Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: TGCC
Program Code: TGCC000010A
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00:15 Well hello, everybody.
00:16 It's good to have you back again. 00:18 Believe it or not, this is session number ten 00:21 of our series, The Great Cosmic Controversy. 00:25 And the subtitle, of course, is, 00:27 How God Clears His Name From All False Charges. 00:32 The title of our presentation this evening is, 00:35 The Controversy Ended. 00:37 But before we study this glorious climax, 00:40 let's bow our heads and ask for the Lord to be with us 00:42 as we study together. 00:44 Father in heaven, it's been a real joy to see how You, 00:48 step by step, solve the problem of evil 00:51 in Your beautiful universe. 00:53 And we just ask that as we study the climax, 00:55 that Your Holy Spirit will be with us 00:58 and inspire us to desire to be within the holy city 01:02 when it descends from heaven. 01:04 We thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer, 01:06 for we ask it in the precious name of Jesus. 01:08 Amen. 01:11 In this lesson, we are going to study the events that transpire 01:16 during the millennium and after the millennium. 01:20 Now before we deal with the events during and after 01:23 the millennium, we need to speak about the event that takes place 01:28 immediately before the thousand years begin. 01:31 And that, of course, would be the second coming of Christ. 01:35 In fact, if you go to Revelation 19:11-21, 01:38 you're going to see there it describes the 01:40 second coming of Jesus. 01:41 He comes on a white horse, 01:43 the armies of heaven are with Him, 01:44 and He comes and He destroys the wicked. 01:47 And then, of course, as soon as all of the wicked are dead, 01:50 then the millennium begins. 01:53 Jesus takes His people to heaven and the millennium begins. 01:57 Now there are three things that occur at the 02:00 second coming of Christ. 02:02 First of all, at the second coming of Christ 02:05 the earth is reduced to a desolate wilderness. 02:10 I want to read from the book of Jeremiah 4:23-27 02:16 where the condition of the earth is described 02:18 as a result of the second coming of Christ. 02:21 Here, Jeremiah in vision says, "I beheld the earth, and indeed 02:26 it was without form, and void." 02:29 So it's going to return to the condition it was in 02:32 before creation week. 02:33 Disorderly and void. 02:35 It continues say, "And the heavens, they had no light." 02:38 Do you remember at creation the earth was without form and void, 02:41 and there was darkness? 02:42 So the earth is going to return to the condition that it was, 02:45 at least to a great degree, that it was in before 02:49 God began the process of creation week. 02:51 So he says, " I beheld the earth, and indeed it was 02:53 without form, and void; and the heavens, they had no light. 02:57 I beheld the mountains, and indeed they trembled..." 03:00 Because there's a big earthquake when Jesus comes. 03:02 "...and all the hills moved back and forth. 03:05 I beheld, and indeed there was no man..." 03:09 So there are no human beings alive, according to this. 03:12 "...and all the birds of the heavens had fled." 03:15 The birds were gone too. 03:17 In fact, every living thing. 03:18 Verse 26 says, "I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land 03:23 was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down 03:28 at the presence of the LORD, by His fierce anger." 03:32 And then we have this very important verse, verse 27. 03:36 "For thus says the LORD, 'The whole land shall be desolate; 03:40 yet I will not make a full end.'" 03:45 In other words, what has just been described 03:47 is not the full end. 03:48 Because there are events that are going to take place 03:51 after the millennium, after the thousand years. 03:54 So when he describes here the earth without form and void, 03:57 the earth without light, the mountains trembling, 04:01 no human beings alive, no birds, the earth like a wilderness, 04:06 all of the cities broken down, that's talking about 04:08 what happens at the second coming of Christ. 04:11 But verse 27 says that is not the full end. 04:15 Because you still have the millennium and you still have 04:18 the events that transpire after the millennium. 04:21 So first of all, at the second coming the earth is 04:25 reduced to a desolate wilderness. 04:28 Second, all of the wicked will die at the 04:32 second coming of Christ. 04:33 Of course, those who died before the second coming 04:36 will remain dead. 04:37 But those who are alive when Jesus comes, 04:39 they will perish. 04:41 And all of the wicked will be dead 04:45 during the thousand years. 04:46 You can read that, for example, in Revelation 19:21, 04:50 where it says that the rest of the wicked were destroyed 04:53 by the brightness of the coming of Jesus. 04:55 In the third place, we know that immediately before 05:00 the millennium begins, Satan, and by the way, 05:04 his angels as well, will be bound to planet earth 05:08 for the thousand year period. 05:10 And he's bound here for two specific reasons. 05:13 Number one, so that he can contemplate the work of ruin 05:18 that he has worked upon this world. 05:19 See, now he doesn't really pay any attention to what's going on 05:23 because he's too busy. 05:24 But during the thousand years, he's going to have to sit 05:27 and he's going to have to look at what he has done. 05:31 And then secondly, he also is going to have time to 05:34 meditate upon what is going to happen to him 05:36 after the thousand years. 05:38 Because he knows very well what the book of Revelation 05:41 has to say about him at the end of the thousand years. 05:45 Now I would like to read from the book, Great Controversy, 05:48 page 660, where Ellen White explains why the devil 05:53 will be forced to remain here during the thousand years. 05:57 This is how it reads, Great Controversy, 660, 06:00 "Even the wicked are now placed beyond the power of Satan..." 06:05 During the millennium. 06:07 "...and alone with his evil angels he remains to realize 06:11 the effect of the curse which sin has wrought... 06:15 For a thousand years, Satan will wander to and fro 06:20 in the desolate earth to behold the results of his rebellion 06:25 against the law of God. 06:26 During this time his sufferings are intense. 06:30 Since his fall, his life of unceasing activity 06:35 has banished reflection." 06:37 In other words, he's so busy he hasn't had time to reflect. 06:40 "But he is now deprived of his power and left to contemplate 06:45 the part which he has acted since first he rebelled 06:49 against the government of Heaven, 06:51 and to look forward with trembling and terror 06:55 to the dreadful future when he must suffer 06:58 for all the evil that he has done and be punished 07:02 for the sins that he has caused to be committed." 07:05 So that's the reason why Satan is exiled to this wilderness 07:11 of an earth during the thousand years. 07:14 So these are the three things that happen 07:16 at the second coming of Christ. 07:18 Number one, what is it? 07:21 Number one, the earth is reduced to a desolate wilderness. 07:25 Number two, all the wicked die. 07:28 And number three, the Bible tells us 07:31 that Satan and his angels, primarily Satan, will be 07:37 bound to this earth for a thousand years. 07:40 Now we need to talk about what will transpire 07:43 during the millennium. 07:45 See, the second coming marks the moment when the 07:47 millennium is about to begin. 07:49 Actually, when Jesus arrives in heaven with the righteous, 07:53 then the millennial judgment begins. 07:57 Now as we have seen, all of the lost of every age will be dead 08:03 at the second coming of Christ. 08:05 Some will have died before Jesus comes, 08:07 and the others will die at the moment when Jesus comes 08:11 as a result of, not only His coming, but also the 08:14 plagues that fell before. 08:16 But this death of the wicked is not their final 08:19 punishment for sin. 08:21 You see, the Bible tells us that their punishment for sin 08:25 is the second death, not the first death. 08:27 You can read that in Revelation 20. 08:29 So even though they're destroyed by the brightness 08:32 of Christ's coming, even though some died before Jesus came, 08:35 still that death is not their punishment for sin. 08:40 Because God would not punish them without first 08:44 giving them their day in court. 08:46 So in other words, they are going to see their 08:49 judgment process as well. 08:51 And then God will execute the judgment. 08:54 But not until they have a chance to see 08:56 the record of their lives. 08:58 Are you following me or not? 08:59 So the second death is always after the thousand years, 09:03 after the millennium. 09:04 Incidentally, it's very clear that people who live on 09:09 this earth, we could call that their first life, right? 09:12 If they die, that would be their first death, right? 09:16 Now if they're going to suffer second death, 09:19 must they resurrect from their first death? 09:21 Of course. 09:22 And second death is what the wicked suffer, 09:26 and the devil suffers, after the thousand years. 09:30 So the question then is this: 09:33 What is the purpose of the millennial judgment? 09:36 Basically, the purpose of the millennial judgment is to 09:39 persuade the saved... 09:42 Because the saved will be in heaven with Jesus. 09:44 We're going to notice in a moment that they're going to 09:45 perform a work of judgment. 09:47 The saved have to see that God acted correctly 09:52 in leaving the wicked behind. 09:54 There will be some people missing in heaven 09:57 that the righteous were sure were going to be there. 10:02 And so there will be questions. 10:03 "Why were all of those people left behind?" 10:06 So during the thousand years, God is going to open the records 10:09 and He's going to show the righteous and the heavenly 10:12 beings why every single person on earth 10:16 was left behind and was not taken to heaven. 10:20 In other words, Jesus, along with the saints, 10:23 will perform a work of judgment. 10:24 You say, "Now is that biblical?" 10:26 Absolutely. 10:27 Let's go to 1 Corinthians 6:1-3. 10:31 1 Corinthians 6:1-3 10:35 Here, the apostle Paul is talking about lawsuits; that 10:39 Christians are not suppose to go to worldly courts when they 10:42 have something to settle with somebody in the church. 10:44 Notice verse 1. 10:47 The apostle Paul writes... 11:01 Isn't that interesting? 11:02 The saints will what? 11:04 Will judge the world. 11:06 By the way, when it says, "the world," 11:07 it's talking about worldlings. 11:09 It's talking about the lost. 11:10 It's talking about the wicked. 11:12 So he says... 11:15 "And if the world will be judged by you..." 11:18 That is, the Corinthian church. 11:20 Because he's writing to the Corinthians. 11:27 In other words, if you can't settle your little things here, 11:29 what makes you think you're going to be able to 11:30 judge all of the wicked, and Satan and his angels? 11:33 You say, "Satan and his angels? 11:35 Absolutely. Notice verse 3. 11:39 Paul includes himself and the Corinthians. 11:42 And we're also going to notice that those who were 11:45 beheaded because they did not worship the beast, 11:47 his image, or his mark will also participate in that judgment. 11:50 Actually, all of the righteous from all ages 11:51 will participate in that judgment. 11:53 So Paul says... 12:03 So does the Bible teach that the saints or the righteous 12:06 are going to judge the world? 12:07 Yes. 12:09 Does the Bible teach that the righteous 12:11 are going to judge angels? Yes. 12:13 Would that be the righteous angels, the holy angels, 12:16 that would be judged? 12:17 That would be ridiculous. 12:19 They don't need to be judged. 12:20 They're in heaven. 12:21 And so this is speaking about the fallen angels. 12:24 The saints will perform this work of judgment. 12:26 And you say, "Well why would the saints be involved 12:29 in this process of judgment?" 12:31 Well, just think about it. 12:34 Is it the case that while the saints are examining 12:38 these cases in the heavenly court, they come to 12:42 the case of an individual, and they say, 12:44 "Lord, you know, you should have brought this guy up here." 12:49 Do you think that's going to happen? 12:50 No. 12:51 Is there going to be any change of any case that is examined 12:55 of the world and of angels during the thousand years? 12:58 There's not going to be one single case 13:00 where the righteous are going to say, 13:02 "Well you know, God, You got this one wrong." 13:05 They will agree with God that every case that He decided 13:09 to leave those individuals there, He did it righteously 13:13 and He did it correctly. 13:14 So you say, "Why then would the righteous judge 13:16 during the thousand years?" 13:18 Because the judgment is not for God. 13:21 The judgment is for the righteous. 13:23 By the way, this is what I call, God's great audit. 13:29 What does an auditor do? 13:30 Does a good auditor doctor the books? 13:34 Does he change the books? 13:35 No. What does he do? 13:37 He examines the books to see if the accounting 13:40 was done correctly. 13:41 I also call it, God's great instant replay. 13:46 Does an instant replay change the play? 13:49 No. 13:50 The purpose of it is to show you if the referee 13:54 got it right or not. 13:55 But it doesn't change the play. 13:57 And so the purpose of the millennial judgment 14:00 is that the righteous are going to audit God, 14:03 in other words, to see that God made all of the right decisions 14:06 in leaving the wicked behind. 14:08 And also they will see the cases of Satan and his angels. 14:13 Let's go to another text that clearly says that the righteous 14:15 are going to participate in a work of judgment 14:17 during the thousand years. 14:19 Revelation 20:4-5 Revelation 20:4-5 14:31 See, it's talking about the righteous. 14:33 Judgment was committed to them. 14:47 "And they lived..." 14:49 That must mean that they died, right? 14:51 Because it does say that they were beheaded. 14:52 So if they were beheaded, they died. 14:55 And so it says... 15:07 Who are the rest of the dead that did not live again 15:10 until the thousand years are finished? 15:11 It must be the wicked. 15:13 So are you understanding this? 15:14 What are God's people going to do during the thousand years? 15:17 They're going to reign with Jesus. 15:19 And secondly, they are going to perform a work of what? 15:23 A work of judgment. 15:24 And the apostle Paul says who they're going to judge. 15:27 They're going to judge the world and they're going to judge 15:29 Satan and his angels. 15:31 They're going to examine all of those cases 15:33 and they will pronounce sentence. 15:35 Now I want you to notice also Revelation 20:11-12 15:39 where this millennial judgment is also described. 15:44 Revelation 20:11-12 15:56 Now this is describing the second coming of Christ. 15:59 And you say, "Now wait a minute. 16:01 Doesn't Jesus come sitting on a white horse?" 16:04 That's what Revelation 19 says. 16:06 Here it says that Jesus is sitting on a white throne. 16:09 So how can this be referring to the second coming? 16:12 Very simple. 16:14 The fact that Jesus is coming on a horse indicates that He's 16:17 coming as a conqueror. 16:18 Whereas the fact that He's sitting on a throne means 16:21 that He's coming as King of kings and Lord of lords. 16:24 And so the two pictures simply depict the fact that Jesus 16:29 is a King, and Jesus is a conquering King. 16:33 Now you say, "How do you know that this great white throne, 16:37 and One who sits on it, the earth and the heaven flee away, 16:41 how do you that's the second coming of Christ?" 16:43 Well it's very simple. 16:44 Let me read you a statement that we find in Revelation 6 16:48 which is describing the second coming of Jesus. 16:51 It says, this is verse 14... 16:58 So does the heaven vanish away at the second coming? 17:01 Yes. 17:09 So you see, the heavens and the earth roll away 17:12 at the second coming of Christ. 17:14 Now let's go back, once again, here to Revelation 20:11-12. 17:28 And now notice. 17:29 "And I saw the dead..." 17:32 That's an important detail. 17:33 It doesn't say, the dead who resurrected. 17:35 It says, "I saw the dead, small and great, 17:39 standing before God..." 17:41 Who are these dead that are standing before God, 17:42 the righteous or the wicked? 17:44 It's the wicked. This is the millennial event. 17:46 So it says, "...small and great, standing before God..." 17:49 Now the question is, how can dead people stand before God? 17:52 We've already studied this when it comes to the righteous. 17:55 How do the dead stand before God? 17:57 They stand before God through the record of their lives. 18:00 So Jesus comes the second time, and then what's going to happen? 18:04 The dead are going to stand before God. 18:06 Not personally, because they don't live again until after 18:09 the thousand years are finished. 18:11 They will stand there through their biographical record. 18:16 Are you following me or not? 18:17 So it says... 18:26 Notice that they're not alive, they didn't resurrect. 18:29 They're dead. 18:35 Are you understanding this? 18:37 Now let me read a passage from Ellen White, 18:40 which is just simply marvelous the way Ellen White 18:42 understood these things. 18:44 It's just matter of fact. 18:45 And once again it's, Early Writings. 18:47 It's the early Ellen White. 18:49 This is, Early Writings, pages 290-291. 18:52 "Then I saw thrones..." And she's seeing this in vision. 19:04 Is that biblical? 19:05 We read it in Revelation 20:4. 19:07 And then it says... 19:12 Is that in the Bible? 19:13 Yes. 1 Corinthians 6. 19:16 And then she says... 19:20 Notice, the wicked dead. 19:32 Then notice, is this an investigation? 19:35 The investigative stage? Yes. 19:37 Now notice there's also a sentence. 19:51 Is that the sentencing? Yes. 19:52 Has the sentence been executed yet at this point? No. 19:57 During the thousand years you have the investigation 19:59 and you have the sentencing, according to this. 20:02 She continues writing. 20:05 And I'm going to begin a little bit earlier 20:08 where we began before. 20:09 "Then they meted out to the wicked..." 20:20 It that biblical? 20:21 1 Corinthians 6, once again. 20:24 She continues saying... 20:32 Now the question is, is it going to be greater 20:34 with regards to intensity of suffering or it is going to be 20:37 greater in terms of the amount of time that he suffers? 20:41 Well Ellen White explains. 20:43 She says once again... 20:48 "He suffering would so far exceed theirs..." 20:52 That is, of the wicked. 21:07 So it's greater suffering in terms of what? 21:10 Length of punishment. 21:12 Because people are punished according to their what? 21:15 Their works. 21:16 It's simple justice. 21:19 So the events that are going to take place after the millennium 21:22 will last a lot longer than what we generally think. 21:26 Now when will their sentence be executed? 21:30 It's after the thousand years. 21:32 Let's read about it. 21:34 It's found in Revelation 21:8. 21:38 What was contained in the books that condemned the wicked? 21:42 Well, here we have the answer of what was in the books 21:44 that condemned the wicked. 21:46 It says there in Revelation 21:8... 21:48 "But the cowardly..." 21:51 Do you know why they were cowards? 21:53 Because when the death decree was given, 21:55 when they were commanded to worship the image, 21:57 and that they could not buy or sell unless they 21:59 worshiped the image, what did they do? 22:01 They were cowards. 22:03 That's right. 22:06 Unbelieving means that they had no faith. 22:11 "...murderers..." 22:13 That's the sixth commandment, right? 22:15 "...sexually immoral..." That's the seventh commandment. 22:18 "...sorcerers..." That's the first commandment. 22:20 Because a sorcerer claims to exercise the powers of God. 22:24 "...idolaters..." That's the second commandment. 22:26 "...and all liars..." That's the eighth commandment. 22:33 Were they commandment breakers? 22:35 And all those inside the city were what? 22:38 Commandment keepers. 22:40 Are you with me or not? 22:41 So do we know what was in the books that were examined 22:44 during the thousand years that condemned the wicked ultimately? 22:47 We have an inkling of what was in the books. 22:50 Now we've discussed then the millennial judgment. 22:53 Is it clear in your minds the purpose of the 22:55 millennial judgment? 22:57 Who's going to do the judging? 22:59 Jesus in union with the saints. 23:01 Who are they going to judge? 23:03 The wicked. And who else? 23:04 Satan and his angels. 23:06 Does God need to know why the wicked were lost? 23:10 No, because God knows everything. 23:11 What is the purpose of this judgment? 23:13 The purpose of this judgment is for the righteous to understand 23:17 that God was right in leaving every single 23:20 one of those people behind. 23:22 And the heavenly beings will also notice that, 23:25 because they will be observing the judgment as well. 23:28 Now let's talk about the post-millennial judgment. 23:32 Listen carefully now. 23:34 Have the wicked, and Satan and his angels, 23:37 seen their cases in a court of law yet at this point? 23:42 No. 23:43 Why? Because Satan is where? 23:46 He's bound on earth with his angels. 23:48 And what condition are the wicked in? 23:50 The wicked are all dead. 23:51 Have they had their day in court? 23:53 No. 23:54 There's been a day in court where the righteous have 23:57 done the judging along with Christ, but the wicked 23:59 have not seen the justice of their sentence. 24:01 And God would not execute the sentence without giving them 24:05 a fair hearing. 24:07 Are you with me or not? 24:09 Now after the millennium God will give Satan, his angels, 24:14 and the wicked their day in court. 24:17 God would not execute the sentence without showing them 24:21 why they were lost. 24:23 The purpose of this stage is to inform the wicked, and Satan 24:29 and his angels, as to why they were condemned. 24:33 Are you seeing why we have these stages of the judgment? 24:36 The judgment before the second coming of Jesus 24:38 is to convince the heavenly beings that 24:41 God has a right to bring His righteous people home. 24:43 Every single one of them. 24:45 The purpose of the millennial judgment is to convince 24:48 God's people that God was right in leaving 24:50 all those people behind. 24:52 And the purpose of the post-millennial judgment 24:54 is to convince Satan, his angels, and the wicked 24:57 that God has acted right. 24:59 What a God! 25:01 Only then will sin be eradicated from God's universe. 25:06 Because everybody will agree that God acted correctly. 25:11 Now we're going to study twelve post-millennial events. 25:14 And we're going to have to really motor, because 25:16 there's so much material for this lesson. 25:18 I should have divided it into two parts. 25:20 But it's too late now. 25:22 So let's go through twelve points that will take place 25:26 after the millennium. 25:29 Number one, Jesus will descend from heaven 25:33 after the thousand years with the redeemed saints, 25:37 and His feet will split open the Mount of Olives. 25:41 Let's read Zechariah 14:4-5. 25:44 Zechariah 14:4-5 25:47 It describes what we might call, the third coming of Jesus 25:51 after the thousand years. 26:11 Has that happened yet? 26:13 No, this is future. 26:14 Verse 5... 26:34 Are the feet of Jesus going to touch the earth 26:37 when He comes after the thousand years? 26:39 Yes. 26:41 Because the Mount of Olives will be what? Split. 26:43 It says His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. 26:46 At the second coming He doesn't touch the earth. 26:49 But after the millennium He touches the earth. 26:51 The Mount of Olives is split and this huge plain is opened up. 26:56 What is going to come down on that plain? 26:58 What is going to come down is the holy city, 27:01 the New Jerusalem. 27:02 Point number two, Jesus, as He descends, 27:06 resurrects the wicked dead from all ages, 27:10 and Satan will once again have his power base. 27:15 Why is the devil bound during the thousand years? 27:17 Where does the power of the devil reside? 27:19 Why does the devil have power? 27:21 Because he has people. Right? 27:23 Because he has people to deceive. 27:25 But what happens if the devil doesn't have any people? 27:28 He is powerless, right? 27:30 Are you with me? 27:31 So what must it mean here when it says that he's going to 27:34 be released from his prison? 27:36 It must mean that the wicked are going to what? 27:39 They're going to resurrect. It says so. 27:40 "The rest of the dead did not live again until the 27:42 thousand years were ended." 27:44 So the wicked are going to resurrect, 27:46 and Satan is going to have his power base back. 27:49 Are you following me? 27:50 In other words, all of the wicked from all ages 27:53 are going to be present there. 27:57 So point number two, Jesus resurrects the wicked 28:00 from all ages, and Satan will once again have his power base. 28:05 It says in Revelation 20:5... 28:12 Now do you remember the verses that we read, 28:14 Revelation 20:11-12, where it describes 28:17 the throne and the dead standing before God? 28:21 But now let's notice in verse 13, it's talking about 28:25 what's going to happen to those dead people 28:27 after the thousand years. 28:28 They're going to resurrect. 28:30 Notice Revelation 20:13. 28:33 It says... 28:39 Hades is the grave. 28:49 Now what does this mean, "the sea gave up the dead, 28:54 and death and the grave delivered up the dead"? 28:56 That's talking about what? 28:58 About the resurrection. 29:00 Let's notice a parallel verse that we find in Isaiah 26:19. 29:05 It says there... 29:21 So in other words, when it says here in verse 13 29:24 that the sea gave up the dead that were in it, 29:26 death and the grave delivered up the dead that were in them, 29:30 it's talking about the resurrection of the wicked 29:32 after the thousand years. 29:33 And then we are told they were judged, 29:36 each one according to his works. 29:37 So after they resurrect, are they going to be judged, 29:40 according to that verse? 29:41 Absolutely, they're going to be judged. 29:44 Let me read a statement that we find in, 29:46 Great Controversy, page 664. 29:48 Do you remember we studied about what the spirit is? 29:51 Remember what the spirit is? 29:53 It's the breath, but along with what? 29:56 With the identity of the person. 29:58 Now how do the wicked resurrect? 30:00 Let's take, for example, Adolph Hitler. 30:04 When Hitler resurrects in the second resurrection, 30:10 is he going to be the same Hitler that he was when he died? 30:14 So what does God return to Hitler? 30:17 Does He only return the capacity to breathe, 30:19 or does He return to him his life identity? 30:22 His life identity, that's right. 30:23 His biography which God kept in the heavenly records. 30:27 Now notice this interesting statement. 30:29 Great Controversy, 664. 30:32 This is outside of the city. 30:34 "There are kings and generals who conquered nations, 30:37 valiant men who never lost a battle..." 31:03 In other words, if an individual, 31:05 if a general of an army... 31:07 And this is in Old Testament times before there were 31:10 rifles and guns. 31:11 You know, he had his spear and he was encouraging his armies 31:15 to come after him, and he says, he's going to say, "charge," 31:20 "Char..." and somebody shoots an arrow through his heart. 31:25 When he resurrects he'll say, "...rge." 31:29 "Char..." "...ge." 31:31 Because he'll start exactly where he left off. 31:34 So what is God going to return to him? 31:36 He's going to return to him, yes, the capacity to breathe, 31:39 but along with the self-identity which was preserved 31:42 in the heavenly records. 31:44 Are you with me or not? 31:45 So secondly, the wicked from all ages will resurrect. 31:49 Number three, the holy city, New Jerusalem, will then 31:53 descend from heaven. 31:55 Revelation 21:2 describes that moment. 32:08 So the holy city descends upon that plain that was opened 32:12 by the feet of Jesus upon the Mount of Olives. 32:15 Point number four, Satan now prepares and organizes 32:20 the unrighteous for an attack against the holy city. 32:24 The number of Satan's troops is greater than all of the 32:28 warriors that have fought in all of the wars 32:31 in all of the history of planet earth. 32:35 The Bible describes them as the sand of the sea in number. 32:40 Ellen White refers to them as, "unnumbered millions," 32:44 Great Controversy, 663, and, "a countless host," 32:49 Great Controversy, page 664. 32:52 Now I'm going to summarize some of the events that Ellen White 32:56 describes are going to take place when Satan 33:00 sees that the wicked have resurrected. 33:02 First of all, she says that Satan will consult with 33:05 his angels about how they can overcome the holy city. 33:09 Secondly, he will consult with kings, conquerors, 33:13 and mighty men to lay plans to conqueror the city. 33:16 Third, she says skillful artisans will construct 33:20 implements of war. 33:22 Because the whole infrastructure of the world 33:24 has been destroyed at the second coming of Christ. 33:27 Then she says that military men organize throngs of 33:31 war-like men into companies and divisions. 33:35 There's going to be a very long boot camp. 33:38 How long does it take to organize a countless host 33:42 that are going to prepare to attack the city? 33:46 She says that each of these companies 33:48 has its appointed leader. 33:50 And when they finally are organized and go towards 33:53 the city, she says that they march with military precision 33:57 in serried ranks. 33:59 And they march toward the holy city following Satan's orders, 34:04 who is at the front of all of these armies. 34:08 The Bible describes it as well. 34:10 Revelation 20:7-9 Revelation 20:7-9 34:28 Have you ever stopped to count the grains of sand 34:31 in just one hand? 34:33 It says here that they will be like the sand of the sea. 34:36 No wonder Ellen White would say, "unnumbered millions," 34:39 millions that you can't number, and a countless host. 34:43 It continues saying in verse 9... 34:50 By the way, it doesn't say that they attack the city. 34:52 We're going to come to that in a few moments. 35:01 Let me read you Ellen White's description 35:03 of this preparation to attack the city in, 35:07 Great Controversy, page 664. 35:45 Must they have practiced the art of war? 35:50 Is the time after the millennium going to be longer than what 35:52 we generally have thought? 35:54 Absolutely. 35:55 So it says... 36:08 This is point number five. 36:09 "...the gates of the New Jerusalem are closed." 36:18 So can you catch the picture? 36:21 By the way, is the devil the same devil? 36:24 Are the wicked the same wicked? 36:26 You better believe it. 36:28 Now, point number six. 36:30 When all of the wicked are all ready to attack the holy city, 36:35 Jesus is seen on a great white throne 36:38 sitting high above the city. 36:40 And He is crowned in the presence of all 36:44 of the wicked host. 36:46 Let me just read from, Great Controversy, 36:48 and then I'll show you the biblical basis for this. 36:51 Great Controversy, page 665. 37:12 Where do you find this idea of Jesus sitting on a throne 37:15 and all of the nations gathered outside the city? 37:18 Matthew 25:31-32 37:21 We usually apply this passage to the second coming. 37:23 It's not referring to the second coming of Christ. 37:26 Matthew 25:31 and following is describing 37:29 post-millennial events. 37:31 And I'm going to show that to you. 37:33 Matthew 25:31-32 37:45 See, there's the throne. 37:50 Is that what happens after the millennium, 37:52 all nations are gathered before him? Yes. 37:58 Is that judgment terminology? 38:01 Is there going to be a judgment afterwards? 38:02 Yes. With all nations present there? Yes. 38:04 It says... 38:12 That's the post-millennial judgment. 38:14 You say, "Are you sure?" 38:15 I'm absolutely sure. 38:16 Let's notice Matthew 25:41. 38:21 Matthew 25:41 38:24 You know that He speaks, first of all, to those that are 38:26 at His right hand, and He says, you know, 38:28 "You're going to inherit the kingdom." 38:30 Then He speaks to those on the left hand, which are the goats, 38:32 and He says to them the following words... 38:47 When are the wicked cast into the fire, 38:49 according to the book of Revelation, 38:51 before the millennium or after? 38:52 After the millennium. 38:54 So this is a post-millennial event. 38:56 So Jesus, sitting on the throne with all nations gathered 38:59 outside the holy city, is not only mentioned by Ellen White. 39:02 It is also contained where? 39:04 It is contained in Scripture. 39:05 In fact, every single detail that we find in the last chapter 39:08 of, Great Controversy, The Controversy Ended, 39:11 is found in Scripture. 39:12 All you have to do is search for it. 39:15 And that's the difficult thing. 39:16 You know, people read Ellen White, they'll say, 39:18 "Well that's not in the Bible." 39:19 Well look for it. 39:21 You know, if you look for it, you might just find it. 39:24 No, I'll rephrase that. 39:26 It's not that you might just find it. 39:28 You will find it. 39:29 I can tell you for sure. 39:32 Point number seven, the wicked are all gathered 39:35 outside the city, Jesus has been crowned above the city. 39:38 All nations are gathered there. 39:41 And now the books are opened. 39:44 And Satan and his angels, and the unrighteous, 39:48 will see the records of their lives. 39:53 I just read Revelation 20:13 a few moments ago. 40:06 So you have the resurrection and then you have the judgment. 40:10 In great panoramic vision, the whole history of planet earth 40:15 will be seen on a gigantic HD screen. 40:18 Now the Bible doesn't say that, but people will see the whole 40:22 history of the human race and the decisions that were 40:26 made by the wicked during the course of history. 40:29 The purpose is to show all of the wicked, 40:31 and the devil and his angels, that God acted correctly 40:35 in every single case. 40:38 Now let me read from Ellen White the description of this 40:41 great panoramic vision. 40:42 It's found in, Great Controversy, 40:44 you'll never forget this page, page 666... 40:48 ...and 667. 40:51 I better read it quickly. 40:54 This is after the thousand years. 40:56 The wicked are alive. 41:39 God has somehow, you know, saved the whole history 41:43 of the human race. 41:45 Now what kind of technology do you need for that? 41:47 You know, we brag and we say, "Oh wow, we have megabytes 41:51 and terabytes and gigabytes." 41:54 You know, God has bytes that we don't even know about. 41:58 So it says... 43:13 The wicked are going to see every detail of their lives. 43:20 On page 670, Ellen White says, as a result of this judgment... 43:33 After they see the records. 43:54 So once they see the records, Satan, his angels, and the 43:57 wicked, they say, "God was right in leaving us out here. 44:02 We have no one to blame but ourselves." 44:06 And then point number eight. 44:08 The sentence of eternal death is pronounced upon the wicked. 44:12 So is there an investigative stage after the thousand years? 44:15 Do the wicked, and Satan and his angels, see the records? 44:18 Yes. 44:19 Is there a sentencing stage after the thousand years? 44:22 Let me read from, Great Controversy, page 668. 44:41 And then, of course, it's going to be carried out. 44:44 But something needs to happen before that takes place. 44:47 Number nine, this is the climax of the great controversy. 44:51 Satan and all of the wicked host, once they have seen 44:54 the records, will bow and confess that God's judgment 45:00 was fair and that their sentence is just. 45:04 For the first time in history since sin came in, 45:08 the entire universe recognizes that God acted correctly 45:13 in every single case of the righteous and the wicked, 45:16 and even of Satan and his angels. 45:19 And the Bible says that every knee will bow 45:22 and every tongue will confess. 45:25 Let's read Isaiah 45:23. 45:27 I wish we had time to talk about the context of this verse. 45:30 Isaiah 45:23. It's talking about that time. 45:35 God is speaking here... 45:49 Every tongue shall confess. 45:51 This is quoted by the apostle Paul in Philippians 2:9-11. 45:56 He says that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess 46:00 that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 46:05 We find also a reference to this moment when 46:07 the whole universe will recognize the justice of God 46:11 in Revelation 15:2-4. 46:13 I'm going to read that, Revelation 15:2-4. 46:30 See, the 144,000 at this point are already victorious 46:33 standing on the sea of glass in heaven. 46:52 And now notice the future tense. 46:54 They're singing this song when they are on the sea of glass 46:58 in heaven, but now you're going to have a transition 47:01 to the future tense. 47:02 Verse 4 says... 47:19 Interesting. 47:20 So are all nations going to recognize that God was just 47:24 and true in all of His dealings with sin and sinners? 47:28 Yes. 47:29 And then what's going to happen is that Satan, 47:32 he's going to bow himself, Ellen White says. 47:35 His knee is going to bow. 47:37 He's going to confess that God acted correctly. 47:40 And all the wicked will too. 47:41 And the angels, the evil angels will also. 47:44 But Satan will still be Satan. 47:47 He will get up and he's going to try to rile the multitudes 47:51 to attack the holy city. 47:53 But his power is finished. 47:56 The wicked are furious at him. 48:00 They no longer focus on the city. 48:02 You know, there's this myth among Adventists 48:04 that the wicked die attacking the city. 48:06 No. The wicked never attack the city. 48:09 The wicked die attacking Satan and his angels. 48:13 You say, "What?" 48:15 Let's read Ezekiel 28. 48:18 Remember, Ezekiel is talking about the covering cherub? 48:20 We studied this in our first lesson. 48:21 The covering cherub, Lucifer. 48:23 Notice Ezekiel 28:6-10. 48:29 It's speaking about Lucifer. 48:47 Interesting. 49:13 Aliens because they've withdrawn their support from him. 49:18 Ellen White describes this in, Great Controversy, page 671-672. 50:11 See, the wicked will perish, not attacking the city. 50:15 They will perish attacking Satan and his angels. 50:19 Because now they've seen in the judgment 50:21 who is the true guilty party in the great controversy 50:25 between good and evil. 50:26 If they didn't understand that, they would still 50:29 plan to attack the city. 50:31 But now Satan has been unmasked by the judgment. 50:34 And therefore, they say, "God is right and you are wrong. 50:38 You deceived us." 50:40 And they turn on Satan. 50:43 And then number eleven, fire descends from heaven 50:46 and destroys the unrighteous and cleanses the earth. 50:50 This is what the Bible calls, the second death. 50:54 It's described in Revelation 20:14-15. 51:06 See, they resurrected in the second resurrection 51:08 after the millennium. 51:10 Now they're going to suffer second death. 51:11 Is that the execution of the sentence? 51:14 Was there an investigation before the 51:16 execution of the sentence? 51:18 Was there a sentencing before the execution of the sentence? 51:21 See how God operates? 51:23 Just like courts of law here. 51:25 Let me ask you, those individuals who flew the 51:27 planes into the World Trade Center, 51:29 you know, there's some al-Qaeda individuals 51:32 in prison in Guantanamo. 51:35 Are they going to be given due process? 51:37 Maybe some day. 51:39 But you say, "Why would you give them due process? 51:41 They're guilty." 51:43 Well, in the system here in the United States, 51:46 you are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 51:50 And God operates by that principle. 51:52 There's an investigation, a sentencing, 51:55 and an execution of the sentence in all three stages 51:58 of the judgment; pre-advent, millennial, and post-millennial. 52:02 Don't we have a wonderful God? 52:03 A God that really cares what we think. 52:05 You know, God could say, "I know who is righteous 52:07 and who is wicked. 52:09 And these are saved and these are lost. 52:10 And if you don't like it, lump it." 52:13 God could say that. 52:15 But He doesn't. 52:17 Because He cares what the universe thinks. 52:19 He wants evil to be eradicated forever from the universe. 52:24 It says in Revelation 20:14-15... 52:34 Why are they not in the Book of Life? 52:36 Either they were never written there or their name was what? 52:39 Was blotted out. 52:43 Notice 1 Corinthians 15:24-28. 52:47 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 53:05 You know, we usually think the devil is 53:07 the last enemy to be destroyed. 53:08 No. It's death. 53:10 Because when the devil dies, that's the end of death. 53:13 Are you with me? 53:15 So it says, "The last enemy that will be destroyed is death..." 53:28 In other words, it's talking about the relationship between 53:30 the Father and the Son. 53:32 Jesus reigns until He's able to give the kingdom to the Father. 53:36 It says in verse 28... 53:50 Is Jesus going to be subject to His Father throughout eternity? 53:52 You know, you say that to those who believe in 53:55 women's ordination, and that's the worse thing 53:57 that you could ever say. 53:59 "That Jesus is going to be subject to His Father forever? 54:02 Come on! 54:04 That means that He would be inferior if He's subject." 54:06 No. 54:09 Is Jesus inferior to His Father? 54:11 No, He's not inferior to His Father. 54:14 But He's going to be subject to His Father, right? 54:17 So let me ask you, is there any problem with a wife 54:19 being subject to the husband? 54:20 Does that make her inferior? 54:23 Are you understanding my point? 54:26 Now, number twelve. 54:28 This is the most beautiful part. 54:31 God will then make a new heavens and a new earth. 54:34 Revelation 21:1, 3, 4 55:02 Are you looking forward to that day? 55:05 Ellen White ends the book, Great Controversy, 55:06 with these words, Great Controversy, 678... 55:40 Do you know why the universe is going to be secure forever? 55:43 Because God allowed sin to run its course. 55:48 And because He sent Jesus to die for sinners. 55:51 I end by reading this last statement. 55:53 Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889. 56:20 Did you catch that? 57:05 The cross. 57:07 And of course, when we say the cross is the center, 57:09 it means everything that Jesus did. 57:12 His perfect life. 57:14 His death for sin. 57:15 His resurrection. 57:16 His intercession for those who come to Him 57:19 repentant and in faith. 57:20 His work in the Most Holy Place of cleansing the Sanctuary 57:23 from the sins of the penitent. 57:25 Placing those sins upon the head of the scapegoat 57:29 and exiling him to a desolate wilderness without inhabitants. 57:34 And then after the millennium, showing the wicked 57:36 the record of their lives. 57:37 The whole universe will see that God is just and God is love. 57:42 And only then will God be able to destroy sin and sinners, 57:47 and can we be sure that harmony and peace 57:50 will exist in God's universe forever and ever. 57:53 That's the reason why the science of salvation 57:56 will be the study of God's people throughout the 57:58 ceaseless ages of eternity. 58:00 We will never stop studying the wonderful work 58:04 of redemption that was done by the Father and by the Son. |
Revised 2016-10-18