Questions from Yahoo Answers #42

[James Blankenship]

Christians, how do you explain...?
in my previous question, i asked: Do you believe Jesus and some hand-picked Christians are supposed to rule for 1,000 years?

then i questioned how it was all supposed to work out with no conflicts

some Christian said, "You don't get it; God is going to make a Utopia"

well isn't that what Heaven was supposed to be? and we saw what happend there, Satan and some other guys didn't like the way things were being run and let their displeasure be known.

Ok.

We have just seen the forces of the Antichrist/False prophet destroyed at the Battle of Armageddon here:

Revelation 19:19-21 (New International Version)

19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest were killed with the sword coming out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

At the start of Revelation Chapter 20, we see this:

Revelation 20:1-6

1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Antichrist/False prophet have been thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Satan is bound from interfering with man for 1,000 years.

Now that Jesus is physically here on earth, and as Jesus is God, as I pointed out here:

solascripturaalone.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=son&action=display&thread=15&page=1

Nothing that is imperfect can stand in the presence of God. It is anathema to God.

We don't know what will happen to those people who may not have received the mark of the antichrist, (but had NOT chosen to give their lives to Christ), or had received the mark, but were NOT at the Battle of Armageddon. But we do know this:

Since sin is completely contrary to God, anyone who was left who did NOT have that personal relationship with Christ, by accepting the forgiveness of Christ's sacrifice for us cannot, according to the very nature of God, would NOT be allowed to live in a world that is ruled by Christ Jesus.

Although it doesn't say, it is likely that those unbelievers will be cast into hell, to await the final judgement.

But there will only be four types of people living on earth at the start of Christ's millennial reign:

The Old Testament saints.

The Believers who personally knew Christ who had died before the Tribulation period.

Those who personally knew Christ, who were killed because of their refusal to accept the Mark of the Antichrist DURING the Tribulation period.

And those who personally knew Christ, who came to know Christ, DURING the Tribulation period who were NOT captured by the forces of the antichrist.

These 4 groups of people will be allowed to live at the start of Christ's millennial reign, because they had CHOSEN to put their lives in God's hands, (through faith, for the Old Testament saints), or by their acceptance of God's free gift of forgiveness, through the death & resurrection of Christ Jesus.

In God's eyes-they are righteous enough to partake on the millennial kingdom

Now-people may ask-"How do we know that believers who came to know Christ during the Tribulation Period will still be there?"

I will explain.

Scripture clearly states, that when those who DO personally know Christ, when they die, will be given new, perfect, untarnished bodies, as seen here:

classic.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Corinthians%2015:35-59&version=NIV

These bodies, being spiritual, will not be able to reproduce, as Jesus Himself talks about here:

Matthew 22:30 (New International Version)

30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

There is NO Scriptural basis that angels were ever recorded as being able to reproduce.

Atheists/non-believer may ask-"well, what about the Nephillim?"

This is addressed here:

carm.org/questions/about-doctrine/what-are-nephilim

Since there is no clear agreement of who the "nephilim" were, we cannot definitely say they WERE angels.

Ok, going back:

Look at the next set of verses here:

Revelation 20:7-10 (New International Version)

The Judgment of Satan
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Now I can hear atheists/non-believers saying:

"How could Satan gathers an army as -in number they are like the sand on the seashore.", if the only people who were living during during the Millennial reign of Christ, were those Believers who had died before or during the Tribulation period. I thought you said that those Believers couldn't reproduce?"

The only logical explanation, would be that there WERE those Believers, (those who had come to personally know Christ DURING the Tribulation Period), that survived.

THESE Believers ARE still able to reproduce, because THEIR bodies are NOT spiritual. They are still mortal.

Now consider this:

Since there will be babies born during the Millennial reign of Christ, will they be born sinless?

The answer is NO, & there is NO Scriptural basis to believe that they would be.

Like their parents, they TOO will have to make the CHOICE to either accept the free gift of forgiveness offered through Christ, or CHOOSE t reject that forgiveness.

Consider that 1,000 years is a very long time to those who are mortal.

It is no surprise that there would be millions of children born during the millennium, who WOULD CHOOSE to reject the free gift of forgiveness that Christ offers, just as there would be those who CHOOSE TO receive that free gift of forgiveness that Christ offers.

I know that there are those people who would ask:

"Who is Gog & Magog?"

Bottom Line-we can't really be certain, & it isn't really important.

Before I continue, I must address the issue of what life will be like under the millennial reign of Christ.

We can only conjecture, but with Christ ruling on earth, I think it is safe to say that it will be nothing like what life on Earth is like today.

Look at what Christ says about Himself here:

John 6:51:("I am) the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;"

John 8:23: And He said to them, "You are from beneath; (I AM) from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ("I AM) the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, (I AM.)"

John 10:9: ("I AM) the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

John 10:11: ("I AM) the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

John 11:25: Jesus said to her,( "I AM) the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 14:6: Jesus said to him, ("I AM) the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 15:1:( I AM) the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.


I would say that is safe to conjecture that life will be, what people so often refer to as "Heaven on Earth".

We see that Christ provides for us. I see no reason not to believe that there will be no more wars, no poverty, no hunger-nothing that exists in our current world.

Jesus will supply all that we need.

And as to those Believers who survived the Tribulation-it is entirely possible that our aging processes will be slowed to the point that, while we would still age, it would be many times longer than humans can live now-possibly we who KNOW Christ, would live centuries.

But whatever the case-what IS important to remember , is that there will be those born during the millennial reign of Christ who will still reject Him-" In number they are like the sand on the seashore."

This army, lead by Satan himself, will surround the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.

I think we can accurately guess, that this city is Jerusalem. I would be logical that Christ would make Jerusalem the headquarters of where He would rule from.

And what happens when this army of Satan surrounds Jerusalem?

Revelation 20:9 (New International Version)

9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

And verse 10-11:

Revelation 20:10 (New International Version)

10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

This is God's ultimate victory. This is Satan's fate.

James