the Four Hidden Dynasties, especially those of both religion and education, have brought forth the humanist doctrine that there are no differences between the races. Of course there are and there always has been, and furthermore, there always will be even throughout eternity. But then of course the humanist also teaches that everyone is the end product of the evolution of organic slime.
They are not too bright, are they?

However, if the truth of God's Word were taught, that we are all equally God's children, i.e. created by Him, and loved by Him, then the racial and cultural differences would be looked upon as gifts from God for the purposes of His plan for His children throughout all eternity. "Variety is the spice of life" we say, and yet God is declared a "racist" for instilling differences into His children.

So as it is written, the races shall be present throughout the eternity and praise God for that. Furthermore, they shall be blessed to have their own kings to represent them and to bring their glory and honor into the great eternal city. Those kings (and queens) are those of their race who have and even now love and follow Jesus Christ and His Word, and who for their faithful service to Him shall lead their people into the promised land for all eternity.

And so as it is written, all nations of them which are saved, shall walk in Christ, and share in the glory of that city to come, which is heaven on earth!

[Rev. 21:25] And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

Not only shall the earth be illuminated 24 hours a day but the gates to the city will always be open to the nations of the earth to enter therein.

[Rev. 21:26] And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

[Rev. 21:27] And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

The "abomination of desolation" and the "father of lies" and all who followed in his path are no more!

And as it is written, the rest lived happily ever after!

What an incredible source of information this picture Book of Revelation has been to those of us who have willingly taken the time to SEE the PICTURES and then read the simple explanations of the symbols and imagery used by the Holy Spirit to teach us.

We have now come to the 22nd and final chapter of this remarkable book where we continue, since chapter 21, verse 9, to read about the glorious new Holy City of Jerusalem which our Father will bring down out of heaven to this earth, wherein He shall dwell with His children for ever and ever. And since the entire Godhead will now be present on earth, heaven will be here also.  So you see, the earth is our home for ever and ever, for Heaven and Earth shall be as one!

Let's continue now with the angel still giving John a grand tour of the City of God.

Rev. 22:1
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.

Remember, this is what it looked like to John. The only way he could describe that which emanated and proceeded forth out of the throne of God and of the Lamb was that it looked like a river of water of life, only it was pure and clear as crystal.

Note: It is highly recommended for those who would like more insight into the river of water of life, that they read "Jacob's Pillar", A Biblical Historical Study, by E. Raymond Capt, M.A., A.I.A., F.S.A., Scot., published by Artisan Sales, Thousand Oaks, CA.    www.artisanpublishers.com   This book traces the rich history of the Stone which Jacob anointed and set up as the House of God. It was this same Rock that was carried in the wilderness which Moses struck and the "river of water proceeded forth" to quench the thirst of the people. It was this same Rock that Jeremiah took along with the daughters of the last king of Judah, king Zedekiah, to the shores of Ireland whereupon the marriage of Eochaidh and Tamar Tephi, the King and Queen of Ireland, took place. It is this Rock upon which virtually every king and queen of Ireland, Scotland and England has been coronated. Yes, even King James who decreed the English translation of the Bible was coronated on this Rock and it has resided under the English coronation throne in Westminster Abby from the 1300's until just recently when John Majors, the former Prime Minister of England, had it moved to Edinburgh Castle in Scotland at the request of the Scots who claim to be its rightful owner.

Rev. 22:2 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.

This is another PICTURE. Can you visualize it?  See a crystalline river proceeding forth from God's throne with the tree of life standing on each bank. And each month the tree brings forth fruit to be eaten and leaves to maintain the wellness of the nations.

Yes, I can SEE the PICTURE, but what does it mean?

Well, let's start with the "tree of life". If you have read all of God's Word then you encountered the "tree of life" in the very first book of the Bible, for He was in the midst of the garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:22
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

The tree of life, when its fruit is eaten, grants eternal life. The tree of life is symbolic of Jesus Christ. And He "feeds" His people. He always has and He always will, even throughout the eternity as we just read in Rev. 22:2. He is the "bread of life" just as He is the "tree of life".


And we read in the messages to the churches that all those who overcome will be given to partake of the tree of life which is where? In the midst of the paradise of God!

Rev. 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Well what is the fruit that the tree bares each month? I know, it's very hard to get apples and oranges out of our heads, isn't it? Well we just read of the Holy Spirit proceeding forth from the throne of God as a river of the water of life! What are some of the fruits of the spirit?

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

There are other fruits of the spirit. Do a word search and seek, and ye shall find.

Well, how about the leaves? Are people going to get sick and need medicine? Imagine after all the times we've discussed the incorruptible body, the spiritual body, which never hurts or pains, that we can come right back with a question like that?

The Greek word for "healing" is "therapeia" from which we get our word "therapy". Therapy is when you "do something" in order to maintain or improve a condition. The leaves therefore will be therapeutic for the nations, for they will bring forth exciting things for the nations to do throughout eternity and throughout this expansive universe that will "treat" their mental well-being, i.e. keep them from ever becoming idle minded or devoid of interest. Yes, it's in the leaves. How sweet it is.

Rev. 22:3 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:

Again, every cursed thing and all that offends have been completely consumed in the lake of fire. They are GONE, i.e. there shall be no more accursed thing!

[Rev. 22:4] And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads.

When the bride gets married her last name changes to her husband's name.

[Rev. 22:5] 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.

[Rev. 22:6] And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

So the grand tour and the true and faithful sayings weren't just for John, but for all the servants of the Lord God. And thank God, now we know. Imagine if we had listened to those who call themselves ministers of God and yet tell their people not to read the Book of Revelation.
We would have been robbed!

Rev. 22:7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

And the very last words that John hears before he returns to his lot on the isle of Patmos are from the Lamb of God Himself. It is he or she that keeps and does the sayings of the prophecy of this book that shall be blessed! No other therapy will work!

Next we will see John come back from the future to his time and return to planet earth from heaven. We will then conclude the incredible edible Book of Revelation. John has just return to the Isle of Patmos and the realization of what has just happened suddenly overcomes him.

Rev. 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

We can only imagine the overwhelming impact it must have had on John when the reality of being taken to heaven, to the very throne of God, and witnessing the awesome events described in this book, finally "hit home". And so he fell down to worship before the feet of the angel. That's a "no no", and I'm sure but for the emotion of the moment that he knew better. "Welcome back to the flesh and humanity", John!  However, we will learn and even gain a "revelation" from John's mistake as our Father once again turns a lemon into lemonade.

[Rev. 22:9] Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

This is a very revealing verse. The angel makes it perfectly clear that he is "one of us" who has lived in the flesh, from among our brethren the prophets. He is a fellowservant and he lets us know that he is living testimony to keeping the sayings of this book, to being a "doer" of what Christ just said in verse 7, "...blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."

However, the main point being emphasized by the angel is this: We are never to worship angels! And now that you know who they are, the angel is saying "We are never to worship each other", whether we are in our flesh bodies or whether we are in our spiritual bodies, i.e. angels. Worship only God.

[Rev. 22:10] And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Now wouldn't it be a "hoot", that's a slang expression used instead of dichotomous, if God had sealed the sayings of this book and then started it with verse one which reads: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: (Rev. 1:1)."

Of course if you listen to what many preachers and ministers tell their people, who blindly trust in them to show them the truth of God's Word, saying that they don't need to understand the Book of Revelation, then this is how they present Rev. 1:1 "The Secret and Sealed Sayings of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to hide from His servants things which must shortly come to pass;". A sealed revelation? I think not!

But as it is written, the "learned", the PhD's, the seminary graduates, the professors of theologies and philosophies, who should teach our people the visions and the words of the prophecies of this book do not understand it, and we shall learn why from great prophet Isaiah!

Isaiah 29:11
And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot; for it is sealed:

Ah, but the book is not sealed as we just learned, albeit they cannot understand it.

[Isaiah 29:12] And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned.

And so feeling unsatisfied from the "spin" of the so-called "learned", one asks their fellow church member, who says "You'll have to ask one of the "learned" men. I'm not a Rev."

Now here's the reason they cannot SEE and cannot HEAR the words of the prophecies of this book.

[Isaiah 29:13] Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

Yes, they go to church and they have a zeal for God, but they are never truly taught the depth of the love and the emotions and the rewards and the glory of our Father, which teaching causes the heart of the soul to draw ever so close to Him that He can draw ever so close to them. Why do they not know Him and why will He say "I never knew you" (Mat. 7:23)?

The answer is given in the last phrase of verse 13. For all they are taught about Him is taught BY THE PRECEPT OF MEN, the traditions of men. They are not taught line by line and chapter by chapter the wonderful words and the wonderful works of God.

And so contrary to the traditions of men, the Book of Revelation is OPEN and UNSEALED for all who will seek Him. And so we are all without excuse. And so will "action" be taken, or will the "status quo" remain just that?

Rev. 22:11 He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

Yes, the sayings of the prophecy of this book are UNSEALED, available for ALL to understand, and so your time and my time is at hand. And since we must all give account for our own actions, what you do about what is written is completely up to you. If you want to remain unjust, have at it! If you want to remain spiritually filthy, go for it. Just remember that our Father has given all of us a choice and He so desires that we choose to love Him. The following verse from Deuteronomy says it all:

Deut. 30:19
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

Therefore know this: Jesus Christ is returning soon and everyone will get what they deserve and be rewarded according to that which they have earned, i.e. according to their works. (No, we're not talking about salvation which is a free gift from God. But if a person wants some rewards they better have some righteous works.) Here are Christ's own words which we remember from verse 6 are "true and faithful", which means there's no doubt whatsoever that they are going to come to pass.

Rev. 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

[Rev. 22:13] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

"I am Alpha and Omega". We read these very words in the 8th verse of the beginning chapter of this book. Now with only 8 verses to go we read them again. And in between them we have been given the special and honored privilege of SEEING behind the veil the "things which must shortly come to pass" as revealed by Jesus Christ Himself. But even so we are now reminded in this verse that He is still the same as from the beginning and that His message is still the same and knowledge alone isn't enough. We must take action and be "doers", not just hearers. How fitting the next verse spoken by He who the apostle Paul tells us in Hebrews 13:8 never changes: "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever", the Alpha and Omega.

[Rev. 22:14] Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Blessed means happy beyond measure. Such are "they that do His commandments", for they have the right to the tree of life and may enter in through the pearly gates into that glorious and holy city which is so breathtakingly beautiful that words cannot describe it. But what about those who choose Plan B?

[Rev. 22:15] For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Dogs means "idolaters", lovers everything else except the true God, and sorcerers are "drug" pushers, dealers and users. Remember, we are back in 96 A.D., not in the eternity where the fate of those listed in verse 15 will have been fulfilled. Do you remember from chapter 21 verse 8 what their fate is?

Rev. 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Knowing this, you would think that the choice of Deut. 30:19 would not be a tough one, wouldn't you! Let's see:

Deut. 30:19. Choose one of the following:

        Plan A:  Life and Blessings

        Plan B:  Death and Cursings

Jesus has a few more final words for us.

Rev. 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

So has your church brought forth the testimony of the Revelation that Jesus Christ specifically sent to them? Or are they teaching you that you will fly away when these events occur? Or are they busy teaching you how to be a good Christian by giving to this charity and that missionary?

And speaking about the churches, Jesus reminds us that He is the One who holds the Key of David that the Church of Philadelphia uses to unlock and bring forth the testimony of which He just spoke. Remember, there are only two out the seven churches that Jesus found no fault with, Smyrna and Philadelphia. The are rest are busy with their traditions!

And remember He also said while addressing those churches that He has something special for those who overcome: Rev. 2:28 "And I will give him the morning star." Jesus is that bright and morning star.

Or, you can choose to follow Plan B and fall with the anti-star, the son of the morning.  Isaiah 14:12 "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!.."

Rev. 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

And so the Holy Spirit and the bride say "Come", which is "take action". And if you have "ears to hear" then you are also to say "Come", take action. And if you thirst for the hearing of the Word of God during this time of the great famine (Amos 8:11), then come and hear what saith the Spirit and the bride and those who have eyes to see and ears to hear. And anyone who is willing, anyone at all, of any race, of any gender, of any sect or creed, may take freely of the water of life. The choice is yours. There is neither fee nor tax.

Christ continues in summation:

[Rev. 22:18] For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Go ahead, teach "Rapture" fly away doctrines and traditions of men that are not to be found in the Word of God. You'll be sure to get your reward. Jesus promised!

[Rev. 22:19] And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Go ahead, tell people that they don't need to read the Book of Revelation or that it's just a matter of interpretation, so why bother! You'll be sure to get your reward. Jesus promised!

Now for the Revelation of the 7th and final solemn warning by our Lord and Savior that He shall return:

[Rev. 22:20] He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Even so Lord Jesus, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."

[Rev. 22:21] The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

To study the Bible is the noblest of all pursuits; to understand it, the highest of all goals.
We pray that with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you accomplish both.


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