Millennium or Eternity :: By Randy Nettles
Salvation is a biblical topic that all Christians should be able to agree on. The crux of it is found in John 14:6, where Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” However, besides the salvation issue and a few others, there are many subjects in the Bible where it’s not that cut and dry, and naturally, people will have different interpretations or opinions regarding the matter. This is especially true when it comes to prophecy or eschatological scripture.
Most of the contrasts or differences of opinion have to do with time or, more specifically, the timing of certain biblical events. For instance, the birth and death of Jesus. Most Bible scholars believe Jesus was born in either 5 BC or 2 BC. The most favored dates for Jesus’ death are 30 AD and 33 AD. Likewise, there are contrasting views on when Daniel’s 70th-week prophecy began. The two most popular dates are 458/457 BC or 445/444 BC. Most people who have read my articles over the years (since 2012) know which years I favor.
There are also different views on when the Rapture will occur. The three main opinions are pre-tribulation (before the seven-year tribulation), mid-tribulation (during the mid-point of the tribulation), and post-tribulation (at the end of the seven-year tribulation). Of course, some people don’t believe in a Rapture at all, only the Second Coming; and some don’t even believe in Jesus’ Second Coming.
There are many different opinions regarding the timing of eschatological events in the Book of Revelation. For example, do the 21 judgments of God (7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls) occur during the entire seven years of Daniel’s 70th week (the Tribulation) or just the last three-and-a-half years? I think most scholars today believe the 21 judgments will last the entire seven years.
According to prophecies in Daniel 9:27, Matt 24:15, and 2 Thessalonians 2:4, we know a Temple will exist in Israel at the beginning of the Great Tribulation (the last 3.5 years of Daniel’s 70th week). This is confirmed in Revelation 11:1 where John is being told to measure a Temple and count the worshipers there shortly before the Great Tribulation begins.
“Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (Revelation 11:1-3). The Great Tribulation (also known as Jacob’s Trouble) will begin when the Antichrist commits the abomination of desolation in the newly built third temple in Jerusalem.
Another point of variance is the timing of the 1,260-day ministry of the two witnesses of Revelation 11. Does it occur in the first half or the second half of Daniel’s 70th week, or does it overlap? Many good scholars and Bible students differ on the timing of this event. Some believe their ministry will occur during the first 3.5 years of the Tribulation. This is the view of Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (and myself). Others such as Jack Kelley and John Walvoord believe it will occur more in the second half of the Tribulation, with some overlap during the first half. They believe the 1,260-day ministry of the two witnesses occurs after the third temple mentioned in Rev. 11:1-2 is complete.
I agree with Dr. Fruchtenbaum on this one. I believe the Great Tribulation begins around the time of the first bowl or vial judgment. The events of the two witnesses regarding their death, resurrection, ascension, and the subsequent earthquake (where a tenth of Jerusalem falls and 7,000 people die) occur during the lull between the 6th and 7th Trumpet judgments. Right after these events, Revelation 11:14 says, “The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly.”
To understand the importance of that last verse and the timing involved, let’s go back to Revelation 8:13, which takes place immediately after the 4th Trumpet judgment, where a third of the heavenly spheres are darkened. “And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'” There are three woes left which represent the last three Trumpet judgments.
The first woe of Revelation 8:13 occurs when the fifth angel sounds his trumpet and the terror of Revelation 9:1-11 (locusts from the bottomless pit) occurs. Verse 12 says, “One woe is past. Behold, still two more woes are coming after these things.”
The second woe occurs in Revelation 9:13-21 when the sixth angel sounds his trumpet and the four angels that are bound at the Euphrates River are released to kill a third of mankind. However, the second woe is not mentioned at the end of chapter 9 and doesn’t show up until Revelation 11:14, as we have mentioned before. This tells us that the events of the two witnesses at the end of their ministry occur in chronological order between the 6th and 7th Trumpet judgments.
The seventh angel sounds his trumpet in Revelation 11:15. Verses 15-19 describe what occurs when this angel sounds his trumpet. It officially begins Jesus’ reign in heaven (but not on earth yet). The Lord has taken up the Kingdom He bought and paid for at the cross and is now set to claim it. “Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm” (Rev. 11:19). About the time of the opening of God’s temple in heaven, the abomination of desolation in the temple in Jerusalem is occurring on earth. God is not happy, to say the least!
Here are more of God’s signature warnings of impending judgment. In Heaven, the Great Tribulation has begun, and the first order of business is to get the enemy out of there. This is when the prophecy of Revelation 12:7-9 is fulfilled. Satan and his angels are cast to the earth and are no longer allowed in heaven. This was also foretold long ago in Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:17.
The result of Satan and his angels being cast out of heaven is terrific news for those souls in heaven but terrible news for those on earth. “Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ‘Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time'” (Revelation 12:10-12).
Here, we see the third and last woe mentioned in Revelation 8:13. This is confirmation that all of the events from Revelation 8:13 to Revelation 12:12 are in chronological order. Although the abomination of desolation isn’t mentioned in Revelation, the after-effects of it are discussed in Revelation 12:13-17, where the children of Israel will flee from the Antichrist. This A.O.D. moment in eschatological prophecy is captured in Matthew 24.
“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:15-22). Verse 19 even mentions the third woe of Revelation 12:12.
The seventh trumpet judgment ushers in the seven bowl judgments of Revelation 16. After these judgments are finished, the wrath of God is complete and the events of Revelation 19 begin. The marriage of the Lamb in heaven is mentioned in Revelation 19:7-8. Then Verse 9 says, “Write: Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!” Notice the angel tells John to write about the blessed ones who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This indicates to me that it doesn’t take place in heaven at this time. I believe it will take place on the earth after Jesus’ millennial reign begins. Everyone, including the guests (Old Testament believers and Tribulation martyrs), will be in their best attire, their new spiritual bodies, so they can enjoy the wine and food.
The glorious return of Christ on a white horse and his heavenly armies are detailed in Revelation 19:11-16. The slaughter of Christ’s enemies is discussed in Revelation 19:17-21, along with the capture of the Antichrist and the false prophet and their being cast alive into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:1-3 details Satan’s immediate future after these events. Nothing is mentioned regarding his angels/demons.
“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while” (Revelation 20:1-3).
After Satan is bound and cast into the bottomless pit, the judgment of the Tribulation survivors takes place. The judges of Revelation 20:4 are not named. “And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them.” I believe these judges are the Church, for Paul said, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2). He also said, “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”
Those souls who had a witness for Jesus and the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or his image, nor had received his mark on their foreheads or their hands, live and reign with Christ for a thousand years. Although not mentioned here, the Old Testament saints are also translated into their eternal bodies at this time, according to Daniel 12:2. This is part of the first resurrection, as I wrote about in Resurrection of the Dead and the Book of Life (rev310.net).
The rest of chapter 20 of Revelation, from verses 7 to 15, are events that occur after the millennial reign of Christ. Satan is released from his prison and deceives the nations once again (for the umpteenth time) for a short period before God crushes the rebellion by sending fire from heaven, which kills all the human rebels. Satan will then be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity. After this terrific event, all the rebellious non-believers from all time will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. Death and Hades will also be cast into the Lake of Fire.
According to who you ask, the timing of “a new heaven and a new earth” of Revelation 21:1-2 is now in question. “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” Since these verses come after the events of Revelation 20:7-15, it appears that these events will occur after the one-thousand-year reign of Christ (plus a little season) is completed.
Most scholars believe a new heaven and earth will be made after the old ones have been destroyed by fire, as reckoned mostly from 2 Peter 3:10. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
These scholars, which include Dr. Fruchtenbaum and John Walvoord, believe the events of Revelation 21 (including the descension of the heavenly New Jerusalem) and Revelation 22:1-5,14-15 occur after the millennial reign of Christ. The new earth and the New Jerusalem will be home for all redeemed and translated human beings for all eternity. This “new age” is called the Eternal Order by many.
Many Old Testament scriptures refer to Christ’s eternal (forever) rule and kingdom. The sons of Korah wrote this one referring to Christ (who is God), “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions” (Psalm 45:6-7). In the last verse, the first ‘God’ mentioned is the Son, and the second ‘God’ mentioned is the Father.
Isaiah wrote about this eternal kingdom, “Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this” (Isaiah 9:7). Daniel also wrote about the eternal kingdom. “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).
However, Jack Kelley has a different take on the timing of the events of Revelation 21 and 22. He believes the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem occur during the Millennium. The Earth will undergo drastic topographical changes due to the judgments from God, earthquakes, volcanoes, and asteroids during the Tribulation. God will also make additional changes to restore the Earth to the condition it was in before the flood, even before the Fall.
Jack writes,
“I think the Book of Revelation is pretty much written in chronological order, but there are exceptions to this. One exception is when there’s too much happening for John to explain it all at once because we can only talk about one thing at a time. The other exception is when it makes more sense to follow a thought to its conclusion even though its end takes you out of the time frame of its beginning.
Revelation 20:7-15 is a good example of this. John followed Satan’s story to its end, spanning the entire 1000-year Millennium to do so, including the Great White Throne Judgment. Then, he backed up to the beginning of the Millennium to describe the New Jerusalem in Rev. 21. Several clues confirm this. First, Rev. 20:7 begins, “When the thousand years are over….” Then Rev. 21:1 opens with a direct quote from Isaiah 65:17, which is about the millennium on Earth, and goes on to describe the New Jerusalem. Rev. 22:1-2 is a summary of Ezekiel 47:1-12, another millennial passage.” {1}
Isaiah 65:17 begins with, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth.” The rest of Isaiah 65:18-25 describes life in the Millennium. The English word ‘new’ is a translation from the Hebrew word ‘hadas’, which means a new, new thing, or fresh. It could be the new heavens and earth are not ‘new’ but ‘fresh’ as in remade or remodeled. The same could be said of a new heart and a new spirit in Ezekiel 36:26. The word fresh could be substituted, so the verse says, “I will give you a fresh heart and put a fresh spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”
The same could be said about the resurrection of the dead and the transformation of the living saints at the time of the Rapture. We are not getting new bodies, but our earthly bodies made out of earthly elements will be changed to heavenly ones. “It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:44). The Lord will use our original DNA and restructure it to take on a new or fresh body made for eternity. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Regarding there being no more sea (oceans) in Revelation 21:1, Jack Kelley writes,
“I believe Rev. 21:1 refers to the vast oceans on Planet Earth. At the time of the Great Flood, the mountains were raised and the valleys lowered to form the ocean beds that contained the flood waters. When the Earth is restored at the time of the 2nd Coming, this will be reversed. The Book of Revelation talks about the islands and mountains disappearing (Rev. 16:20). I think the water from the oceans will be taken back up into the atmosphere to restore the water vapor canopy that protected Earth from harmful rays in the days before the flood (Genesis 1:6-8) and permitted the long life spans recorded in the Book of Genesis. This canopy collapsed during the flood and fell to earth as rain (Genesis 7:11). {2}
So, according to this view, the New Jerusalem will come out of heaven during the start of the Millennium when the earth has been transformed to its original pristine glory at the dawn of mankind. Revelation 21:2 says the holy city will come down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Verses 3 and 4 refer to the translated Church saints that will live in the New Jerusalem during the Millennium. For the saints in the New Jerusalem, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain, for the former things have passed away.
Revelation 21:22 says there is no temple in the New Jerusalem, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The temple is normally where God’s throne is. Verses 23-24 say, “The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there).
The New Jerusalem will be close to Earth but not on it. It’s too big and tall to fit on the Earth. I think it will be the source of light for the Earth, as the Sun is now. Rev. 16:10 says that the 5th bowl judgment will plunge the world into darkness. Matt. 24:29 says the Sun, Moon, and stars will go dark at the end of the Great Tribulation. Quite possibly, light only returns to Earth when the New Jerusalem descends to the atmosphere above the Earth.
The light from Christ’s Shekinah glory will reflect off of the city, which is built with materials that reflect light extremely well and onto the earth. “The construction of its wall was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like clear glass” (Revelation 21:18). I believe the sun and moon will still be in the heavens, but the sun will not give light. According to Ezekiel 45:17 and 46:1,3,6, during the Millennium, there will still be “new moons,” so the moon’s shining must be because its surface is reflecting light emitting from the New Jerusalem.
Have you ever wondered about Revelation 21:27? “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If the new heaven, new earth, and the New Jerusalem of Revelation 21 refer to the time of the Eternal Order (after the Millennium), then there wouldn’t be any sinners left on the planet that could defile the New Jerusalem.
All the unbelievers would have been judged at the Great White Throne judgment and sentenced to the Lake of Fire. Revelation 22:15 says, “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” How could this verse be referring to the Eternal Order? These sinners and rebels will not be on earth during the Eternal Order. However, there will still be some living during the Millennium.
If these verses in Revelation 21-22 are referring to the Millennium, then the Great White Throne Judgment has not occurred yet, and there are still sinners and unbelievers on the earth. Only those Church saints whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life can enter into the New Jerusalem. As I said in my last article, I believe the names that have not been blotted out of the Book of Life will be transferred to the Lamb’s Book of Life after the Great White Throne judgment that takes place at the end of the Millennium.
In this interpretation, life on the ‘new’ earth in the Millennium for the Tribulation survivors is described in Revelation 22:1-5. “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads. There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.”
The throne of God and the Lamb are mentioned twice in these verses. Their thrones will be located in the temple on Earth as there is no temple in the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:22). This temple and throne are mentioned in Ezekiel 43:6-7, “Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me, And He said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever.'” The city of Jerusalem and the Temple and surrounding areas are described in Ezekiel 40-48 during the time of the millennial reign of Christ.
The “pure river of water of life proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb” mentioned in Rev. 22:1 is also described in Ezekiel 47:1-11. “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar” (Ezekiel 47:1). The water ran from under the temple and then grew into a river and collected into the Dead Sea, where its waters will be healed.
“When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes…. But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt” (Ezekiel 47:8-9,11).
Revelation 22:2 says, “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 “tree of Life” may or may not be the original “tree of Life” in Genesis 2. The CEV translation reads, “Then it flowed down the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations.”
These trees are for food, and they have healing properties. Ezekiel 47:12 describes them. “Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.” There will still be a need for medicine during the Millennium (but not in the Eternal Order).
Revelation 22:3-4 says, “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. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.” The curse referred to here is the curse upon the land after the Fall of Mankind, as recorded in Genesis 3:17-19. I believe these servants with the name of God’s name on their foreheads are the same 144,000 (with the Father’s name written on their foreheads) mentioned in Rev. 14:1-5 and Rev. 7:1-8.
Revelation 14:3-4 says the 144,000 were redeemed (bought) from the earth and from among men, being first fruits to God and the Lamb. They are Jews who have come to the saving grace of belief in Jesus as the Christ/Messiah. After the Rapture of the Church, they will realize their mistake of not accepting Jesus as their Messiah and will become believers and evangelists.
Somehow or another (God knows), it will work out to be 144,000 believers… 12,000 Messianic Jews from the 12 tribes of Israel. Of course, we all know that 12 is the number that is associated with the children of Israel in the Bible. If the Church was involved in any way in these Chapters, the number 7 would be involved, as in the 7 letters to the 7 Churches. 144,000 is not divisible by 7, so the 144,000 are not, IMHO, the first fruits of the Rapture, a view Jack Kelley believed.
I believe Arnold Fruchtenbaum has the best interpretation of these chapters in Revelation 14. He writes,
“The first verse of Revelation 14 presents what appears to be a millennial scene, with the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7 now on Mount Zion with Messiah, the Lamb. They have the name of God the Father on their foreheads, which is the seal that protected them from death (Rev.7:3-4). The question is: Why bring in a millennial scene at this juncture of the Book of Revelation? This scene shows that Satan’s attempt at total Jewish destruction will fail. They are the first fruits, a term that indicates the first of much more to come later. The very fact that the 144,000 are merely the first fruits of many more Jewish believers to come further points to the failure of the program of the counterfeit trinity.” {3}
So, if this is the correct interpretation, the 144,000 of Revelation 7:1-8, having the seal of the living God, the 144,000 of Revelation 14:1-5 having His (the Lamb’s) Father’s name on their foreheads, and the servants of Revelation 22:3-4 with the name of God on their forehead are all the same group. They will live through the Tribulation and enter into the millennial reign of Christ. Revelation 22:1-5 is a millennial scene on the new (fresh) earth and not the beginning of eternity. The throne of God and of the Lamb mentioned in verse 3 is in the temple on earth and not in the New Jerusalem, as there is no temple in the New Jerusalem.
I believe Jack Kelley got this one right, regarding chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation are events that occur in the Millennium and not the start of the Eternal Order. I have just come to this conclusion, as I always thought Jack was wrong on this issue, but after much research and thought, I have changed my mind. Rev. 21:2 and 10 refers to the New Jerusalem coming down from heaven as a bride of the Lamb. “Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2).
Why would the New Jerusalem, coming down from heaven, be described as a bride adorned for her husband at the end of the Millennium? After all, it would have been 1,000 years since the marriage of the Church to the Lamb in heaven (Rev. 19:7-8), which occurred right before the Tribulation was over. And why would it be called “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” after 1,000 years of Jesus’ reign on earth? That’s an old bride!
It is because the marriage of the Lamb to the Church has just recently occurred in heaven during the latter stages of the Tribulation, and the New Jerusalem (with all the Church) is coming down at the start of the Millennium. The marriage supper of the Lamb mentioned in Rev. 19:9 will take place shortly after this on the earth with the Old Testament saints and Tribulation martyrs attending as the friends or guests of the bridegroom.
I believe this marriage supper of the Lamb is mentioned in Isaiah 25:6-9, “And in this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord has spoken it. 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.”
As far as we can tell from Scripture, there will always be a Heaven and an Earth. At the time of the Second Coming, they will both be made new again, as in the Earth being restored to the way it was at the Creation. Both Jesus (Matt. 19:28) and Peter (Acts 3:21) called this the restoration of all things. That’s the way life will be during the Millennium. There are hints in the Bible that there will be another major re-make at the end of the Millennium, but there is no scripture that describes exactly what that will entail. This may be what Peter was referring to in 2 Peter 3:10.
“But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men…. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:7,10).
The Bible does not address Eternity except to say there is one. There are 382 times the word ‘forever’ is mentioned in the NKJV. In the New Testament Book of Luke, the angel Gabriel told Mary before she conceived, “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:31-33). Jesus’ kingdom will last beyond 1,000 years. His kingdom will be forever.
Amen, even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles
Endnotes:
{1} Is The Revelation Chronological? – Grace thru faith
{2} No More Sea – Grace thru faith
{3} The Footsteps of the Messiah, pgs. 265-266.
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