In this chapter, we will consider:
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The number of God’s people who have died in faith over the centuries, and who will be resurrected at Jesus’ coming, are likely to vastly outnumber those of his followers who are still alive at his coming.
We are told very little about what will happen to his followers in the short-term, except that they will be “caught up together . . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
This being “caught up” into the air, equates with the cry of the messenger to the ten virgins – “Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” The ten virgins were to go out to meet their bridegroom. In gathering the elect, it will be the work of the angels to bring those who accept their invitation to Jesus – “to meet the Lord in the air”. Those who were not ready, who had not focused their minds on being ready for the angel’s invitation, will be left behind, just as the five foolish virgins were.
We are simply not told what happens to the elect once they have joined Jesus in the air. We know, however, that they will accompany him as he descends to earth, for we are told we will go to “meet him”. When someone goes to meet a person who is approaching, they accompany that person as they finish their journey. They do not go with him in another direction. They go out to meet him.
Jesus is coming to establish the Kingdom of God on the earth, and so his followers will accompany him in the last part of his descent to the earth.
The scriptures make it clear that Jesus will not immediately take up his role as “King of kings and Lord of lords”. A lot must take place before he is accepted as King over all the earth:
He will carry out the judgment of his followers and professed followers.
The marriage supper of the Lamb with his bride (the immortalised saints).
The battle of the beast against Christ.
The judgment of God on the nations is discussed in greater detail in the book Revelation – A Message from Jesus about the Last Days5. Readers are urged to read that book. In this book, we will summarise what scripture has to say about this judgment on the nations.
The first thing to note is that the judgment is in two phases. The first phase (Revelation 8 and 9) involves the destruction of one third of the earth’s environment by four angels and the destruction of one third of mankind, initiated by two further angels:
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The destruction of one-third of the world’s population will mark the end of phase 1 of the judgments on the nations..
At the end of this first phase, Revelation 14 tells us that three angels will be sent to the people of the world with three messages:
Thus, the people of the earth who have not turned to God, and having experienced the devastating power of God in His mighty judgments against them and the nations, will now have an opportunity to accept Him. This is preaching of an unprecedented, world-wide, dramatic import! The earth and its people are staggering beneath the tremendous horror of environmental catastrophe and killing of enormous proportions. It will be well known that these events are the beginnings of God’s judgments on an evil world.
The message of this first angel is:
“Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment is come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the seas and fountains of water”. (14:7)
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passions.” (14:8)
By now, the beast and its supporting kings will have destroyed the harlot (Europe and the Roman Catholic Church known as Babylon):
“They (the ten kings) that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire . . .” (17:16)
The effect on the nations of the earth of the destruction of Europe and the Roman Catholic Church will be shattering. As the above verse indicates, this will be achieved, not by Jesus, but by the beast. The church, which for centuries men looked to as the “mother church”, will be gone, defeated, annihilated. Will this cause men and women to look to the only true God? The angel will certainly urge them to do so.
“If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also shall drink the wine of God’s wrath . . .” (14:9-10)
These will be the three messages delivered by these three angels to the people of the world to urge them to repent and turn to God. Whilst some will, many will not. Note again, that the above message is evidence that the beast is still ruling, even though Jesus is on Mt. Zion.
The time will come when God will cry, “Enough.” After giving the people of the world time to repent, He will not delay His final judgment any longer. There is a sense of urgency in Revelation 10 which warns that God’s plan to cleanse the earth will be delayed no longer. This marks the commencement of the second phase of God’s judgments on the nations.
This time, seven angels pour out seven bowls of wrath:
The first six bowls of God’s wrathRevelation 16
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We pause here to consider the position of the beast at this stage. All of this destructive judgment of God (both phases) on the earth’s evil will take place during the rule of the beast. The destructive force of God’s judgment will be seen by the beast as a direct challenge to its authority. This is no ordinary attack against the beast. The first phase of God’s judgment will be bad enough, but the second phase will be catastrophically devastating. And this time, the beast and its headquarters (throne) will be attacked directly.
The time for action by the beast has come. The only way to respond to what is happening is to attack God’s representative in Jerusalem, God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This attack is prophecied in Revelation 17:14:
“They will make war on the Lamb”,
and in chapter 16:14-16, where we are told that the beast will enlist the support of kings from throughout the world:
“To assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty . . . and they assembled them at the place which is called in the Hebrew, ‘Armageddon.’ “
This will be the long-awaited battle of Armageddon:
“And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies, gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army.” (19:19)
Surprisingly little information is given in scripture about how the judgment will take place. But enough information is given to tell us that there will be a judgment:
“We shall all stand before the judgment seat of God . . . Every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:10,12)
And:
“The Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:1)
These are just two of several passages of scripture alluding to the judgment.
Exactly how long after Jesus returns the judgment will take place is not clear. There is some evidence in Revelation 7 to suggest that it will not take place immediately. It seems that it will take place during the judgments on the nations.
In Revelation 7, we get our first view of the elect after they are caught up to meet Jesus in the air. We find them standing before Jesus to receive the seal of God in their foreheads:
“After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. (Revelation 7:1)
These four angels were told:
Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads” (7:3)
This instruction to the four angels takes place just before the wrath of God is poured out on the nations and people who will not worship Him. It seems that when Jesus first returns, his initial task will be to gather the elect and protect them from the terrible destruction about to be unleashed on the earth. This is entirely in accord with how God saved Noah – first the rescue, then the destruction.
As Revelation 7 progresses, the state of the elect changes. In the early verses of this chapter, the saints are to receive the seal of God on their foreheads. But the later verses of Revelation 7 speak of the saints wearing white robes, having made them “white in the blood of the Lamb.” (7:14)
Are we seeing a two-stage process for the saints? They are first sealed by the seal of God to protect them from the unleashing of God’s wrath upon the earth. The destroying locusts in chapter 9 of Revelation are told to torture only those “who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads.”
Then, at a later time, the saints are granted immortality. It is suggested that the time of being granted immortality will be at time of the judgment. The time when Jesus “will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world . . . “ (Matthew 25:34)
These words were spoken by Jesus at his first coming, on the Mount of Olives in the form of a parable, which is known as the parable of the sheep and the goats.
This parable gives us a clue as to where the judgment will take place. Jesus said:
“When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Befor him will be gathered all the nations (that is, people from all the nations), and he will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” (Matthew 25:31-32)
This parable is a parable of the judgment. Jesus said he would “sit on his glorious throne” to carry out this task of judgment, and consequent separation of the faithful from the unfaithful.
There is only one throne on which Jesus will sit – the throne of David which was and will be at Jerusalem:
“. . . He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:32-33)
It therefore appears that the sequence of events will be:
Jesus returns, and the elect (resurrected and living) will be invited by the angel of Jesus to come to meet him. Those who accept the invitation will be caught up to meet him in the air as he comes.
He will protect the elect from the terrible destruction of the nations by sealing them on their foreheads. (Note again this sequence of (a) tribulation, (b) saving of faithful ones, protection of them and then (c) an unleashing of God’s judgment on the evil of the world. We see this sequence in the lives of Noah and Lot).
All of this will occur before the judgment foretold in the parable of the sheep and the goats takes place. It is of course possible that the judgment will be held at some point in time during the judgments on the nations. It is equally possible that it will be held at the end of the judgments on the nations. We are simply not told just when the judgment will take place. We should also note that the judgment is unlikely to be a blow by blow description of past sins committed. The scripture is quite clear that our sins are forgiven now. The judgment will therefore not be a blow by blow description of past sins committed.
We have already seen that those in Christ will be caught up to meet Jesus in the air. This very act will indicate that those caught up are the saints. The judgment seat of Christ will therefore be a confirmation of that, and to have immortality bestowed by the Lord. On the other hand, there will be those at the judgment seat who are not in Christ, and who will not have immortality bestowed.
So, to sum up, it appears that the judgment of Christ will not take place immediately, but until it does, the saints will be protected from God’s wrath on the nations. When the judgment of Christ does take place, it seems it will be at Jerusalem, before Jesus, seated on the throne of David.
After the judgment of Christ, the marriage supper of the Lamb will be held. It must be after the judgment, for the bride is now immortal.
Revelation chapter 19 opens with great rejoicing at the destruction of the great harlot, named as Babylon in Revelation 17, and who is thought to be Europe and the Roman Catholic Church:
“ After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for His judgments are true and just; He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’ ” (19:1-3)
As shown from scripture earlier, it is the beast and ten kings who destroy the harlot. This is not done by Jesus, and it is done before the battle of Armageddon – the war of the beast and kings of the earth against Jesus.
Thus we read of the great rejoicing that the harlot has been destroyed. Chapter 19 then goes on to speak of the bride who “has made herself ready”, who is “clothed with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints . . . Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (19:7-9)
So it will be that the saints (the bride, now immortal) will join Jesus (the bridegroom) in the long awaited marriage supper of the Lamb. It will be a time of great rejoicing and thanksgiving. For long years and generations the saints have participated in the meal of remembrance of Jesus. “Do this in remembrance of me . . . for as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:24-26). But the marriage supper of the Lamb will be a celebration of the present, not the past. It will be a supper fitting for a bridegroom who has waited long to be with his bride, and for a bride who has served him faithfully as she waited for him to come. Together, they will participate in the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The actual arrangements for this supper are beyond our comprehension, for there will be millions of people involved. “A great multitude which no man could number.” (Revelation 7:9) However, nothing is impossible for our Lord who fed many thousands in Galilee from a few loaves and fishes. Just how and where the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place we are not told.
The scriptures have much to tell us about this final battle. Revelation 16:12-17. 17:14 and 19:17-21, are direct references to this battle (the battle of Armageddon), and there is evidence to suggest that Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 and Zechariah chapters 12 and 14 (from verse 3 onwards) are all descriptions of the war of the beast against the Lamb.
This battle will take place as a direct result of the judgments of God against the nations. It is suggested that the beast, along with all the nations in league with it, will decide that they have had enough, and will rise up against Christ with the objective of defeating him and to put an end to the devastating events which will be unleashed as the judgments of God on the evil of the world. .
The battle is likely to be quick and decisive. We are told:
“The beast and the kings of the earth (seemingly many more kings than the ten kings of Revelation 17) with their armies (will) gather to make war against him who sits upon the horse (Jesus) and his army”. (Revelation 19:19)
In the very next verse, John records:
“And the beast was captured, and with it, the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown into the lake of fire. . . And the rest (the kings) were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse. . . and all the birds were gorged with their flesh”. (Revelation 19: 20-21)
So it will be that the evil residing in the beast will be destroyed. There have been seven beasts throughout history, and all of them have oppressed and persecuted and killed God’s people. The seven beasts have been the kings of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece and the Caesars of Rome. The latter day beast has yet to arise.
Daniel, who wrote of the beast of the last days, was asked to interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a mighty image. This image, from Daniel’s day onward, included all of these oppressing kings/beasts.
The beast of our day representing Islam, will embody all of the evil and Godlessness of the seven beasts of Jewish history – for all of them were and will be anti-Israel.
The destruction of this final beast of evil will therefore mark the end of all the evil of these beasts/kings. This latter-day beast will embody a depth of evil and depravity , Godlessness and ruthlessness, much greater than all of the beasts before it. But as Daniel has prophecied, “It will come to its end by no human hand.” It will be destroyed by the hand and power of the Son of God.
Only after the beast has been destroyed, representing as it does the evil and Godlessness of mankind, will Jesus be accepted world-wide as King of kings and Lord of lords. He will then be worshipped and praised by everyone on earth. And all people will worship and love God, as the great Creator of heaven and earth and their loving Heavenly Father.
This will be the commencement of the new era of 1,000 years of righteousness, peace and justice prophecied in Psalm 72 and elsewhere and which the people of God have longed for and waited for. The proclamation of the seventh angel in Revelation 11 will then be made:
“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15)
Just how much time will elapse between the descent of Jesus from heaven and the beginning of the millennium we are not told. Enough time needs to be allowed for the judgments on the nation to be carried out, including a space of time between phase 1 and phase 2 of these judgments.
The actual length of time does not matter, for the elect of Jesus will be with him, and the passage of time will no longer be important.
At the end of the 1,000 years, there will be a judgment of mortal people who lived during the 1,000 years. Finally, death will be abolished. No further mortality, for all who live on earth will be immortal. We are told:
“(God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
In these loving words, we have a picture of a Father’s care for his beloved children. A Father who will, as fathers today will, bend down and wipe away the tears from His children’s eyes. It will not only be a day of great rejoicing for the saints, but also for our Heavenly Father, for at last, His children are all with Him, without sin in the world and the resultant punishment of death. Our relationship with our Father will then be closer than it has ever been throughout all the days of men and women on the earth.
5 Op. cit