John 5:28-29: "Marvel not at this: for the hour
is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come
forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
[Further Study]
Daniel 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt."
Acts 24:15 "And have hope toward God, which they
themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just
and unjust."
1 Corinthians 15:52: "In a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first."
1 Thessalonians 4:16: ".. . And the dead in Christ shall rise
first."
Revelation 1:7: "Behold, he cometh with clouds;
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds
of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."
Those who mocked Him and smote Him will be there. The priests and rulers will behold again the scene in the judgment hall. Then those who prayed, "His blood be on us, and our children," will receive the answer to their prayer.
1 Corinthians 15:52-53: ". . . And the dead shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
[Further Study]
Psalms 17:15 "As for me, I will behold thy face
in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness."
1 Corinthians 15:42-43 "So also is the
resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It
is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in
power:"
Philippians 3:21: "Who shall change our vilw
body, that it may be fashioned like unto his (Christ) glorious body, . . ."
[Further Study]
1 Corinthians 15:54 "So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then
shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."
Luke 20:36: "Neither can they die any more: for
they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the
resurrection."
1 Thessalonians 4:17: "Then we which are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in
the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
Isaiah 25:9: "And it shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord;
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
Revelation 6:16: "And said to the mountains and
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and
from the wrath of the Lamb."
[Further Study]
Isaiah 2:19-21 "And they shall go into the holes
of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory
of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall
cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself
to worship, to the moles and to the bats; To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into
the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty,
when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth."
Hosea 10:8 "The high places also of Aven, the sin
of Israel, shall be destroyed: the thorn and the thistle shall come up on their altars;
and they shall say to the mountains, Cover us; and to the hills, Fall on us."
Luke 23:30 "Then shall they begin to say to the
mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us."
2 Thessalonians 2:8: "And then shall that Wicked
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming."
Revelation 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."
Revelation 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."
1 Corinthians 6:2-3: "Do ye not know that the
saints shall judge the world? . . . Know ye not that we shall judge angels? . . ."
[Further Study]
2 Peter 2:4 "For if God spared not the angels
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness,
to be reserved unto judgment;"
Jude 6 "And the angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under
darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
Isaiah 26:21: "For, behold, the Lord cometh out
of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also
shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."
Jeremiah 25:33: "And the slain of the Lord shall
be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they
shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor burned; they shall be dung upon the ground."
[Further Study]
Jeremiah 4:25-26 "I beheld the mountains, and,
lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no
man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled."
Revelation 20:2-3: "And he laid hold on the
dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years, 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."
What is meant by the "bottomless pit"? Is it a big hole Satan would be thrown
into? The Greek word for pit is "abussos" and is the same word used in Genesis
1:2 for "the deep". If this same interpretation is used, then the earth will be
"without form and void" as it was before creation.
Jeremiah 4:23-26 "I beheld the earth, and, lo,
it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the
mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and,
lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo,
the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at
the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger."
This is easy to understand in light of the fact that prior to and after Christ's coming
there will be tremendous earthquakes, great hail will fall, nations will fall, islands and
mountains will be moved, etc.
Revelation 16, especially verses 17-21 "And the
seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of
the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and
thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men
were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was
divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came
in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of
his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there
fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent:
and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was
exceeding great."
Revelation 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."
Isaiah 24:1-3 "Behold, the LORD maketh the earth
empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the
inhabitants thereof. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with
the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the
buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker
of usury, so with the giver of usury to him. The land shall be utterly emptied, and
utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word."
Satan will be confined to this desolate earth (Revelation 12:9) with no one to tempt or
torment during this thousand year period, bound by circumstances. The wicked have been
destroyed by the brightness of Christ's coming (2 Thessalonians 2:8) and the righteous
are in heaven with God going over the records for the final phase of the judgment
(Revelation 20:4).
Revelation 12:9 "And the great dragon was cast
out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
2 Thessalonians 2:8 "And then shall that Wicked
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall
destroy with the brightness of his coming:"
Revelation 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."
Revelation 20:5: "But the rest of the dead lived
not again until the thousand years were finished."
If read in context this is a parenthetical sentence and refers to the second, not the first, resurrection.
Revelation 20:7-8: "And when the thousand years
are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive
the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, . . ."
Revelation 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."
[Further Study]
Revelation 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,"
Revelation 20:8: ". . . to gather them together
to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea."
Revelation 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."
The lake of fire was originally prepared for the devil and his angels, not human
beings.
Matthew 25:41 "Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels:"
If we refuse to accept the provision God has made through the sacrifice of His Son we will
share their fate as well.
Zechariah 14:9: "And the Lord shall be king over
all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one."
Matthew 6:24: "No man can serve two masters: . . ."
Joel 3:14: "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley
of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision."
On the glorious day of Christ's second coming we will each stand on one side or
the other.
Matthew 12:30 "He that is not with me is against me;
and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad."
We have a decision to make before that day comes. May we accept the wonderful provision
God has so graciously given us. Let us commit our hearts and lives to His will that we
may be among those who say, "Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will
save us" (Isaiah 25:9). Don't let Satan include you in the multitude that will fall for
his deception.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 "Even him, whose coming
is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not
the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned
who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."