What is the Beginning of the Next Age?
When this age ends, a new age will begin. The kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of the Lord and his Messiah (Jesus Christ).
Mankind will no longer have dominion over the earth. The evil one will no longer be allowed any power over the earth. The Lord will rule over the earth with truth and justice.
An Everlasting Kingdom
9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. (Zechariah 14: 9)
27 Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be handed over to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.’ (Daniel 7:27)
15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Revelation 11: 15)
The kingdom of the world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah (Jesus Christ). The Lord will be king over the whole earth. These scriptures say that God will establish His eternal reign over all the earth. (See: What is the Return of Jesus Christ?)
The Battle of Armageddon
14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. (Revelation 19: 14-16)
11 “Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire. 12 (The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) (Daniel 7: 11-12)
13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Daniel 7: 13-14)
When Jesus Christ triumphs at Armageddon, he will destroy the terrifying beast, the False Prophet, and the armies that gathered at Armageddon. The other beasts (other nations) will be stripped of their authority but will be allowed to live for a period of time. However, they will be required to accept the authority of Jesus Christ as the King of kings. (See: What is the Great Tribulation?) (See: What are the 4 Beasts?)
By this time, God will have opened the eyes of the Jewish people and they will be able to recognize their Messiah. The Jewish people have longed for their Messiah and they will accept his authority once they know for certain who he is. They will meet him after he saves them at Armageddon and they will realize who he is. (See: Why Didn’t the Jews recognize their Messiah?)
Every Knee will Bow
22 “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. 23 By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. 24 They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’” All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. (Isaiah 45: 22-24)
16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Festival of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. Zechariah 14: 16-17)
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2: 9-11)
After the battle of Armageddon, all the people of the earth will be under the rule of Jesus Christ, the King of kings. He will rule with an iron scepter (with righteousness, justice, and complete authority). Any nations that refuse to worship the King of kings will have no rain.
Satan is Bound for a Thousand Years
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. (Revelation 20: 1-3)
After the Great Tribulation, the Wrath of God is poured out onto the world. The world’s armies gather at Armageddon in a final attempt to annihilate the remnant of Israel.
When Jesus Christ arrives for the battle of Armageddon, he arrives with the armies of heaven. He destroys the armies of the world that gathered in an attempt to destroy the remnant of Israel. At that time, Satan will be bound for a thousand years and Jesus Christ will begin his reign over all the earth.
A Thousand Year Reign
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years. (Revelation 20: 4-6)
The first resurrection refers to the faithful followers of Jesus Christ who were raptured when Jesus arrived to fight at the battle of Armageddon. At that time, the believers will be transformed and receive eternal bodies (the rapture). They will live and reign with Jesus Christ during the thousand years that Satan is bound. (See: What is the Rapture?)
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. 20 “Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; the one who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere child; the one who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. (Isaiah 65: 19-20)
During the thousand years that Jesus reigns over the earth, there will still be humans on earth. People will still have babies but no one will die young. A person of a hundred will be considered just a child due to the longevity of people during this millennial age.
Even though people live a very long time during the thousand year reign, death still occurs. People are still human. The Christians who were raptured before the thousand year reign will have eternal bodies during this time but not everyone has an eternal body. This confirms that the thousand year reign is not the eternal heaven that is yet to come.
A Final Battle
7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. (Revelation 20: 7-9)
10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20: 10)
After the thousand years, Satan will be set free for a short while. He will once again deceive and gather armies of the world in a final attempt to overthrow the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. The armies following Satan will surround Jerusalem but they will be destroyed by fire from heaven.
Satan will lose his final battle and he will be cast into the lake of fire (the same place that the beast, and False Prophet were thrown into after the battle of Armageddon).
Satan will not be ruling the lake of fire. He will be stripped of his power and cast into the fire to be tortured for all eternity. God would not reward Satan by allowing him any power during his time of eternal punishment.
The Great White Throne
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20: 11-15)
36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12: 36-37)
5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. (1 Peter 4: 5)
12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. (Romans 14: 12)
When the time of judgment arrives, the earth and the heavens will flee from God’s presence. The dead will be brought before God’s great white throne. Everyone will be held accountable to God and He will judge them according to their words and works. God’s judgment will be righteous. His decision is final. The consequences are eternal.
A New Heaven & A New Earth
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21: 1-4)
5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21: 5-8)
After passing final judgment from the Great White Throne, God creates a new heaven and a new earth. It will be an eternal kingdom. No more death. No more mourning or crying or pain. The old order of things will have passed away.
God will dwell among His people. He provides for His people. He loves His people. He is faithful. He makes all things new!
A New Jerusalem
9 One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (Revelation 21: 9-10)
11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. (Revelation 21: 11-14)
18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. (Revelation 21: 18-21)
22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21: 22-27)
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22: 1-5)
God will make His throne in the new Jerusalem. He will dwell among His people. The new Jerusalem will be beautiful beyond anything anyone has ever seen. No sunlight or moonlight is needed because God gives the light and the Lamb (Jesus Christ) is its lamp. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will enter into this place.
This is the eternal life in heaven that faithful believers await. Eternity in the presence of our Lord. Living in a place of exquisite beauty. Seeing God face-to-face. In awe of His greatness. Humbled by His goodness. Filled with His peace and joy. Surrounded by His unlimited love. Sheltered by the One who is faithful and true. The King of kings. The Lord of lords.
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