"Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. 7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. 11 Then I saw a great white throne and Him who 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, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. 14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire. Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev. 20-21: 2 nkjv)
This text speaks of what occurs following 1) the culmination of Christ's parousia, and 2) the resurrection and ascension into the air to greet Christ, and 3) Christ and his people smiting the nations and defeating the Antichrist and his followers, effecting their imprisonment, and 4) the ending of "this present evil age." Then the thousand year reign of Christ and his people begins. That is the chronology given to us in the text and context.
From the above text, we see the various people who will be part of this Millennial age. They are Christ, the resurrected and enthroned saints, "the nations," including "Gog and Magog." No doubt angels will mix and mingle with the occupants of "the age to come."
There are also cities, and one named in particular is "the beloved city" and "camp of the saints." Further, as Jesus taught, in this time of Christ's reign on earth, or in "the kingdom of God," he will have one saint to rule over five cities and another saint to rule over ten cities, which shows that cities will continue to exist in the Millennium. (See Luke 19: 17-19) The chief city, of course, will be Jerusalem where Christ, and the resurrected king David, will rule, it being the capital of the government of Christ, of "the kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven."
We also observe how the resurrection of those who died unsaved, those in the second resurrection, occurs after the thousand years, but the righteous dead are raised prior to the start of the thousand years. Following the second resurrection, the unsaved dead are finally judged before the great white throne by their works and sentenced to spend eternity in "the lake of fire and brimstone," their permanent prison. Following that final or last resurrection, and white throne judgment of the wicked, both living and dead, comes the new heavens and earth. Notice the words again from our opening text:
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. (Rev. 21: 1-2)
A difficulty with bible students who begin to study this aspect of our subject (life in the ages to come) is to ascertain when the earth and the heavens become "new heavens and earth." Is it at the beginning of the Millennium or at the age following the Millennium (and the "little season" which is sandwiched between the Millennial age and the first post Millennial "age")?
It seems to me from the above words that the Millennium age is part of the "first heaven" and "the first earth." They do not "pass away" until after the Millennium and the little season. Revelation chapter twenty tells us about life in the Millennial age and in the little season, but Revelation chapter twenty one and twenty two tell us about life in the ages of the ages.
From the text of Revelation twenty we see the saints take their seats on their promised thrones (Rev. 3: 21), and begin to rule over the nations (Rev. 2: 26-27). Their enthronement occurs after the final battle of Armageddon, after their resurrection and glorification, and after Satan has been removed from the heavens and the earth, bound with chains in the bottomless pit. Satan is not bound now, thus saints are not now ruling over the nations or sitting on their thrones. Rather, Satan like a lion on the hunt of prey "walks about seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5: 8)
So, in studying what the bible says about the "new heavens and earth" we must first address the question of when they come to be. At the start of the Millennium? Or, after the Millennium and the little season of apostasy? Most take the view that it begins after the little season and at the start of "the ages of the ages." That is my view but it is not a view without difficulty, as we will see.
Of course, the first scriptures to look at on the subject of the new heavens and earth are from the old testament, especially the last two chapters of the prophet Isaiah. We will begin to do that in the next chapter. We will also look into this text and see if it applies to life in the Millennial age or in the ages following it:
"I tell you the truth, at the renewal (regeneration kjv) of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matthew 19:28)
So, when is this fulfilled in the future? At the end of this age and the beginning of the next Millennial age? Or, now in the present age? Or, in the age following the Millennium, in the new heavens and earth of Revelation chapter 21-22? I believe as others that it has its first and primary fulfillment in the Millennium and yet also in the ages to come, though not in every way the same way.
The above "renewal" or "regeneration" is connected with that time when Christ returns and "sits on his glorious throne" and the twelve apostles of Christ "sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." And we have seen when this rule of Christ and the saints begin, which per Revelation twenty, is at the start of the Millennium when the martyrs and saints wear crowns and rule on earth as kings on their thrones.
If this regeneration begins at the start of the Millennium and the new heavens and the new earth follow the Millennium, then they cannot be the same, so it seems. But, we will address that further in the next chapters of our study.
Is the regeneration or renewal the same phenomenon as that described in these verses about the deliverance of earth and "the whole creation"?
"18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the eagerly awaiting creation waits for the revealing of the sons and daughters of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, [n]in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now." (Rom. 8: 18-22 nasb)
So, when does this take place in the future? When in relation to other future events? Is the whole creation set free from decay and bondage at the start of the Millennium and at the same time as the prophesied regeneration and renewal mentioned previously?
Like the passage about the renewal, this passage seems clearly to apply to what takes place at the second coming of Christ and the start of the Millennium. Notice the various words and adverbs used in the above text dealing with various times (highlighted in bold letters). The reason I believe this is because this deliverance of the whole creation from the curse placed upon it by the transgression of our race through our parents, Adam and Eve, occurs at the time when the sons of God are revealed, and that occurs, as the context shows, in the day of redemption of the body, the day when Christ comes to resurrect and glorify the saints with their new bodies and new state.
But, affirming this does not alleviate all the problems. The question arises in my mind about why the need to create new heavens and earth after the Millennium when it was delivered from the curse and regenerated at the start of the Millennium? Why burn up a regenerated cosmos and world? I don't have all the answers to these mysteries, but we will explore them further as we study the Millennial Age and the ages of eternity to follow, discovering the purpose of the Millennial age and those which follow (more than we already have).
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