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Revelation #42

            Have you been at peace in the Lord for the past week? It is time to continue studying the Book of Revelation. Last week, we ran out of time while hearing the words about the first resurrection. Let us first read Revelation 20:5 and hear testimony about the first resurrection. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. (Revelation 20:5 KJV) In order to know this first resurrection, let’s first review the spiritual resurrection and the first resurrection in which the body is physically revived again. Of course, when the Holy Spirit comes upon us when we believe in and receive Jesus Christ, our dead spirits are revived. Therefore, we can eat the Word of God, which is spirit and life. This is a spiritual resurrection. However, the Bible clearly says that mortal bodies will wear immortal, and corruptible bodies will wear incorruptible. There are two resurrections within the First, and the second resurrection comes with the second death. All this appears at the end of Revelation 20. This is also found in ¶ I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, When he appears, he will come to judge the living. It’s about judging the raptured, saved people. when he appears in heaven. Then, who shall judge the quick Those living in the First resurrection and the dead Second Resurrection at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1 KJV) The Lord also said this in (Luke 20:35 KJV) But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: These are the words of the Lord to the Sadducees who did not believe in physical resurrection. It is not a resurrection of the dead, but a resurrection from the dead. There are two resurrections, the first is the resurrection of the dead and the second is the resurrection from the dead. Two different things. The resurrection from the dead is the first resurrection, and the resurrection of the dead is the resurrection of the dead who will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment and fall into the lake of fire. These are people who have not received everlasting life. The Lord said: And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead. And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean. (Mark 9:9-10 KJV) Do you also have the same question? The Lord spoke of being raised from the dead. But they all understood later. Unfortunately, there are many people today who do not understand this resurrection. John 11:23-24 are words spoken to Martha when Lazarus died. Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:23-24 KJV) Martha only knew a general resurrection, the resurrection of the dead that would later take place at the Great White Throne Judgment. But the Lord confirmed it once again. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? (John 11:25-26 KJV) Meaning when the Lord comes later, those who are physically dead will be resurrected and those who are alive will be changed and never die. That is why even if God’s children die before Christ comes, They will be able to shout and walk out of the grave as in (1 Corinthians 15:55 KJV) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The apostle Paul testified that the born-again saints who are alive will not die, but will be changed in the blink of an eye, and will be raptured to be with the Lord forever. These are the words of our Lord. That is why there are two resurrections. For those of you who are hearing the Word now are not the resurrection of the dead, but the resurrection from the dead. This is the first resurrection. There is a gap of a thousand years from the second resurrection. The second resurrection follows the end of the Millennium. The Lord asks Martha. He asks you too. Believest thou this? Do you believe that you will be raptured before the Lord’s millennial reign? Do you believe that if you are still alive you will change? I am the resurrection and the life. Everyone examine yourselves please. Everyone who has received the Holy Spirit is betrothed to Jesus Christ, and just as an engagement ring was given, the Holy Spirit was given to those who believe and are sealed. Therefore, the children of God who are now betrothed to Jesus Christ heave the blessed hope and await the glorious appearing of the great God, as Titus 2 says. So, what are the signs of those who are saved? They’ve received the engagement ring. They have reived the Holy Spirit. These people should never look at the world and live by looking forward to the coming of Jesus Christ. If you lose faith in the Lord, you will eventually have problems and fall. What is the problem of today’s church of Laodicea? It has become a generation that follows the flesh and materialistic things. I urge each and everyone to lookup (Titus 2:13 KJV) Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Are you waiting for this? It was this loss of waiting that led to the fall of Christianity. If you lose waiting for the groom, your faith will be betrayed, you will become secular, and you will become worldly and eventually fall. We must know this clearly and be alert. (Daniel 12:2 KJV) also mentions two resurrections. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who receive everlasting life are the first resurrection, and those who are subjected to shame and everlasting contempt are the second resurrection. Therefore, the Bible clearly speaks of a first and second resurrection. The apostle Paul testified in (Acts 24:15 KJV) And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. The Bible says the first resurrection takes place before the Great Tribulation and the second resurrection would take place after the millennium. The Holy Spirit divides this first resurrection into three parts, starting with the Old Testament saints who are the first fruits, the bodily rapture of Christians at the harvest, and ending with the gleaning of the resurrection of the tribulation saints.

           Let us continue with (Revelation 20:6 KJV) 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. Those who partake in first resurrection will reign on earth as kings and priests for a thousand years. People who died in faith during the Old Testament era, those who went to the bosom of Abraham. The dead back then resurrected with the Lord’s resurrection and have already been raptured. Those who now receive Jesus Christ and are born again by the Holy Spirit will be taken up to heaven when the Lord comes down into the air and will be with the Lord and come with the Lord at the Second Coming. There is the resurrection of the tribulation saints at the end of the tribulation. Also known as gleaning. Revelation 5:10 says these saints will be resurrected and go up and come back down with the Lord and rule the earth as kings and priests for a thousand years. This clearly shows this in this generation. Are you part of it? Jesus Christ died as a prophet on the cross. He was buried, and then he rose from the dead to become our High Priest in heaven. He will come again as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This means that the children of God, we who are saved in this generation are to suffer while living as prophets just as the Lord did in His days. And we have a high priest in heaven, and when Christ comes again, the Bible says that he will be priests and kings, intercede for the people of the earth for a thousand years, and rule over these people in the millennium. The theme of the Old Testament is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The ‘day of the Lord’ and ‘the day of God’ refer to the thousand years from the battle of Armageddon to the great white throne judgment and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. Apostle Peter testifies in 2 Peter 3:8 that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. Therefore, the day of the Lord also refers to the day of the Second Coming when Christ comes to reign, but also 2 Peter 3:10-13, when the heavens and the earth will melt with fierce fire. Including to the end of the thousand-year reign. The day of the Lord is also referred to as the day of God. Therefore,  the earth will be reborn on the day of this thousand years. It is the final rest before the beginning of eternity. Better known as Regeneration in the Bible. This is mentioned twice in the Bible, first when it speaks of the regeneration of a dead spirit to life again in (Titus 3:5 KJV) Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Here, regeneration is born anew without sin. It means that you have become a new creature. Are you like this? If so, you can walk with the Lord because you are a whole new person. He said that those who are led by the Holy Spirit are God’s children. This verse signifies the new birth of the individual. Regeneration means being born again. Then, since the earth became cursed due to the sins of man, (Matthew 19:28 KJV) tells us that when people are born again and sin is removed, the Lord will naturally restore the earth as well. And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. The regeneration of a person and also the earth. Ultimately all creation that has been cursed because of man’s sin is renewed when sin is eliminated. This verse speaks of the regeneration of the earth. When Jesus Christ returns, unusual things will happen on earth. It will be so enormous that the change is expressed as regeneration. Simon Peter said about this in (Acts 3:20-21 KJV) And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. He said the time would come when the earth would be reborn. Also, the Holy Spirit spoke through the Apostle Paul in (Romans 8:21-23 KJV) Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

The Bible says that not only our sinful bodies are waiting for Jesus Christ to come and change them into new bodies, but all creation also wants Jesus Christ to come again. Animals, mountains and rivers, trees and plants all hope that Jesus Christ will come again and rule them. They look forward to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Just as God’s children wait for their body to change and come out of this mortal body and put on a new body, other creatures also wait for the Lord’s Second Coming. Heaven and earth and all things are waiting for the Lord’s Second Coming, but if God’s children do not, then it means one of two things. Either they have not been saved yet, or they have fallen even after they have been saved. Therefore, The Lord told the saints of the Laodicea church to repent. And the Lord asked to open the door so He will come in and eat and drink with those who do so. In Isaiah 11:1-11, we see the scenes of the millennium. In Isaiah 11:6-8, we can see that the curse on animals is removed, and wild animals mingle with the docile. The wolf mingles with the sheep and the lion eats straw. We need to search the words of Isaiah 11 once again. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. (Isaiah 11:6-8 KJV)

Has anything like this ever happened in human history? Nothing like this has happened since they were driven out of the Garden of Eden. Haven’t seen it in 6,000 years. However, the Bible clearly prophesies through the book of Isaiah. Do you believe in these words? One day, when Jesus Christ returns to this earth, what scientists have been doing for 6,000 years and what people have been striving for will be accomplished in one day. Because God has spoken. If you say let there be light, it is God’s ability to create. Our Savior will accomplish in one day, in 24 hours, what the Doctors of Philosophy, Medicine, Theology or Science has been able to accomplish in 6,000 years. On that day, humble sinner is saved, he will be honored during the Millennium. The Jews return to Palestine, the land of rebirth in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. When they return there, Isaiah 30:26 says they will see the sun shining seven times brighter than this generation. They can also harvest four times a year, and the Bible says that if you plow and sow the land, you will harvest right away, and the moon is seven times brighter than it is now. If you want to know more about these words please read, Amos 9:13-15, Isaiah 55:12, Isaiah 30:23, Isaiah 63:19, Joel 2:19-24, Ezekiel 34:26, Ezekiel 36:29, Deuteronomy 28:10, 2 Chronicles 6:33, Psalms 72, 84, 85:6-13, 89, 98, 99, 103, 111. In addition to the new earth, another novelty is that Amos 9:15 says that Israel will finally return to its homeland and never be scattered again. The Lord Jesus Christ is their lawful savior and ruler who will be their King and will no longer be killed. According to Genesis 15:18-21, the Jews own the land promised to Abraham according to the original unconditional covenant given to Abraham in Genesis, which was promised to Abraham as he fell asleep. It is an unconditional covenant. God said he would give the land to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He will do so very soon. This has been the reason for the international affairs whether Palestine belongs to the Arabs or Israel.

            (Genesis 15:18-19 KJV) says: In the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates: The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, Here God gives Abraham a piece of land, not only the narrow strip of Palestine, but also a vast area from the east to the Euphrates and south to the Nile in Egypt. David recovers this area during the war. It’s in 2 Samuel 8:3. Solomon receives the throne and rules the land. (1 Kings 4:21 KJV) And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border of Egypt: they brought presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. When Solomon ascended the throne, Israel took possession of all the land God had originally promised to Abraham. Ezekiel 40-48 says that in a thousand years they will take possession of this land again and divide it among the 12 tribes of Israel. The temple will be built in the center of the land, and there will be a holy area, and the Bible says that Jesus Christ will rule there. A detailed description of this distribution of land and the new temple is found in Ezekiel 40-48. Since the central theme of the Old Testament is the Second Coming of Christ, we should be familiar with the nine chapters of Ezekiel, which describe the division of Palestine in the millennium, and also show the dimensions of the millennial temple. You should not see this temple as New Jerusalem, nor should you see it as the tabernacle of the Old Testament or Solomon’s Temple. The dimensions are completely different, and it is also different from Herod’s Temple. (Ezekiel 48:35 KJV) says: It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The LORD is there. Jehova-shammah. We must remember that the temple of Ezekiel is not the temple that existed at the first coming of Jesus Christ. That’s not all. This city has no walls. At the first coming of Christ, there were walls all around. Also, the reason this city is not New Jerusalem is because Revelation 21:21 says that there is no temple in the New Jerusalem. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV) Many people do not know what this temple found in Ezekiel is. It confuses them. If we are only bound by the doctrine of the age of grace, we won’t understand why there are sacrifices offered in the temple again on the new moon or the Sabbath. We cannot look at the entire Bible as a single generation. We must know that most of the Bible was written with a focus on the Second Coming of the Lord at the end of this age. The conclusion is the book of Revelation. That’s why we need to study that conclusion. The sacrifice found in Ezekiel is a national atonement that recalls the cross. The new moon and the Sabbath are what they must observe in Isaiah 66:22-24, and the Apostle Paul exhorts us in the New Testament just as you and I have heard. The Bible tells us they offer sacrifices like this to remember the Lord’s death on the cross.

            So the apostle Paul said this in (Colossians 2:16-17 KJV) ¶ Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Those things are about when the Lord comes back. Therefore, keeping the Sabbath on Saturday in modern days is not truly keeping the Sabbath according to the Bible. The Sabbath is when the Lord comes and locks up Satan into the bottomless pit and rests with the saints. For this reason, we must rightly divide and understand the Bible. Here a new earth is born. Jesus Christ is present on the earth. All the environment on earth will be restored like Eden. In the millennium we shall see a full recovery. Curses will be completely lifted from nature. It’s a stupendous sight, but it’s real. The Jews return to Palestine and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. The new moon and the Sabbath will be observed again, as in 2 Chronicles 8:13. The type of reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium appears in 1 Kings 2-10. As a model of Jesus, David’s son Solomon reigned over the land that the Lord Jesus Christ would reign for a thousand years. We will study more about the events of the Millennium next time. May the peace of our Lord Christ Jesus be with you. Amen.