By John Thiel, Third Angel’s Message, study 13, mp3

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Can you see the painstaking work of the three angels’ messages that bring us to the point of the final coming of Christ? It is all comprehended in this summary, and this is what the three angels convey to us in details. Ultimately, after all the patient work of the first angel’s message, and the second angel’s message, the third angel’s message comes into function, and the ultimate coming of Jesus does take place.

One day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as one day with the Lord, which means that the end time is a period of time which can be much longer than what we expect. We have seen that the events chronicled in prophecy for the end of the world are those of the latter rain, the loud cry, the wrath of God in the plagues, Christ’s coming, all this in the understanding of the harvest. These are actual events in seasons of time, rather than just what people think. People usually expect it to be one event, all at once, straight away, but no. It is a season of time in which God is patiently working not willing that any should perish, but that all should have eternal life. We see this in the prophecies of Daniel. This is in reference to the time of the end:

Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end:

Here is a time when the book of Daniel would be opened to the understanding of the people.

Daniel 12:4 …many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

The time the book of Daniel was opened to the understanding of the people was 1833, which was a long time ago. From that time onwards there was an increase of travel and knowledge through to our point in time.

Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

It is a season of time – “the time of the end.”

A Season of Time

Daniel 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.

The book of Daniel was allotted for the time of the end, for a season of time.

Daniel 8:19 And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end [shall be].

“The time appointed” according to this prophecy (of verse 14) was the 2,300 day prophecy, which began in 1844. Therefore, from 1844 it is the time appointed for the end, which was a season, a period of time. Today we now look back and think, That started in 1844, and it still hasn’t finished yet.

Daniel 7:26 But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy [it] unto the end. 27 And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom [is] an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.

There is a sitting in judgment, and a systematic process of taking away the dominion, and consuming and destroying, the power of the papacy over a long period of time. At this period the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints. We are not talking about a one-day event, but a series of years, in fact, of centuries. The saints receive that kingdom; and that receiving of the kingdom which is to be given to the saints of the most High is in itself a process of time. This drawn-out procedure is actually contained in the third angel’s message:

Revelation 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive [his] mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 12 Here is the patience of the saints: here [are] they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Can you see that this preaching – the proclamation of the third angel identifying the beast, and that the people must not receive his image, and the receiving of his image, and the application of all this – is a period of time in itself? The warning is that, the time will come when they will be tormented with fire and brimstone and the wrath of God will be poured out upon them. We have studied the wrath of God in Armageddon, and it takes place just prior to Christ’s physical coming in the clouds. But He had already come to control the warfare of Armageddon, the outpouring of God’s wrath (See The Second Coming of Christ). This is all part of a period of activity which calls forth the patience of the saints.

Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:

The very preaching of the third angel involves a period of time in which people die. This message includes the understanding of events surrounding the burning of the wicked, because it says that anyone who will worship the beast and his image will “be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever.”

The preaching of the third angel’s message incorporates everything that leads up to the event of the burning, the conclusion of it all. The events of the seventh millennium are also part of the third angel’s message. You will recall from our last study on the second coming of Jesus that this coming includes the plagues, and that it is a period of one year. His coming encompasses a whole period of one year.

The ten horns represented here are the ten nations of Europe:

Revelation 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore [the papacy], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.

Here is a burning which has to do with the third angel’s message.

Revelation 18:8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day,

One day equals one year in prophecy.

Revelation 18:8 …death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong [is] the Lord God who judgeth her.

This is the fire the third angel’s message is talking about. It is to take place during the plagues. The papacy will be burnt by fire.

Revelation 19:20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.

This was the warning, those who worship the beast and receive his mark.

Revelation 19:20 …These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

This occurs during the period that leads to the physical and visible coming of Jesus. The question is now, When that takes place, and Jesus comes in the clouds, is that the end? Is that the end of everything the third angel is proclaiming?

The Ends of the World

The Bible speaks of multiple ends. Apostle Paul helps us to understand what will take place, as we are to look to the experience of the children of Israel:

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition,

“Upon whom the end of the world is come”? Is this the way it reads?

1 Corinthians 10:11 …upon whom the ends of the world are come.

All this coming of Jesus and the work of the third angel and this period of activity looks like it is come to its culmination at His coming, but has it? Is there still more plurality of the end? The end is a reality in terms of plural.

At the end of the wrath of God, when Jesus comes, the remnant who were left and were not burnt with the papacy and the false prophet are destroyed in another way:

Revelation 19:21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which [sword] proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

When Jesus comes physically His brightness is of such a nature that it kills them. Notice the way it then follows in chapter 20.

Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

In verse 21 of chapter 19 Jesus has come and the wicked who were not destroyed by the fire are then destroyed by the brightness of His coming. Then there is a continuation, because after Christ has come and the wicked have been slain, Satan is put in the bottomless pit and he stays there for a thousand years so that he cannot deceive the nations again until the thousand years have passed. In other words, there are still more time-of-the-end procedures. After the thousand years Satan will be loosed a little season. Not only is there a thousand years left, but another little season as well. This is a whole process of time with multiple times of the end. “Upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

Jeremiah 4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the heavens, and they [had] no light. 24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25 I beheld, and, lo, [there was] no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce anger.

This is the description of the planet as a consequence of the wrath of God. The cities are broken down and the earth is without form and void. We will understand in a moment what this is in relation to Revelation 20.

Jeremiah 4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

This is still the periods of the end. When the earth is left desolate at the wrath of God, it is going to be a bottomless pit. The word bottomless pit comes from the Greek word abussos, which means, “empty and void.” That was what the earth was like before God created life on it, and this is the pit into which Satan is thrown and bound. This earth is going to be laying waste with all the cities crushed down, as a bottomless pit for a thousand years, where Satan will then be bound. One thousand years, and after that comes another little season. These are the events we want to understand.

The One Thousand Years

What happens on this planet during these 1,000 years? It is a wilderness. All the mountains are shaken, all the cities are broken down, and the earth is empty of humanity.

Isaiah 24:17 Fear, and the pit, and the snare, [are] upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth. 18 And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake. 19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly. 20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones [that are] on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 22 And they shall be gathered together, [as] prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

Satan with his kinship, the high ones, will be bound here on earth. This is exactly the description of Revelation 20:3. This is the bottomless pit. After many days, after a thousand years, they will be visited again. Satan will then be released out of his prison house.

Isaiah 14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 17 [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? 18 All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. 19 But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. 20 Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.

What will Lucifer suffer? He won’t be dead there. He will be there alive. He is going to be ridiculed in the minds of the onlookers. “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee.” They will say, Is this the man that made the world a wilderness? In this bottomless pit Lucifer and his angels are going to be left to wander around for one thousand years and see the condition of the earth that they have created. While Lucifer and his host are so imprisoned, we turn to a different scene. We have seen the earth during this time with its terrible pit-like condition, but we now turn to where Jesus has taken His people, to see what they do during those thousand years. We understand that there are doctrines going about that Jesus is going to dwell on this earth with His saints for a thousand years, but we see here that this is not the case. Lucifer will be the one here during those thousand years. Jesus and His people will then have gone from this planet at His coming.

The Saints Judge the Wicked

Revelation 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

One scene is the destruction of this world, the other scene is living and reigning with Christ a thousand years. What are the saints doing during this time?

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

What will they do as they reign with Him a thousand years? They sit upon thrones and judgement is given unto them. This is the scene in a different place during the thousand years, not here on earth but there in heaven.

Where will they be, and where will the judgment take place?

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also.

Where is this going to take place? Not here on earth. It will be where He is. He is going to take them to Himself.

1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

What is the description? Jesus says, I will come again, and take you to be where I am. Where will He take them to? We meet the Lord in the air, and He takes us away from this planet.

Psalms 24:3 Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This [is] the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. 7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who [is] this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift [them] up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he [is] the King of glory.

When Jesus returns with His saints, it will be the everlasting gates to the heavenly Jerusalem that will open up, and He will come in with the train of His saved people as king over them, and they shall reign with Him a thousand years.

When the King of glory comes in, who comes with Him?

Isaiah 26:2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in.

By reading here a little and there a little you get the correct picture. The place where they will be reigning with Christ is where the everlasting gates are opened.

Apostle Paul says that there will be a judging of the wicked and of the angels:

1 Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

The saints will reign and judge for a thousand years. Where? Beyond those everlasting doors, where the righteous nation will enter in together with Christ.

During the thousand years between the first and the second resurrection the judgment of the wicked takes place. The apostle Paul points to this judgment as an event that follows the second advent. “Judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” 1 Corinthians 4:5. Daniel declares that when the Ancient of Days came, “judgment was given to the saints of the Most High.” Daniel 7:22. At this time the righteous reign as kings and priests unto God. John in the Revelation says: “I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them.” “They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4, 6. It is at this time that, as foretold by Paul, “the saints shall judge the world.” 1 Corinthians 6:2. In union with Christ they judge the wicked, comparing their acts with the statute book, the Bible, and deciding every case according to the deeds done in the body. Then the portion which the wicked must suffer is meted out, according to their works; and it is recorded against their names in the book of death. {GC 660.4}

Satan also and evil angels are judged by Christ and His people. Says Paul: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels?” Verse 3. And Jude declares that “the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” Jude 6. {GC 661.1}

A Little Season

The mountains have been shaking and everything was in chaos; the cities were broken down, and no human being were left alive; Lucifer has wandered around on the planet for a thousand years, while God’s people in heaven were judging the wicked, writing down in the books all the necessary punishments for their wickedness. But what happens when the thousand years are finished?

Revelation 20:3 …and after that he must be loosed a little season.

When the thousand years are expired Satan is loosed for a little season.

Revelation 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.

Satan is released out of his prison. In other words, the planet earth with all its heaving and rocking will now be inhabited again. He is going to deceive the nations that are in the four quarters of the earth. He is going to gather them to battle. Why will the nations be there? How can they be there?

Revelation 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.

The resurrection that brought the faithful ones to the heavenly city is going to be followed with a resurrection which is called, the second resurrection.

Revelation 20:5 …This [is] the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

Here is the suggestion that there is a second death. The people who have died at Christ’s second coming are now experiencing another resurrection, which is going to lead to the second death. These are the people whom Satan will go to the four corners of the earth to bring to battle. Jesus here talks about these two kinds resurrection:

John 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

The good and the bad are going to be resurrected. The first resurrection is for the blessed and the holy. This is the resurrection of life. But after the thousand years there is going to be a resurrection of damnation, because even the wicked are going to hear his voice and come out of the grave. They will come out for damnation’s sake. While the judgment of the wicked was going on they were dead in their graves, but they are going to come up. The resurrection of damnation leads to the second death. Here is a prophecy that points directly to this scene:

Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

The saints with Jesus are going to come down to earth. What are they going to come to do?

Jude 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard [speeches] which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

When Jesus comes back this time He is going to come with ten thousands of His saints. He is going to come back to this earth to execute judgement. That is what they were doing in heaven; they were recording in the books what punishment the wicked deserved. Now He comes with the saints to do this work of executing the judgment.

At the close of the thousand years, Christ again returns to the earth. He is accompanied by the host of the redeemed and attended by a retinue of angels. As He descends in terrific majesty He bids the wicked dead arise to receive their doom. They come forth, a mighty host, numberless as the sands of the sea. What a contrast to those who were raised at the first resurrection! The righteous were clothed with immortal youth and beauty. The wicked bear the traces of disease and death. {GC 662.1}

This is the resurrection of damnation. There they are, countless as the sands of the sea, all the wicked that have ever lived. Observe this scene of Jesus’ coming, and see what is transpiring in this coming and in the resurrection of the wicked:

Zechariah 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which [is] before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, [and there shall be] a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

There is a great earth movement. Jesus is going to make a flat plain by touching His foot on the Mount of Olives, and it is going to split east and west and north and south. That will be some earth movement. I often look at earth movings with the nature around it. When man does his bulldozing everything gets destroyed in its path. When God does His bulldozing what sort of a picture do we see? This is what man is suffering during such an event:

Zechariah 14:5 And ye shall flee [to] the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, [and] all the saints with thee.

This is a direct representation of the saints coming with Jesus. Jesus touches the Mount of Olives and it becomes a plain. But the earth moving takes such a course that the people are running for their lives, running away from this terrible earth movement, and God doesn’t destroy them, but they are simply running for their lives. They are going to see something very phenomenal – Christ coming with His saints. What else will they see? First they see this great earth movement, the great plain that God makes, and this is what they see once that plain has been arranged:

The New Jerusalem

Revelation 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

Revelation 21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

Here we are heading into the very last scene. We are looking at the different times of the end. The millennium is one scene, then there is the resurrection, and then there is a little season, when Jesus comes down and touches the Mount of Olives, and the New Jerusalem descends to sit on that newly formed plain.

Ezekiel 37:27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.

They will see the New Jerusalem coming down. “And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel.” These wicked people will see the tabernacle of God in the heavenly Jerusalem, and they will see God’s faithful people coming down with Christ and going into the city. As they behold this, how will they react?

Psalms 66:3 Say unto God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing [to] thy name.

Through His greatness and power, all the earth, even His enemies, will submit themselves unto Him. They will be overwhelmed. The wicked now resurrected will first have to recognize the power of God. They have just been running for their lives. The city has come down in all its glory, and they have no words. By His power they submit themselves.

Every Knee Shall Bow

Philippians 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the earth; 11 And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is where that happens. By God’s great power everybody will bow down and acknowledge. But is that as far as they will go? Do they now submit to God? All the wicked always do that. They are overwhelmed with something, and they submit, Yes, you are right; but it doesn’t stop like that. Never trust the words of the wicked. Remember what King Saul had said to David, You are righteous, David, I am wrong (cf. 1 Sam. 24:17; 26:21). But what did he do next? He came back to attack him again.

Psalm 48:1 Great [is] the LORD, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, [in] the mountain of his holiness. 2 Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, [is] mount Zion, [on] the sides of the north, the city of the great King. 3 God is known in her palaces for a refuge. 4 For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together. 5 They saw [it, and] so they marvelled; they were troubled, [and] hasted away.

They see it, they marvel, but then they get scarred and they run.

Psalm 48:6 Fear took hold upon them there, [and] pain, as of a woman in travail.

First, they say, Wow; they submit. But then they start to become afraid, and they run away from the city. With the glories of God and His city right in front of them, and after having run away from all that, what will they do?

Isaiah 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. 10 Let favour be showed to the wicked,

Is this not a favour that they have been resurrected to see this glory?

Isaiah 26:10 Let favour be showed to the wicked, [yet] will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD. 11 LORD, [when] thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: [but] they shall see, and be ashamed for [their] envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.

This is the description of what to expect. They will see the glory of God, but they will then turn around and in the very land of God’s uprightness they will deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. They will not submit to the majesty of the Lord in the long run. At first, yes, in the display of the glory, but then, seeing the city with the glories of God in front of them, having been favoured to behold the glories of God, their character will be revealed. When wicked people see gold and precious stones and all the wealth of a nation, what do they do? Don’t they go and fight for it? That is exactly what is described. When Satan is released for that little season, they will do what Satan does.

The Little Season

How long is a season? Three months. How many days is that in prophecy? Ninety days: ninety years?

Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.

Here is the joy for God’s people, but notice the following:

Isaiah 65:20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner [being] an hundred years old shall be accursed.

This refers to the resurrection of damnation. These people who rise will be there for a season, a little season. A child of ten will live the ninety years and will die at 100 years old. Many people have great difficulty with this text. How can the people around the city of God die? This small season, probably less than ninety years, is yet another period. For ninety years the wicked will fully learn God’s righteousness. Notice what they will do. The thousand years are over and Satan is loosed and goes out to deceive the nations, but for what purpose?

Revelation 20:8 And [Satan] shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.

The wicked were resurrected, God had done this great earth movement, and the city of Jerusalem had come down to the earth, but the rest of the planet remains with its surface all broken up and the cities all broken down. The wicked have now ninety years before them. What will they do during that time? Satan goes to deceive them. He gathers them together for battle, against what?

Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

This particular description is split up into several experiences. Here they come, Satan is gathering them together, and they have ninety years to establish something. Instead of doing good, what do they do? Under Satan’s deception they prepare for battle. This takes quite some time. You have an earth that is in chaos, so they have to build living quarters, factories to make war instruments, etc., etc. They will prove that they are wicked by their submission to Satan. They bring about some kind or order to prepare for war.

Satan consults with his angels, and then with these kings and conquerors and mighty men. They look upon the strength and numbers on their side, and declare that the army within the city is small in comparison with theirs, and that it can be overcome. {GC 664.2}

They were warriors, so they think, We can outnumber them, we will get them.

They lay their plans to take possession of the riches and glory of the New Jerusalem. All immediately begin to prepare for battle. Skillful artisans construct implements of war. Military leaders, famed for their success, marshal the throngs of warlike men into companies and divisions. {GC 664.2}

During that period of time they are preparing to take the city. They have to train their army, they have to build instruments of warfare, they have to eat so they need to grow food, etc. Finally they come to the camp of the saints and surround the city.

At last the order to advance is given, and the countless host moves on–an army such as was never summoned by earthly conquerors, such as the combined forces of all ages since war began on earth could never equal. Satan, the mightiest of warriors, leads the van, and his angels unite their forces for this final struggle. Kings and warriors are in his train, and the multitudes follow in vast companies, each under its appointed leader. {GC 664.3}

They have been well trained and drilled.

With military precision the serried ranks advance over the earth’s broken and uneven surface to the City of God. By command of Jesus, the gates of the New Jerusalem are closed, and the armies of Satan surround the city and make ready for the onset. {GC 664.3}

What an amazing scene. The city gates were opened, so that the wicked could actually look into the city through the gates. But now, as they come to take it, the gates are closed and the wicked surround the city. As they are just about ready to take the city, what happens next?

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Remember when they came to take Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. All of a sudden His light flashed through and they all fell flat on the ground. Then they shook themselves and got up again. Here is exactly the same thing again. The great white throne is lifted high and all the army suddenly wants to flee, but they can’t, they are crowded in, they fall to the ground. Then they stand in front of Him, and Jesus stands up high on His throne in the city.

Now Christ again appears to the view of His enemies. Far above the city, upon a foundation of burnished gold, is a throne, high and lifted up. Upon this throne sits the Son of God, and around Him are the subjects of His kingdom. The power and majesty of Christ no language can describe, no pen portray. The glory of the Eternal Father is enshrouding His Son. The brightness of His presence fills the City of God, and flows out beyond the gates, flooding the whole earth with its radiance. {GC 665.1}

The wicked will see the drama of the ages played out before them. Why will the people be convinced of all their ungodly deeds? A film is played out in front of them. They see all the acts of wickedness that they have done, they see the crucifixion of Christ. They are all being convinced of their own deeds because a film of their life is being played out in front of them on the sky. That is how they are convinced of their wrong.

There are papist priests and prelates, who claimed to be Christ’s ambassadors, yet employed the rack, the dungeon, and the stake to control the consciences of His people. There are the proud pontiffs who exalted themselves above God and presumed to change the law of the Most High. {GC 668.1}

It is now evident to all that the wages of sin is not noble independence and eternal life, but slavery, ruin, and death. The wicked see what they have forfeited by their life of rebellion. … All see that their exclusion from heaven is just. By their lives they have declared: “We will not have this Man [Jesus] to reign over us.” {GC 668.3}

That will be convincing to them. When all this is clearly portrayed to them, what will happen?

Revelation 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. 10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Can you see why we are studying this? It is part of the third angel’s message. That’s what will happen. Here is another burning fire. This time all the wicked will be suffering the second death.

The Lake of Fire

Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

This is the final destruction. That fire will burn, and burn, and burn for a period of time. It won’t just burn for a day. Notice the description that is given in reference to this fire. Remember that the wicked are coming there to take the city. It is their own fire that will destroy them, as well as God’s fire which He will add to the scene. This is the fire that is going to consume slowly:

Zechariah 14:12 And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.

They will be conscious while burning. The soft tissue of their body will burn up first. As it burns, it will slowly consume the whole person. This is what actually happens in an atomic fire. Those that are on the outside will die much more slowly than those in the middle of it. Those who are in the middle on an atomic fire will be wiped out in a flash, whereas those on the outside will be dying much slower. Those even further away will be dying even more slowly. It will be a consuming, but a punishing fire.

The wicked will receive punishment according to their sins. Those who have done terrible sins will receive many lashes, and those who have done less will receive fewer lashes. This is what Jesus said. They will be conscious while being consumed.

Isaiah 66:24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Carcasses will be seen still writhing in the flames. Slowly the fire that cannot be quenched or put out will do its work until all have received their just reward. When it has done its work, what is left?

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.

Ashes, this is all that is going to be left behind. Lucifer, who will be the one burning the slowest, will also be laid down to ashes. Lucifer will not be stoking the fires of hell. He himself is going to be consumed there.

Ezekiel 28:18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.

Finally Satan will be destroyed as well. The ashes will cover the earth. The wicked will have all been burnt and all the corruptions will have melted away. In the following study we will learn what God will do with this earth.

Amen.