Key Text: Revelation 20:5– “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.” PRAYER

Last week we talked about the desirable features of heaven—no death, or sorrow, or pain, and how our bodies will be wonderfully changed.

This week we are going to discover how long the righteous remain in heaven and what happens on this earth during that time. So, for our first text let’s turn to Revelation 20:5. POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: The word Millennium is not found in the Scriptures. It comes from two words: mille = one thousand and annus = year. The term refers to that period of time following Christ’s Second Coming. The rest of the dead, the wicked, don’t live until one thousand years are ended. Reference is here made to the First Resurrection.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: – There is a resurrection for those who have done good—the resurrection of life. – There is a resurrection for those who have done evil—the resurrection of damnation.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: We must be in the first resurrection in order to avoid dying the second death. The righteous reign with Christ a thousand years. Since the righteous are all raised in the First Resurrection, it must be the wicked that are raised in the Second Resurrection. A work of judgment is committed to the righteous.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: The earth will be without form and void. There will be no light. There will be no people—even the birds have fled. It will be like a wilderness. The cities will be in ruin. All will be desolate. Yet God does not make a full end. Why? Because more is to happen.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: – The devil will be bound to this earth by a chain of circumstance, since the cities will be broken down, and there will be no one to deceive. – The devil will be loosed at the end of the thousand years for a short time.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: – The holy city comes down from heaven. – God will also come and dwell with His people.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: Satan will be loosed. He will go out to deceive the wicked ones by marshalling them together to take the city of God, which has come down to this earth. Fire will come down out of heaven and will destroy them. This is the only hell spoken of in the Scriptures. The fire completely consumes them. This is the second death.

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE: If our names are not in the Book of Life, we shall be thrown in the lake of fire. Heaven and earth are re-created. This earth then becomes the dwelling place of the righteous for eternity. So the summary of the events marking the beginning of the millennium is as follows:….”

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE (cont’d): …the Second Coming, resurrection of the righteous dead, translation of the righteous living, destruction of the wicked living, saints taken to heaven, and Satan is bound. And a summary of the events marking the end of the millennium: Christ and the saints come to earth with the Holy City, the wicked dead are resurrected, Satan is loosed, …

POINTS TO EMPHASIZE (cont’d): ….Satan marshals the wicked around and against the Holy City to destroy it, and God destroys the devil and the wicked with fire. That is hell.

If our names are not found in the Book of Life, we too, shall be thrown into the lake of fire, but we wish to escape this at all cost.

Thank God for the wonderful things He has prepared for us so that we need not experience the second death—hell fire. Pray that we may follow Him as we know we should so that our names will be in the Book of Life. Remember the family’s needs.

Next week we shall discover what happens when we die.