(Part of a sermon By Dr. Paul Fedena - CLICK)
1. Outside the City the “nations” and “kings” reside, but since only the redeemed survive the Great White Throne Judgment at the end of the Millennium, the question is who are these people?
2. Perhaps they are those who have mansions in the city, but have estates and governments and activities outside the city.
3. Perhaps they are humans in an innocent state like Adam before the fall continuing on the earth after the Millennium (if so they would have had to have been “raptured” off the planet before it was purged by fire, and glorified ).
4. This would place a very literal interpretation on the Abrahamic Covenant which promised that his seed would be as the sand upon the seashore and the stars in the heavens.
5. It would also help us envision the fulfillment of the Messianic promise in Isaiah 9:7 that “of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end.”
6. Also, if the nations of the saved were to continue to multiply, as would Adam and Eve, if they had not fallen, God’s command to “fill the earth” and “subdue it” would be finally accomplished.
7. Think of the productivity and promise of the planet where sin has been banished forever and where the nations can develop and expand infinitely.
8. Neither the kings of the earth nor the nations will seek their own glory, but “bring their glory and honor” into the city to the Lord of Glory!
(This is one of the Greatest Mysteries of Bible Prophecy)
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Nowhere in Scripture is there a Resurrection for Millennial Saints - Matthew 25:31-46
(Verses compiled by Rob Madden)
Is. 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Dan. 4:34-35
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine under-standing returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Dan 7:14 - And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
II Sam. 7:16
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Psalms 89
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Psalm:89:28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
Psalm:89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
II Sam. 7:16
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Genesis 9:12
And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
(Here we have reference to a 'perpetual' number of generations.) See also Psalm 100:5, 45:17, 119:90
Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroard, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Gen 9:12 - And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
Deut. 7:9 - Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (1,000 x 70 = 70,000)
Psa 105:6 - O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Psa 105:7 - He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
Psa 105:8 - He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Isaiah 60:19-22
More: (Compiled by Rob Madden)
Revelation 22:4-5
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
✔ If they are going to reign with Him for eternity in the Holy City there must be people to reign over. This should make it clear that not all alive in eternity will live in the Holy City.
✔ The mystery we need to solve is whom do the people in the Holy City reign over?
💥It cannot be those cast into the Lake of Fire, because scripture says that they will not even come to mind anymore.
💥It cannot be Israel because the whole commonwealth of Israel are those that reign with Jesus.
✔ This allows for only one possibility: They reign over the children of God born after the bride of Christ marries Jesus.
🔶No one speaks about what happens to the people born during the millennium who do not follow Satan at his last revolt.
🔶We must assume that in this dispensation there will also be saved people as there were in every other dispensation of time.
🔸After all, the prime reason for the millennial kingdom is to create conditions on earth where many people could be born and saved.
🔸It is simply not sound reasoning to think that everyone on earth came against Jerusalem in this last revolt and that fire came down and consumed believer and unbelievers alike.
🔶There really is only one possibility, as to where these people are. The faithful in this dispensation will also be removed from the earth as Enoch and the faithful Church were removed before God's judgment came in their dispensation.
🔷There are three raptures:
🔹Enoch,
🔹the Church and
🔹the saints who live through the millennium.
🔶The prophetic scriptures about the snatching away of believers may include a progressive future fulfillment at the end of the great millennial day.
🔶They may or will be removed (Protected or Relocated, not necessarily Resurrected!!!) just before fire comes down from heaven and destroys all the people deceived by Satan at the final rebellion.
🔸This fire is the renovation of heaven and earth by fire that Peter speaks of (2 Pet 3:12).
Further, it is not possible that...
1. The saved in this millennial dispensation would be included as part of the bride of Christ, because
2. They become His children after He is already married.
3. The faithful since the marriage obviously are saved individuals or they would be cast in the Lake of Fire at the judgment.
Therefore, let us assume that these people are written in the book of life and are either resurrected at the second resurrection or they never died and were removed from the earth like Enoch prior to the renovation of heaven and earth by fire.
🔶Now with those assumptions the body of Christ has people to rule and reign over for eternity.
🔶We might even want to speculate a bit more and take this one-step further and say that these people may still reproduce in eternity. In that event, the body of Christ would have limitless people to rule and reign over. God made Adam and Eve to populate the earth before they even fell and became mortal. The scriptures also indicate that angels wrongfully reproduced with women to produce the race called the Nephilim.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
✨We know there is a scripture that says we will not marry in the resurrection but that passage obviously was talking about those who attain the first resurrection.
1. We are told those in the first resurrection will become like the angels.
2. The passage was not talking about those born after the first resurrection who, when death is conquered, have human immortal bodies like Adam and Eve had before the fall.
Controversial, but worthy of thought: (R. Madden)
The passage about not marrying also says nothing about not being able to reproduce. What we see as reproduction today was a result of the curse. We are told in scripture that Eve came out of the side of Adam. Jesus Himself did not come from normal human reproduction and He is the last Adam (1Co 15:45). Reproduction in eternity may not take marriage or even sex. (Don Koenig - Commentary on Revelation 22)
God told Abraham that his seed would be like the sands of the seashore and like the number of stars in heaven (Gen 22:17).
👉That number is uncountable and probably has no end since sand particles and stars continue to be created.
👉There are trillions of trillions of stars that we know about in the universe. Who even knows how many stars there are that we do not know about?
👉The promise given to Abraham might mean that God created man to populate His entire creation. His creation has no end, no boundaries, and it may continue to expand forever.
👉From this point on, like in the Garden of Eden, there may be an actual reason to eat from the tree of life so those born in this new creation receive spiritual life. David tells us about man's destiny:
Psa 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
If man were created to have dominion over the works of God's hand, it would include the whole universe not just the earth.
What if Adam and Eve never sinned and ate of the tree of life; would their descendants have been limited to earth, or would they have filled God s creation? Man is even attempting to do this in his fallen mortal state. Who would have limited them if they were immortal? The purpose God created man for will be fulfilled even if man has to first go through a learning process of trust and obedience. God does not make mistakes; all this was planned before the foundation of the earth.
The early philosophers were correct. Earth is the center of the universe. It is where God began human life in His image.
The Holy City will be the throne of God and those in the bride of Christ will rule and reign with Him over all creation for eternity, but the planet earth may only be just the beginning of God's plan for the human race. The realm of man created in the image of God (the second Adam) may be destined to endlessly reproduce more children for God.
(Verses compiled by Rob Madden)
Is. 9:6-7
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
Dan. 4:34-35
34 And at the end of the days I Nebuchadnezzar lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and mine under-standing returned unto me, and I blessed the most High, and I praised and honoured him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation:
35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Dan 7:14 - And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
II Sam. 7:16
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Psalms 89
1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
2 For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.
3 I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant,
4 Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah.
Psalm:89:28 My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him.
29 His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
Psalm:89:35 Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.
36 His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me.
37 It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven. Selah.
II Sam. 7:16
And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Genesis 9:12
And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
(Here we have reference to a 'perpetual' number of generations.) See also Psalm 100:5, 45:17, 119:90
Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroard, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Gen 9:12 - And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
Deut. 7:9 - Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; (1,000 x 70 = 70,000)
Psa 105:6 - O ye seed of Abraham his servant, ye children of Jacob his chosen.
Psa 105:7 - He is the LORD our God: his judgments are in all the earth.
Psa 105:8 - He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Isaiah 60:19-22
More: (Compiled by Rob Madden)
Revelation 22:4-5
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
✔ If they are going to reign with Him for eternity in the Holy City there must be people to reign over. This should make it clear that not all alive in eternity will live in the Holy City.
✔ The mystery we need to solve is whom do the people in the Holy City reign over?
💥It cannot be those cast into the Lake of Fire, because scripture says that they will not even come to mind anymore.
💥It cannot be Israel because the whole commonwealth of Israel are those that reign with Jesus.
✔ This allows for only one possibility: They reign over the children of God born after the bride of Christ marries Jesus.
🔶No one speaks about what happens to the people born during the millennium who do not follow Satan at his last revolt.
🔶We must assume that in this dispensation there will also be saved people as there were in every other dispensation of time.
🔸After all, the prime reason for the millennial kingdom is to create conditions on earth where many people could be born and saved.
🔸It is simply not sound reasoning to think that everyone on earth came against Jerusalem in this last revolt and that fire came down and consumed believer and unbelievers alike.
🔶There really is only one possibility, as to where these people are. The faithful in this dispensation will also be removed from the earth as Enoch and the faithful Church were removed before God's judgment came in their dispensation.
🔷There are three raptures:
🔹Enoch,
🔹the Church and
🔹the saints who live through the millennium.
🔶The prophetic scriptures about the snatching away of believers may include a progressive future fulfillment at the end of the great millennial day.
🔶They may or will be removed (Protected or Relocated, not necessarily Resurrected!!!) just before fire comes down from heaven and destroys all the people deceived by Satan at the final rebellion.
🔸This fire is the renovation of heaven and earth by fire that Peter speaks of (2 Pet 3:12).
Further, it is not possible that...
1. The saved in this millennial dispensation would be included as part of the bride of Christ, because
2. They become His children after He is already married.
3. The faithful since the marriage obviously are saved individuals or they would be cast in the Lake of Fire at the judgment.
Therefore, let us assume that these people are written in the book of life and are either resurrected at the second resurrection or they never died and were removed from the earth like Enoch prior to the renovation of heaven and earth by fire.
🔶Now with those assumptions the body of Christ has people to rule and reign over for eternity.
🔶We might even want to speculate a bit more and take this one-step further and say that these people may still reproduce in eternity. In that event, the body of Christ would have limitless people to rule and reign over. God made Adam and Eve to populate the earth before they even fell and became mortal. The scriptures also indicate that angels wrongfully reproduced with women to produce the race called the Nephilim.
Gen 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
✨We know there is a scripture that says we will not marry in the resurrection but that passage obviously was talking about those who attain the first resurrection.
1. We are told those in the first resurrection will become like the angels.
2. The passage was not talking about those born after the first resurrection who, when death is conquered, have human immortal bodies like Adam and Eve had before the fall.
Controversial, but worthy of thought: (R. Madden)
The passage about not marrying also says nothing about not being able to reproduce. What we see as reproduction today was a result of the curse. We are told in scripture that Eve came out of the side of Adam. Jesus Himself did not come from normal human reproduction and He is the last Adam (1Co 15:45). Reproduction in eternity may not take marriage or even sex. (Don Koenig - Commentary on Revelation 22)
God told Abraham that his seed would be like the sands of the seashore and like the number of stars in heaven (Gen 22:17).
👉That number is uncountable and probably has no end since sand particles and stars continue to be created.
👉There are trillions of trillions of stars that we know about in the universe. Who even knows how many stars there are that we do not know about?
👉The promise given to Abraham might mean that God created man to populate His entire creation. His creation has no end, no boundaries, and it may continue to expand forever.
👉From this point on, like in the Garden of Eden, there may be an actual reason to eat from the tree of life so those born in this new creation receive spiritual life. David tells us about man's destiny:
Psa 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
If man were created to have dominion over the works of God's hand, it would include the whole universe not just the earth.
What if Adam and Eve never sinned and ate of the tree of life; would their descendants have been limited to earth, or would they have filled God s creation? Man is even attempting to do this in his fallen mortal state. Who would have limited them if they were immortal? The purpose God created man for will be fulfilled even if man has to first go through a learning process of trust and obedience. God does not make mistakes; all this was planned before the foundation of the earth.
The early philosophers were correct. Earth is the center of the universe. It is where God began human life in His image.
The Holy City will be the throne of God and those in the bride of Christ will rule and reign with Him over all creation for eternity, but the planet earth may only be just the beginning of God's plan for the human race. The realm of man created in the image of God (the second Adam) may be destined to endlessly reproduce more children for God.
