“One-third of mankind was killed by these three plagues, by the fire and smoke and the brimstone . . .”
Revelation 9:18
I believe that John saw all these missiles and nuclear warheads falling out of the sky and exploding. Thus, all the cities of the nations collapsed, and men cursed Yaweh because of this fiery plague. John could only use words which were familiar to him, so he speaks of seeing large objects falling from the sky and causing a plague. He calls them “hailstones.” But I believe that what he was actually seeing was a shower of missiles and nuclear warheads. This is the third and final plague of fire, smoke and brimstone. This is Armageddon.
The prophet Zechariah provides us with a chilling prophecy relating to this battle and the nations involved in it:
This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
Zechariah 14:12
When the atom bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the force of the explosions was such that the fire spread over an area of 30 miles in milli-seconds. People within that radius were burned to a crisp, vaporised, before they could move a muscle. This is what occurs with a nuclear explosion. This is why the above prophecy, written over 400 years before the birth of the Messiah, states that “their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets and their tongues will rot in their mouths.” Further evidence that the final battle of Armageddon is going to be a worldwide nuclear holocaust.
The Messiah is coming back to finish the battle and establish His reign on this Earth for 1,000 years.
He will not be entering Jerusalem on the back of a donkey this time, but on a white horse as a military leader, and he is going to exact revenge on his enemies and on the enemies of God:
I saw Heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called faithful and true. With justice, he judges and makes war.
The armies of Heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 19:11-16
The Messiah will go forth to do battle against the Beast and the False Prophet. These two will be captured and thrown alive into the lake of burning sulphur. All the flesh-eating birds will then be summoned to devour those who have been killed, and the birds will gorge themselves on their flesh. Next, the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, will be bound and cast into the Abyss for 1,000 years. At the end of this 1,000-year period, Satan must be set free for a short time.
When the Messiah lands on the Mount of Olives, the mountain will split in two. Half will move towards the north and half towards the south. Fresh water will gush forth from beneath the mountain and will flow half to the eastern sea and half to the western
(Zechariah 14:4,8).
Then Jesus will begin to establish His kingdom. Thus will we see the fulfilment of the prophetic prayer which has come to be known as “The Lord's Prayer”:
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth, as it is in Heaven.
Those who will be martyred because of their faith during the Great Tribulation will be resurrected to reign with Christ for 1,000 years. It will take seven months to burn the weapons which are left over after the final holocaust, but there will then begin a reign of peace, a time of Paradise Regained.
SECRET GARDEN
H
ave you ever wondered what it might be like to live in a hassle-free world? No more having to compete in the workplace, no more worries about bills, violence, murder, rape. Not having to put up with bad weather and bad news. A world in which you do not have to be concerned about the safety of your children or their future. A place where everyone loves everyone else and there is an abundance of food and long life. No more wars, no more starvation, no more inequality and injustice. Well, you've come to the right place.
When the Messiah returns to establish His kingdom, the world will enter a period of wondrous blessings for 1,000 years. It will be Paradise Regained. The Hebrew word for
“Eden
” in the Book of Genesis means “
garden of delights
.” Paradise is only mentioned three times in the Bible and it is always a place on the Earth. It has nothing to do with Heaven. When the Messiah comes back to reign, we will be entering Paradise. This future kingdom will be ruled by the Messiah, and He will rule with real justice.
When Jesus was dying on the Cross, we are told that three of the four men who were being crucified at the same time railed against Him and said:
“If you are the Son of God, then why do you not save yourself?
” And they cursed Him. But the fourth man told them to be quiet and said to Jesus:
“Remember me when you come into Your kingdom”
(
Luke 23: 40-42).
Then Jesus told this man that he would be with him in Paradise. (Please note that four men were crucified with Jesus, not two, but that's another story.)
Those of us who are saved will be with Jesus in this Paradise kingdom alongside believers (saints) who did not succumb to the mark of the Beast and thus survived the Great Tribulation. The believers who are killed by the Antichrist during the seven years will be resurrected and will reign with the Messiah for 1,000 years. Furthermore, Jewish saints from the Old Testament will be resurrected and will be present in this millennial kingdom. It will be our task to put the Earth back in order after the devastation caused by the holocaust. We are given much information about this period in the Old Testament. For instance, there will be no more war in this glorious time, for men will
“beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore”
(
Isaiah 2:4).
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Look at all the billions of dollars which are currently being spent on arms and on maintaining defence forces. This will be no more, for in this future time we will be using our energies to cultivate food for everyone â a great abundance of food:
“The days are coming,” declared the Lord,
“when the reaper will be overtaken by the ploughman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills.”
Amos 9:13
In other words, there will be so much food, year in, year out, that when one man is still gathering the crops, another man will be preparing to start ploughing again. So we will have no need to worry about where our next meal is coming from. Famine and starvation will be no more. There will be a renewal of the Earth's atmosphere and of the soil and the animal and plant kingdoms. Isaiah tells us of this future
“Garden of Delights
”:
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat.
The calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my Holy Mountain, for the Earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9
Sounds like a nice place to be! We are told that our lifespan will be a lot longer than at present. Indeed, to die at the age of 100 will be regarded as dying young. All is not going to be total perfection, however, for we are informed that Jesus will rule with a “rod of iron.” This would imply that some people will step out of line on occasion. However, the overall picture is one of a blessed existence of peace and prosperity, with the Messiah overseeing everything from his seat of governance in Jerusalem. When He returns to Earth to live and reign for 1,000 years, then those promises He made during his first coming will be realised.
Blessed are the pure in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the Earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the Sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:3-10
Interestingly, further on in this same chapter Jesus makes an informative statement:
For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the Law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:20
We were always taught that when a person dies they either go to heaven or to hell. But this is not true. When the Lord comes back to take with Him the believers at the time of the Rapture, then we who are alive will be brought to this place called Heaven for the duration of the seven years of the Great Tribulation. All those Christians who passed through the portal of death since the day of Pentecost will be raised and will be there, too. But the future for us and for the rest of mankind is here on Earth, first in the 1,000-year Kingdom of Christ and later in the New Heaven and New Earth. So He is coming back to reign. And our future is to be with Him on this planet called Earth, but in an infinitely improved state.
Eye has not seen nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man, the things that God has prepared for those that love him.
I Corinthians 2:9
During this 1,000-year period, Satan will be bound and no longer free to deceive the nations. Over time, the population will grow exceedingly. Then, at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be set free for a short time. After his release, Satan will corrupt large numbers of those living on the Earth and deceive them into mounting an attack against the people of God. We are given very little information about this period, so we cannot comment much upon it. However, is it not amazing that, after living in veritable Paradise for 1,000 years of bliss under the rule of the Son of God, man could once again rebel and choose to reject God and His Messiah? This illustrates the utter depravity and evil of the human heart. But we should not be totally surprised at this, for Adam and Eve lived in a perfect world, yet they made a free-will decision to disobey Yaweh. Also, before Lucifer fell he was the
“anointed cherub
” (
Ezekiel 28:14
) and he “
walked in the Garden of God and was perfect”
(
Ezekiel 28:13
), yet by his free will he chose to rebel against the Most High God. So people during this 1,000 years will live in a near-perfect Paradise, but they will still have free will and therefore will be responsible for their actions and decisions. When these followers of Satan launch their attack, they will be consumed by fire from Heaven. Then the devil, who deceived them, will be thrown into the lake of burning sulphur where the Beast and the False Prophet had been thrown 1,000 years earlier (
Revelation 20:7-10
).
After this there will come what are called the “Great White Throne” judgments. All the dead will be judged here. Whosoever's name is not found written in the Book of Life will be thrown into the lake of fire.
The last two chapters of Revelation describe a New Heaven and a New Earth. God Himself, our Father, is coming to live with Jesus, His Son, and with us in this new Eternal Kingdom. All of past history is but a mere preface to that day in the future when Yaweh will be joined with His family. Then He will be with His sons and daughters who chose to love Him by their own free will. He will have then what every father wants: children to share His love with.
Then I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth, for the first Heaven and the first Earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 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 21:1-4
Oh what a glorious day that will be! All the pain and all the tears and heartache and suffering of this life will be forgotten when this future dawns:
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18
This is the good news. This is what we have to look forward to. This is why the Messiah suffered and died and rose again. So that you and I might live. What fun and joy lies ahead for those of us who believe and await His return with patience. But only those whose names are written in the Book of Life will enjoy this future Paradise:
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendour of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts: “Be strong, do not fear, your God will come. He will come with vengeance. With divine retribution, He will come to save you.”
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and there will be streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will be there, nor any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing, everlasting joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah 35:1-10
But how may each of us gain access to this Garden of Delights and be spared a dreadful demise during the Apocalypse? To do this we must be part of the Great Escape.