The end has come. Final judgment is about to take place. As in a court of law on earth, so now in the universe. Crimes have been committed. Accusing fingers have been pointed. Charges have been made. As a result of those charges, investigations have been made. Books have been kept. Everything relating to the charges have been investigated. The condemned have been found guilty. But with any judicial system, there is a review panel to be seated to review the justice of the whole process.
At this time there is no burning lake to burn in. The wicked have been consumed by the brightness of His coming. They lay dead over the face of the whole earth. The birds are allowed to come and have a feast devouring the flesh of the wicked.
All the righteous “came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4. This is what is spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. The righteous have been taken off this planet and have returned with Jesus to the Holy City in heaven. There the righteous will open the books and judge the wicked and the evil angels. Every case will come up before them to judge. Was God just in letting me into heaven and not that person? Why was not that person allowed to come to heaven when he looked so religious in the eyes of man? All the answers will be written in their books for us to examine the secret things of their hearts.
The devil is thrown into the Abyss and chained there. This is symbolic of Lucifer being confined, with his angels, to this world. At this time the world is a mess. It has been destroyed by the coming of Jesus. The earthquakes, tidal waves, meteorites and other calamities have left the earth much the same way it was before Jesus began to form it in the beginning.
The word “Abyss” in the NIV is much the same in meaning as the word, “formless” and “empty” in Genesis 1:2. There is nothing here. All has been destroyed. The devil is “chained” here and there is no one to tempt. How terrible for him! The rest of the dead are not alive suffering somewhere, they are dead “and did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” Revelation 20:5.
“When the thousand years are over” and all are satisfied with the justice of God, the righteous come back to this earth. The city of God comes down to this earth and settles on the mountain of Jerusalem. Jesus claims His own. This is His mountain and the devil can’t have it.
The wicked are raised to life and the devil goes out “to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth… to gather them for battle.” “They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves.” Revelation 20:8, 9.
As the army of Satan advances against the city, Jesus is lifted up. His throne rises above the city and seems to fill the whole sky. Every eye is riveted upon that face of love. He is the judge of the whole earth; yes the whole universe.
The army comes to a halt. There is not a sound throughout the earth. The wicked now know that their continued rebellion is useless. They cannot win against the Majesty of Heaven. Their rebellion has only cost them their eternal life, happiness and the ruin of those they loved. Selfishness! That is all they lived for. Their whole lives have been in rebellion against the truth. Against righteousness. Against the children of God.
“Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them.” Revelation 20:11. The whole sky becomes a panoramic HDTV. The history of earth is replayed from the beginning of creation. Each person will be able to see the role he or she played in the history of this world. Every act will be revealed. Every thought discerned. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” Revelation 20:12.
There is no doubt as to who is responsible for their salvation or death. Each one is judged according to what they have done. Each will look at his/her actions in the light of God’s eternal law, the Ten Commandments. Every rebellious act will be seen in its true, selfish light. After everyone has seen the part he/she has played in the warfare for this planet earth, the final judgment is passed out. The wicked, the rebellious, the stiff necked, the prideful, the selfish, the liars and all commandment breakers will all be sentenced to eternal death. This includes all who made church more important than obedience to Jesus.
“But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 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.” “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.” Revelation 20:9, 10, 14.
The concept here of “for ever and ever” does not mean that it will never go out. Jude makes very clear what is meant by that term. “In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.” Jude 1:7. Sodom and Gomorrah are not continuing to burn. But the destruction is eternal: for ever and ever.
This is a fire you cannot put out. The effects of it are for ever and ever. It is “the second death” not life. There is no life outside of righteousness. Only the righteous have eternal life. The wicked will not spend eternity writhing in pain and suffering. My God is a God of love. The devil is a god of suffering, torture and pain. But he is no longer alive.
This concept is expressed over and over in the Bible. Jeremiah 17:27 states, “But if you do not obey Me to keep the Sabbath day holy by not carrying any load as you come through the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle an unquenchable fire in the gates of Jerusalem that will consume her fortresses.” Was the fire unquenchable? No. It went out after the Babylonians set it ablaze. But it was a fire that had to burn itself out. No one could put it out.
Matthew 3:12 explains it again. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will clear His threshing floor, gathering His wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Unquenchable fire is the same as a fire that is for ever and ever. You cannot put it out. It is unquenchable. But after everything is burned up, it will go out naturally. But the effect of the fire is eternal.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.” Revelation 21:1. The earth and the fire that devoured it and the wicked are no longer. Everything has been burned to “ashes under the soles of your feet.” Malachi 4:3. And when it is done burning, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Revelation 21:4.
“It is done.” Revelation 21:6. No more sin. No more pain. No more burning. No more wickedness. All is clean. The universe now pulsates with the purity that has not been known since before the fall of Adam. Now it is clean. Once more to be pronounced by God as “good” as He did in the beginning. “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” Genesis 1:31. No burning there! Only those who have cleansed themselves through obedience to the Ten Commandments will be there. Only the pure who have been obedient to the Ten Commandments will be there. “But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:8.
Make no mistake about it, “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with Me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” Revelation 22:12. What reward will you get? Have you examined yourself against the Ten Commandments and the 7th day Sabbath to see if you are obedient? Are you pure and free from sin? Do you trust Jesus so much that you will believe Him when He says that you must obey Him in order to get to heaven? Or do you believe your minister or church that says you don’t have to do anything but “believe” or “saved by grace”? That belief had better translate into action and works. Those works of keeping the Ten Commandments.
Your works decide your destiny. You decide whether you go to heaven or hell. Your works will decide what reward you get. Please give your heart to Jesus and become obedient to His Ten Commandments. Jesus was obedient. Please follow His example. The Bible has given us the examples and the warnings, what will you do?
I beg of you, as Jeremiah begged the people of Jerusalem to leave Jerusalem to save their lives, so I beg you to come out of your church. Leave it now. Open up your home and use this book to hold Bible studies with. Listen to one of my favorite Bible Scholars.
“Babylon must apply to religious bodies that were once pure and have become corrupt. . . According to this scripture, many of God’s people must still be in Babylon. And in what religious bodies is the greater part of the followers of Christ now to be found? Without doubt, in the various churches professing the Protestant faith. At the time of their rise these churches took a noble stand for God and the truth, and His blessing was with them. . . But they fell by the same desire which was the curse and ruin of Israel – the desire of imitating the practices and courting the friendship of the ungodly.” GC
Look around you. If your church is not teaching the teachings of Jesus: Stop sinning, be perfect and keep the Ten Commandments to “get” your eternal life, then you must get out. That is how Jesus lived and that is what He taught. If your pastor, church or denomination is not teaching or living by the teachings and example of Jesus, get out now. Take everyone with you whom you want to see in Heaven. (Remember, it was tithe paying, church-going, Sabbath keeping people who were looking for the Advent of the Messiah who put Jesus on the cross.) Get out now!
If you are not living the perfect, sinless life, you are lost. Please, save yourself. Listen to Jesus and Jesus only and begin now to change your life.